Figuring it Out by Adam

Figuring it Out by Adam - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” - Nelson Mandela
Ever since I was a young boy, I never truly knew what I wanted to do with my life. I just wanted to educate people, whether pursuing a job as a coach or a teacher. Leading people was something that always struck my interest until I found baking and pastry. When I started watching cooking shows, watching my father and older brother cooking and baking, I truly found my passion in baking and pastry. While I was watching, I consistently grew more interested and more eager to learn. I asked to my Dad and brother, who both had attended culinary schools, to help teach me about baking and cooking. Just talking about food-related topics tweaked my interest, and was extremely fun for me.
Growing up in a house with a father who attended culinary school, I grew more and more interested in culinary and baking, as I grew older. As my brother started his culinary class at Nashua North, I started watching culinary shows more often. I would constantly be talking with my brother and dad about everything culinary, from recipes, cooking terms, or even cooking tricks and styles. It was and still is incredibly fun just to test our knowledge of culinary.
As soon as I walked into my first Nashua North cooking class and did my first unit on baking, I knew that this was my passion. Baking and pastry was and is so calming and exciting for me. Just “mise en place-ing” my ingredients is entertaining to me. Measuring ingredients and making sure everything is accurate allows me to get into a zone where nothing will bother me. Every time we bake in culinary it could turn a terrible day into a terrific day. It seems to be my escape from everyday life and everyday problems. No matter how bad my day is going, my problems disappear when I enter my favorite class.
“Risk: the possibility that something bad or unpleasant will happen” - Webster’s Dictionary
Working as a pastry chef you need to be able to take risks. You need to be willing to try new recipes and techniques, which may result in failure. In the end, you will find the correct mixture of ingredients to create the ultimate creation. With risk can come great success, for example, my decision to try the culinary program at Nashua North was a risk that has truly paid off by allowing me to find my true passion.