From left, Zachery Cerqueda poses with his mother, Martha, and father, Ricardo, just before the graduation ceremonies on Feb. 28 for the Culinary Apprenticeship Program at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG – A Parkersburg man has graduated from the Culinary Apprenticeship Program at the world-class Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs.

Zachery Cerqueda, 36, is a chef at the resort where he successfully completed the three-year program on Feb. 28. The apprenticeship program accepts a maximum of four people a year, sometimes not that many, he said.

“It’s a very selective program,” Cerqueda said.

Cerqueda is a 2009 graduate of Parkersburg Catholic High School. He has cooked since he was a child.

“My family actually owns Rubi’s Pizza and Grill,” he said.

Zachery Cerqueda, a 2009 graduate of Parkersburg Catholic High School, holds his medals upon graduation from the Culinary Apprenticeship Program at the Greenbrier Resort. (Photo Provided)

Cerqueda said after school he would work at the pizzeria, then do his homework, then do the same the next day, but adjusting the schedule to take into account playing soccer at the high school. On weekends, he worked from opening to close.

“That was normal for me,” Cerqueda said.

Cerqueda is the son of Ricardo and Martha Cerqueda.

“Obviously none of what I was able to accomplish would have been attainable without the unwavering support from my mom and my dad,” he said.

He is a sous chef at the Greenbrier and plans to remain there for the foreseeable future.

“We’ll see what happens,” he said.

Cerqueda said he may some day return to Parkersburg to run Rubi’s or open another as a sister restaurant under the Rubi’s theme. Rubi’s is located on Seventh Street in Parkersburg.

“It would be sophisticated without being intimidating,” Cerqueda said.

Graduation from the program required the presentation of a 13-course menu, he said.

Cerqueda’s menu included two hot canapes, a French onion eclair and a salt cod fritter, and two cold canapes, ahi tuna cornet and fennel penna cotta. Other courses were a pate en coute, lobster terrine, parmesan reggiano souffle, roasted free range chicken consomme, smoked rainbow trout and potato terrine, moody blue cheese stuffed pear, sauteed dover sole, braised beef short rib and saffron creme brulee.

He received three medals for the menu and a medal for completing the program. Menus were judged by four people, which included American Culinary Federation President Renee Marquis.

“It carries some weight,” Cerqueda said.

The apprenticeship program is in its 50th year. At least one, and sometimes two, of its graduates have been on the eight-member U.S. Culinary Olympics team for every event, except the last one, Cerqueda said.

In the last 50 years, 359 people have graduated from the Greenbrier’s program, he said.

Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.