CMC 2024 grads:

From Ghana to Breckenridge: CMC culinary arts grad Sylvaking Addo follows up with a second degree – and options

By Carrie Click

April 10, 2024 - Sylvaking Addo is a long way from his birthplace Accra, the capital city of Ghana in west Africa. But no matter. He hit the ground running when, as a 12-year-old, he and his family moved to the United States. And as Addo graduates with a bachelor’s degree in leadership and management at Colorado Mountain College Breckenridge this May, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Addo (“The easiest way to remember how to say my first name is to say, ‘Silverking,’” he said) first learned about Colorado Mountain College when he was a senior in high school in Aurora, Colorado, considering college majors.

“My mom wanted me to be an engineer,” said Addo, with a smile. “I was interested in cooking.”

That’s when one of his teachers passed around a flyer that Kevin Clarke, CMC Breckenridge’s director of culinary education, had distributed to Colorado schools about ProStart, a culinary arts and restaurant program for high school students. Addo came to Breckenridge for an interview with Clarke and was accepted into CMC’s culinary arts program in 2017.

An associate and a bachelor's

After graduating with a degree in culinary arts in 2020, Addo quickly went to Denver to join Summit County native, chef and CMC culinary alum Matt Vawter, who was the executive chef at Mercantile, an award-winning downtown Union Station restaurant.

In the midst of COVID-19 as restaurants adjusted to the pandemic, Addo saw he needed to increase his career options. It was time for another degree, and he began studying for a bachelor’s in leadership and management. As he worked on his degree, Addo joined Vawter in Breckenridge at Vawter’s new restaurant Rootstalk, which opened in December 2020. Vawter recently was nominated a Best Chef: Mountain finalist in the James Beard awards. Addo has worked as a line cook at the acclaimed restaurant for the past few years while attending college.

Getting support

Providing Addo support along the way was a grant offered through Colorado Mountain College called the Back to Work Scholarship, which is part of the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, or COSI.

Additionally, Addo became a Mountain Scholar, and paired up with his mentor, Summit County local Steve Shapiro. The program, which is managed by Andrea Walker, CMC Breckenridge student support services coordinator, provided Addo with financial support, academic coaching, degree and career counseling and other services.

Now with two degrees, an Associcate of Applied Science in culinary arts and a Bachelor of Applied Science in leadership and management, the 25-year-old is looking forward to the future.

“I have options now,” he said.

With commencement ceremonies around the corner – CMC Breckenridge and Dillon’s ceremony is on May 3 – Addo is preparing for another milestone: he’ll be giving the student address to his fellow graduates at commencement.

“[Culinary professor Kevin] Clarke has given me little lessons through the years,” said Addo. “One is ‘vision, focus, purpose.’”

For information about commencement ceremonies taking place May 3-6, go to CMC graduation.