Cherie Bergeron - Student of the Month

Pulling sugar, piping chocolate, preparing pastries and perfecting the palate – it’s all par for the course at Culinary Institute LeNôtre, where 30 students are expected to graduate in March.

Among them, 23-year-old Baking & Pastry student Cherie Bergeron.

“This school won me over, without a doubt,” Cherie said. “I’m sad it’s almost over.”

Cherie Bergeron

But Cherie’s also excited about the possibilities, and is considering bringing all she’s learned back to her hometown of Nederland.

“The bakers in my town don’t offer things like custom cakes, chocolate work, and pastillage…,” Cherie said. “I definitely want to bring that there.”

Nederland, a city of approximately 18,000, is 10 miles southeast of Beaumont.

Cherie’s bakery will be family-owned and operated, and it shall be named “Ma Cherie.”

“I want to get recipes from both my grandmothers, and re-tweak them to make them look more modern,” Cherie said. “A brownie’s a brownie, but you can definitely make it look upscale.”

Cherie said her grandmother used to make tiered wedding cakes from scratch. “I remember icing a cake, just going all over the place with it, ‘helping’ her,” Cherie said.

It’s safe to say Cherie has since improved her icing techniques.

The Grinch tried to steal this   award-winning cookie, created by   Cherie Bergeron In December 2010		Cherie’s pastillage  centerpiece

Born with an “artistic frame of mind,” Cherie wasn’t sure what she wanted to be when she grew up, but had painting or photography on her mind.

“I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” Cherie said, “but I could never put my finger on it.”

Cherie’s finger finally found her taste buds.

“I realized I love food, so I thought why not explore that?” Cherie said. “Then I found out I was actually kind of good at it.”

Cherie Bergeron in the first stages of creating a French pastry called croquembouche

“Chef Philippe told us if you don’t shoot really high for yourself,” Cherie said, “you’ll never go anywhere,”

Cherie shot beyond the stars…and now the world is her oyster. She’s currently working as a manager at Rao’s Bakery in Spring Texas, where she’s in charge of the crème brulée, and will soon interview for a pastry chef position at a country club in Houston.

“No matter where you come from or how doubtful you are about yourself,” Cherie said, “you can go anywhere and be whatever you want to be.”

Mariela Alexander - Student of the Month

Imagine waking up one day and suddenly you cannot hear a thing.  This is exactly what happened to Mariela Alexander nearly two years ago.  She found it hard to hear what people were saying to her.  She had to turn the volume up almost as high as it could go on her television.  Mariela soon learned she suffered from Otosclerosis, a hearing disorder that typically presents itself between the ages of 18 and 40.

The Bolivian native handled the adversity with grace and a positive attitude.  She sought medical advice and eventually had two surgeries, one on each ear.  All this occurred while she was a student at Culinary Institute LeNôtre.  Although she needed to take some time off to recuperate, Mariela has remained committed to fulfilling her goal of graduating with a degree in Pastry Arts.

Mariela says she moved to the United States, “with a bag of dreams.”  One of those dreams is to become a chef like her mother who owned a successful catering company in Bolivia.  Mariela said her mother’s kitchen was like a second home to her.  Her mother is her inspiration and Mariela says, “She is my recipe book.”

One of Mariela’s favorite things to make is empanadas, a specialty from her country.  She makes them with all kinds of different fillings.  Her face actually lights up when she talks about them.   On the sweet side, Mariela enjoys making (and her family enjoys eating) Torte Helada, a special occasion cake consisting of layers of waffles, vanilla ice cream, dulce de leche and chocolate ganache.  She can imagine someday owning her own restaurant featuring her favorite Bolivian cuisine. 

Mariela feels she has become even more confident in the kitchen based on the techniques she has learned at Culinary Institute LeNôtre.  She says she really could “cook all day every day.”  To anyone considering culinary school, Mariela says you have to have passion and persistence.  She adds, “You’re in the wrong place if you don’t have a relationship with the kitchen.”

In March, Mariela and her husband are expecting their first child.  She is working toward her American citizenship and her sister is moving to Houston to study pastry arts with us as well.  So many wonderful and exciting things are happening for Mariela and we wish her all the best.

Jean-Carlos Mejia – Student of the Month

When Jean-Carlos Mejia decided he was ready to go to culinary school, his mother (a pastry chef for 35 years) wanted the best for him. As a longtime fan of the legendary chef Gaston LeNôtre, Jean-Carlos’s mother originally wanted her son to study in France. When this proved difficult, they found Culinary Institute LeNôtre in Houston and decided to move 1600 miles so Jean-Carlos could attend the school.

Jean-Carlos was born in the Bronx in New York City to Dominican parents. His mother worked as a pastry chef on cruise ships; resorts in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and various restaurants. She taught her son the basics of pastry at a young age. By the time he was 10 years old, Jean-Carlos was making small cakes on his own. As he got older, he says that, “Cooking was a way to keep myself out of trouble.”

For the past year, Jean-Carlos has been pursuing a diploma in culinary arts. He has finished his cuisine labs and is taking one last term of baking and pastry arts. Of the two disciplines, he says he prefers cuisine because he likes to stay very busy and keep a fast pace. However, he likes pastry arts because it forces you to be precise. He considers Chef-Instructor Pierre Yves LeBihan to be his mentor and the chef who inspires him the most.

It means a great deal for Jean-Carlos to attend the Culinary Institute LeNôtre. He says, “It is an honor being at school with Chef Alain LeNôtre -- he is like a celebrity to me.” He thinks having the LeNôtre name on his resume is very meaningful. He says it shows you have attended a “top notch school.”

Jean-Carlos has worked for the national chain, P.F. Changs, for the last year. He says he has mastered all stations of the kitchen and recently passed a test to become a sous chef. Of the experience, he says, “I have used so much that I learned here on the job and that is why I’ve moved up so fast.”

