Based on your course of study, what has been your inspiration to follow this path?
When I would go to mexico, my friends are from mexico city, so I got to see a lot of diff types food I didn’t see here. That’s when I really starting liking cuisine and I would come back and it wouldn’t taste the same. I want to learn how to make it, I would ask my mom who’s a great cook and who I look up to.
Was the culinary arts your original career path? How has the journey been?
First I was doing accounting, something completely different, then something happened. This is when I decided its time to go for what I want. I enjoy it! Its given me the opportunity to travel different places I never imagined like France & Alaska. Being in the kitchen is kind of rough but once you get to it, its going to give you a lot. Specially here, you can learn really good techniques and later on you just change the ingredients.
During my time at CIL I did my internship in France at St Jean De Monts in 2016. I really liked going outside to the market and being able to choose the products. The quality of the food was another of my favorites. I really enjoyed what I got to eat like the seafood since its one of my favorites. Also, baguettes or just a chocolate croissants, it was very different from here, everything was very fresh.
During the internship I got to work more on my sauteing and of course the language, its another culture! After the internship I came back here, finished and graduated in December. I got a call, one of my friends had recommended me to work in Alaska. I went and worked in a moving train, you can see the view of everything. I got to see a lot of sockeye salmon , reindeer sausage, it was very nice , I enjoyed. It was a beautiful place, a lot of nature and nice to get out and go hiking.
Right now, I came back and am working at Alice Blue, a restaurant in the Heights. I just got back so I’ve only been there for a couple of months. I came back and its still cold so that’s good.
What would you say to students interested in studying at CIL or any advice?
If you really have the passion and you really want it, its not always going to come out right the first time, you are going to mess up but if you have a Chef here to help you to fix the recipe and have the motivation, one bad day doesn’t mean the other day has to be like that.
You have really good chefs to take you there, pay attention. One of my chefs had told me don’t compare to yourself students, compare yourself to your teacher and I feel like you have to be by them if you really want this.
What are your future goals?
I would like to work with one of my favorite chefs like Maximo or Rene, where I feel like I made it. I know I still have to have more experience because Cuisine takes time , its not like in 2-3 years your going to learn all of it, but you can take so much out of it and make it happen, that’s what im trying to do.