Make-A-Wish Foundation Helps Make A Dream Come True for Taylor County Teen

TAYLOR COUNTY, FL (WTXL) - For 15-year-old Emily Coker, her dream has always been to take her love of cooking to the next level. Now, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she gets a taste of her dream.

The 15-year-old is battling End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). With the help of the organization, Emily is getting a chance to take her mind off her illness. 

Monday night, she walked in the C&J Supreme Buffet Restaurant in Perry, surprised by family and friends, but the biggest surprise of it all? She found out she's heading to New York City.

Emily says she's always dreamt of visiting the Culinary School of America in NYC. Make-A-Wish of Central and Northern Florida is granting her a trip to not only visit and tour the school, but to get a taste of the Big Apple at one of the city's famous restaurants: Aureole, which is owned by celebrity chef, Charlie Palmer.

Emily says she's looking forward to the trip: "I watch Food Network a lot with my mom because they have really cool informative stuff on that show and a lot of the chefs there went to the Culinary Institute of America. I looked it up and its an amazing campus a great school and its where I wanted to go to get the best culinary training I can."

The 15-year-old is thankful that there's opportunities like this to help get her mind of her illness: "I'm really happy that there is something like this for kids who have been through the worst times and they get such a wonderful blessing in their life for it. They can know that even though they've had to deal with so many problems and health issues that they can have a wish granted and it can be anything."