When asked about advice for prospective culinary students, Jean-Carlos says they should pursue their dreams because, “there is no telling where it might take you.” He never imagined he’d leave New York and here he is about to graduate from cooking school in Houston, Texas.

Sean Henry – Student of the Month

For years, Sean Henry’s wife had been telling him he should follow his passion and go to cooking school.  He had been working in the restaurant industry for 19 years as a cook and trainer.  He happily did all of the cooking at home.  In fact, for their first date, Sean made a home cooked meal of lasagna.  Cooking is what makes Sean happy.      

With the encouragement of his family and friends, Sean finally made the decision to become a culinary student at the age of 35.  When asked about his proudest moment, Sean points to signing up at Culinary Institute LeNôtre and says, “I’m proud to invest a year+ of my life to better the situation for myself and my family.”

Family is near and dear to Sean.  His son Cameron has Down’s Syndrome and suffers from Stage II Kidney Disease.  Sean has applied the knowledge he has gained from his kitchen lab and nutrition classes to help improve the meals he makes for his family.  By cutting down on sodium and portion sizes, he has been able to help stabilize Cameron’s kidney function and weight.  As Sean puts it, “It’s crazy how important food is, we take it for granted.”  Someday, Sean would like to write a cookbook for those kidney problems.

Before coming to school, Sean was a corporate trainer for Potbelly Sandwich Company.  He helped open 13 stores in Houston, Dallas and College Station, Texas.  He says the job made him more disciplined and patient.  He enjoyed training others and could see himself teaching culinary students one day.  

Sean likes to make homemade pasta and tomato-based sauces.  He applies the techniques that he has learned at school to the dinners he makes at home.  Sean is particularly excited about his recent purchase of a Kitchen Aid mixer with a pasta roller attachment.  He is inspired by the dishes he makes in class and likes to create his own dishes as well.  According to Sean, “It’s all about taste and technique.”

Sean plans to graduate with honors in March 2012.  He says, “I never thought I would go to culinary school.  Telling my mom that I have an associate’s degree means a lot to me.”  He encourages others to follow their passion for cooking as well.  His wife’s cousin will be joining him at Culinary Institute LeNôtre this fall.  Their family should be looking forward to big things this Thanksgiving.

Timmie J. Kenneth – Student of the Month

When Timmie Kenneth learned that Culinary Institute LeNôtre would be opening up a restaurant, he decided to sign up to be a part of it.  Timmie had worked in the front of the house for several restaurants over the years.  Most recently, the 31-year old Houston native had been a server at Goode Co. Seafood.

At Kris Bistro & Wine Lounge, Timmie will have the opportunity to work in all areas, including the dining room, bar, and kitchen.  He is starting his rotation in the front of the house and has been training for several weeks.  He likes knowing how all of the dishes are prepared and learning about wine pairings.

On his own time, Timmie spends a lot of time reading and researching.  In fact, he describes himself as “pretty much a nerd” when it comes to food.  He likes to acquire knowledge and share it with customers.  For example, he mentioned that a Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Champagne served at the restaurant was the official champagne of the Titanic. 

Timmie has a particular interest in herbs and dreams some day of writing his own cookbook.  He likes to experiment with herbs in his cooking and understand their health benefits.  When he found out that watercress is served with a sweetbread dish at the restaurant, he learned that the herb is packed with nutrients and can help with arthritis. 

Making connections with fellow students is important to Timmie.  When he gets the chance to sit down and talk with someone, he’s often surprised by the interesting things that person is doing.  According to Timmie, “We are all superheroes, and we don’t even know it.” 

Timmie is not afraid to make mistakes; in fact, he welcomes the opportunity to learn from them.  He says that he is “marinating the experience” of going to culinary school.  He is learning everything he can and hopes to own his own place someday and help his friends and family fulfill their dreams.

Janie Tuble – Student of the Month 

An offer to wash dishes turned into an opportunity to stage (work as an apprentice) with one of Houston’s rising star chefs for Janie Tuble.  Janie sent Chef Seth Siegel Gardner a message on Facebook because she was interested in his pop-up restaurant concept, Just August Project.  Their exchange turned into a six-month stage at Kata Robata in Houston.  Janie’s advice to other students is, “be bold and ask.”

Under Gardner, Janie was able to explore her interest in modern pastry techniques.  She has learned how to use liquid nitrogen to make ice cream; dehydrate foods to make intensely-flavored powders; and add gums and hydro-colloids to change the texture of classic desserts. 

For her next stage, Janie drove 30 miles each way to work at Bootsie’s Heritage Café in Tomball, TX, under Chef Chris Leung.  At Bootsie’s, she added agar-agar to custards, aerated and froze mousses and dehydrated meringue to make chips.  She talks about all of these molecular techniques with great enthusiasm and eagerly pulls out her phone to share photos of what she has made.

Janie’s background in science makes modern pastry arts a natural fit for her.  She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Biology.  When Janie decided to pursue culinary school over nursing school, her parents were initially hesitant.  With a little convincing, they soon become supporters of Janie’s passion.

Janie recently started a new stage with pastry guru and Top Chef Contestant, Rebecca Masson.  Under Masson, Janie hopes to learn more creative techniques in a bakeshop setting.  Masson’s business Fluff Bake Bar, sells unique cookies, bars, cupcakes and cakes at Revival Market and to order.   Janie believes the foundational skills she has learned at the Culinary Institute LeNôtre have helped her in all of her staging positions. In the real world, Janie says she has been able to “kick it up a notch using magical ingredients.”

Upon graduation in October, Janie would like to hold a pastry chef position at a fine dining restaurant.  She has a special interest in savory pastries, such as miso caramel, olive cookies and beet powder meringue.  She likes to take traditional desserts and add her own savory twist. With Janie’s talent, experience and zeal…the sky’s the limit for her.

