A Le Cordon Bleu Student's Blog: Week1: My Culinary Aspirations

Today during class delicious thoughts were spiraling through my head like egg whites whipping in a kitchen aid. I felt a tidal wave of inspiration to right a few things down before I come off of this sugar high.

This week our Chef instructors, Career Counselors and peers vividly expressed the importance of getting into the culinary world, joining clubs at school, reading food mags and reviews, staging, checking out good restaurants, going to cook book signings, taking skills labs, reading up on accredited chefs all in hopes that we will find a passion in which to steer us towards a career path!

The questions Chef asked us were: What do you aspire to do? What is your goal? Tell me your mission statement?

Here Goes:

I will, in the near'ish future, have an Associates Degree in Pastry and Baking Arts. Chocolatery and Traditional French Patisserie are what drive me to be successful. With that being said, I've worked in front of house at a confectionery without ever getting a chance to see, let alone work in the factory. I've also done a 6 month unpaid internship at a Mexican Bakery that specialized in Jewish delicacies... Weird right, so I understand that sometimes life's got its own quirky plan to test your stamina. I pressed on in hopes that one day I'd have a clear vision of my future.

As Les Brown says "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars". I aspire to have on the job training from a world class Pattisier or Chocolatier and hopefully eventually surpass their skills after sucking the knowledge from them like a parasite. You know the story, they could be my Socrates, I'll be their Plato and maybe I'll have an Aristotle of my own. Food versions of these amazing people of course because I don't really have a knack for Philosophy... Isn't that what teaching is all about, inspiring greatness. My point is you'll never be great if you don't set goals that break the glass ceiling because who wants to be just mediocre? Right now I'm envisioning Willie Wonka and the Chocolate factory where Gene Wilder takes Peter Ostrum on the elevator... Coincidence or am I short circuited to relate all things to food?

It is my mission to be inventive, passionate, committed and become a leader in my field through high standards and continuous improvement.

I can feel it, I know it, and I see it all coming together. I aspire to be great.