Kathleen Flinn

"Simply put, studying at Le Cordon Bleu changed my life. It was the one time that I chose passion over practicality, and I’m thankful for that decision every day.

At age 22, while writing obituaries for my hometown newspaper, I came across a one for an 84-year-old woman that stated only her name, hometown and date of death. No survivors, no services, no profession, no education, nothing that indicated what she had done with her life. I glanced down at my desk to see a magazine open on my desk. An ad caught my eye. “Study French cuisine in Paris,” read the headline. It was an ad for Le Cordon Bleu. If there was one thing that I wanted to make sure that I did with my life, that made it into my own obiturary, this was it. I cut out that ad and that short obit, and placed them at every desk that I worked for 14 years until I finally made it to 8, Rue Leon Delhomme.

At Le Cordon Bleu, I learned more than how to cook. I regained my sense of identity and rediscovered my love for feeding people. The chefs instilled in me not just the fundamentals of classic French cuisine, but gave me something greater – a sense of discipline and confidence that I take into every kitchen, and extends to all aspects of my life.

I’m grateful for my time in Paris, the life lessons learned and the friends I gathered from more than a dozen countries. The only regret that I have about Le Cordon Bleu is that I didn’t do it sooner."

Mee Kyung Son

"I really enjoyed studying Hospitality and Tourism at high school and wanted to develop my skills in that area. I wanted a career that would allow me to travel the world – so Le Cordon Bleu was the obvious choice. As part of my study I had the opportunity to work in Walt Disney World in Florida – this was the best experience!"

Yudai Kato

"Studying at Le Cordon Bleu has helped me a lot in my career. I have applied the knowledge and skills that I have learnt at Le Cordon Bleu to my practical work. It really helps to make you different from the others. I have been working with people who have different qualifications in other majors and I know that the knowledge and skills gained from Le Cordon Bleu really helps me to have a better understanding for the tasks I need to do"

Jenifer Lovallo

“Previously graduating with an honours degree in International Relations and French from New York University, I worked at the United Nations and on Wall Street before attending Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa to pursue the culinary arts that I genuinely adored and my true passion. I graduated in 2008 and after an initial stretch as pastry sous-chef at Veritas, a Michelin star, New York Times three-star French restaurant in Gramercy, I accepted a position as pastry sous at Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn, an NYT-rated restaurant entirely dedicated to organic, seasonal, and sustainable efforts and recently covered by Saveur as one of the Top Restaurants That Changed The Way America Thinks About Food (April 2009). My latest endeavour has been this new catering business that I have launched right here in New York.”

Hanalee Pervan

“I always wanted to be a pastry chef; to me it combined a love for baking, art, and making people happy. I had heard about LCBO through its reputation. I talked to different chefs and searched the internet for culinary schools and LCBO was always on the top of their lists. Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa enabled me to participate in an adventure of a lifetime: I represented the school at the National Skills Canada Competition and thanks to my Chef and mentor’s dedication care and support I won the Gold Medal and am now the Canadian Pastry Champion. Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa has allowed me to attain goal beyond my wildest dreams!”

Peggy Porschen

"My passion for pastries and cake decorating goes back a long time, ever since my childhood in Germany. In 1998, after a few years working as a flight attendant, I decided to move to London to follow my dream, and enrolled at the internationally renowned Le Cordon Bleu London for a Grand Diplôme. Although patisserie was my real passion, I felt I needed a strong background in cuisine too.

My beginnings as a student were quite a challenge, with difficulties with the language and culture. But eventually, with the help of Le Cordon Bleu’s Master Chefs and the staff, I managed to graduate top of the class, obtaining the best grade in the Superior Patisserie final exam!

From there, I worked as a pastry chef at London's Lanesborough Hotel, followed by a position as cake decorator at Konditor & Cook on London’s South Bank. This experience allowed me to further perfect my cake decorating skills and develop personal style. I decided to then open my own business in 2003, Peggy Porschen Cakes, specialising in celebration cakes and producing a highly-sought after range of exquisite cakes and cookies.

I’ve written two books on cake decorating: ‘Romantic Cakes’ and ‘Pretty Party Cakes’ and am now in the process of writing a 3rd one!"

Juri Miyawaki

“I keep a vivid memory of my 9 month training at LCB London. Although I wasn’t the best student, I was determined to be successful. And with the help of Le Cordon Bleu’s Master Chefs and staff, I successfully won the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Grand Diplôme in 1999! This training gave me the fundamental techniques of French cuisine and patisserie I had always longed to master.

After gaining crucial experience in prestigious kitchens, such as Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saison in Oxford (under the supervision of Chef Raymond Blanc) or the Lanesborough in London, I decided to launch my own business, and converted a 380 years old building in the historical centre of Winchcombe into what is now the best tea place in England: JURI’S, my tea room, has recently received the prestigious TOP TEA PLACE 2008 award by the UK Tea Council, much to my delight!

I never compromise on the quality of the ingredients and I believe that’s part of my success! We serve an impressive selection of hand-crafted cakes and pastries, all made from locally sourced organic and free range ingredients. My biggest challenge was giving traditional British tea cakes recipes a modern twist while preserving their authenticity, made possible thanks to my strong Le Cordon Bleu savoir-faire.”

Inigo Merello

“My experience in Cordon Bleu completely changed my outlook for my future and my career. Since graduating from the school in 2004, my life has been one long adventure.

Following my training in the Hotel Scribe, Place de L’Opera, Paris, I worked in one of the best restaurants in Lisbon. After several wonderful months, I decided to travel around South America. For a month, I worked in Punta del Este, Uruguay, one of the wealthiest areas of the continent and one where a chef is highly regarded. I then travelled through Argentina and Chile visiting old friends I had made in Paris. I decided to stay for a year in Peru, the birth-place of New-Andean cuisine.

I contacted Le Cordon Bleu in Lima, they were a huge help in introducing me to the best restaurants in the country. I spent most of 2006 learning all about Peru’s rich gastronomy.

In early 2007, I returned to Europe, my main aim being to improve my English. I found work in a Spanish restaurant in Wales and stayed until January 2008 when I was offered employment in a prestigious hotel in Madrid. At 24 years of age, I consider myself fortunate to have a privileged profession ahead of me and I am more and more convinced that my dream of running my own restaurant will one day become a reality. Thanks to Cordon Bleu, my life will be a great challenge that began in the winter garden in Paris.”

Keiko Kono

“It all started while working as a nurse in a stressful environment - I began wanting to have my own café. I saw it as a place where I could offer healing time to customers with delicious sweets! The reason I chose Le Cordon Bleu to learn pastry making was its dedication and authenticity to the education of French pastry from very basic to the highest level.

I was very much inspired by this opportunity that my 4 hour commute to Kobe campus was never a burden. I enjoyed all the lessons at Le Cordon Bleu, as well as the time I spent with great friends I met at school.

Now, I am proud to say that I own my dream cafe in my home town. I would like to keep making delightful sweets, full of “Esprit de France” – something I learned at Le Cordon Bleu!”

"At the age of 38 I enrolled with Le Cordon Bleu and decided to take my time (5 years in fact!) to complete the Pastry Diploma. I wasn’t in a hurry because I was motivated to learn from the different Pastry chefs; I found it to be a very enriching experience for me.

My studies at Le Cordon Bleu empowered me to re-discover my passion. I recently opened my own restaurant, and feel really that I’ve learned all that I needed to know because of Le Cordon Bleu. I sincerely thank to Le Cordon Bleu for helping me achieve my dream – age is but a number!”