PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — At 20-years-old, Aydan Brady has already built a reputation at Unwined for crafting award-winning dishes. Now, the young head chef is taking his skills to the prestigious Culinary Institute of America.
Brady, a former Culinary Arts student at Charlotte Technical College, took first place at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference this summer in Atlanta. His performance earned him a gold medal, and a full scholarship CIA.
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“Winning and then seeing that medal, I’m just like, wow, that was crazy,” Brady said. “The whole time it didn’t feel real.”
Brady isn’t heading north alone. His wife, Naomi Brady, and his best friend, Luciano Lopez, also work in Unwined’s kitchen and will be enrolling at the Culinary Institute of America alongside him.
Brady said his inspiration came from CTC instructor Jason Osborne, who first introduced him to the world of competitive cooking.
“I learned so much from Chef Osborne,” Brady said. “Watching him and having him push me to keep improving really inspired me to go further.”
Unwined's owner Luis Contreras, said bringing in young talent like Brady and his team has become part of the restaurant's identity.
"I took a chance on Aydan, and eventually he became head chef,” Contreras said. “Overall, very proud of him and I think he's done a very good job."
For Brady, the scholarship makes a dream possible that once seemed out of reach.
“Me and my wife were originally planning to go, but when we started adding up the numbers, we just couldn’t afford it,” he said. “So I prayed about it and thought, if I win nationals, then we’ll go. And I ended up placing, so now we’re going.”
Looking ahead, Brady said he hopes to keep competing on even bigger stages while he studies. His national title also earned him a spot in the World Food Championships next year, and he says he has his eye on more contests as he continues to push himself in the culinary world.
