Hendy Hermawan Summer 2021 Blog

by Hendy Hermawan, September 14, 2021

The Summer of 2021 has been closely intertwined to my internship. It is in fact the quarter that I have done my internship in and will be a time of truly fond memories and shared bonds between my co-workers and I. In this blogpost I would like to share a little bit more about my relatively short time and experience. I completed my internship in Etta, Bucktown where the foods are centered around a wood-burning brick oven and hearth in a more casual environment allowing merry gatherings between friends and families.

The aspect that I will be touching on in this post will revolve around expectations. I am treating this entry more so as a message to the future students after me where as I am coming back from my internship, many of you are headed into this industry potentially for the first time. This is not to say that I feel that I am better in any sort of kind but felt obliged to shed a light upon the path before you.

The differences between the expectations inside the school kitchen and out in the real world. The degree that you earn in Kendall will bound to take you far and wide, but that is not to say that this education will instantly make you a Chef. It teaches you the fundamentals and the skills to cook but just because you went to school, doesn’t mean you have the ability or thought that you are better than everyone who doesn’t have a degree. You will still have to work your way up and have respect to those who have been in this industry longer as they have proven themselves capable to hanging on and keep moving forward in this field, despite the harsh challenges along the way.

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In an actual professional kitchen, outside of Kendall’s classrooms, you will be expected to work hard, long hours, have a sense of urgency, meeting plenty of roadblocks and having to keep pace with all of this will be exhausting. Many will not make it due to the pressure and workload itself, and coupled with the fact that you have to be able to keep improving and adapting to get higher and higher, it can be understood why many will stay stagnant or quit altogether. These experiences, I have personally felt along the way and moments, where I needed time to regain composure or sometimes wonder a different life path altogether from all the hectic and madness that is the kitchen, I would overcome with the support from my workmates and the passion and love I have for what I am doing.

In conclusion, what I have to say is that, yes, enjoy the school life that you are experiencing now and cherish it because it will come to and end sooner or later, but also know and keep in mind that this won’t be what everything looks like on the other side and soon after you may be confronted with the realization if you would like to continue on this journey where the road might be arduous and difficult but can also be rewarding and fulfilling too as I have found it.

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