Success From Scratch: CofC Student is Baking a Flavorful Future

In high school, Craig Blenis had a plan, and cooking was no part of it. He wanted to follow his passion for drawing, and planned to study architecture at Clemson University. However, he scratched those plans after taking a baking course at Trident Technical College.

“I looked at my mom and said, ‘Mom, I want to do this,’” Blenis recalls, adding that, as a kid, he “never wanted to play with toys. I always just wanted to be in the kitchen with my mom.”

Those memories of being in the kitchen came back to him with a wave of inspiration after that first class at TTC. He knew right away that he was meant to cook.

Blenis, whose father was in the Marine Corps, moved around a lot until his family landed in Charleston nine years ago. It makes sense, then, that he’d want to stay put. So, when the option to study culinary arts at TTC through their partnership with the Culinary Institute of Charleston came about, he felt compelled to explore this path.

When he proposed the idea to his mother, Yvonne Blenis – an undergraduate majoring in French and Francophone studies at the College of Charleston – she was quick to ask about his plans to study architecture. To that, he simply laughed and said, “Well, I hate math.”

And so, he decided to pursue his associate’s degree in culinary arts at TTC, specializing in baking and pastry – and to take it a step further by simultaneously earning a degree in hospitality and tourism management at the College of Charleston. He knew his two degrees would work together like flour and sugar. It was the first step of many in his path to becoming a chef.

The Taste of Travel

At the College of Charleston, Blenis was accepted into the Honors College. He describes it as the perfect program to push him and inspire him to be the best he can be. As both challenging and motivating, the Honors College has helped Blenis set a standard for himself academically, while giving him the tools to reach that standard.

And, through its ARCH (Achievement Realized through Community in Honors) Scholars Program, it also gave him the opportunity to study abroad in London during the spring 2025 semester.

Blenis was hesitant at first. Not only was it his first year in college, but it would be his first time abroad. But his family and CofC staff encouraged him to take the leap.

It was, he says, Ms. McLain, a grandmother figure in his life, who was the deciding factor: She encouraged him to go abroad and offered the financial backing he needed to make the decision.

Blenis was part of the first cohort in the ARCH Abroad experience in London – an opportunity supported through a longstanding partnership between the College of Charleston and the Foundation for International Education.

“Based on FIE’s campus in the heart of South Kensington, Craig had access to world-class cultural institutions, historic neighborhoods and the vibrant energy of one of the world’s most iconic cities,” says Salvatore Musumeci, director of the ARCH Scholars Program.

He took courses at Le Cordon Bleu, the Jamie Oliver Cookery School and Bread Ahead in Borough Market. From these courses, he was able to develop his artistic skills in the kitchen and dive deeper into his love for baking. He also was able to see how food in other cultures operated.

“His major in hospitality and tourism paired seamlessly with his passion for food and culinary traditions, allowing him to explore both academically and personally the diverse flavors and practices that define London,” says Musumeci. “That combination of place, study and culture made his time abroad a truly distinctive and transformative experience.”

Read more about the ARCH Scholars study abroad program in London.

He also had the unique opportunity to intern at Refettorio Felix, a volunteer drop-in center that focuses on feeding the vulnerable in Earls Court. This experience was life-changing for Blenis, who felt a genuine connection to the people he was serving in his front-of-house position. He was able to converse and have personal experiences with the people helped by this volunteer position.

“There were plenty of great moments, but the people made those moments,” says Blenis, who made friends with several students from another institution studying abroad, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These newfound friends brought him a lot of comfort, even surprising him with a birthday cake on his first birthday away from family.

A Flavorful Future

Blenis’ passion? Chocolate.

And, upon his return from London, Blenis was able to study under Christophe Paume, an artisan chocolatier in Charleston. He learned new techniques and sharpened his artistic abilities in the medium of chocolate. His time there only solidified his love of chocolate making.

“I felt it inside of me and it was uncontrollable – the excitement,” he smiles.

Still, when asked what his favorite dessert to make is, Blenis admits, “I’ve been trained by my mom to say, ‘Whatever I’ve been asked to make,’ but in all seriousness, I love making cakes.”

Inspired by London’s patisseries, Blenis now dreams of creating a patisserie on King Street – a unique new space where people can get a nice dessert and watch it being made while they hang out with loved ones. He wants to show Charleston the beauty of the process that is baking.

Whether it’s five or 15 years from now, Blenis hopes to make a big impact in Charleston with his patisserie – one that reflects not only his skills in the kitchen, but his story and passion behind it.

“This is the first place I’ve been able to call home. I want to be here for a long time,” says Blenis, who hopes to give back to CofC with deals for college students. “Charleston is my home.”

Alyssa McDowell is a senior communication major with interests in writing and journalism. She serves as a peer facilitator with the Office of New Student Programs and an application support specialist with the Office of Admissions.