"I want to prove what I'm worth in the kitchen"

Celeste Bouwmans is following the training Cook in 1 year At Summa, she sets the bar high: working, studying, and being a mother of two. "I want to inspire others and show them that you can achieve anything. As a mother, I can still get my degree."

Celeste will take her practical exam this summer. She'll then be a certified chef (level 2). "I've been working at De Doelen in Waalre for eight years. I started out washing dishes and now I'm working as a chef. Now that the owners are getting older, the work is becoming too demanding, and they want to quit. 'Leave' me behind without a diploma? They don't want that. To prevent me from ending up in a dishwashing job somewhere, they've done everything they can to get me to study. With a diploma, I can pick up where I left off: in the kitchen as a chef."

Children, work and study

It's great that I can combine the part-time adult culinary training program with work and motherhood. I enjoy learning things I don't get at work. Every restaurant has its own cuisine, and there are hundreds of dishes, cultures, and techniques I'm not familiar with yet. I'm learning all that now, in a great group. You know what's special? My instructor has students, who then teach us. That's the beauty of Summa; everyone keeps learning from each other.

An inspiration for others

“Once I have my diploma, I won't have to worry about finding another job. With my diploma, I can prove my worth in the kitchen. After the summer, I'd like to Level 3 going to do and in the future even my teacher diploma Achieve. Then I can inspire others and be an example, just as my mentor is for me now. I want to help people and show them that you can go far. If you just have the right people around you."

The photos on this page were taken by Sabine van Nistelrooy.