May 2018 Scholarship Winning Essay

How did you become interested in the Culinary/Baking & Pastry Arts? When did you decide to want to make this a career? These are the frequently asked questions that catch my ear as I inform others of my future goals. But to answer your question, it all started when I was just a young boy.

I remember while being young at the time, most kids that were around my age wanted to be football and basketball players, the next “Beyonce”, or even some wanted to be police officers and firefighters. Although I was also pulled into the premature and pressured dreams of becoming a football player, I later realized that the career field that most would categorize me in, wasn’t what peaked my talents at all. It was in fact baking/cooking!

While being young, I had, and still do, have this connection with food. My own mother even stated that while carrying me for nine months, the most I would move around in her womb was while she ate. Now, if that doesn’t say that I was meant to be around food, then I don’t know what does.

Speaking of my mother, she’s one of the main reasons as to why I want to be indulged in this particular career field. Being a child at the time, curiosity was a natural trait , which I would display as my mother would cook in the kitchen. I would watch as she picked out her ingredients, grabbed the multiple and various kitchen equipment needed, began prepping, and started the cooking/baking process.

By watching her maneuver through the kitchen, taking on multiple dishes at one time, it inspired and motivated me to pursue my passion for my future career. Progressing from watching my mother, I soon began cooking/baking on my own. From just trying to figure out how to make the perfect ramen noodles, to preparing breakfast for my older brother and I when my mother had to work, to making cakes and brownies out of the box, and the list progresses from there.

So as I grew older and reached my high school career, I continued my mission of pursuing my future career in the Culinary/Baking & Pastry Arts industry. In which I completed my enrollment through restaurant management and my three years of the Culinary Arts program within my school.

Through those four years, I’ve learned so much from being taught how to do Culinary math, learning the basics of ServSafe, to demonstrating how to properly cream coat a cake, and I’m still eager to learn the elongated knowledge that my intended major possess throughout its course. Now as for what I hope to bring to the industry and for my community, as cliche as it may sound, I hope to just bring my own originality and creativity because at the end of the day, no one can do you better than you do.

A dream of mine is to start and eventually open up my own bakery, in which will be dedicated to satisfy EVERY individual's wants and needs, pertaining to baked goods and pastries. My bakery will not just produce your everyday cookies, cakes, and pies, but will also include an abundance of baked goods and pastries suitable for specific lifestyles, such as for vegans, those with allergies, specific religious beliefs, and the health and weight conscious.

I also envision the impact of my bakery becoming global. I want to be able to travel and possibly open up bakeries in poverty stricken countries, such as Africa, so that I may be able to provide a beneficial and essential food source and to also be able to teach them how to bake and to take advantage of using the many commodities that their environment has to offer for the benefit of their wellbeing.

But, before I’m able to follow that vision, my next goal shall be set on supporting other businesses, especially black owned businesses within my area of business. I feel that it’s important to support each other than to just view one another as just a competitor.

Including the community as well, by setting up monthly baking classes, fundraisers, bake offs, holiday giveaways and by offering to bake at religious and other various events. This is what I hope and intend to bring to the industry and my community and this is why I want to pursue my career in the Baking & Pastry/Culinary Arts industry!