In 2003, Chef Wilhelmina Bell, was an honor graduate of the Culinary Arts program at The Art Institute of Philadelphia. Her interests in furthering her education stemmed from an injury she sustained while working as a Correctional Shop Supervisor for the dry cleaning industry. Unable to continue in this field and too young to retire, she realized that it was time for her to do something she truly loved, cooking!

At age 50, Wilhelmina started college fully aware of all of the possible challenges. She was afraid that she would not be able to excel academically because of the side effects sustained from her injury, but she remained confident and worked hard. She chose The Art Institute because it offered more hands on classes with an Award-winning culinary team! The staff at the school were "just plain nice people" who assisted with the enrollment process and encouraged me to pursue my dream.

While at The Art Institute, she completed two internships. The first was with the school store where valuable experience was gained in identifying foods, inventory control and price management. The second internship was with a catering business that offered Sunday brunches. She learned to prepare food for large numbers of people and to develop menu items. She even had the opportunity to add her own personal twist to certain recipes.

She established life-long bonds and worked with many talented students at The Art Institute of Philadelphia. Through team wins in various competitions, she and her classmates became like a small family!

In spite of her earlier apprehension, she remained on the Dean's List during her entire tenure with the school. She also won a Presidential Award, Outstanding Achievement and Best of Quarter awards at graduation. As Wilhelmina recalls, "the most thrilling time was when I adorned the yellow rope during commencement. I graduated with honors, exceeding even my expectations!"

She has worked as a freelancer, a Sous Chef at Rinker Rock Café and started her own business called Dandelion Catering. She even worked for eight months at The Art Institute as an Assistant Storeroom Manager!

Currently, she is the Senior Training Coordinator for Communities In Schools of Philadelphia, Inc. working with the Careers through Culinary Arts Program. In 2005, she accompanied a group of teachers on a trip to China to develop their culinary skills. She has since traveled to Hawaii, Alaska, Bermuda, Paris, and Italy to study and experience other cuisines.

She has participated in many culinary events, including: Chef for Philly Fit fest, a competition for the best ribs in town at the Rib, Rhythm & Blues and a Chili contest for the spiciest chili in town!

This year, under her supervision, the Careers through Culinary Arts Program had the most students ever to participate for scholarships in C-CAP final competition. During the Teen Competition held annually at The Art Institute, one of the schools took home 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards. One of the students was awarded the Bill Gates Millennium Award, the first in C-CAP history. This year C-CAP gave over $430,000 in scholarships, the most ever in its history.