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ProChef Success Stories – Igniting Inspiration
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"Moving forward, I feel proud of my
accomplishment, relieved, inspired, confident, and more than a little
exhausted. One thing I know for certain is that I can't wait to sign up for ProChef Level II."
Jillian Conroy |
ProChef Level I Success Story
Jillian Conroy, P.C. I/C.C.
Where does culinary inspiration come from? How did that
amazing combination of flavors and textures make its way onto the menu? Is
pomegranate still trendy? In the world of StockPot Custom Creations, these thoughts and challenges drift into one's day. I am a
customer account manager and my work allows me to partner with national chains
to identify and develop menu concepts and recipes. This involves wearing many
hats, not the least of which is a chef's toque.
I embarked on ProChef Level I
certification as a way to bolster my professional culinary credibility. A
veteran of classes at both the California Culinary Academy and Le Cordon Bleu,
Paris, as well as having owned my own culinary services company, I was notably
confident, if not a little cocky, in the kitchen. This state of affairs was
quickly to be remedied.
Over the course of a year, I took classes at the CIA's Greystone campus and spent weeknights and weekends studying
the recommended texts and cooking more than I ever had in my life. My program
was customized for me by my advisor, a chef of incredible talent and
immeasurable patience. The weeks that I spent in class were incredible. Like Alice
in Through the Looking Glass, I was immersed in another world—the professional
kitchen, my clients' world. Nothing up to that point had prepared me for the
rigors of a week at the CIA.
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The morning instruction was detailed and thorough, each
nugget of information integral to the culinary challenges of the afternoon. The
instructors were incredibly knowledgeable and skillful. In each class, what
invariably developed was a terrific camaraderie. There's a strange chemistry
when creative culinarians get together. There is ego
and competition, but also amazing sharing, support, and inspiration. The weeks
I spent in class fostered some of the most creative work I did this year.
The culmination of these courses and independent study was
the actual certification test. It's more than a little surreal as a grown-up to
be under intense academic stress and pressure and to distill everything that
you've learned into a week of testing. It is humbling. But my courses prepared
me well and I learned to get out of my own way, to trust my creative instinct,
and demonstrate the techniques that I'd honed over the prior months. Passing
the ProChef certification test was beyond a doubt the
highlight of my professional year. It was such hard work, but at the same time
it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had.
As a newly certified professional culinarian,
do I have greater insight into the next hot food trend? Will I collaborate on
an amazing dish that goes national? Is yuzu the new
pomegranate? Of that, I'm not sure. What I do know is that I have stepped into
my clients' world and learned so much. Moving forward, I feel proud of my
accomplishment, relieved, inspired, confident, and more than a little
exhausted. One thing I know for certain is that I can't wait to sign up for ProChef Level II.
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