成功和荣誉都不会自己找上门。年轻的拉丁美洲厨师Macro Bahena清楚地知道这一点。相反，他自己去找的它们。芝加哥肯代尔大学西餐西点学院刚毕业的学生Marco已经成功和荣誉双丰收。
他对烹饪的热情和尊重没有使他洋洋自得。他已经准备好迎接下一个挑战，对Marco而言这并不是要获得下一个实习或荣誉，而是要创新下一道菜和赢得下一个顾客。这是Marco在烹饪世界留下自己痕迹的方式——每次一道菜。
“我很兴奋能够成为赢家，尤其是成为由如此棒的专家评委选出的优胜者……我找不到比这更好的职业生涯开端了。”
3月13日，获奖菜是Marco的招牌菜：地中海羊腰肉。为200多位客人烹饪后，Marco被评为纳帕谷（Napa Valley）第9届年度S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition竞赛的获胜者。这个弗农希尔斯（Vernon Hills）人在一组最著名的媒体和厨师的见证下，打败了来自美国各地的其他9名烹饪学生。Marco除了荣获大奖以外，他的菜肴还成为最佳招牌菜（Best SignatureDish）。
为了取胜，Marco不得不将他的招牌菜制作成200多位嘉宾都能品尝的小份单个菜品。Marco的获奖菜肴
如果Marco想要给人们留下深刻印象的话，他在正确的人的面前做到了这一点。对于烹饪学生而言，做到这一点对他们意义重大。这次竞赛的评委包括著名真人秀节目《顶级大厨》（Top Chef）主持人Gail Simmons和迈阿密STK的行政总厨Ralph Pagano。其他评委包括厨师Tony Mantuano（Spiaggia餐厅，芝加哥）、Michel Richard（Citronelle餐厅，华盛顿），以及媒体朋友和来自《美食与美酒》杂志（Food & Wine Magazine）和詹姆斯比尔德基金会（JamesBeard Foundation）的工作人员。
获胜后，Marco共赢得13000美元奖金。
拍照、采访、巨大的例行获奖支票、与导师见面，所有这些都是3月16日他没有料想到的。那些都是他花了很长时间通过自己的努力才得来的。
Marco表示：“直到我坐上飞机回到家后，我才意识到这一点。像这样的事情会是你职业生涯的转折点。我告诉主持人‘我赢了。但是是时候重返厨房了。’我不得不做那些使我获得今天的成绩所做的事情，那就是回到厨房继续锻炼，继续学习美食。”
学习美食听起来非常简单。就像一个四分卫能够演绎一个新剧本一样，一个厨师（任何人）也能够学习数学公式，最终通过足够多的锻炼，创作出理想的菜肴。Marco认为，这种方法减弱了人们对美食的热情和必要的尊重。Marco说自己想知道关于美食的一切。这是一种夸张的想法，而Marco也知道这一点。但是有了这种要求，Marco就知道自己永远不会满足仅仅维持烹饪现状。
Marco表示：“我对美食抱有极大的热情。这就像一场旅行一样。重要的不在于达到的目的地，而在于不断学习美食的过程。这场旅行是关于学习美食，关于不断尊重美食。”
Marco迅速意识到，这是一个过程，不是能够被立刻了解的。
他对烹饪的热爱不是开始于成为史蒂文森高中（Stevenson High School）毕业生的时候，而是始于青少年时期。12岁的时候，Marco就经常在叔叔的密歇根（Michigan）的墨西哥餐厅帮忙。尽管在那里并没有很多亲自实践的经验，但是正是这种经历使Marco开始对烹饪感兴趣。
当Marco和他的母亲一起烹饪的次数越来越多时，他对烹饪的兴趣就逐渐转化成了有形的经验。起初，烹饪对于当时正处于萌芽阶段的厨师Marco而言只是一种与母亲交流的独特方式。不久，所获得的经验促使Marco极度渴望得到更正式的培训。他的高中史蒂文森（Stevenson）以Tech Campus的形式提供了这种机会，这是一个为莱克县（Lake County）学生提供多种职业培训和机会的拓展项目。
Marco当时并未下定决心。起初，Tech Campus课程为他提供了自我独立和给未来女朋友烹饪留下好印象（为高中高年级学生定下的非常好和有价值的目标）的方法。随着技能水平提高，他对烹饪的热情也越来越高。Marco和烹饪的浪漫史从刚开始尴尬的暧昧阶段发展到了坦率的公开求爱阶段。其中一位厨师AndrewMeyers是Marco的早期导师。你也可以说是他将Marco介绍给烹饪的。
Marco表示：“我开始爱上它了，厨师Meyer开始帮助我在厨房找到自己的乐趣。第二年我回来了。”
考虑到自己的未来，Marco进入了离家乡弗农希尔斯（Vernon Hills）以南40英里的肯代尔大学。他离家很近，但是更重要的是他在芝加哥，一个以精致用餐和烹饪闻名的城市。Marco再一次向高处进发。在他读预科的日子里，Marco非常珍惜和积极参与到压力巨大、监督严格的环境中。肯代尔拥有一个受人尊敬的西餐西点学院，这意味着Marco如果想要获得成功的话，他就不得不以正式或非正式的形式和他的同学竞争。
