Lon Symensma, executive chef at Manhattan's Buddakan Restaurant,
returned to his alma mater to deliver the commencement address at The
Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY on Friday,
September 4, 2009.
Chef Symensma's modern Asian cuisine has earned Buddakan critical acclaim and numerous awards—an improbable career path for someone who grew up in rural Iowa. He noted that his 350-seat restaurant holds more people than lived in his hometown.
"The CIA has provided you with many of the necessary tools to be successful in this industry. It is your job to find productive and innovative uses for these skills," the 1999 CIA graduate told recipients of associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. "Believe in yourself, believe in the quality of your education, and believe in the knowledge you have gained during your time here."
Before enrolling at the CIA, Symensma was already on the road to success. As a high school student, he apprenticed with Team USA at the 1996 Culinary Olympics in Germany and was named the American Culinary Federation Student Chef of the Year in 1997. With his CIA degree in hand, Symensma staged with Roger Vergé at Le Moulin de Mougins and at other restaurants in France, Italy, and Spain. He returned to the United States, but soon after two of his mentors, Gray Kunz and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, encouraged Symensma to tour Asia. Following six months in the Far East learning regional cuisines and cooking techniques, he became opening sous chef at Spice Market, Vongerichten's innovative Southeast Asian restaurant in New York City.
"No matter where you are in the world, there is a universal language to the culinary arts," Symensma advised the 64 graduates. "While there are vast differences, there are also many significant similarities and a common understanding about the creation and offering of a meal—whether it's a bahn mi on the streets of Saigon or a pâté en croûte in a three-star restaurant in Paris."
Symensma, 32, joined Buddakan when it opened three years ago. He has been executive chef there for the past two years, overseeing a kitchen staff of 77.
Chef Symensma's modern Asian cuisine has earned Buddakan critical acclaim and numerous awards—an improbable career path for someone who grew up in rural Iowa. He noted that his 350-seat restaurant holds more people than lived in his hometown.
"The CIA has provided you with many of the necessary tools to be successful in this industry. It is your job to find productive and innovative uses for these skills," the 1999 CIA graduate told recipients of associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. "Believe in yourself, believe in the quality of your education, and believe in the knowledge you have gained during your time here."
Before enrolling at the CIA, Symensma was already on the road to success. As a high school student, he apprenticed with Team USA at the 1996 Culinary Olympics in Germany and was named the American Culinary Federation Student Chef of the Year in 1997. With his CIA degree in hand, Symensma staged with Roger Vergé at Le Moulin de Mougins and at other restaurants in France, Italy, and Spain. He returned to the United States, but soon after two of his mentors, Gray Kunz and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, encouraged Symensma to tour Asia. Following six months in the Far East learning regional cuisines and cooking techniques, he became opening sous chef at Spice Market, Vongerichten's innovative Southeast Asian restaurant in New York City.
"No matter where you are in the world, there is a universal language to the culinary arts," Symensma advised the 64 graduates. "While there are vast differences, there are also many significant similarities and a common understanding about the creation and offering of a meal—whether it's a bahn mi on the streets of Saigon or a pâté en croûte in a three-star restaurant in Paris."
Symensma, 32, joined Buddakan when it opened three years ago. He has been executive chef there for the past two years, overseeing a kitchen staff of 77.
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