Upper School Administrative Coordinator Lindsay Perkins is a fresh face to many on campus, but she is not entirely new to KO. Four years ago, Mrs. Perkins started teaching Camp KO’s culinary sessions, and last year she worked part time at KO, administratively. Now, she has her first full time job at the school.
Mrs. Perkins said she wants to give students a sense of calmness when walking into her office. “This role matters to the freshman who are still trying to figure out how to be in high school and to the parents who are leaving their kids here,” she said.
While Mrs. Perkins said this job is a dream, much of her life consisted of a different career path. “I’ve always been interested in the food world,” Mrs. Perkins said. “My mom grew up making my birthday cakes, so that thoughtful touch was the norm.” After attending culinary school, Mrs. Perkins worked at a restaurant for eight years. She moved on to earn her undergraduate degree in English from UConn.
Today, Mrs. Perkins is a personality in town, as she appears as a guest for cooking segments on the local news, has been on stage with Food Network, and is known as a West Hartford Culinary Educator. Her company, Lindsay Culinary, teaches classes and camps. Mrs. Perkins said she does not want students to idealize food. “I try to take people’s expectations down because you have to practice to see results,” she said. When she is not cooking, Mrs. Perkins loves to spend time with her three kids or sing locally with her cover band.
If any students want to see Mrs. Perkins in action, they can attend the Mandell JCC’s Jewish Book Festival on Oct. 14 at 2:00 pm, as Mrs. Perkins will be in conversation with New York Times best-selling author Deb Perelman. Tickets are available online. Mrs. Perkins is here to spice up KO with her sweet personality and hopefully every student is late once, so they can meet the top-notch chef in person.