 

 

 

 

Janie’s dessert for a class quiz: White chocolate fennel ice cream with pistachio streusel, fresh peach puree and pink peppercorn tuile.

 

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Josh Reed - Student of the Month

Being laid off from his environmental analysis job may have been the best thing that ever happened to Josh Reed.  When the recession hit his industry, Josh needed to figure out his next career step.  After a little soul searching, he realized that he was happiest when he was cooking for friends and decided to pursue a degree in Culinary Arts.  After researching many area schools, we are so glad he chose the Culinary Institute LeNôtre.

Josh is a dedicated student who typically shows up at school a few hours before his class begins.  He will often sharpen knives for his fellow students or meet with a study group.  The group may spend time mapping out the lab for that evening.  They go through the recipes and identify the key techniques and possible ingredient substitutions.  According to Josh, they do a “mental mise en place and figure out what needs to be done at what time.”

Because he works in an organized fashion, Josh often gets his tasks done ahead of schedule.  When this happens, he is happy to help other students in the class and take care of whatever needs to be done.  Josh says, “If you are sitting around in the kitchen with your hands in your pockets, there is something wrong.”

After talking with Josh, it is clear that he has tapped into his passion.  He says, “I would take classes in the morning and the evening, if I could.”  He enjoys preparing international cuisine at home, especially food from Germany, Italy, and Greece.  When he goes out to eat, he finds himself breaking down an entrée into the techniques used to prepare it, so he can try to recreate it himself.

After graduation, Josh has a 2-5 year plan to work in restaurants around the country.  He would like to learn regional cuisine and have the chance to work many different stations of the kitchen.  Ultimately, he would like to open his own small restaurant serving the best food he can.  With his dedication and focus, we have no doubt Josh will fulfill his dreams.

Shirley Muse ―Student of the Month

Some students come to us without any experience in the culinary field whatsoever.  Others seek our help to learn new skills in their existing profession.  Shirley Muse belongs to this second group.  Shirley has been baking for many years and has her own business in Cypress, Texas, called Chef Muse Cakes and Pastries.

Shirley provides catering for several businesses in the area.  She bakes large decorated sheet cakes for her clients that can serve 300 people.  Also, she is a regular vendor at the weekly farmers market in Navasota, Texas, where she sells cookies, pound cakes, cobblers and more.

The mother of five grown children and grandmother to six grandchildren, Shirley has had a passion for cooking and baking her whole life.  Her father owned a barbeque restaurant in Shreveport, Louisiana for many years.  She has lived in Dallas and Corpus Christi, Texas where she spent time fishing with her family.  Shirley has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and has had a successful career working for several corporations, including the U.S. Postal Service.

On the day we interviewed Shirley, she was in her Level II (Intermediate) Baking & Pastry class.  She was wrist deep in chocolate and very excited to talk about what she was learning that day.  Shirley shared how valuable her instruction was because of her teacher’s expertise as a chocolatier.  He told the class to be patient and to temper the chocolate slowly.  According to Shirley, “It’s unbelievable how easy it is, with a little knowledge.”

Shirley chose Culinary Institute LeNôtre because she was seeking authentic instruction with a focus on baking and pastry arts.  She loves the school and the staff and feels like she is part of a big family.  She likes that she has open access to Mr. and Mrs. LeNôtre.  She says the school works hard to address any issues that may arise.  Shirley is a driven person and she likes that her instructors push and challenge her. 

Following graduation, Shirley would like to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree.  Also, she would like to study abroad someday and is looking into a program in Tuscany, Italy.  Shirley’s dream job would be to work with pastry Chef Sherry Yard of Wolfgang Puck’s famed Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills, California.  Wherever the road leads for Shirley Muse, we know to expect great things.

Tylermae Hunt ―Student of the Month ―“Life’s To Do List”

Tylermae is a candidate in the AAS Culinary Arts degree program at Culinary Institute LeNôtre. She has always loved cooking and creating in the kitchen and is living her dream today. She believes that by putting in 100% you can get where ever you want to be. She lives by this motto. She plans her goals and the steps to get there; she calls it “life’s to do list”. She has already put her list together for the next three years.

Her ultimate three-year goal is to open her own restaurant that serves a variety of cuisines, a pleasure for the public.  She already has the support of two mentors: Chef Joe Abuso and Chef Dwight Evans.

How did she come to this goal? Originally from Trinidad, Tylermae spent fifteen years managing major retail stores in Long Island, NY. She came to Houston three years ago for a fresh start in a fresh new city. It was time to reassess life’s direction. In her reassessment she recognized she wanted to work for herself and her love of cuisine directed her to the culinary industry. Tylermae not only has a love of culinary arts but is familiar with the restaurant business; she grew up helping in her parents’ restaurant in Trinidad.

The first step in her three-year “life’s to do list” was researching culinary institutes. Culinary Institute LeNôtre came to the top of the list. Now that she is here she loves it. “It is a world renown institute, friendly and you get the one on one help and attention you need,” says Tylermae. She can’t wait for the lab classes to begin.

The second step in her “life’s to do list” is volunteering at culinary establishments while she is at Culinary Institute LeNôtre to learn as much as she can about the culinary industry. Her plan is to spend six months each at different business. Tylermae says about this tough double shift “Anyone can achieve their goals if they are willing to do the hard work and make sacrifices.” She begins her first “externship” with the Abuso Catering business next week.

The third step of Tylermae’s “life’s to do list” is after completing her degree and these “externships”, Tylermae will travel to France and Italy. There she plans to spend six months in France and six months in Italy working to gain a thorough knowledge of these cuisines and their preparation.

