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.”
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| 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.
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| 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.”
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| 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.”