BURLINGAME — Sue Bullis knew her son wanted to go to culinary school, but it wasn’t until after his death in a horrific fire that she found out where.

Bullis’ boss told her that Will, a month before his life was snatched away, had mentioned that he hoped to enroll at the French Culinary Institute in Campbell.

That revelation spurred the grieving mother to create a scholarship at the school in her son’s name, an act of generosity that has helped Bullis cope with unthinkable tragedy: losing her son, husband and mother-in-law in the 2010 pipeline explosion that destroyed a middle-class neighborhood in San Bruno.

Bullis, 55, now believes she was spared from the inferno in order to help others. She takes special meaning from the William J. Bullis Scholarship, which has raised $41,500 for the school, now called the International Culinary Center, since 2011. On Saturday, she will hold a fundraiser at the Congregational Church of San Mateo. The event is open to the public.

“It really gives me a sense that I’m paying it forward to the world by making a difference in young people’s lives,” said Bullis of the scholarship program. “And I know Will would be proud.”

PASSION FOR FOOD

There were times after the explosion when Bullis wished she, too, had perished.

But then she thought of her daughter, Janine, who like Bullis wasn’t home on the night of Sept. 9, 2010, when a geyser of fire shot through the family home, killing 17-year-old Will, 50-year-old Greg, and 82-year-old Lavonne in a matter of seconds. She found solace in her friends, a network of counselors and her religious faith.

Staggering to her feet, she began life anew in Burlingame, a couple towns south of San Bruno, whose foggy hills still resonate with memories too terrible to bear. And she found a way to keep Will’s dream alive.

Cooking played an integral role in Will’s development from a tentative ninth-grader to an increasingly confident senior at Mills High School in Millbrae.

“He had gone from this shy boy to a very outgoing man. It was something,” recalled Bullis, now retired from her job as a nursing director in Sunnyvale. “The cooking, it just brought out his personality, his passion for food.”

Will broke his ankle in the eighth grade, then developed a condition known as chronic regional pain syndrome. Nerve damage in his leg caused painful inflammation up to his knee. He needed a scooter to get around and missed much of his freshman year, a pivotal period of transition for a teenager.

Over time the pain eased, and Will learned to manage the discomfort. He found a group of friends and enrolled in a culinary program at Mills, Bullis recalled, “and from there his self-esteem started to grow.”

Will loved to grill — ribs and steaks, especially — but he was also inspired by TV shows like “Chopped” to try creative combinations. He once dazzled a family gathering with a salad of watermelon, basil, feta cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Bullis aims to bring in $30,000 this year to benefit two students who share Will’s delight in cooking. Saturday’s event will feature live and silent auctions. The top items for bid include four tickets to the 49ers-Cardinals game Nov. 29 at Levi’s Stadium; two tickets to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Ga., plus hospitality passes and lodging; and a necklace donated by Geneve Jewelers in Burlingame.

The live auction will be hosted by state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo. The lawmaker got to know Bullis after the Crestmoor fire, which began with a ruptured PG&E transmission pipe and ended in the deaths of eight people and the destruction of several dozen homes. He has been a regular attendee at her fundraisers.

The scholarship allows Bullis to provide “education and opportunities for others that (William) sadly missed out on,” said Hill, who has become a leading critic of PG&E and the California Public Utilities Commission, passing bills to bolster pipeline safety and tighten the CPUC’s oversight of the utility.

“To be able to do that in his name and memory is important to her,” Hill said, “and it’s important to me.”

A NEW COMMUNITY

This is the first time the fundraiser will be held at the Congregational Church, which Bullis has adopted as her new place of worship. There was too much history at her old church in San Bruno, Bethany Presbyterian, where Sue and Greg were married and both their children were baptized.

“I couldn’t worship without crying,” she said.

Bullis remains friends with members of her former congregation, some of whom are helping her put on the fundraiser, and has found a new wellspring of support in San Mateo. She sings in the church choir and serves on a committee that welcomes new members and helps seniors and others in need.

“We kind of surrounded her, both as a church and a choir, with our love and concern,” said friend and fellow congregant Carole Melis. “If someone is hurting or needs healing, that’s part of what a church community is all about.”

Bullis still battles anxiety and depression and recoils when she sees PG&E commercials. She still has regular sessions with a psychiatrist, a trauma therapist, and a spiritual counselor. But the scholarship has eased her pain.

“I feel good that someone is getting a chance to fulfill their culinary dream,” she said. “It really makes me feel better. It lifts me up.”

Contact Aaron Kinney at 650-348-4357. Follow him at Twitter.com/kinneytimes.