PERSEVERANCE THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
A mere year ago, life as we knew it changed dramatically. The Covid-19 pandemic will forever be recorded in history books for future generations.
But the human race is a resilient one.
A very interesting study was recently published comparing people born in 1900 to those born around the year 2000. The world looked a lot different then than 18, 25, 40 or even 80 years ago! Imagine, for a moment, being born in 1900 and living through some of modern history’s most profound events…
BORN IN 1900:
- 1914-1918: Shortly after your 14th birthday, World War 1 breaks out and ends when you are 18 years old
22 MILLION PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES
- 1918-1920: Soon after this war, when you are 20 years old and now in the prime of your life, the Spanish Flu spreads worldwide
50 MILLION PEOPLE DIED
- 1929: As you navigate your life with all the opportunity and gusto of a 29-year old, the New York Stock Exchange crashes, leading to a global economic crisis with unprecedented inflation, unemployment, famine, resulting in the Great Depression and all your dreams are put on hold.
- 1933: At age 33, the Nazis come into power
- 1939-1945: As a 39-year old, World War 2 begins and ends when you are 45 years old
60 MILLION PEOPLE DIED IN WW2 OF WHICH 6 MILLION WERE JEWS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE HOLOCAUST
- 1952: The Korean War begins
- 1964-1975: The Vietnam War begins and ends more than a decade later when you are already 75 years old
These are only a few events that shaped our society throughout modern history. Many more such momentous happenings have required people to adapt to their circumstances, including enormous natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the Cold War, communism and the terrorist attacks of 9/11, to name but a few.
Young people today might think that their parents or grandparents have no idea how tough life is, although the contrary is quite true!
WHAT IS EVIDENT, THOUGH, IS THAT PERSEVERANCE IS THE ELEMENT THAT ENSURES SUCCESS.
At the ICA, perseverance is one of the key life skills that are constantly cultivated in our chef students. Perseverance forms part of the 4 P’s of Pâtisserie, namely that Patience, Precision and Perseverance ultimately leads to Perfection. ICA students are required to persevere and push through the challenges because their predecessors, mentors and lecturers were, and are, required to do the same, consistently growing into successful culinary careers.
It is because of the ICA’s holistic approach to culinary education and its focussed and dedicated training ethos that our students are often regarded as much better prepared for the real-life challenges of the restaurant and culinary industry when they embark on their experiential training blocks.
In January 2021, just 2 months ago and in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic in SA, a top award-winning restaurant executive chef wrote that: “Every student is an individual and applies themselves in different ways. ICA prepare students both mentally and physically better than any other school”.
Upon graduation day – when receiving your first set of black chef’s buttons and your esteemed diploma – ICA graduates proudly walk out, knowing they have been equipped in the best possible way to excel in the culinary arena. No wonder former ICA students are therefore sought after, both locally and internationally, because world-class chefs know that the ICA trains world-class graduates. It is how we uphold our highly awarded philosophy in culinary training excellence.
Most importantly, in a time when institutions and governments have put a hold on funds and grants for opportunities outside of the scope of Covid-related issues, the ICA was still selected to provide some bursaries to deserving and successful students as a result of the school’s standing.
When training for an ultra marathon such as the Comrades, an athlete carefully chooses their coach and trainer to help them succeed in their mission to complete or win the race. When the athlete is tired, when their feet are hurting or they lack technique, they rely heavily on their coach to guide them to victory. An excellent coach will never commend the athlete on skills they do not possess! The coach will not say they ran a good race if they did not. The coach needs to be honest, upfront and give a true reflection of the result in order to provide the athlete with an opportunity to grow and better themselves.
The same is true for the ICA as your chosen training provider. As a student, you can choose the ICA as your culinary training coach and it is our responsibility to provide you with the necessary preparation.
“You don’t grow on a secure path. All of us should conquer something in life. And it needs a lot of work. And it needs a lot of risks. In order to grow and improve you have to be there, at the edge of uncertainty.”
– Francis Mallmann, Chef’s Table