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| Photo by Richmond Magazine |
What motivated you to study culinary arts?
My motivation for studying culinary was actually my mom. She
taught me how to cook, starting when I was pretty young. We would cook dinners
for the family together. What can I say? She is an amazing mom and an even better
cook, she is the inspiration behind my cooking.
Where are you in your culinary studies?
I am in my second year at Reynolds studying Pastry Arts. I
am in my last semester of classes, and will be doing my capstone in the summer
to finish up my degree.
What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on really trying to reach out, and
look for job opportunities in the Pastry industry. Whether it be in a local
bakery or in the resort and spa arena.
What is your favorite task as a culinary student?
As a student my favorite task is bread baking. I love all
things bread. Bread is my true passion. I enjoy finding new recipes from all
over the world and bring them to life in the oven. I find it fascinating to see
how the bread is the center of every civilization. That is a topic for another
day.
What would you most like to do in culinary arts when you
graduate?
When I graduate I hopefully will be using the basic skills
that I have learned here at Reynolds and enhancing them through practice and
observation. I truly want to get some further experience under an executive
pastry chef, I feel that will be very beneficial to me getting where I need and
want to be.
To be awarded the designation of Elby “Student of the Year”
you are a dedicated student. Who has motivated you along the way?
There have been many people including my friends, chefs, and
instructors that have motivated me along the way. All of these people have
pushed me to be a better version of myself, and I am truly grateful. My family,
however, has been my biggest bit of encouragement from day one. They are my
harshest food critics, but also my strongest support. They are my rock.
What would you tell other potential students interested in
studying culinary arts at Reynolds?
I think that being in the culinary program is
very rewarding, in so many ways. I would have to say that the culinary program
is not easy, it takes a lot of dedication. But the hard work does pay off in
the end. I think that being in this program has been amazing, because we
are one big family. We all are driven by the same passion, and that is
food, which makes it easy to relate to each other. Even though we all have the
same passion, all of our visions are very different and unique to each one of
us. We learn a lot from each other and I think that has been something really
amazing for me to see. This program pushes you to grow in ways that you didn’t
even know you could grow.
