Maria Angelica Bonilla ‘22

Kitchen Steward

Favorite menu item: Kite Loop

Favorite beverage: Orange Juice

Maria, a Cabarete native, was raised and has lived her entire life in La Cienega of Cabarete, the second largest local neighborhood that borders the Mariposa Foundation and is named after its proximity to the lagoon – La Cienaga directly translating to “the swamp.” Having joined Mariposa programs at age 8, she went on to graduate from Mariposa programs in 2022 as well as from Centro de Enseñanza Coral (the local high school) and is currently enrolled in culinary school to become a Chef in Culinary Arts. As Maria’s interest in culinary school was blooming, she continued her learning outside of the classroom and helped for a short period at the Mariposa Center as an assistant in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the Mariposa girls. Maria joined the Cabarete Coffee Company team in November of 2022 and is able to continue to learn about the industry she is interested in. 

While studying once a week at Escuela de Cocina Gourmet Pucheu in Santiago, Maria is also interning in Cabarete at a local Italian restaurant, Bliss, as she is required to complete an internship of 640 hours in the kitchen. Between her time at Cabarete Coffee Company, Culinary school, and evenings at Bliss, Maria is gaining an enormous amount of experience. In particular, Maria is excited by preparing and trying new foods and learning about new cultures through food. Maria learned how to cook traditional Dominican food at a young age alongside her mother, including family recipes but believes she still has a lot more to learn. One day Maria would like to be a private chef, but values the practice and experience she is gaining in the kitchens of restaurants. She enjoys working with clients and serving them meals and looks forward to continuing to work in the restaurant industry upon graduation from culinary school.