A Turning Point – Culinary School #blogtember

So this came in the mail for me… my welcome package & chefs “beanie” from Le Cordon Bleu!! I briefly mentioned here that I was considering going to culinary school and took a tour of Le Cordon Bleu in Austin this summer. Well I actually enrolled a couple months ago and I start in January!!! I’m going for a degree in baking & pastry which will take a little less than two years to complete.

I could not be more crazy excited and of course, a little nervous. And I must say, the chefs beanie, apart from looking slightly goofy on me, is making the whole thing seem a bit more real.

It’s funny, for as much as I have loved baking (& cooking) since I was a teenager, I honestly never even considered going to culinary school. For a while I wanted to pursue writing, as it was huge passion of mine… but that passion started to wane.  When I was younger I also considered being a counselor… but that didn’t quite fit. And of course there’s always the dream in the back of my mind of playing guitar in a rock band ;). But the only dream, the only passion that has not only stuck with me but has even become stronger with time is baking.

I love it. I’m actually smiling right now just writing about it lol. Dorky, I know, but true. Spending a whole day in the kitchen baking … well, nothing makes me happier. As I said I’ve loved it since I was a teenager but in these past couple years something’s changed. It’s gone from being just a hobby to becoming a passion. And not to be over confident but since it’s become a passion I feel I have grown into an even better baker.

My dad was actually the one who mentioned culinary school. Well truthfully, he’s randomly mentioned it to both my sister & I through out our lives but I don’t think either one of us ever took it seriously. But one day last year he walked in the kitchen, tasted something I made, loved it, and told me that I should seriously think about going to culinary school. And it was like something clicked. I love doing this more than anything else, I do it all the time anyway, and I’m not too shabby at it… why am I not pursuing it??

So this summer I took a tour of Le Cordon Bleu in Austin (which is just a few hours away from where I live). If you know anything about culinary arts you know that Le Cordon Bleu is known for its excellence & is one of the top culinary schools in the world. It’s actually where the great Julia Child studied in Paris. And the Austin location did not disappoint.

Let me tell you, I fell head over heels in love with this place! Huge beautiful kitchens with lots of professional equipment, including rows of Kitchen Aid stand mixers. A restaurant that all students have to work in at some point, and a vegetable & herb garden outside.

Seeing those kitchens just put the biggest smile on my face! Seriously, I was ready to bake! I wanted to run & hug one of the Kitchen Aid stand mixers & turn to my tour guide and say, “could you please leave us alone?”. Oh and it smelt like heaven in some of those kitchens. Especially one in particular where they were cooking sauces. Needless to say, I was sold.

Life is too short to not pursue what you are truly passionate about. I honestly don’t know why it’s taken me this long. Therefore it looks like come January I will be heading to Austin to learn all I can at Le Cordon Bleu! It’s a really beautiful thing when a hobby becomes a passion. And for that passion to become a career? Well that’s the dream, isn’t it? I have no idea if that will happen for me but I’m excited to see where this path takes me. I’m excited to wake up everyday and learn about something I really love.

This post was a part of the #blogtember challenge. Today’s topic is sharing a turning point in your life… this is definitely mine. :)