肯代尔成为他的最佳选择有多个原因。肯代尔的西餐西点项目的纯正性使其可以与美国其它烹饪项目相媲美。在西餐西点学院26年的历史中，肯代尔已经获得众多荣誉。最近，Marco的获胜帮助肯代尔创造了在S. Pellegrino Almost Famous competition竞赛中获胜最多大学的记录。
像大多数一年级大学生一样，Marco感到了来到大城市和看见一教室陌生人的巨大不适。在肯代尔，他的同龄人技能水平参差不齐，再加上他的导师教授的方法基础易懂，他非常轻松就融入了新的生活。
Marco表示：“我记得我刚进学校时，学生形形色色，来自不同的地方。虽然我拥有高中TechCampus背景的小优势。但是就像任何事情都有两面性一样，有一些人的能力比你强，而有一些人的能力却比你弱。刚从高中毕业就来到一个如此大如此漂亮的肯代尔大学，确实让人兴奋不已。”
这个项目是分模块进行的，这是肯代尔的学期制系统。在这种结构下，Marco系统性掌握了烹饪技巧——切削和酱汁制作也与组织性和清洁一样重要。每完成一个模块，Marco就变得越自信。有着运动背景的Marco知道勤锻炼才能出质量。
尽管课业为Marco提供了多种发展机会，但是他还是想要迎接更大的挑战。就像一个棒球运动员希望用一场选拔赛来测试他的能力一样，Marco知道提升自己技能的最佳方式是接受测试，不是为了分数，而是为了自尊和动力。
不难想象几乎电视上的每一场烹饪比赛都有着竞争因素。Marco拥有烹饪知识和技能。现在，他想要获得认可和名声。
Marco开始经常和他的导师交流，问他们如何才能参加烹饪竞赛。他们答应了他的请求，不久Marco就开始在业余时间准备。为了使他的大脑高速运转起来，他其中的一位导师发美食图片给他让他识别。这种烹饪休息训练持续了一段时间，直到他进入到神秘篮实践：运用厨师未知的原料制作一道菜肴。（想象一下美食网的“Chopped”）
每一次的实践都使他离比赛更近一步。最终，他准备好了。前几个环节就像展览秀。Marco仅仅想要真正的经验。随后是区域神秘篮竞赛chen de rotisserie，他获得了冠军，但是这和他通过这个比赛所获得的信心相比就不算什么了。随后有了更多的竞赛，其中一场地区赛的获胜使他获得了去纳帕谷（Napa Valley）参加Almost Famous竞赛挑战的邀请，这是迄今为止他所获得的最大也是最显著的成就。
为了获胜，Marco不得不将他的招牌菜地中海羊腰肉，从全盘食物改成个人品尝的小份，足够竞赛中的200名观众食用。之前，Marco不得不为很多评委烹饪全盘食物。在一个工作人员和一架照相机的关注下，Marco带着耳麦，直接将他的菜肴分成了一口大小的小块。这次获胜确定了他的领导力和烹饪专业能力。
他表示：“我喜欢竞争，我也将这一点运用到美食当中。所以这是关于工作、上课，将额外的时间花在和一些导师进行一对一的学习上：额外学习、额外工作、额外能量，全都用在美食上。我想这就是为什么我处于今天的位置的原因。”
Marco也经历了伴随着焦点关注背后的失望，他甚至有时会质疑烹饪是否是他注定要从事的职业。但是，毕竟Marco与烹饪恋爱了，他并没有放弃他们的长期关系。
他表示：“迷失之后，你会罢工，你会失落，你会开始想到消极的事情：我不想再做这个了，太沉默了。然后你鼓励自己，你继续工作，你不让任何事情阻挡自己前进的脚步。你为自己而做；你继续学习。我继续锻炼。”
毕业并不会减缓学习的过程。渴望学习的一位学生正前往西班牙在世界上最负盛名的餐厅之一实习。Marco离开的时候失去了在美国的所有优势。作为他赢得Almost Famouscompetition竞赛奖励的一部分，他确定会获得一份跟随任一评委学习的实习。
今年比较好的一方面就是，Marco将去一个非常不同的研究所，它将仅仅根据食物味道来评价个人能力。他也想要学习更多关于烹饪行业管理和业务方面的知识。他在肯代尔大学获得的学士学位和未来非凡的经历都会帮助他向这方面发展。用他自己的话来说就是他不考虑目的地，只重视旅行过程。
“我并不完全确定自己的前进方向。现在我正在等待，尤其是当一些像是去西班牙这样可能会改变我现在和之后想要追寻的方向的事情发生之后。”
咨询电话：010-8447 6928
189 0119 3685
咨询QQ：800093391
电子邮件：info@gheac.com
办公地址：北京市 东城区 东直门外大街48号 东方银座A座19F
Marco Bahena, The Now Famous Chef
Success and acclaim don’t find you. Young Latino chef, MacroBahena, knows that. He went looking forthem instead. A recent graduate of Kendall College’s School of theCulinary Arts in Chicago, Marco already has earned both.
