Karis Kopp is a positive and determined chef. She has developed lots of skills over the years as she has gone from cooking competitions with her friends to becoming a Sterling Scholar.
“Everyone has to eat; I like that you can make food taste great,” Kopp, a Highland senior, said.
Kopp was awarded the Family and Consumer Science Sterling Scholar. She loves to be in the kitchen experimenting with different ingredients as she perfects the many recipes that she has up her sleeve.
Kopp started cooking at Highland when she enrolled in ProStart. She appreciated the experience of cooking with others as they combine talents to create a delicious meal to share. Sometimes working with others can be hard, but Kopp loved the collaborative elements of cooking.
Along with ProStart, she has found opportunities to help serve hot chocolate and cookies at Highland’s traditional fall carnival. She has also helped with One Table Together, a nonprofit organization that is driven by the older community to foster connections. She has done the cooking and prep as well as volunteered her time as a waiter for these meals the organization has put on.
Kopp is currently working for a family friend as a chef, cooking eight meals a week. She specifically loves to make Mediterranean bowls and also enjoys making tacos. She recently worked as a volunteer chef at a birthday party.
“She has always loved to do stuff related to cooking. It just seems like a natural part of who she is,” Beth, Kopp’s mom, said.
Kopp loves to craft in the kitchen because it involves her hands and mind to work as one. To throw things in the pot to create a delicious product and to keep balance in whatever she is making.
Her favorite aspect of cooking is how food can bring so many people together, of different backgrounds, cultures, and opinions. Food can always be a factor that brings people together.
“I like that food can be a vessel for spending the quality time with somebody you love and for somebody you enjoy being around,” Kopp said.
Kopp likes to cook for and with her family. They also enjoy watching different cooking shows such as Chopped, the Great British Baking Show, Culinary Wars, and Master Chef.
When trying to improve her understanding of food, she read Salt Fat Acid Heat a book by Samin Nosrat which teaches the fundamental cooking concepts with the essential elements that determine the texture and flavor of the food. Needless to say, Kopp has really put time and effort into refining her skills in the kitchen.
But Kopp’s talents don’t end there. She learned how to be resilient and find grit through running on the Highland cross country team for all four years of high school. She loves to have the outlook of running to be outside – if it’s not too hot – and just exercise.
She is also a cellist who has been in the symphony orchestra at Highland for the past three years. She loves to perform and will even play at her church on occasions.
She is looking forward to attending the University of Utah where she is hoping to study Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Management. Her goal would be to work with Head Chef Peter Hodgson at the U who does all of the on-campus cooking. While she’s a student. She is excited to investigate the food business industry, and her dream job is to be a Head Chef or own a Supper Club.
