Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread.
That is unless it’s freshly baked bread made by someone else such as Oxford High School senior William Cole.
On April 24, Cole took second place in the State Competition for Commercial Baking through SkillsUSA-Vica, a national industry-based student organization providing technical programs and skill competitions.
The competition, held at Kent Community Career Center in Grand Rapids, consisted of only 15 competitors from across the state ? the first, second and third place finishers from five different regional competitions. Cole had previously taken first place finishes on both the national and regional levels.
‘I was nervous going into it,? remembers Cole, ‘but not as nervous as last year. It was more comforting than before because I had more knowledge in what I was doing.?
Cole, who is a member of the National Technical Honors Society and graduating in the top 30 at Oxford High School, began his cooking career when he was young.
‘I enjoyed cooking at home so I took the food courses available at Oxford,? he explained. ‘I really enjoyed them, so I looked into going to Oakland Schools Technical Campus and here I am.?
In addition, Cole took an additional summer course at Oakland Schools Technical Campus-Northeast for Culinary Arts (OTC) before his junior year of high school. He officially enrolled at OTC that summer.
In the Culinary Arts program, Cole said the courses rotated students through four main food service categories: baking, hot foods, salads and dining room/managerial. The goal was to give students a ‘taste? of every aspect.
‘During that month in the baking area, I realized I really enjoyed it,? said Cole, ‘and I learned I was pretty good at it.?
In the state SkillsUSA-VICA competition, Cole was allowed to use only specific utensils and given a brief four hour time period in which to make six different products:
n Three loaves of bread – one braided, one regular and one free standing.
n Two dozen rolls of any variety.
n A two-layer birthday cake with at least one flower, bordering and writing.
n One banana-nut quick break.
n One dozen banana-nut muffins.
n One dozen danish – one regular, one cinnamon roll, one figure eight.
‘I completed with about 20 to 30 minutes to spare,? said Cole. ‘Everything went smooth. The kitchen at the center was specifically set up for baking, so it was just great.?
Cole will be attending Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island this fall to study baking and pastry arts. For those who would like to sample some of his tasty goodies, Cole owns a wedding cake business on the side, and he will be working at Boulder Pointe Golf Club and Conference Center this summer.
‘I think I’d like to travel, maybe work on a cruise ship,? he said. ‘Eventually though I’d like to settle down and run my own restaurant. That would be my ultimate goal.
‘I really enjoy what I do. It comes natural for me. I can show off my artistic ability through the food. My favorite part is when I can make something nice and then see someone enjoy it.?
So what would Cole say to anyone else considering cooking as a career?
‘You have to love to do it,? he concluded. ‘I can’t see this as being fun if you’re doing it just to have a job. To make a career out of it, you have to love and enjoy it. You have to put everything into it.?