Del Mar College Baking/Pastry majors Mazzy Tagliaferro and Tina Walsh heading to France as 2026 Sister City Culinary Exchange selectees (Video)
Both students traveling to France in early June to share their culinary expertise while gaining insight into the culture and food of hosting city Agen during immersion experience
Article by Melinda Eddleman
(Updated with video 5/8/26)
They haven’t packed their bags, yet, for the adventure that awaits them in France. The trip is just a little more than a month away.
Currently enrolled as Del Mar College (DMC) Baking/Pastry majors with the Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management Department, Mazzy Tagliaferro and Tina Walsh were selected to represent Corpus Christi this summer through the Sister City Culinary Exchange that’s overseen by the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce.
The two students will experience an immersive exchange in the city of Agen and throughout the surrounding area that builds on their current culinary skills.
This exchange program is a powerful example of what happens when education, culture, and opportunity come together. Through our partnership with Del Mar College, these students will not only sharpen their craft, but they will also represent Corpus Christi on an international stage.
“Experiences like this broaden perspectives, build confidence and bring back knowledge that benefits our local economy and community,” Arreola adds.
Corpus Christi’s Sister City Exchange Program also partners with four other cities––Keelung City (Taiwan), Toledo (Spain), Veracruz (Mexico) and Yokosuka (Japan)–– giving both high school and college participants the opportunity to see another part of the world. Guided by Sister Cities International, the program focuses on four pillars: Arts & Culture, Business & Trade, Community Development and Youth & Education.
The nearly two-week exchange with a June 1arrival to and June 12 departure from Toulouse will immerse the two DMC students in the gastronomy, culinary traditions and agricultural heritage of the Lot-et-Garonne region of southwest France where Agen is located.. The exchange combines hands-on kitchen training with leading chefs, visits to local producers, educational presentations and cultural experiences organized by the Agen Sister City Committee.
Tagliaferro is no stranger to the culinary world, having grown up around food with her father owning since 1987 the popular restaurant Island Italian located on Padre Island. And she has already earned associate’s degrees through the college’s Hospitality & Tourism Management and Culinary Arts Programs.
Of her upcoming culinary exchange experience in Agen, she says, “It’s exciting. I’ve never left the country, and I never thought about going to France. We’re going to get to do a lot like working in actual French restaurants, visiting a cheese farm, attending agricultural-type classes and giving demos [featuring American food for both high school and elementary students],”
In fact, highlights of Tagliaferro and Walsh’s experience will include:
- professional kitchen rotations at Restaurant Le Bistronome inAgen and Auberge LePrieuré in Moirax,
- visits to regional producers including vineyards, cheese makers, oyster farms and prune producers,
- cultural and historical visits in Agen, Bordeau, and the surrounding countryside,
- giving culinary demonstrations in local schools, and
- exchanges with members of the Agen Twinning Committee.
Walsh , who plans to pursue her associate’s degree in Culinary Arts next, currently serves as the Culinary Arts Club secretary. She says that the community-minded student organization engages in activities such as fundraisers, food drives and other events such as KEDT’s annual fundraising events, the Food and Wine Classic and Classic Brew, with students serving culinary samples that club members have prepared..
She first had reservations about applying for the Sister City Culinary Exchange Program but then told herself, “No, I’m going to go for it!”
Walsh notes that the process included submitting the online application, providing a video showing the preparation of a recipe, holding the required grade point average and then sitting through an in—person interview with the selection committee.
My expectations for this trip are to just soak up as much as I can––drink as much coffee, eat as much bread and learn as much as I can because our AFC program here [at Del Mar College] is based on French cooking with our pastries and recipes we use being French. Walsh notes of her Baking/Pastry training, adding: “And I just want to rub elbows with some chef to just learn whatever I can from them.
Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management Department Interim Chair Lisa Pollakis notes, “Del Mar College’s partnership with the Sister City Culinary Exchange Program celebrates more than food.––it celebrates cultural connection, an opportunity to learn global techniques and traditions and the power of hospitality to bring communities together across borders.”
Pollakis adds, “The program shows current and future students what’s possible in our Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry, and Hospitality & Tourism Programs and elevates the educational experience while creating momentum and greater student interest and enrollment.”
Del Mar College’s Culinary Arts and Baking/Pastry Programs are accredited as “Exemplary” by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission. The Culinary & Hospitality Department offers:
- Baking/Pastry: Associate of Arts degree
- Culinary Arts (Chef Training): Certificate and Associate of Applied Science degree
- Hospitality & Tourism Management: Certificate and Associate in Applied Science degree
Interested individuals can also reach the main departmental office at 361-698-1856.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
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