The passion and respect he has for cooking won’t allow him tohype on those for long. He’s ready for the next set of challenges, which inMarco’s mind, isn’t the next internship or accolade. It’s the next dish, thenext patron. That’s how Marco plans to leave his mark on the culinary world —one dish at a time.
“I am thrilled to be the winner, especially selected by thisamazing panel of judges…I couldn’t have asked for a better jump-start to mycareer.”
On March 13, that one dish was Marco’s signature:Mediterranean Lamb Loin. Cooking for more than 200 guests, Marco was named thewinner of the Ninth Annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition in Napa Valley.The Vernon Hills native beat out nine other culinary students from across thecountry and did so in front of an A-list group of media and already famouschefs. In addition to winning the grand prize, Marco’s dish won for BestSignature Dish.
In winning, Marco had to translate his signature dish into asingle tasting for more than 200 guests.
Marco's award-winning dish.
If Marco was looking to impress, he do so in front of theright people. For culinary students, this was the big time. Gail Simmons — thecohost of Bravo’s popular reality show, “Top Chef” — served as the host,alongside Ralph Pagano, executive chef at STK Miami. Other judges includedchefs Tony Mantuano (Spiaggia, Chicago) and Michel Richard (Citronelle, WashingtonDC), as well as media and personnel from “Food & Wine Magazine” and TheJames Beard Foundation.
In winning, Marco netted a combined $13,000 for his grandprize and signature dish wins.
The photos, the interviews, the abnormally large, yet customaryaward check, meeting his mentors — none of translated to coherent thoughts onMarch 16. Those took time to come back to him.
“It didn’t even hit me until the plane ride home,” Marcosaid. “Something like this is career-changing. I told the host, ‘I won. Butit’s time to get back in the kitchen.’ I have to do what got me to that placeand that meant getting back to the kitchen, still practicing, still learningabout food.”
Learning about food sounds simple enough. Just as aquarterback learns a new playbook, a chef (or anybody for that matter) canlearn the mathematical formulas that, in the end and with enough practice,yield the desired dish. This approach, according to Marco, subtracts thepassion and the necessary respect one needs to have for food. Marco has saidthat he wants to know everything he can about food. It’s hyperbole, and Marcoknows it. But with a quest like that, Marco knows he’ll never be satisfied tosimply maintain the culinary status quo.
“I am very passionate about food. It’s really turned intosomething like a journey,” Marco said. “It isn’t so much about the destinationas much as it is constantly learning about food. It’s that idea that thejourney is about learning about food and constantly paying respect to thefood.”
Marco is quick to acknowledge that this is a process, notsomething one immediately understands.
No for the Stevenson High School graduate, hislove for cooking began during his adolescence. As a 12 year old, Marco used tovisit and help out at his uncle’s Mexican restaurant in Michigan. While not a big hands-onexperience, it did serve as the necessary impetus to get Marco thinking aboutcooking.
Interest turned into tangible experience, as Marco begancooking more and more with his mother. Initially, cooking meant a different wayfor the then-budding chef to bond with his mother. Soon, those moments turnedinto a sincere hunger to train in a more formal setting. His high school,Stevenson, provided this opportunity in the form of Tech Campus, an extensionprogram giving Lake County students trainingand opportunities in a variety of career choices.
Marco’s mind wasn’t made up yet. At first, the Tech Campusclasses offered a way for him to be self-reliant and impress a futuregirlfriend (good and valuable goals for a upperclassmen in high school). Yet,as the skill set increased, so did his enjoyment for cooking. Marco’s romancewas moving from the awkward flirtatious stage to an outright open courtship.One of the instructors, Chef Andrew Meyers, became an early mentor to Marco.One could say it was he who introduced Marco to cooking.
