What aspect of my education I am most thankful for. by Christopher

What aspect of my education I am most thankful for. by Christopher - November 2020 Scholarship Essay

At this point in my life, I have been to three different colleges, participated in two different fields of study, and have had nearly a decade of real life experience behind me. When thinking back upon my collegiate history, I am most thankful for being surrounded by professors who were also professional chefs. They knew how to motivate and lead students, and they knew what would be demanded of us once we joined the workforce. More importantly they taught and reinforced that a chef’s mindset should be to continue to be hungry for knowledge day in and day out in professional kitchens. The benefit to having this mindset was to continue to succeed and move upward towards greater aspirations.

Chef Rory Phillipson of Mercer County Community College was the first influencing factor in my first years of culinary school. She took me under her wing, in addition to being the professor in a number of my classes, I also worked for her as an intern. It was with her tutelage and knowledge that I really began to understand what it meant to want to be a chef. Paramount to this are the sacrifices one has to make to achieve a level of respect and reputation. We are lucky to work in an industry where we have a direct and lasting positive impact on our guests in creating and improving their memories of the special occasions that they choose to dine with us. It was also through her that I was able to work in Manhattan at two of the best restaurants in the world. While that would not have fallen under the purview of a regular Chef-Professor, her personal interest in my development as a student of culinary arts, and as a growing chef have helped position me to be where I am today.

Chef Maxime Ariza of Johnson & Wales University was one of the largest influences on me throughout my later years of schooling, especially when it came to drilling in the mindset of professionalism, hospitality, and discipline. It was in his classes that I grew to learn aspects of an industry I wasn’t quite familiar with, specifically learning about wine and spirits. More importantly he set the bar on how a professional acts and carries themselves in an industry that is notorious for accepting people from all walks of life. It was during my time with him that I feel I truly made the step from an hourly employee with dreams, to a disciplined professional with a clear path to achieve those goals.

A culinary education is an atypical one, where many skills and techniques needed can be learned on a job. However, I am lucky to have been surrounded by professionals during my academic career that truly care about preparing their students for this career. These Chef-Professors understand that with the proper care and attention to all aspects of our education, both technical and intrapersonal, we are prepared to succeed.