Q&A with Karen Rosenbloom ‘24GS
Karen Rosenbloom ‘24GS, dedicated student and professional chef, shares her love for culinary arts and her aspiration to enhance the food industry through creative writing.
From the pots and pans in her Miami home to the white, double-breasted chef coats of Johnson and Wales, Karen Rosenbloom ’24GS has been engrossed in the food industry for as long as she can remember. By the time she was 21, she had already worked in seven professional kitchens and has been featured on BBC for her impressive social media presence. Rosenbloom shares her nontraditional journey to GS and what inspires her culinary endeavors.
Tell us about your background and what inspired you to become involved in the food industry.
I was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida. Since the age of seven, cooking has been the greatest joy in my life. I grew up watching the Food Network channel alongside my grandmother, yearning to immerse myself in the culinary world. As my passion grew in high school, I knew culinary school was my next step. At the age of 18, I enrolled at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island where I successfully completed an associate's degree in Culinary Arts. My professional experience in the food and beverage industry includes serving as a Garde-Manger Chef, Private Chef, and Event Caterer.
I have worked in 7 different professional kitchens over the span of 5 years. My first few restaurant jobs in Miami were prep cook positions. I would perform simple tasks such as washing produce, juicing citrus, cutting bags of onions, and peeling potatoes. After a year, I worked my way up the brigade from prep cook to line cook and was a lead line cook at Brown University.
During the pandemic, I made the switch from restaurant work to private chef work. I currently work for Isaac Perlman, an established private chef in Miami. We cater many events of all sizes, including intimate dinners for 4-10 people and bar mitzvahs and weddings for up to 350 guests. I also worked in his restaurant as a Garde Manger chef where I was in charge of all the cold dishes, appetizers, salads, and desserts.
How did your previous experiences lead you to GS?
While cooking has always been my greatest love, I have always had a passion for writing as well. In pursuit of a higher education, I wanted to attend a university that would honor my nontraditional path thus far. GS was a perfect fit, so I immediately applied with the goal of becoming a food journalist. As a creative writing major with a concentration in English, I am able to combine both of my interests: cooking and writing.
What was it like transitioning to Columbia from being a professional chef?
My experience in professional kitchens prepared me for the rigorous academic curriculum at Columbia. I’ve been able to combine skills used in the kitchen such as organization, precision, and determination, and apply them to my academic studies.
As a creative writing major, I take classes on non-fiction, poetry, and food writing. The Core Curriculum has allowed me to branch out and study unfamiliar subjects including globalization, psychology, and philosophy. I enjoy immersing myself into academic life, and engaging in intellectual discussions with peers and professors both in and outside of the classroom.
Since I enrolled at Columbia in 2021, I have noticed a major shift in my writing style. I’m going to continue taking writing seminars and workshops in hopes of advancing my writing skills and becoming a published author.
"GS offers an incredible opportunity to students with unique career and educational paths who wish to continue their academic studies. I highly suggest applying as it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life!"
What’s next for you in the food industry?
When I started attending GS, I launched my TikTok page: @ Karens_Cooking where I share recipes, stories, and anecdotes from my professional chef endeavors. While my TikTok page began as a hobby, it has now blossomed into a platform that allows me to share my love for food with the world, accumulating nearly 200 million views and 240,000 followers in under three years. In February of 2022, I was featured in a BBC article about Chefs on TikTok. The BBC team was excited to photograph me in my kitchen, but also confused when I told them that I live in a college dorm!
TikTok has allowed me to develop an online personality, in addition to launching my career as a food content creator. This feat has made it possible for me to work with some of my favorite brands and publications while completing my education at GS. In the future, I plan on continuing my work as a food blogger and content creator, and hope to utilize my degree in creative writing to become a distinguished food journalist.