Top 10 Lessons

Counting down the top 10 lessons I learned freshman year at the Culinary Institute of America

10. The second term practical is not as scary as it seems and if you fail you can always try again. Listen to your chefs when they tell you it it's just soup and one entree. They prepared you well so trust them.

9. When a chef gives you feedback on a dish you made it is not directed towards you personally. It's only about the food and do not forget that it is just food. One bad critique will not destroy you.

8. Absorb as much information as you can the classes move so quickly. I mean I seriously can’t believe that a year is already over.

7. Ask as many questions as you can. Even if your chef gets irritated it is worth it. In my opinion it is better to do it right the first time then do it wrong because you didn’t ask.

6. Learn from your mistakes it is the only way to improve.

5. Practice makes perfect. You will not become a celebrity overnight.

4. If you fail a class it is not the end of the world. You are also not the first one to ever fail a class

3. Being stressed only makes school harder. Its ok to have fun! I used to walk into every class repeating over and over in my head confidence is the name of the game. Once I truly had confidence in myself and my abilities I didn’t need the mantra anymore.

2. The tutoring center can become your best friend if it let it. If you are struggling there is no shame in asking for help. Also, it seems that they never run out of potatoes trust me on that.

1. Coming in with no kitchen experience can seem like a disadvantage, but it is not. You only need to be better than you were yesterday.

Bonus: Listen to your parents. They may know nothing about culinary school, but they are pretty smart and give great advice. Don’t be too stubborn and take it no matter how much you do not want them to be right.