“I started falling in love with it, and (Chef Meyer) started helpingme find my groove in the kitchen,” Marco said. “I went back for the secondyear.”
Convinced of his future, Marco enrolled at nearby Kendall College, located about 40 miles south ofhis home in Vernon Hills. He was close to home, but more importantly, he was inChicago, a cityknown for its fine dining and cuisine. Again, Marco was running toward thespotlight. An athlete in his prep days, Marco appreciates and thrives insituations involving high amounts of pressure and scrutiny. Kendall, awell-respected culinary arts college, meant Marco would have to formally andinformally compete against his classmates if he wanted to succeed.
Kendall made sense for a number ofreasons. It’s pedigree matches up to other top culinary programs around thecountry. In fact, in its 26 years of existence, Kendallhas built up quite an impressive list of credentials. Most recent, Marco, withhis wins, helped Kendall set the record formost victories at the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous competition.
Like most first-year college students, Marco felt the growingpangs of moving to the big city and being in a classroom full of strangers. Thediversity of skill level among his peers, along with the basics-first approachof his instructors at Kendall, allowed Marcoto ease into his new life.
“I remember when I started it was a good mix of people,” Marco said.“I had a little bit of an edge coming from the Tech Campus background from myhigh school. Just like everything, there are people who are better than you,and there are people who are worse than you. It was crazy coming from a highschool set up, to a big, beautiful setup like we have here.”
The program is set up into blocks, Kendall’sversion of the term system. With this structure, Marco systematically masteredhis culinary skills — chopping and sauce creation were as important asorganization and cleanliness. The completion of each block meant moreconfidence for Marco. Harkening back to his sports background, Marco knew thatwith practice comes quality.
Although the coursework provided myriad opportunities forgrowth, Marco wanted bigger challenges. Like a basketball player looking for apickup game to test his skills, Marco knew the best way to improve his game wasto be tested, not for a grade, but for pride and motivation.
This isn’t hard to imagine considering that nearly everycooking show on television has a competitive element tied to it. Marco had theknowledge. He had the skill. Now, he wanted the chops and the cred.
Marco began speaking with his instructors and asking them howto get involved in culinary competitions. They obliged and soon Marco wasdevoting his free time to preparation. To get his mind working, one of hismentor’s would email him pictures of food asking him to identify it. Theseculinary lay-up drills continued for a while, until he advanced to mysterybasket practice: making a cohesive dish out of ingredients not known to thechef (Think “Chopped” on The Food Network).
Each practice brought him one step closer to being game-dayready. Finally, he was ready. The first few were like exhibition games. Marcojust wanted the experience. Then came the ‘chen de rotisserie,’ a regionalmystery basket competition. He nabbed the top prize, which wasn’t nearly asimportant as the confidence boost it gave to him. More competitions followed,including the win at the regional event that led to his invitation to Napa Valleyfor his participation in the Almost Famous challenge, his biggest and mostnotable of his achievements to date.
In winning, Marco had to transform his signature dish — theMediterranean Lamb Loin — from a full plate of food to an individual tasting, enoughfor the 200 guests at the competition. Previously, Marco had to only cook thefull plate of food, albeit for numerous judges. With a staff and a camera andmicrophone in his face, Marco directed the translation of his dish intobite-size pieces. The win validated his leadership and poise as much as it didhis culinary expertise.
“I take that competitive energy I have, and I apply that to food,” hesaid. “So it’s about going to work, going to classes and putting the extra timeinto go one-on-one with some of the mentors I have here: extra studying, extrawork, extra energy — to put all of that back into the food. I think that’s whyI am in the spot I am in.”
Through it all, Marco dealt with the disappointments alongwith the highlights, even wondering at times if cooking really was what he wasmeant to do. But this was a love affair after all, and Marco wasn’t giving upon his long-term relationship.
“After (a loss), you hit the bricks, you have that down, and youstart thinking about the negative: I don’t want to do this anymore, this isdumb,” he said. You pick yourself back up, and you continue to work, and youdon’t let anything stop you. You do it for yourself; you continue to learn. Ikept practicing.”
Graduation won’t slow the learning process. The eternalstudent is headed to Spainfor an internship at one of the world’s most prestigious restaurants. Marco islosing any ground in the states while he is away. As part of his prize forwining the Almost Famous competition, he is assured of an internship with anyof the participating judges from the event.
So for the better part of a year, Marco will be going to avery different kind of graduate school, one where he is evaluated solely on howhis food tastes. He wants to learn more about the managerial and business sideof the culinary industry as well. His B.A. from Kendallwill help with that part, as will the remarkable experiences that lay ahead. Touse his own words, he’s not thinking about the destination, just the journey.
没有评论:
发表评论