From the basement level of the Drake Hotel, the scent of gingerbread wafts through the air as pots and pans clank and the shoes of busy chefs shuffle across the kitchen floor. At the front of the space stands a 6-foot-tall tiered platform, each level adorned with uniquely decorated miniature gingerbread houses — a more than century-old tradition that Chicago Public School students helped bring to life this season.

On Tuesday morning, North-Grand High School senior Andrea Rodriguez and junior Elijah Colon, along with Roosevelt High School junior Richard Barron, joined pastry chef Robyn Johnson to add the final touches to the towering display. Final touches included the piping of gingerbread cookies reminiscent of the holidays, such as stockings, snowflakes and trees.

This hands-on experience is part of Chicago’s Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), which provides public school students nationwide with practical culinary skills. The Chicago chapter serves students at 20 schools in Cook County, most of which are within CPS. Founded in 1990, C-CAP operates in nine cities, including Chicago, and serves roughly 25,000 students across the country.

Since September, students have worked alongside Johnson to bring the historic gingerbread display to life in time for its unveiling. This marks the fifth year that Chicago’s chapter has participated in gingerbread-themed programming.

“What really excites me is that I get to see the things that I worked on,” Rodriguez said. “And everything that everyone here has contributed to the gingerbread house.”

Chef Robyn Johnson, center, watches as CPS high school students in the culinary program ice gingerbread cookies in the kitchen of the Drake Hotel on Nov. 18, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

For Chicago C-CAP director and program alumnus Anthony Riley McPhee, the initiative is personal, as he once wore the black apron. He credits the program with helping him dream beyond his circumstances — a message he shares with every student.

“When I speak to our students, I can say, ‘Hey, this is life changing.”

McPhee went on to become a classically trained chef — a success story that inspires students such as Colon.

“I figured this program would help me have experience in the kitchen,” Colon said. “It helps me see if I actually want to do this.”

Johnson, too, knows the power of full-circle moments. A graduate of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School on the South Side, she attended culinary school and completed her first internship at the Drake — spending 40 hours a week making gingerbread houses. Today, she sees this program as a way to give back to the place and community that shaped her.

“The kids come, they enjoy it, they get excited about it,” Johnson said.“This (program) is very important because they’re getting hands-on instruction and they’re getting it for free.”

North-Grand High School senior Andrea Rodriguez with her iced gingerbread cookies as part of a culinary program in the kitchen of the Drake Hotel on Nov. 18, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

As for Rodriguez, she’s preparing to graduate and head to culinary school. Her advice to future students is simple: Students joining the program won’t regret doing so.

“I really want the next generation that comes in here to take advantage of this opportunity,” Rodriguez said. “I’m glad I got to be part of this.”

The gingerbread house will be unveiled Saturday during the Magnificent Lights Festival at 4 p.m. and remain on display at the Drake throughout the holiday season.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/cps-culinary-students-gingerbread-drake/