And finally she will return to Houston to begin her entrepreneurial adventure. Under the guidance of Chef Joe Abuso and Chef Dwight Evans, she’ll open her restaurant featuring French, Italian and Trinidadian cuisines. With this three-year goal accomplished what will be the next?

May 2010:

It all began with an employment ad that he noticed bearing the name LeNôtre. Ronald Asignacion, who just graduated from Culinary Institute LeNôtre on May 7 with a 4.0 average, can do just about anything if he puts his mind to it. Ronald received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1999 and practiced canine and feline medicine for five years in the Philippines. In 2005 he decided to explore the field of culinary arts.

For Ronald, the path to Culinary Institute LeNôtre was direct; he didn’t even consider other schools after discovering the LeNôtre ad’s connection to the Culinary Institute LeNôtre. The inquisitive person that he is, Ronald investigated who and what LeNôtre was. Of course he found the name tied to the famous Gaston LeNôtre and his son Alain LeNôtre. From there Ronald discovered the Culinary Institute LeNôtre and in 2008 he moved to Houston and enrolled.

Students at Culinary Institute LeNôtre have the freedom to investigate many areas of the culinary world through lab, formal academic classes and externships. Through these Ronald began to think of areas in the culinary field outside the area of his original interest, catering.

Ronald’s attention turned to coupling two of his loves, veterinary medicine and culinary arts. His long term plan is to make use of both his culinary training and veterinary education to create a line of healthy pet foods for dogs and cats.   

Happy graduation to Ronald and the entire May 7^th, 2010 graduating class!

Colleen hails from Houston, but she traveled from Houston to San Francisco and back to find herself at Culinary Institute LeNôtre.  Colleen is in the Sous Chef de Patisserie Diploma and will be graduating in March.

After graduating from high school Colleen traveled to the Golden Gate City to enter an art Institute in San Francisco. She experimented with interior design, painting and illustration, (a lot of comic book illustration according to Colleen). During breaks she traveled the West Coast enjoying the art and music scene.  But with the rigors of school and a full time job, she decided to take a break and returned to Houston.

In Houston, Colleen got a job at Panera Bread where she explored different baking processes; she had never done puff pastry for one.  Baking and pastry was becoming her art form. To do it right, Colleen wanted to study authentic French baking and pastry. The question was where could you do this without going to France? So Colleen asked for recommendations at the better restaurants in Houston. The name “Culinary Institute LeNôtre” kept coming up. Colleen stopped by the institute for a visit and was completely won over.  All of the chef-instructors were classically trained in French cooking and the atmosphere was engaging and creative.

Now that Colleen is at Culinary Institute LeNôtre she loves it. Her creative talents are applied in the kitchen. Colleen says the knowledge of the chef instructors is amazing; any question that is asked gets answered. Each instructor is dedicated to the students success. In her studies she has found she especially loves sugar sculptures and plated deserts. Now that she is about to graduate she says the diploma program has given her the resources and confidence to go out in the work world.  Colleen also says, though baking and pastry are her first loves, she would like to do the Diploma Program in Cuisine for her own knowledge.

Culinary Institute LeNôtre has already helped her in the first steps of her career. She recently landed a job at Le Petit Croissant. Colleen reported that when Le Petit Croissant saw the name Culinary Institute LeNôtre on her resume, the team was thrilled to bring her on. Now that she is there she finds she is well prepared and surprises her herself on how little help she needs. What comes next? She sees a few apprenticeships, possibly catering and her wanderlust may take her onto the high seas with a cruise lines. 

Today, Gary Mularski has his own business as a personal chef, Dining Chez Vous (Dining at Your Place). How did he get there? Gary has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and spent 29 years in sales and management positions of large multi-national companies. It was during a five year stint in Belgium that Gary developed a passion for French food and cooking. He walked away from a very good position in 2008 to take early retirement. He wanted to do something that he loved. That love was culinary arts.

Gary saw the show “Recipe for Success” on the Food Network, and this particular episode focused on personal chefs that prepared meals for busy families. That sparked an idea. At that time he had taken a couple “boot camp” type cooking classes. He decided to take the next step in formalizing his culinary education. He attended a Culinary Institute LeNôtre open house and then enrolled in the Diploma program for Culinary Arts. He graduated in February 2009 with Gold Medal Honors and a Diploma as Sous Chef in Culinary Arts with a specialty in cuisine.

Then he opened Dining Chez Vous personal chef service. He offers personal chef services, dinner party services and entertainment cooking. The most intriguing engagement was also his first. A person in Philadelphia contacted him after finding him through the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA) directory listing. The customer wanted to arrange for a real French meal to be prepared for his parents who had never been to France and who lived in Houston. Gary was the chef.

His personal chef services are his mainstay. They are for people that like to eat healthy meals but are either too tired to cook or don’t like to cook. He offers weekly meal packages for individuals and families. How does he operate the personal chef business? Many of the family meals are prepared the night before and instructions are left on how to reheat. He makes it simple for his clients. He brings all of his own tools and does all clean-up himself.

But, it is not as easy as it sounds. First he reviews with his client their likes, dislikes and special dietary considerations. From this he can plan menus. But, as an independent business he has a variety of other tasks such as being up-to-date on health regulations, advertising (including a web site), and sourcing - he does it all.

How does he get his business? Today he gets about 60% of his customer leads through his web site and 40% through his listing in the USPCA directory listing. He also gets requests for dinner parties and entertainment cooking from past co-workers. He works about 10-12 days a month and loves it. The best boss he ever had.

Cynthia is a woman on the go. She travels 250 miles round trip from her home near Beaumont to Culinary Institute LeNôtre to attend the Culinary Arts Specialty in Baking and Pastry Diploma program. Her desire to transform her baking and pastry knowledge "drives" her to make this impressive investment in time and talent.

