Some people find their calling early. Caitlyn Gurke-Halcomb found hers after walking away from a different one entirely — and it led her all the way to running her own kitchen. We've been lucky to follow her rise chapter by chapter, and this is her biggest step yet.
A Change of Plans
Caitlyn, a Joshua, Texas native, didn't start out in food. She'd been on a health-science track since her freshman year of high school and was studying to become a nurse. But two years of hospital work during the height of COVID-19 left her questioning everything.
"My passion is in helping others," she says, "but I decided to take a break from nursing and try out my passion for cooking. It didn't take long for me to figure out that I found my true calling."
She enrolled at The Culinary School of Fort Worth and graduated in July 2022. It was one of the best decisions she ever made.
The Externship That Changed Everything
About two months before graduation, CSFTW students head out on externships — and Caitlyn's instructors matched her to a Four Seasons property. The fit was immediate. She was hired full-time right after graduation, and her career took off almost overnight.
Within months, she'd been chosen for the Four Seasons task force and sent to the Four Seasons Hotel Boston for three weeks, where she got her first real experience on the line. "It was exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time," she recalls. She learned to fabricate fresh lobster daily for the hotel's famous lobster rolls and watched a world-class banquet team launch an entirely new menu.
A few months later came an even bigger assignment: more than a month at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe. There she cooked directly in front of guests at the resort's acclaimed restaurant, Manzanita, ran the in-room dining department solo on some nights, and created a fresh amuse-bouche for every dinner service. (She also got engaged while she was there — not a bad month.)
"There were many challenges we ran into," she says, "but nothing that we all couldn't face head on and overcome."
Climbing the Ranks
From there, Caitlyn kept rising. She went on to earn a sous chef role at Loews — a real leap from cooking the line to helping run it: leading a team, owning more of the menu, and taking on the day-to-day responsibility of a kitchen's number two.
Taking the Helm
That steady climb has paid off. Today, Caitlyn is the Executive Chef at Trophy Club Country Club — leading her own kitchen and culinary team.
A proud Texas native, she brings a passion for creating memorable dining experiences, inspiring the cooks around her, and crafting menus shaped by her Southern roots and her love of travel. And her creativity doesn't stop at the pass: when she's not exploring the DFW food scene, you might find her out hiking with her cat, Panini.
Why It Matters
Caitlyn's story is the CSFTW promise in action. She came to us unsure, chasing a hunch — and left with the training, confidence, and connections to build a career most cooks dream about, in just a few short years.
From a first externship to Executive Chef, that's exactly the path our program is built to launch.
Congratulations, Chef Caitlyn. We couldn't be prouder.
Follow Chef Caitlyn's growth: Starting out at the Four Seasons, Becoming a sous chef at Loews and now, Executive Chef at Trophy Club Country Club.
Thinking about a career in the kitchen? See where your training could take you — request more information or schedule a tour of our campus.
