Chef Hardy takes the cake as 2026 teacher of the year

Hundreds of Bibb County School District teachers and employees represented their schools with colorful T-shirts and thunderous applause at the Macon Coliseum on Thursday morning to kick off the start of the school year and name the 2026 Bibb County Teacher of the Year.

Stuart Hardy stood onstage as one of five teacher finalists nominated for the award, and said he felt “completely shocked” when his name was called and the plaque was presented. 

“You see all the wonderful teachers and people and almost feel unworthy of the title because of the quality of educators around you,” he said.

Hardy heads Hutchings College and Career Academy’s culinary arts program, which teaches roughly 60 high school students in the district’s dual enrollment program.

Students taking the culinary arts course have the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences working at the district’s restaurant, the Compass Rose Cafe, along with a food truck and catering service.

The program is not just about learning how to cook, Hardy said, it’s about teaching students professionalism and skills that can translate into their lives outside of the kitchen.

“We try to teach them that it’s fun and exciting,” Hardy said. “But there’s a lot of discipline that comes with it.”

Like many chefs, Hardy worked a number of gigs in the restaurant industry, including cooking at a French bistro in Michigan and for a private catering company. 

He said he eventually found “a lot of joy” in teaching people how to cook and spent time working as an instructor. 

Hardy worked with OSI Corporation, the parent company of Bonefish Grill and Carrabba’s Italian Grill, and was an assistant department chair at Helms College, a trade school in Macon, before starting the culinary arts program at the district in 2016.

“This award kind of cements that we’ve been taking the kids and the program in a good direction,” he said “Our hard work and efforts are being noticed and we are being validated for all the community work we do.”

Students from the program compete in state and national cooking competitions under the Family Community Career Leaders of America Association, contests in which the students  have to execute a menu under time pressure.

Many of Hardy’s students have gone on to work as executive chefs, entrepreneurs and kitchen managers, he said. 

Hardy said he’s always been surprised by the passion of his students, and watching them come in at 6 a.m. for a breakfast service demonstrates how “strong-willed” his students can be.

“They love it, they’re not getting any extra credit,” Hardy said. “They’re doing it for the love of the event, the love of the community.”