Teyana Taylor Says Enrolling in Culinary School Has Been ‘Very Therapeutic’: ‘It’s ‘Work’ in the Best Way’

Teyana Taylor is well-versed in the joy of cooking.

The singer and actress opened up to Marie Claire about her recent decision to enroll in culinary school, saying that she’s been finding the experience “very therapeutic.”

“I’m so excited. Like, literally as soon as we get off this interview, I’m going straight to class. I’m putting on my coat, my uniform, and I’m getting to it,” Taylor, 34, said. “It’s always been a passion of mine. I’ve always loved to cook. It’s been very therapeutic for me.”

The Escape Room singer said that embarking on her latest career path is her way of “showing up for myself” in spite of a busy schedule that includes professional ventures and personal, like being mom to daughters Junie, 9, and Rue, 5, with ex-husband Iman Shumpert.

“I don’t have the time to do it, but I have the time to show up for me,” she told the outlet. “It’s ‘work’ in the best way because it’s something that you’re doing for you. It’s a passion that you’re turning into purpose.”

Taylor announced her decision to enroll in an Instagram video in July, which featured her dancing to GloRilla’s “LET HER COOK” while wearing an apron and chef’s hat. The apron featured the logo for the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, which offers classes online and in person in Boulder, Colo. and Austin, Texas.

In the caption of the post, Taylor wrote that culinary school was “a dream I’ve carried in my heart for so long.”

“Since I was a little girl, I remember being glued next to whoever was in the kitchen while the other kids played around!” she wrote. “Lol watching all the amazing women in my life cook all our favorite meals with so much love and joy. I must say I def got a cooking ass family lol That’s where it all started.”

The “Gonna Love Me” singer said she was even dubbed “the ‘hood Betty Crocker'” as a teenager growing up in Harlem because she often baked cakes for friends and neighbors.

“Through every twist and turn in my life and career, the kitchen has been a safe space. So it was always a goal of mine to get my degree in Culinary arts & Pastry arts but I never got around to it due to my crazy work schedule, mommy life and simply life, life’nnnnnn lol but honestly finding my way back and going to school at this time is important because it’s the time where I get to show up for me,” she wrote. “No matter how hectic life gets, I find comfort in the rhythm of it all—the chopping, the stirring, the creating.”

Taylor said she was pursuing culinary and pastry arts, and credited Alexis Welch Stoudemire for introducing her to the Auguste Escoffier school.

“Seeeeeeee, @escaperoomalbum wasn’t the only thing AUNTEY was cooking upppppppp!!! 🥘👩🏾‍🍳,” she wrote. “Adding CHEF to my long resume real soon 👩🏾‍🍳”

Taylor released her fourth album, Escape Room, on Aug. 22. The album marked her first in five years, after she announced her retirement from music in 2020.