Zephaniah Pierre, a Boy with a Dream Fulfilled

Meet Zephaniah Pierre, a successful graduate of the One Year Diploma in Baking and Pastry Arts program at the Academy of Baking and Pastry Arts. Zephania successfully completed the internship requirement of The Diploma Program with an extraordinary six months stint at the Hotel Les Bories and Spa, a five-star hotel and restaurant in beautiful Montpelier, France. 

Zephania describes his experience with wonder and pride. He was welcomed along with new interns like himself from all over the world — New Zealand, Australia, America and China. Upon arrival, he was immediately immersed in French culture, with  language classes and visits to bakeries, restaurants and vineyards. 

At the hotel, Zephaniah worked under a bilingual French chef, Chef Matthew who took a keen interest in him and wasted no time getting him into the kitchen for service.

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From an early nervous intern, greatly reserved about his inability to converse fluently in  the language, Zephania blossomed under the tutelage of Chef Matthew to became more confident in speaking the language and in his culinary skills. From breads to creme brûlées, beignets to cinnamon cakes and apple pie to chocolate desserts, he was challenged in the kitchen everyday, as expectations of a kitchen at a 5-star resort are extremely high. 

At the beginning Zephaniah said, “Of course some of my desserts were very sloppy because I had never done them before! My mentors were really very hard on me, but I learnt from my mistakes, persevered and became a better chef from the experience.” His experiences at the hotel will forever be etched in his memory with the amazing opportunity to work alongside world class chefs. He remembers fondly the support and camaraderie shared between the hotel’s team and all those he worked with in the kitchen.

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“By the end of my internship, the quality of my production had improved so much,” said Zephania. “I had become so efficient, and so calm under pressure! I  was even given  the opportunity to work in the kitchen on several occasions on my own! I was extremely proud! And, I was even given the honour of welcoming the new recruits and giving them the tour as they arrived at the hotel for their internships!”

He thanks the Academy of Baking and Pastry Arts for helping him build his foundation step by step! The lessons he learnt there, assisted him throughout his internship.

From being an unknown graduate from an island who spoke very little French, Zephaniah became a beloved staff member with a host of wonderful new friends from all over the world. Now that Zephaniah is back in Trinidad, he plans to continue developing his skills and work in a pastry kitchen. Additionally, he is thinking about moving to Japan to get a job as a pastry chef and continue his journey to becoming one of the greats. We wish him all the best!