The culmination of three years of learning, growing, and becoming a chef
Somewhere between the first nervous day at the ICA and the final examination briefing, three years have quietly disappeared.
For our current senior students, the final examination briefing is behind them, and the final stretch is officially underway. Their examination project and thesis submission are the last big milestones before they step out into the world as qualified professional chefs.
It is quite something to think about.
Three years ago, they arrived at the ICA with enthusiasm, potential, personality and plenty still to learn. They came partially formed, as all young chefs do.
And then the work began.
They learned knife skills, explored stocks and sauces, studied ingredients, mastered techniques and learned to produce culinary fair of a world-class professional standard. But along the way, they also discovered something about themselves, about discipline, time management, organisation, teamwork, resilience and what to do when something goes spectacularly wrong five minutes before service.
Because, of course, the road to the top wasn’t clearly laid out and paved.
There were some difficult days. There were things that didn’t make sense the first time around. There were mistakes, corrections, frustrations, tired feet and probably a few moments when certain life choices were being questioned.
There were the unexpected detours, but there were also the unexpected little victories and wow-moments.
That is all part of learning to become a chef.
You don’t get from first year to third year by following a perfectly straight line. Sometimes you take the scenic route. Sometimes you have to hack your way through the undergrowth. Sometimes someone has to point out that you have, in fact, been walking in the wrong direction for the last 20 minutes.
But eventually, you learn to find your way.
And that is what makes this point in the journey so very special.
The mountain is conquered, one step at a time
Over their academic years, knowledge becomes skill. Skill becomes confidence. Repetition becomes instinct. Things that once required careful thought begin to happen almost automatically.
That is growth.
And now, our third years are almost at the summit.
Their final examination project will bring together so much of what they have learned during their time at the ICA. It will call on their ability to work in a team, their technical knowledge, practical skills, creativity, planning, organisation, time management and ability to solve problems when things don’t go according to plan.
In other words, it will ask them to draw on everything they have been becoming for the past three years and that, in itself, is worth celebrating.
The goal was never simply to get them through a syllabus or teach them how to cook a collection of dishes.
The goal was to help shape and mould young people into capable, forward-thinking, adaptable professional chefs who are ready to step into a global industry that will require much of them. Our individualised tuition structure and 1:6 lecturer-to-student ratio allow us to know our students individually, work closely with them and give them the focused attention they need as they develop.
They arrived partially formed. Now they are almost ready to step out whole.
From the summit, you can see further into the future. The higher the mountain, the more magnificent the view.
There will be kitchens they haven’t worked in yet, ingredients they haven’t encountered, places they haven’t travelled to, colleagues they haven’t met, challenges they cannot yet imagine, and opportunities they cannot yet see.
But first, there are a few more steps to take.
So, to our third years:
Take a breath.
Remember how much you have learned. Remember the things you once found difficult that now seem perfectly ordinary. Remember the mistakes that taught you more than getting it right ever could.
Trust your training. Trust your skills. Trust your instincts.
And trust the three years that have brought you here.
The summit is almost within reach.
Go and climb those last few steps; we are cheering you on!
And to our first and second years: your summit is still a little further away, but you are on the same mountain.
Enjoy the view when you can. Take the detours. Ask the questions and make the mistakes, but learn from them. Let yourselves be shaped and moulded.
And keep climbing.
Your summit is coming.
