On the 7th December of 2012, I sat for took my last exam in LCB.

These all-too-familiar tables lined with neatly starched tableclothes, ready for our masterpieces to rest upon. Although it was my sixth time doing this, I still felt butterflies in my stomach as I marched down the corridor…into Kitchen 4.

After 4.5 hours….voila! Those 4.5 hours in the kitchen was not quite as grueling as in the cuisine kitchen – but, it was certainly a true test of patience and perseverance. Concentration is key and absolute precision is required.

Each student was required to create their own original cake with limited number of ingredients provided (only 100g of white, milk and dark chocolate respectively!!). Also, no fancier stuff like mango, passionfruit and durian – just a punnet of strawberries and 100g of raspberry puree.

My gateau – Le Trinité (Hazelnut Crunch/Raspberry with Roasted Strawberries/Dark Choc Mousse/Grand Marnier/Cocoa Glaze). Not perfect, but I am happy with it regardless.

With this exam, I am now officially a Grand Diplome graduate of Le Cordon Bleu! It’s still pretty hard to believe that I am now a qualified chef…all I can say is I can’t wait to return home to cook for my loved ones!