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ProChef Success Stories – Igniting Inspiration
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"From this experience, I have learned the importance of
never settling for the mediocre, and that inspiration can be found from within."
Lance Nitahara '08 |
ProChef Level III Success
Story:
Lance Nitahara '08, P.C. III,
C.E.C.
Throughout my culinary career, I have always strived to
surpass boundaries that have been set before me. I first learned about ProChef Certification
when I was just a few months into my freshman year at the CIA.
A few people told me it was geared more toward industry professionals who
already had a solid background and skill in culinary arts than it was for the
average student. Not one to reject a challenge, I made it a personal goal to
pass the ProChef Level III exam before I
graduated from the CIA with my bachelor's
degree. After meeting the Level I prerequisites, I set about preparing myself
for Level II. The exam proved to be four of the most challenging days I had ever
experienced at the CIA. But in the end, I was
able to pass it without a hitch.
The very next day, I signed up for the Level III
exam. Much to my delight, I learned that Douglas Riggs, a fellow classmate and
close friend, was slated to take the test along with me. This was a great
opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other and provide support to keep us both
strong throughout the exam.
When Day One finally arrived, I was more than ready to
charge into the kitchen, guns blazing. It was Latin American cuisine day and I
felt I had done adequate research and testing of the cooking methods of
Mexico (my assigned region) in order to score well. I hit a few snags during my three
hours of cooking time and lost a bit of organization and concentration. When I
received my grade, I was relieved to know I had passed, despite receiving a
much lower score than I had hoped for. Doug, on the other hand, had nailed his
competency points dead on and received the highest score of the day. I was
truly proud of him.
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Day Two found me preparing Chinese cuisine. This proved to
be my best day, giving me a higher score than I could have asked for from the
judges. With my confidence renewed, I headed into the most exciting segment of
the exam, Day Three's market basket. Here we could produce food that reflected
our own interests, creativity, and resourcefulness. Given my affinity for garde
manger, I decided to base many of my recipes on some of the discipline's more
technical methods. I was given rabbit as my main protein, so I decided to stuff
the saddle with forcemeat. I cooked this roulade sous vide, and browned it off
before plating. For my appetizer, I did a rather unorthodox savory "flan"
flavored with apple and celeriac. I also decided to create "dippin' dots" of cilantro
cream using liquid nitrogen. Admittedly, the judges were not as enthusiastic about
my unconventional methods as I would have liked, but when the day was over, I received
an excellent score and critique. Doug also did well and we stepped into Day
Four with confidence.
The last day was comprised entirely of panel examinations on
personnel and financial management. We began by giving the judges "à la minute" reactions to hypothetical workplace situations and ended with a presentation of
our plan to revive a mock restaurant that was in decline. It was one of the
most challenging days but also the most rewarding, as it ended with our
receiving P.C. III and C.E.C.
certifications. Doug and I learned that we were the first students to ever
achieve this certification while still attending the CIA.
The next step on the horizon for me is the Certified Master
Chef exam, which I intend to take within the next 10 years, and the ProChef program
has put that goal within sight.
ProChef Certification has definitely made my résumé more
marketable, something that has become increasingly more important to me as I venture
forth from the halls of the CIA back into
the culinary field. From this experience, I have learned the importance of
never settling for the mediocre, and that inspiration can be found from
within—inspiration that gives us the drive to achieve the standard set by our predecessors.
We then set those standards ever higher, and inspire the next group of
culinarians to do the same.
Lance Nitahara '08, P.C. III,
C.E.C.
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