Alumni Success
Stories

I love the way wine brings people together, provides an opportunity to set aside their work, and simply pause and enjoy life. Since graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, I've founded my own business based in San Francisco, En Pointe Wines. I hope I can encourage others to view wine not as something to be collected or critiqued, but as something that can help bring us together, celebrate the diversity in the world, and bring us all joy.

The curriculum at Le Cordon Bleu has not only given me the day-to-day skills that help me in the kitchen, but the knowledge that allows me to teach younger cooks so that they can improve their own techniques.

Hannalee attended Quinnipiac University on a Division 1 basketball scholarship, where she studied Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management before earning a Patisserie Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa. While a student in Ottawa she won the national gold medal in the Skills Canada Pastry Competition. Before opening her own bakery, One House Bakery, she worked for Bouchon Bakery.

Nathaniel Reid graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant management and continued his studies in Paris earning the Grand Diplome. He has been recognized as one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America, as well as Pastry Chef of the Year. After working for the Ritz-Carlton, the St Regis and Joel Robuchon Las Vegas, Chef Reid returned home to Missouri to fulfill a lifelong dream and opened Nathaniel Reid Bakery in Saint Louis.

Emily earned a degree in Chemistry from Transylvania University in Pennsylvania before earning her Grand Diplome from Le Cordon Bleu in New Zealand. After several years as a pastry chef for many award-winning restaurants she has married her chemistry background with her culinary training. "The design of the program taught me not only how to cook food, but how to develop and analyse flavours and textures within the food. It is so much more than just learning to follow a recipe or watching Chef explain a technique- it is a deeper understanding of why we use that technique and how changes in the method can influence the sensory qualities of the final product (for better or for worse)."

A native of Singapore, Nicholas Tang was so inspired by his Grandmother’s cooking that after serving in the military and attending university, he fulfilled his dream of becoming a chef by attending Le Cordon Bleu where he earned the Grand Diplome. He worked as a pastry cook for Marcus Wareing in London before returning to Singapore where he got his start at db bistro moderne. He later transferred to New York where he was appointed Executive Chef of DBGB, a post he now holds in DC. "I like letting ingredients tell the story of the dish. Like who the farmer was, and why he is growing this produce. By showing the ingredients the respect they deserve they will make the dish stand out."

During school we learned so many amazing recipes and techniques, we couldn’t wait to practice them when we got back to our apartments. A few times we actually cooked dishes we had learned in class, packed them up like a picnic and had a pop-up dinner with our Parisian friends in various places around Paris. It was so delicious and so much fun—it was a great way to use what we learned in school.