130 years of
Le Cordon Bleu
Buke Sedele

On the occasion of Le Cordon Bleu's 130th anniversary, we met Buke, a former student who transitioned into the culinary arts after a career as a corporate lawyer. Through her words, discover the impact of this institution, which continues to shape the talents of tomorrow.

Before joining the institute I was a corporate attorney, specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions. When I decided I needed a career shift and wished to pursue culinary arts as a new profession, I figured an internationally renown institute would better suit my goals. 

Learning how to create entremet recipes with differing textures, and taste profiles. And always paying attention to the decoration elements, making sure that they are both aesthetic and explanatory of the inner layers.

I started my journey as a cuisine student and after obtaining the first certificate decided to pursue to the Patisserie Diplome. However I continuously failed the genoise recipe, it just wouldn’t rise at all. I remember trying the recipe at my tiny Parisian flat for maybe more than 20 times in order to succeed in the examination and not lose my self confidence. My neighbors sure had tons of treats to try!

I feel proud and happy to be part of such a strong institute, with hundreds of ambitious and renown graduates all around the world. I am constantly inspired with their success stories.

Diligence in choosing raw materials, care in product, always aiming for excellence and never settling for anything less.

Soak in everything that Paris has to offer with its vibrant culinary scene, get inspired and always seek the great examples of what you can evolve your work into.

How would you like to see Le Cordon Bleu evolve over the next 130 years?
While preserving the core values and discovering new techniques, I would love to see the institute being a pioneer in creating planet friendly recipes and production practices.

I truly hope the institute continues to be a symbol of excellence, guardian of tradition and explorer of what the future has to offer for all of us. To many more anniversaries and celebrations!