By: Krista Hutz, Athletic Communications Assistant

PHILADELPHIA - When the La Salle men's tennis team went on a spring break training trip to Florida last March, what was for breakfast was never in question.
 
That was thanks to junior Sam Accardi. He took charge of serving up pancakes made from his secret family recipe.
 
Accardi has been helping cook big breakfasts since his early teenage years and has been around the restaurant business his whole life.  His family has owned and operated Samuel's Pancake House in North Wildwood, N.J. for over 30 years.
 
“Whether it's cooking a meal at home or working in a high intensity kitchen, cooking has been a passion of mine since I can remember,” Accardi said.
 
This past summer, Accardi served as the kitchen manager, under his father, who established the restaurant when he was just 17 years old.
 
The first one in the door at 5:30 a.m., Accardi would delegate kitchen tasks, oversee other employees, and make sure all the breakfasts were going out at the highest quality.
 
Although the wake ups were early, it afforded Accardi time to play tennis in the afternoons.
 
He followed the same schedule while at Wildwood Catholic High School, where he was the senior team captain, MVP, and a Cape Atlantic League All-Star.
 
Accardi's next step after high school wasn't La Salle. It was at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), a renowned culinary education center in New York.
 
However, after a short time, Accardi decided the program wasn't for him and enrolled in La Salle to gain the typical college student experience.
 
“The CIA wasn't what I made it out to be in my head,” Accardi said.  “After taking the fall semester off, I decided to attend La Salle because I knew it had a great nutrition program as well as a great group of faculty and staff.”
 
At La Salle, Accardi joined the tennis team, has become a resident assistant and plays guitar for the music ministry, all while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.
 
“I feel I have made the right choice and found a home at La Salle,” Accardi said. “Nutrition is a major concern with our country and I feel that the great faculty and resources at La Salle will provide me with a solid foundation to help make a difference one day.”
 
Although he has temporarily traded in his cookbooks for textbooks, he's not ready to completely leave the culinary world behind.
 
“I would love to find a career that will blend my love for cooking with the world of wellness and nutrition.”
 
The appetite of the La Salle tennis team, which begins its spring season in February, will be grateful.