Chef Aaron Stumb is an accomplished chef and Wake Tech alumnus and has been a culinary instructor at the college since 2010. He was executive chef at Mez Restaurant in Durham for more than 10 years, where he was responsible for purchasing, creating menus and hiring and training staff. As a chef consultant for the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group, he helped create the Mez concept and led management teams at a number of successful Triangle restaurants, including 518 West, 411 West and Spanky's. He also assisted in establishing Chapel Hill Restaurant Catering. Prior to that, he served as sous chef at Firebird's Grill and completed the company's management training program.

Chef Stumb earned an AAS in Culinary Arts from Wake Tech in 1997 and joined the college as an adjunct instructor in 2010. In 2019, he became a full-time instructor, teaching classes and helping develop the culinary curriculum. He completed a bachelor's degree in Leadership in the Public Sector from North Carolina State University in 2023 and became an assistant professor in 2024. He has been the department head for Culinary, Baking and Hospitality since August 2024.

Chef Caralyn House has a degree in Finance and Banking from Appalachian State University. She also studied at L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Md., earning an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts. Chef House won a scholarship to study Pastry Arts taught by the White House pastry chef, Roland Mesnier. She has worked in restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area as well as Raleigh.

Chef House has been teaching a variety of classes at Wake Tech since 1991. She now focuses on the baking and pastry classes and is the program director for the Baking & Pastry Arts program. She is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), Certified Culinary Educator (CCE) and was awarded the 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award by the North Carolina Community College System.

Chef Melissa Attanas developed a passion for food, baking and cooking at a young age. While still in high school, she began her career working all the stations in a small French restaurant kitchen in eastern North Carolina. She loved it so much that, after graduating, she went on to earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts at Wake Tech in 2003. She has worked at award-winning institutions, including Hayes Barton Café in Raleigh, Magnolia Grill in Durham and Bon Appetit Management Company at SAS Institute in Cary.

Chef Attanas has 20 years of experience in different facets of the food and restaurant industry under her belt and knows a lot about the hard work and dedication it takes to be successful in a baking and pastry arts career. At each step in her career, she found herself mentoring beginners and soon realized her passion for teaching was as great as her passion for baking. One of her favorite things about her work experience was getting to mold people new to professional kitchen work.

In 2010, she began working as an adjunct baking instructor at Wake Tech's Southern Wake Campus while working full time in the restaurant industry. Inspired by the positive impact Wake Tech has on the community, she decided to go full time as a baking instructor at the new Northern Wake Campus kitchen in 2017. She describes her teaching style as firm and consistent, while encouraging her students to develop a passion for their work.

Chef Hebert has more than 12 years of experience in the field. After earning a degree in Baking & Pastry Arts from Johnson & Wales University, she started working at an independent bakery and worked her way up to head baker. In 2012, she moved to New York and worked in an upscale Italian bakery, where she fell in love with the art of cake decorating.

Later, she became a pastry chef and manager at North Carolina State University and Bon Appetit Management Company at SAS Institute in Cary. Managing opened her eyes to the importance of training and the understanding of hard work, dedication and commitment to the food service industry.

Chef Herbert began as an adjunct instructor in the Baking & Pastry Arts program at Wake Tech in Fall 2020, impressed with the impact the program has on the community – even during a pandemic. She joined the faculty full-time in January 2021. She is grateful for the opportunity to guide and mold future pastry chefs, and her enthusiasm is evident in the classes she teaches.

Chef Herbert enjoys spending time with her family, being bossed around by her Sheepadoodle, Eddie, attending sporting events and being at the beach.

Chef Eric Stopka began his career in the foodservice industry at the age of 17 as a dishwasher and a prep cook, working his way up in the kitchen to sous chef and assistant manager at various restaurants across North Carolina. His love of pastry led him to receive an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts from Wake Tech and then work at the prestigious Fearrington House Restaurant as lead pastry cook. There, he helped the restaurant maintain the AAA Five-Diamond status. He then worked at Whole Foods Market as a bakery manager.

Chef Stopka has been teaching at Wake Tech since 2012 as an adjunct instructor and came on board as a full-time faculty member in Fall 2016. He loves teaching and enjoys working with the students in achieving their personal and professional goals.

In addition to his Wake Tech degree, he has a bachelor's degree in Broadcasting and Communications from East Carolina University.