Veteran Student Spotlight: Austin Stenta

Finding Growth, Perspective, and New Direction Through Culinary Education at CIA

Meet Austin, a veteran and Culinary Arts student at CIA. He brings a thoughtful and reflective perspective to his education, emphasizing the value of engaging with the support available from instructors, advisors, and the community. Through experiences like Cuisines of the World, Austin has discovered the many paths within the culinary industry and gained a clearer sense of his own direction.

1. What branch of the military did you serve in, when did you serve, and what were your roles or responsibilities?

I left home in Southern Ohio at 17 to attend West Point and become the man I envisioned for myself. I was commissioned into the infantry, trained, and was stationed at Fort Carson with 4th ID. In 2016, I deployed to Afghanistan as an infantry platoon leader, leading light infantry patrols in Kandahar and Uruzgan Province.

I was later promoted to executive officer, helping run the company in Kandahar. When I returned, I felt like I wasn’t finished. Instead of leaving after my initial commitment, I chose to pursue special operations.

I went on to serve as a Green Beret for five to six years. During that time, I served as an ODA team leader in the 1st Special Forces Group, focused on Asia, before moving into staff assignments overseeing plans and operations. By the time I left the Army, I had about ten years of service and was a captain being considered for promotion to major. Walking away at that point wasn’t an easy decision, but I knew it was my last real opportunity to choose a different path.

2. What inspired you to transition from your prior profession into the culinary field?

Around the time I was getting out, I was about to have my son—he’s two now—and that really made me think about what kind of man and father I wanted to be. I had become who I set out to be at 30, but I realized the person I wanted to be at 40 looked very different.

For most of my adult life, my sense of worth was tied to my effectiveness in the work I was doing in the military. There’s a lot of pride and brotherhood in that, but it’s also something that makes you reflect on what you want to carry forward. I didn’t want my son to grow up seeing only that side of me—I wanted him to see someone strong, but also gentle.

So, I started thinking about what the opposite might look like. Instead of that path, I wanted to create something—I wanted to give people a sense of comfort and happiness. That brought me back to my father. He created a home that was always open to others, and he did that through cooking. People remember how he made them feel, and I realized that’s what I wanted to do.

So, I applied to one place—CIA.

I didn’t come here because I regret my past. I came here to grow in a different direction. I don’t know exactly what’s next, but I do know I want a skill set where I can make the people around me happy every day

In food, you have the opportunity to be the best part of someone’s day—or even their year. People come to restaurants for special moments, and you get to create that experience.They may never remember your name, but they’ll remember how they felt. That, to me, is incredibly meaningful—and it’s why I chose this path.

3. What skills from the military helped you transition into being a student at CIA?

The Army is pretty good at keeping that part of your brain working—the part that learns new skill sets. You’re constantly going through schools, and there’s a clear expectation: you grow or you don’t move forward. A big part of that is developing your writing, research, and presentation skills.

So when I think about it, the skills the Army gave me aren’t really ‘Army skills’—they’re just universal human skills. It’s the ability to learn, adapt, and walk into unfamiliar situations and figure them out.

That was especially true in Special Forces. You don’t always know what the job is going to be—you just have to be ready to learn and perform. That mindset translates directly to CIA—it feels like the same process: here’s a standard, learn it, execute it, and you get better over time.

The other piece is leadership—not just leading, but following. Being able to say, even if someone’s younger, ‘hey, what do you need?’ and support them instead of trying to override anything. I’m not the best cook here, but I’ll always put in the effort. I want to be part of a team and help create an environment where people actually work well together.

At the end of the day, it’s about being adaptable, continuing to learn, and supporting the people around you—that’s what made the transition feel natural for me.

4. Did you feel supported at CIA—through advisors, instructors, or the community?

I never really felt like there was a gap in support here—there was always someone or something available if I needed it.

At no point did I feel like anything was missing—more than the support is there, and it’s up to you to take advantage of it if and when you need it

5. What has been your favorite class or learning experience at CIA?

Towards the end of your culinary training here, you go through Cuisines of the World. Every few weeks, you switch to a different part of the world. It’s the most frustrating… and beautiful set of classes, if you have the right perspective.

You’re constantly switching countries and stations, and you quickly realize you’ll never be able to experience everything—and that you could spend a lifetime studying just one of these cuisines and never master it. And just as you start to grasp how many doors are unopened, you move on to the next region.

I love it, because I came to CIA thinking there was one door. I thought I’d open that door and whatever was on the other side is who I’d become. But then you get here and start seeing ten doors—different cuisines, different roles, different paths—and then even more behind those.

That class gives you enough exposure to start figuring out what you’re actually passionate about. So when you leave, you’re not just guessing—you have a much better idea of which door you want to open. And more than anything, it shows you how much you don’t know. For me, that wasn’t overwhelming—it was freeing. It made me feel like I could grow in any direction.

6. Is there a chef or instructor who made a lasting impact on you?

Objectively speaking, CIA is the densest collection of culinary experience in the world… and I will say, even with the gruffest, most infamous chefs here, I have never failed to receive a robust and thorough and earnest answer to any question I’ve ever asked them.

Chef Sauber ’07 stands out. He engages with every student, every faculty member, every cleaning professional at this school with an earnest kindness—and that’s a choice. It takes effort to be that kind and welcoming every day, especially because I’m sure there are days he doesn’t feel like it. But he still shows up and chooses to be that person for everyone around him.

I think he really embodies the idea that he’s not just a chef anymore—he’s a mentor. He doesn’t do the work for you, and he’s not trying to be your best friend, but he is a consistently kind and empathetic resource for anyone who needs it. You can tell the difference it makes. Students breathe easier around him. They don’t stop working hard, but they learn better.

I’ve never even had him as a full instructor. I’ve only seen him sub a few times or interact with people in passing, and he’s still made that kind of impression. That says a lot. He’s here to be a mentor—not just an instructor—and I respect that a lot.