Teyana Taylor is cooking up her latest dream in the kitchen.
On Friday, July 11, the 34-year-old singer and actress revealed she recently enrolled in culinary school, fulfilling a longtime dream of hers.
In an Instagram post that included a video of her dressed in her culinary school uniform, chef hat and all, dancing with her nine-year-old daughter, Iman “Junie” Tayla Shumpert Jr., as GloRilla’s hit song “LET HER COOK” played, the R&B star shared how cooking has been her lifelong passion.
“Went into my first day of Culinary school with a banggggggg s/o to my Twinskiiiiiii Junebuggggggg! Wow… it’s really happening. A dream I’ve carried in my heart for so long is finally becoming a reality and I’m feeling every bit of it,” she began in the post’s caption.
The “Gonna Love Me” singer went on to share just how cooking and baking have “always been more than just hobbies.”
“They’ve been my passion, my peace, my therapy,” she continued. “Since I was a little girl, I remember being glued next to whoever was in the kitchen while the other kids played around! Lol watching all the amazing women in my life cook all our favorite meals with so much love and joy. I must say I def got a cooking ass family lol That’s where it all started. And by the time I was 13/14, I was the ‘hood Betty Crocker’ in Harlem baking cakes for the neighbors and anyone who asked. Ya girl was ah hustlaaaaaahhhh & that spark never left me.”
Throughout her life, career, and navigating motherhood, the “Straw” actress said the kitchen has remained her “safe space.” She noted getting a culinary degree was a goal that kept getting pushed off as her acting and singing took off and “simply life life’nnnnnn.”
“But honestly finding my way back and going to school at this time is important because it’s the time where I get to show up for me. No matter how hectic life gets, I find comfort in the rhythm of it all—the chopping, the stirring, the creating,” she expressed, adding, “Now, I get to take this love even deeper. I’m officially stepping into the world of culinary and pastry arts.. Not just as a passion, but as a purpose. I’m excited to learn, to grow, and to honor the art form that’s fed both my soul and my community over the years.”
She concluded by thanking reality TV star Alexis Welch Stoudemire for introducing her to an “amazing school” and pushing her to “get up and get to it.” She also thanked her loved ones and God.
“Seeeeeeee,[“Escape Room,” her forthcoming album due out August 22] wasn’t the only thing AUNTEY was cooking upppppppp,” she wrote with a gumbo pot emoji and a chef emoji. “Adding CHEF to my long resume real soon.”
