For the past few years, like the Hebrews of Old, I have been
lost in the wilderness, wondering if I’d ever find my land of milk and
honey. But now, I see on the
horizon a renewal of mind, where belief in myself is once again real and true. Like Julia Child who found joy in food
and a life’s purpose in cooking, I too am about to take a leap of faith in the
culinary arts.
A couple of years ago, after being unceremoniously
downsized, needing a lift out of the doldrums, I invited a handful of friends and
threw a dinner party. I opened up
my copy of Julia Child’s
“Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” and spent the good afternoon
making coq au vin and haricots verts à la provençale. The whole time while I was cooking, I got blissfully lost in
the tasks at hand and reveled in the deep comforting flavors that came out from
only a handful of common ingredients. I felt proud that my hands were creating these dishes, which were
in a constant refrain heard around my dinner table “yum!”
However, there was an important lesson from cooking that I
have only now begun to accept and apply: cooking is transformative. For instance, an egg can be transformed
into a tender and creamy omelette, a head of napa cabbage into a tangy and
lip-smacking kimchi. So, I asked
myself, “why can’t I change my life’s path, follow my bliss and this source of
pride, and cook?” It’s true that
following a path of passion isn’t necessarily the easiest way to go. But it’s only by a trial by fire and a
test of time—which I am ready to undergo—that my life can be transformed and
fulfilled.
I want to learn the fundamentals and the theories of
culinary arts. I want to
apprentice under any of the best chefs in the world, like René Redzepi of Noma,
the Roca brothers of El Celler de Can Roca, Ferran Adrià of elBulli fame, César
Ramirez of Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Jean-Georges Vongerichten of
Jean-Georges and the Kimchi Chronicles, Dan Barber of Blue Hill, just to name a
few. I want to develop and refine
my culinary voice. I want to
engage my entrepreneurial spirit and open up a restaurant/business.
It took me a while, but there out on the horizon I finally
found my corner of the sky. I
believe I am only limited by my own ambition and imagination to get myself
there. With the huge assist I know
I can get from the International Culinary Center, I make my first giant step!
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