Cynthia is building from a strong foundation.  She already has an AAS degree in Culinary Arts, has been in the pastry field for four years and is an adjunct instructor in baking and pastry at a culinary school near her home. Why then Culinary Institute LeNôtre?  What she saw at the 2010 Oklahoma Sugar Bowl convinced her she must attend Culinary Institute LeNôtre.

At the 2010 Oklahoma Sugar Bowl she saw the finest skills displayed in the Culinary Institute LeNôtre entries; the exquisite piping, crisp and clean, the gum paste technique, superb, the creativity, it set the works of art apart. She also noted the camaraderie of the LeNôtre team; they were having fun and touring the exhibit together, they were a cohesive group. Her passion for pastry drove her to Culinary Institute LeNôtre to expand her existing skills and develop new techniques all in a close-knit community. This was a goal worth pursuing, even worth the commitment of driving 250 miles a day to get.

She’s been in the diploma program for three weeks now and awed with the well organized, structured, hands-on classes in the small classroom environment. The Chef Instructors are so knowledgeable, she notes. Each student gets the individual attention of the Chef Instructors — when the chef sees that a student’s technique can be improved upon he steps in and helps the student directly with the student’s work.  She also appreciates that not just one, but three, four or five new techniques are presented every day. Then these techniques are built upon in the following days. This is helping her to quickly expand her current skills and grow new ones. She is also making note of the Chef Instructor’s teaching style and is applying those principals in her own classroom.

What are her aspirations? — Her ultimate goal is to become a full-time baking and pastry instructor at the culinary school where she now teaches. Culinary Institute LeNôtre is giving her the in-depth skills and the respected name on her resume to make this possible. In Cynthia’s words “I can do it, I will do it until I can’t do it anymore”.  What else gives her the confidence to succeed? She got new tires as a Christmas gift!

Kaigan can be an inspiration for all who are looking at the culinary industry as a career option. She has graduated with a Sous Chef in Culinary Arts Specialty in Cuisine Diploma and is now enrolled in the Sous Chef de Patisserie Diploma program. She wants to one day open her own establishment that makes its own desserts as well as cuisine.  But, it is not as simple as that. Kaigan describes herself as determined and hard-willed. Kaigan juggles school, motherhood and additionally manages newly diagnosed fibromyalgia, a physically limiting disease.

Kaigan had aspirations of a law career when she was in high school. When she became a single teen mom her priorities changed. She wanted to focus on her family and so graduated early to spend time with her daughter before embarking on her next priority, education and a career that would fit her lifestyle.

She reviewed her options and her passions. She had always loved baking and began to explore culinary schools in Houston. One school had visited at her school, but never followed up on her request for more information. She knew Culinary Institute LeNôtre had an excellent reputation for culinary arts and she went to an open house. She was taken with the dedication to student success, the small school environment and the focus on lab work. She asked for more information. She got an immediate response and the next day when a school representative called her. Financial aid office worked diligently with Kaigan to find funding that met her requirements and she enrolled in the program shortly thereafter. “Culinary Institute LeNôtre has met and exceeded my expectations”, says Kaigan.

She has continually pushed to succeed. Kaigan says “anyone can do this program if I can”. Kaigan often arrives at noon to work with the chef-instructors to perfect a technique and then follows this time with her 5 p.m. classes. She once worked to perfect a sauce, required for an exam, during these additional lab hours. She reports that her initial product was more like gravy, the final sauce was superb. The chef-instructors are focused on the student’s success, they don’t let you fail.

Future plans? Kaigan would like to get some experience in the industry and would like to work toward an AAS degree to solidify skills to run her own business. On the home front, now that she has started the pastry program her four-year old daughter is a little more understanding of the time away from mom. Mom often has pastry treats for her when she comes home.

You’ve heard of the best of the best! Jeff McGrath, call sign Binky, is a retired combat pilot. This Naval Aviator is now a student at Culinary Institute LeNôtre. He flew the S-3B Viking, which was a submarine hunter, and had various other missions. He has over 2700 flight hours with over 350 landings on aircraft carriers. 

He says that joining the Navy was one of the best things he has ever done. It taught him discipline, maturity, ethics and workmanship. At the age of 41 he finds the diploma program at Culinary Institute LeNôtre every bit as demanding as Navy flight school. He likes the challenge of baking and pastry – it is technical, and must satisfy both the palette and the eye.

Jeff retired from the military and completed an MBA at Texas A&M. He found that the corporate life was not for him; not enough control over his own destiny. Being a Naval Aviator is living in the moment, and so is creating in the kitchen.

Because he had already earned a Bachelors and Masters degrees it made most sense to enroll in the Diploma program for Baking and Pastry rather than the Associates Degree program.  Jeff’s aspirations include applying his Pastry and Baking diploma along with business knowledge from his MBA to open a pastry shop where patrons can come to gather and enjoy baked goods and pastries. He may franchise the venture some day.

The twist? International fare. Jetting off aircraft carriers and flying all over the world gave Jeff the opportunity to try local pastries everywhere he went. He’d like to present authentic pastries to those that remember how their mother made it and to those that are just enjoying the variety of offerings. Part of this may be sourcing product from the counties of origin so people can have something really authentic. He’d like to have a cozy and chic atmosphere, a gathering place.

Jeff had several choices of culinary schools to choose from. He was not tied to location; he could go anywhere in the world. He researched the top 50 culinary institutes in the world. In addition to Culinary Institute LeNôtre, he seriously considered the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, the Art Institute in Houston and Cordon Bleu Schools in France, Australia and Austin. Culinary Institute LeNôtre won out. As he says “If you really want to be in the industry this is the place to be.”

