Two local college students have gotten a big boost toward pursuing their culinary dreams. 

Midvale’s Diana Madariaga was awarded a scholarship to help fund her culinary arts education.

Food supply and distribution company US Foods has awarded scholarships of $20,000 to Keri Okeson of West Valley City and Diana Madariaga of Midvale to help fund their education in culinary arts at Utah Valley University in Orem. They are among just 18 students nationwide to receive the scholarships for 2025. The winners were chosen for what US Foods calls their “exceptional talent, academic achievement and commitment to the future of food service.” 

“Our newest scholars represent the future of food service, and investing in their growth will benefit operators and the industry at large,” Lisa Whitson, US Foods vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement. 

For Okeson, such a large financial award was a “total surprise,” she said, despite the fact that she had applied for it. “It’s more money than I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

The UVU sophomore said the scholarship will largely take care of her tuition and other school expenses to take that stress off her plate so she can focus on finishing an associate’s degree in the food services field. “The best part of this program is that I get to see everything when it comes to this industry from creations in the kitchen to the business side of it,” she said. 

Okeson said she has an idea of where she wants to take her talents and degree in culinary arts, but is still trying to find the right ingredients for her career. “As of right now, I love baking and I’ve always loved baking, so doing something with that like a home bakery or a store front, or I love catering,” the Granger High School graduate said. 

The Granger High School graduate recalls her early interest in food preparation starting at a young age when she and her three sisters would visit her grandma’s house on the Fourth of July. “We would make ice cream sandwiches.”

Madariaga’s taste for the culinary arts lies in part with her Argentinian background. 

“The long-term dream for me is to open a bakery,” Madariaga said. “I want to open a bakery that has Argentine pastries and French pastries,” said the Midvale resident and Hillcrest High School alumnus. 

Madariaga is in the second semester of a four-semester program. The first three terms focus on increasing levels of baking and cooking skills, nutrition, purchasing, and storeroom management. The fourth semester offers internship opportunities in the food services industry.

Like Okeson, Madariaga's love of cooking started while growing up with her sisters. “I always liked cooking with my mom and my family,” she said. “I love eating food.” 

Her fascination with well-prepared cuisine started on a Disney cruise. “I was so astounded by the beautiful presentation of food, and I was like ‘I want to do this so bad,’” Madariaga said.

The scholarship application included “short-answer questions about why you want to be in the culinary field,” high school and college transcripts, descriptions of work experience, and recommendations from people who know her, Madariaga explained. 

Besides Madariaga and Okeson, other Utahns awarded US Foods scholarships this year are fellow Utah Valley University students Allie Harris of Springville and Shelby Peterson of Grantsville. 

Madariaga was attracted to Utah Valley University despite her immediate family members all being BYU grads and wanting her to also attend the school. 

“I was looking at all the culinary arts programs in Utah and decided on UVU because they have a really good program,” she said.