No one in my house ever starved, but I am not a great cook. I’m a “decent home cook”. Never the less, I am obsessed with Great British Baking Competition and The Final Table. Both are on Netflix.
Yes, I always learn a little something but for the most part I simply am fascinated by the competition itself. Last week, while watching The Final Table: A Global Cooking Competition, one of the most revered and skilled chefs in the world was brought in for a final “cut” opinion. His story hit me like a bucket of cold water.
A little background: this competition pits twenty four Michelin star chefs against each other. This is NOT the best of home cooks or fledgling chefs. They are ALL impressive. Each installment the chefs are given a new country from which they will have to produce between one and two of the country’s top dishes in order to move on through the competition. The judges are the best of the best.
My “sit up and take notice “ moment happened on the Spain installment. Three teams had to cook a second dish for final cut; two would stay, one would go home. Enter Andoni Aduriz. This chef would make the final cut decision and sits on the Final Table board of chefs.
Don’t know him? Neither did I. I’m glad I learned about him. When they introduce the final judge chef they run a short video about them and their restaurant(s). In telling his story he said that he had been a very poor student, didn’t like school, and that ”his parents despaired”. They decided to send him to a culinary school in San Sebastian where he discovered who he was and came alive. He figures among the top ten chefs in the world.
…“Something like this does not happen overnight. Andoni Luis Aduriz was born in San Sebastian in 1971, a city at the very heart of Basque gastronomy. He began his culinary studies, but after a not entirely successful venture into the academic world, the young Andoni began to express himself by means of tastes and textures. Subsequently, Andoni developed his appreciation for both new the Basque cuisine and local produce. On finishing his studies, he went to Catalonia to work in El Bulli, home of one of the worlds’s most renowned chefs Ferran Adrià. This experience opened a world of possibilities to him.”
Want to know more about Andoni Aduriz? https://www.mugaritz.com/en/andoni-luis-aduriz/co-1276143453/
So, Jenny…who cares?
I care. It resonated with me because I hear so many electricians who say “ I just wasn’t happy in traditional classes.” They didn’t fit in standard schooling. They found themselves in Apprenticeship.
One size does not fit all- the Trades know it. We’ve know it for decades. Non- traditional learning, like apprenticeships, are going to be increasingly important to our country and its growth.
Apprenticeship is NOT a handout. It’s an earn while you learn education. Apprentices are working and going to school; some attend at night, some utilize accredited online apprenticeship.
In the case of an electrical apprentice it’s a four year commitment. Impressive.
Like Chef Aduriz.
Do what you love and love what you do.
Want to know more about career circuits through IEC Chesapeake?
Jenny Boone,
Business Development, IEC Chesapeake/IECC
#whatsurcircuit