His impressions now that he is here: The diploma program offered him hands on labs of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. The labs are extremely thorough, showing students what to do and what not to do. For example, kneading bread too long with your hands raises the temperature of the dough from the warmth of the hands and activates the yeast. His observations are that the labs prepare you for the real world pastry and baking industry. The labs are fast-paced and demand that you too be involved, in the moment, like flying a jet.

He found something that makes him happy, and he knows it will make his customer’s happy. Perhaps it will be Binky’s Pastry.

Alumna Melissa Rapp is no neophyte to the culinary industry, she has been in the culinary industry for eleven years. During that time she has worked in both cuisine and baking and pastry. Most recently she is holds positions as a cook at the prestigious Cova Wines, wine bar and retail wine shop, and as a cook on cruise liners.

During her career on cruise ships she has toured the Hawaiian Islands and visited Alaska, Mexico, British Columbia and Washington State. Prior to Cova Wines she worked on cruise ships and she continues to do so while at Cova.  Her chef at Cova Wines offers her the flexibility to work at the restaurant and to take time off during cruise season to work on cruise ships and return again to the restaurant job.  In addition, during her past four and a half years at Cova she opened the second Cova Wines on Washington Avenue in Houston.

She came to Culinary Institute LeNôtre for the Culinary Arts Specialty in Baking and Pastry diploma program in 2008. She says this was to initially polish her skills and to learn how to put a finer look on her baking and pastry creations.  She was very interested in French desserts.  As well as accomplishing that she now has a diploma to fall back on in the competitive culinary industry. Now she is planning to return to Culinary Institute LeNôtre in January to begin the Diploma program in Culinary Arts Specialty in Cuisine. She is interested in the French and international cuisine focus of the program. She will be working a rigorous schedule balancing school and work. Melissa will be in school from 8:00 a.m. until 3 p.m. and then working at Cova Wines nights.

Why did Melissa choose Culinary Institute LeNôtre? She looked at other institutes and came to an open house at Culinary Institute LeNôtre. She was impressed with the labs as a center of the education rather than a focus on book knowledge. Once here, she found level 2 & 3 Pastry to be invigorating; she could see that her dedication was recognized and Chef Phillippe was willing push her even more to develop her potential. She now feels she can conquer any dessert as long as she has the plan in place.  

Her advice to students to get the most out of their experience at Culinary Institute LeNôtre is to be disciplined and willing to be directed. Be realistic, this is not the glamour life of the food channel; Line cooks churn out hundreds of means a day and this can be something you learn to love. Have the mindset to learn and know that you will be in a demanding environment. What else? Put your all into it — practice at home and do the reading recommended by the chef instructors. You’ll be able to be a part of the beautiful and outstanding LeNôtre buffets and special occasions that are unmatched by any other banquets.

Elizabeth Balderas, ’08, is an accomplished cake decorator. Since graduating from Culinary Institute LeNôtre she has worked as a cake decorator for 2 bakeries and has been diligent in entering competitions.  Most recently she received 2^nd place at The Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show for the semi-professional category for wedding-tiered cakes.  She also won a Silver Medal for second place at the Ben E. Keith Food Show in 2009. 

She has participated in other competitions and says that competitions allow her to use all of her creativity. She can stretch her talent beyond the requirements of a particular customer’s order. The competitions are no small feat. They often take months to prepare for – in this last competition Elizabeth only had one month to prepare and spent approximately 36 hours decorating her cake. This is a very short amount of time for a cake of this magnitude. She took 2^nd place.

She has a creative style that has been appreciated by the judges, her employers and customers. She loves the precision and attention to detail of cake decorating. As she says “you don’t get to make mistakes in cake decorating, if you do, you start over.”  Whether a competition or an order for a customer you have to be sure to get it right.

Today, she works in 3 Brothers’ Bakery which has specialties in wedding cakes (traditional and non-traditional), and special occasion cakes.  Elizabeth does the wedding and special occasion cakes and also the showcase cakes. Her first position out of Culinary Institute LeNôtre was at Cakes by Gina, a bakery focused exclusively on wedding cakes. The career services office at the institute helped place her in this position where she worked for about a year. Then while helping out at a bridal show at the George R. Brown  Convention center in January 2010 she met one of the owner’s of 3 Brothers Bakery. She followed up 3 months later and landed a decorator job at 3 Brothers’ Bakery. This is the kind of networking the Culinary Institute LeNôtre students are encouraged to do.

What attracted her to cake decorating? She knew what she wanted when she graduated from high school. In high school she studied culinary arts and found she loved cake decorating and wanted that to be her future.  She entered Culinary Institute LeNôtre.

She says there was no other choice for her but Culinary Institute LeNôtre. The other schools she looked at were large and didn’t have the small class environment where you could really ask questions, create and get the individual attention of the chef instructors.  Since she knew she wanted to specialize in cakes she chose the diploma program for Culinary Arts Specialty in Baking and Pastry Cuisine.

At Culinary Institute LeNôtre her talents and techniques were pushed to new levels.  She especially loved Level II and Level III pastry where students move to more independent thinking, but with the instructor there to guide the students as needed. She was expected to use her own thought process to complete her projects. This she knows prepared her for the real world where you don’t have the benefit of your chef instructor behind your shoulder. She began to develop her creative style at Culinary Institute LeNôtre where she recalls once surprising the chef instructor with a wedding cake that had many dark colors on it. Surprise or not she ultimately received a good score for the cake. 

Where does she want to go from here? She aspires to move up through the competition levels as her skills increase and eventually hopes to reach the Masters level. The next level for her, when she is ready, is the professional level. There she will be competing against decorators that have years of experience. Elizabeth is just beginning her career and with the talent she has at this early stage she could become one of the greats!

