Feeding minds with knowledge and passion.

HungryMinds is dedicated to empowering learners and educators through innovative classes, thoughtful curriculum design, and meaningful community connections. By fostering collaboration and aligning education with real-world opportunities, we aim to inspire growth, bridge gaps, and prepare individuals for success in their chosen paths.

//Our Core Values: Empowering Education & Opportunity

At HungryMinds, we are driven by a mission to empower educators and learners, foster collaboration, inspire innovation, and create lasting, sustainable impact in education.

  • Foster growth and opportunity by equipping educators and learners with the tools and skills they need to succeed in the real world.

  • Embrace creative, hands-on approaches to teaching that align with industry needs and inspire lifelong learning.

  • Build strong partnerships between schools, businesses, and communities to create meaningful pathways for education and career development.

  • Create educational programs and partnerships that are adaptable and designed to make a lasting difference in communities and industries.

//Meet the Founder

Hector Pérez Sr.

Founder | Educational & Workforce Strategist

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Hector Pérez is a Puerto Rican Educator, Chef, and Entrepreneur based in Humboldt Park. He dedicated to empowering students, educators, and communities through hands-on learning and creative career pathways. As an alumnus of Roberto Clemente Community Academy, Hector has spent over a decade working in the very neighborhood that raised him, blending education, culture, and workforce development in meaningful, practical ways.

As a Career and Technical Education (CTE) educator and founder of HungryMinds, he specializes in real-world learning experiences that spark curiosity, build skills, and prepare people for success. Whether he is designing curriculum, leading culinary workshops, or collaborating with businesses and community organizations, his mission is to connect learning to life; uplifting identities, promoting cultural pride, and supporting meaningful careers.

Through HungryMinds, he offers innovative, workforce-aligned programs in Culinary Arts and beyond, with classes rooted in Puerto Rican foodways, community storytelling, and creative exploration. As a Chef Instructor, he works with both youth and adults, using food as a medium to teach practical skills, celebrate heritage, and build connection.

In addition to teaching, he co-leads the Communications & Recruitment Team at Roberto Clemente Community Academy in Chicago, where he promotes the wall-to-wall International Baccalaureate (IB) programming and helps create pathways for prospective students to engage with the community. He is passionate about education, creativity, and culture and he looks forward to continuing to grow his impact in and beyond the classroom through HungryMinds, feeding minds with knowledge and passion. Because when you’re hungry to learn, anything is possible.