Paul Kares sends culinary student Mitch Bunting to Italy

During a May 2023 trip to Italy, Mitch Bunting ate gelato, pizza and gnocchi. He toured the Vatican and the Colosseum.

But Bunting was no average tourist. He and his fellow students participated in a Delaware Technical Community College Study Abroad culinary program.

Paul Kares, a charity supporting culinary students and musicians, paid for Bunting’s trip. The chef-in-training works for Paul’s Place, and the charity and business were founded by chef-musician Paul Cullen.

“Paul is so generous,” said Bunting, who grew up in the Milton-Lewes area. “I only asked for half of the fee, but Paul Kares covered the entire amount.”

The class members spent time in Sorrento and Rome. They learned to make gelato and pizza, and toured wineries and a mozzarella factory, along with the usual tourist attractions.

“It was nice to be in a place so much older than America and experience their culture and history,” said Bunting, who just finished his first year at Delaware Tech.

But the biggest surprise, he said, was witnessing the Italians’ passion for life.

“Everywhere I went, people took so much pride in their work, regardless of the job,” he said. That was especially true in the hospitality industry; where the servers were accommodating and went the extra mile to ensure guests were happy.

“The big takeaway is definitely to do what you love,” he said. “A lot of the people I encountered were working their dream jobs.”

Michael Whitehouse, executive director of Paul Kares, said Bunting is an excellent example of why the charity focuses on the hospitality and music industries.

“Mitch is so dedicated and has a great career ahead of him,” Whitehouse said. “We want to support and encourage young people to take chances and pursue life-changing opportunities. When they succeed, our communities succeed.”

For more information, go to paulkaresde.org.