Eleonora Tamayo delivered the student speech when she graduated with an AAS degree in Baking and Pastry on July 16^th.  She has also brought home three gold medals in baking and pastry for Culinary Institute LeNôtre. Today she is part of Culinary Institute LeNôtre’s Baking and Pastry team. She started with a diploma program and when she found she could not leave Culinary Institute LeNôtre and its rich learning environment she extended her program to the AAS degree program. What brought her down this path?

Eleonora was a computer scientist in Colombia before she moved to the United States four years ago. Why the about-face? Passion, she says. Eleonora was heavily influenced by her family’s love of international cuisine. Eleonora’s father had studied in the United States for his Architectural degree; he also traveled internationally and brought Eleonora with him to France where she learned about French food and even wine pairing.

Her family designated one night a week as international cuisine evening and the family would cook together such dishes as Beef Bourguignon, Canard à l'Orange, Borsht and Peking Duck. To take this further, her father took several selections from his voluminous collection of cooking books and translated them into Spanish so that the whole family could use them. Her father also started a group called the “Gentlemen of Fine Cooking”. It was made up of ten men who got together to create fine cuisine. Of course there was a certain amount of competitiveness in the group, but at the end of the year they each prepared three dishes and invited three couples to partake in a magnificent dinner.

While in her computer science position, Eleonora became the designated organizer of the company’s parties and cocktail hours. She had the knowledge and the social skills. She also developed a quick bread and small birthday cake business. Her primary sales were to her computer science employer for employee birthdays and celebrations and orders taken around the holiday season.

When she came to the United States. She found Culinary Institute LeNôtre and enrolled in a diploma program. She quickly extended her stay from the diploma program to the AAS degree program, because she simply could not get enough of Culinary Institute LeNôtre. After one year of the program she switched from Cuisine to Baking and Pastry. For Eleonora pastry is meditative and calming. Cuisine results were wonderful, but there is a different type of stress in cuisine than pastry. For pastry you must have patience and be meticulous. 

Plans – Eleonora is part of the Baking and Pastry team. The team commits to practicing together at least once a week. The next big competition is the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show that will be judged by Kerry Vincent. Kerry Vincent is the director and co-founder of the annual Oklahoma Sugar Art Show, an author, and a freelance writer. She is also a judge on the Food Network Challenge television show. Eleonora says that competitions are a great way to challenge you and push yourself further. They are fun and provide a venue for more complicated creations that could not be done in a traditional classroom setting. Eleonora plans to return to Colombia someday and open a cake decorating business there. 

Chef Sandra Shafer made an about face in her career when she left the Petrochemical Industry and entered the Culinary Institute LeNôtre. In less than one year Sandra has moved herself up the ladder from a position at the River Oaks Country Club paying $9.50 an hour to a position as a personal chef making $70,000 a year. How did she do this and what is her job like? Sandra says simply hard work and networking got her there.

From the time she returned from a six year stint in Cyprus with her family until enrolling in Culinary Institute LeNôtre she attended the institute’s annual open house. The institute felt like home with French cuisine and pastry as the foundation of the program, and the international flavor of the environment, she knew this was what she was looking for. Sandra had spent time traveling internationally and speaks four languages: English, Spanish and some Greek and French.  

She visited on a Friday in January 2008 and immediately began classes on the following Monday. Sandra completed two AAS degrees, an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts and an Associate Degree in Baking and Pastry Arts, and graduated in July of 2009. The rigorous programs, instructors that were vested in her success, encouragement from the entire staff and her dedication prepared her for her career once she graduated.

Sandra takes everything on full throttle. While at Culinary Institute LeNôtre she did an externship at the River Oaks Country Club and upon graduation she was brought in to the River Oaks Country Club in a temporary position to help with the Friday and Saturday buffets. One of her first nights there she prepared a 50 pound bag of carrots, without her own knife and getting tennis elbow for weeks as a result, but she was called back for a full-time position. Sandra’s advice is that there is no job too little in a kitchen and always put your best effort forward. You never know where it will lead.

Once full time, Sandra dove in and made sure to apply high standards to her work. One task she was required to do was to prepare a menu each week. Menus were due to the executive chef, Chef Charles Carroll, on Thursday for approval. Sandra made certain to always have hers worked out and submitted by email by Wednesday. That way her menus were approved by Thursday morning, allowing her more time to source and prepare. Sandra says put in the extra effort, you will be noticed.

Sandra left the River Oaks Country Club for a position at the Coronado Club. She received a raise there, but a main consideration was that she had the weekends off.

Soon after, Executive Chef Charles Carroll, of the River Oaks Country Club, contacted her to let her know of a VIP club member that was in need of a personal chef. The position would include managing and preparing family and business dinners and the salary was $70,000 a year. With Chef Charles recommendation and her excellent track record she landed the job.

Sandra reports that flexibility is a number one requirement in this position and that the job is hard work, but there are great perks, too. The meals usually run from the three family members to ten people. Many times guests are on short notice. There are occasional receptions and luncheons. She plans on bringing in other Culinary Institute LeNôtre students to help with special events rather than hiring professionals in the field. Her days are variable.

As for perks, she has gotten to travel with the family to their Aspen home on a private jet to cook for them while there. And she has even traveled to Paris, Rome, and Greece as part chef and partly to serve as guidance for the young ladies of the home. Flexibility pays.

At a club you have a team of chefs and cooks to put things together, here Sandra must do it all. Sandra uses all of the techniques learned at Culinary Institute LeNôtre. Though the family says she doesn’t have to make more than a simple meal some days, she is creative as possible using the techniques she learned at Culinary Institute LeNôtre to improve and keep her skills current. Her meals stand out. Sandra says “Never let your skills lag; always strive to do your best. You will always get a great referral.”

She does her shopping on Monday to keep the pantry well-stocked and buys the basics. She purchases the proteins when the menu is planned. Having a well-stocked pantry enables her to stretch meals when there are last minute guests. She serves every dinner with a salad, main course and a dessert.

