RUMFORD — Kaitlyn Grassette is doing what she hopes will become her career.

She’s teaching food enthusiasts how to prepare and cook a variety of ethnic foods, as well as the bases behind many genres of cooking.

The 21-year-old Rumford woman, who recently graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Boston, and who is working toward her bachelor’s degree in food service management from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, is home for the summer and earning some of her tuition by sharing what she has learned.

“I’ve always loved cooking, ever since my dad taught me to make an omelet when I was 7,” she said.

Although she has not yet found her signature dish, she enjoys French cooking, flambe, and working with fruit, where she has created fruit art, including a watermelon swan. She is also a member of The Chippers Club at Johnson and Wales where students create works of art from ice.

In the long run, she wants to teach cooking at the post-secondary level.

This summer already, she has taught local people the art of creating the perfect French omelet as well as a variety of egg and chicken dishes, how to make lovely and tasty appetizers out of almost anything, and fruit art.

On Tuesday night, the final session of the four-class program at 49 Franklin St., the topic was wines and the foods they accompany. Anywhere from four to nine area adults have attended each of these classes.

Students got to taste several red, white, sparkling and rose wines, learned how to judge alcohol content through viscosity, and which accompanied steak, chicken, seafood and a variety of cheeses.

Donna Gilbert, of Dixfield, a teacher at Dirigo Elementary School, said she has always loved cooking and in the summer, she has more time to pursue her interest.

During the appetizer session, she learned that she already had most of the ingredients in her kitchen to create a tasty “amuse bouche,” or mouth amusement.

She made appetizers from grilled potatoes, as the base, topped with beef, hummus and sour cream, then garnished with a piece of sun-dried tomato.

Mexico resident Crystal Duguay, who is an administrator in RSU 10, said taking cooking classes is something different from what she usually does, and what she learns can benefit her family. She, too, loves to cook .

“This has given me confidence to try different things,” Duguay said.

Grassette tells her students that she is still a student, is still learning and doesn’t know everything, then she begins her class with the assistance of Brian Arsenault, a friend from high school who is drawn to the culinary arts. He’s studying game programming in college, but had originally thought he’d go into the culinary arts.

Grassette will begin teaching a second four-session cooking class on July 31 on creating sauces, French and Mexican cooking, and healthy eating and food awareness. The classes are held at 49 Franklin St. Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. She has also added a second night of Mexican cooking, on Aug. 15, and a special cooking class for children on Aug. 8.

Classes cost $30. Grassette may be reached at 418-8658.

She is pleased to be able to teach what she is learning, and is hoping to teach other classes when time allows in cooking for those with celiac disease and or for those who want to cook without sugar.

“I’m really excited that all the money goes toward tuition,” she said.