This past weekend was graduation at my college, and it got me thinking.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a graduation ceremony of sorts any time there was a momentous occasion in your life? I’m not talking about the pomp and circumstance of it all, just some words of wisdom and a good party. I think it would be really fantastic—especially the party part!

Therefore, in honor of those of you who are graduating from Small Kitchen College to Big Girls, Small Kitchen, I asked two famous female chefs to share some words of wisdom (not really, but this what I think they would say!)

My first choice is Paula Deen. She is the queen of Southern cooking (and one of the most outrageous women on the planet), but before she was a celebrity chef, she was just a single mom trying to make ends meet. She knows how to be thrifty and make her money go a long way, and she also knows that cooking should be a fun and stress-free experience, which is why she is a perfect for SKC graduation speaker. If I had to bet I would say she would say something along the lines of, “Hey y’all!!” and then use my favorite quote, “Bein’ rich is having leftovers. Good leftovers make yo tongue fly outta yo mouth and smack yo brains out!” I imagine she’d go on to say: “Cooking ain’t rocket science eitha. Get yo little butt in there and start havin’ some fun. Life is hard enough—cooking shouldn’t be too. If you it mess up, just try addin’ some mo’ butta or just toss it and order take out.”

My second choice is Alice Waters-who did actually speak at Amherst College last Saturday. She went to France as a college student and never forgot her experiences shopping at the markets for fresh produce, breads and meat. She has learned and accomplished a lot since those years using what seems like two main principles.

She would tell you that, “Good food is simple and made from the freshest ingredients that you can find. It’s as easy as that. You don’t need to know all the fancy techniques or have all the best tools to make good food. What really puts food over the top are the people you eat that food with. Eating meals with friends and family should be a ritual because helps strengths bonds between people.”

Good luck!

Emily is a recent grad of Colgate University, where she studied International Relations and Art History and volunteered at the Friendship Inn and with the Colgate Hunger Outreach Program. She loves to bake cookies.