Sandra has wonderful advice: networking cannot be stressed enough. When meeting people in the culinary field ask for advice, referrals and follow through with the contacts you are given. When meeting people in the culinary field ask them about their experiences to become familiar with all the available choices.

She has had fabulous experiences by networking, for example while on vacation in Puerto Vallarta with her husband they were treated to a dinner off the menu because she had networked with the CEC on her previous trip there.

Sandra continues to use the Culinary Institute LeNôtre as a resource. The doors are always open here. She has not had much work with chocolates lately and wanted to keep her skills current in this area. She attended the chocolate gala and asked Chef Philippe if she could attend Pastry Lab when chocolates are covered; the answer was “of course”. Sandra states “The doors are always open for anything that you need help with at Culinary Institute LeNôtre.”

Take your career into your own hands, work your hardest and network!

Keith Malone is an entrepreneur who bought his delicatessen while still a student at the Culinary Institute LeNôtre! He graduated with honors in May, 2010 with an Associate in Applied Science in Culinary Arts Degree.

This was not Keith’s first entrepreneurial venture. Prior to coming to the institute, Keith’s career led him through ventures in and out of the hospitality industry. He was a guest services manager of a hotel and at the age of 27 became the general manager of that hotel. He had his own health and food business which he sold to GNC. He was an accountant and benefits analyst for a Fortune 500 company, and an HR benefits manager for Daimler Chrysler.

Keith came to a pivotal point in his career where he had the time to re-examine career paths and was able to make a career move. He always loved cooking and chose to jettison from the corporate world to follow his passion. When he was assessing culinary institutes in Houston, the Culinary Institute LeNôtre stood out with its heavy emphasis on lab time, the exemplary staff, the focus on technique and additionally the ability to transfer credits to the University of Phoenix to pursue a bachelor’s degree if he chose to do this. He enrolled in the Associate in Applied Science in Culinary Arts.

Once enrolled the dedication of the chef-instructors and other staff was clear; in his words, “the instructors are devoted to seeing the students succeed.” Keith liked the breadth of instruction: from regional French cooking to classic French cooking to modern and international cuisine. The methodology used in the labs gave him a solid foundation in technique.

On October 26^th, 2009, still in his AAS degree program, Keith purchased a deli which he now operates. Today the deli has three staff, two part-time employees and him. One of the employees is a LeNôtre student. The Culinary Institute LeNôtre also gave him the flexibility to change from being a day student to night student, which pushed out his graduation date but gave him the ability to purchase and run the deli.

His academic instructors advised him all along the way to help make his business a success. The Culinary Institute LeNôtre staff coaching ranged from developing the business plan, the menu, controlling cost, sourcing, pricing, and negotiating the lease right down to the final purchase of the business. Keith was advised by his instructors to change the deli name from The Town & Country Deli (the name of the street the deli is on) to a personalized name to create a more inviting atmosphere. He changed it to Malone’s Deli.

The business is 1000 sq feet, has six tables, 15 chairs and is located in an office building. It operates from 7:30 – 3:30 Monday through Friday. He focuses on breakfast and lunch. With about 400 employees in the building his cliental could seem limited, but he has expanded the business. He solicited his customers to find out what they wanted. They asked for down home cooking, hot dishes such as Chicken Fried Steak, Chicken and Dumplings, Gumbo, and Tomato Basil soup. This was the first time this deli offered hot dishes on the menu. Each day there is a special, and it changes every week. By applying the techniques he learned to these ordinary dishes he delivered extraordinary results to his customers. His hot dish always sells out.

His cliental of 400 grew to include take-home orders for family dinners. The business also expanded to catering for the businesses in the building. And now he caters business events outside the building and personal catering. One recent event he catered was for a real estate company that had an open house for a $1.8 million home. Keith still goes back to the Culinary Institute LeNôtre for advice on the deli and catering from instructors. He also loves to get ideas from the events that the Culinary Institute LeNôtre holds, such as the graduation and amphitheater dedication receptions.

Nigel Vessels started cooking like many of us do, out of necessity.  Once he moved away from his hometown of Beaumont, TX, Nigel started to cook for himself.  He soon found himself spending a lot of time preparing meals and experimenting with flavor combinations.  He got ideas from the Food Network and other sources, but mostly relied on his instincts in the kitchen.  He said, “I pictured what it would taste like by tasting the ingredients separately.”

Most of Nigel’s jobs since leaving high school have been in the restaurant industry.  Notably, Nigel worked as a bar back at New York City’s acclaimed Hill Country BBQ and Market.   Frequented by celebrities, such as Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis and Heidi Klum, the restaurant made New York Times writer Frank Bruni’s Top Five Restaurants list.

After returning to Houston, Nigel decided to pursue a culinary school education.  He researched area schools and decided on Culinary Institute LeNôtre after attending an open house.  Nigel liked that Culinary Institute LeNôtre offered the most hands-on training.  He is currently pursuing an Associates of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts.

In his level I class, Nigel is learning the foundational skills of French cuisine.  He enjoys building stocks and making sauces.  His instructors are teaching him techniques that he can now apply to his own cooking and someday use in a professional capacity.

Currently, Nigel works at the Memorial-area restaurant, Bistro Provence .   With his first exposure to fine dining, Nigel enjoys interacting with the many European guests at the restaurant.  He is learning about etiquette and culture of a French restaurant.

Upon graduation in 2013, Nigel would like to spend some time travelling.  He has family in the New York City area and a brother-in-law who is a successful restaurateur in Knoxville, Tennessee.   Ultimately, Nigel would like to add value to a restaurant kitchen by using the knowledge he has learned at Culinary Institute LeNôtre.  He said that in cooking, “I have found my art,” now he is spending his time honing his craft.