Many of us at the College know Chef Steven as the tattooed guy behind the counter in the cafeteria who delivers our daily meals and coffee with a friendly smile. He also works as an auxiliary instructor for the College’s Professional Cook Training program.
Chef Steven recently went on a pretty cool adventure. He was given the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica to participate in an exchange. While he was there, he was able to share his pastry, sugar and plate arrangement talents with chefs from around the region and judged a culinary competition. He also had the opportunity to learn carving skills from a couple of the other chefs.
Some of his best learning, however, came from the locals. Having called on one specific taxi driver on a few occasions, he found himself being invited to the taxi driver’s home for dinner. The driver, Juan, his wife and children all made Chef Steven, who was missing his own family, feel at home – even though they didn’t speak the same language. Steven had the chance to learn about traditional Costa Rican cuisine by watching it being created for him in the home of his new friends.
Not even a nearby erupting volcano was able to stop him from coming back to Cranbrook though. He treated cafeteria-goers to some delicious Costa Rican fare upon his return and will share much of what he learned with his students.