sous_che

As many can see from the cut-throat competition of TV reality shows, it’s not that easy to make a name for yourself in the world of culinary arts.

However, one San Jacinto College graduate has … in one of America’s largest cities. James Heard, 33, of Laredo, Texas, began his journey to culinary greatness back when he used to visit his grandmother in Mexico. Waking up at 6 a.m. and sweeping and mopping the floor to begin preparing the day’s breakfast is etched into his mind as one of his first inspirational memories of food preparation.

“I wanted to know the front and the back of the business and everything in between.”

As an adult, he managed a wine bar for 10 years, where he became intrigued by the entire process of owning a business.

“I wanted to know the front and the back of the business and everything in between,” said Heard.

That’s when he decided to aggressively pursue his goal in culinary, by first applying and getting accepted into a prestigious apprenticeship by the American Culinary Federation, in which the Houston Country Club serves as Houston’s sponsor house. With his selection, Heard was then sent to study at San Jacinto College to fulfill requirements in completing the culinary arts program.

Through the American Culinary Federation apprenticeship, he had to complete 6,000 hours of everything culinary, from fabrication, to purchasing, cost control, management, and the basics of cooking.

He also captured top spots at an ACF-sanctioned competition by preparing a pan-seared chili lime chicken breast with a chicken chorizo link, cilantro rice, grilled vegetables, and a chipotle lime butter sauce with taro chips – all in front of a 3,000-person audience.

There’s no doubt Heard’s passion and drive to become the very best in culinary arts has paid off. Upon completion of his program at San Jacinto College and the apprenticeship, he pursued certification by the Federation to become a sous chef. To do so, he successfully completed a challenge to make four meals for four people in two hours.

He’s also obtained a Level 2 certification as a sommelier from the University of Houston, and has come full circle to teach as an adjunct professor at San Jacinto College. He credits the late Leonard Pringle, who served as the restaurant management department chair, and Ernest Becerra, current program director of culinary arts, restaurant management, and dietetics, for the mentoring he received during his time as their student.

“Getting to this point has been difficult but I feel rewarded,” said Heard. “Teaching brings with it rewards and benefits for all of the hard work.”

His colleague, Joshua Brunson, who teaches culinary arts and restaurant management, agrees, and adds that the program’s fusion of real-life application with classroom instruction produces well-prepared graduates for the culinary industry.

“I believe that our culinary and restaurant management students are very well prepared for today’s industry, because we provide them with the best possible education and teach them the real-life experiences that will help them succeed in their careers,” said Brunson. “Our students enjoy the program here because we make the learning process not only very useful but we have fun and let them explore different techniques and tools that they can take with them to the next level.”

The element of having fun with culinary arts is what Heard has turned into a hobby. Besides his love for preparing food, he’s also taken up photographing his culinary creations, turning food into art, as Thai fruit carvings is one of his favorites to display.

So, where to now? Heard says he still has the drive to own his own business one day.

“I definitely want to own a restaurant one day, but not before I’ve gone through the trials and errors of this industry,” he said.

Jeannie Peng-Armao