Hello everyone,

My name is Lola Marie, and this is my second year at City Tech, majoring in Hospitality Management. I choose this major for many reasons, one of them being that I love to cook.  I am people person, and getting people together for some great food and laughter is something I truly enjoy.

As said by many chefs in the industry, sharing food with others give us a chance to connect with them. My ultimate goal is to become a professional chef, and hopefully open my very own food establishment either in New York City or Miami one day. But for now, I’m going to keep focus on my study here at City Tech, learn as much as I possible can from all my professors, as well as getting involve in any activities/events in my community that involves hospitality(not just food). I know I have a long journey ahead before I can proclaim myself as a professional chef, but I am not afraid to do all that is required in order for me to get to that level. Deep inside me, I know I have what it takes to be a great chef, and going to keep working towards that.

Beside cooking, I love to travel, meet new people, experience/learn about new cultures. Beside English, I also speak fluent French and Haitian-Creole, and planning to take a few classes to brush up on my Spanish skills/get better at it. Having the ability to express myself using different languages is one of my top traits, and a skill that always come handy/ very useful, especially when I travel abroad, make it easy for me to communicate, connect with the locals and tourists. I know folks in the hospitality industry got hit very hard by the COVID pandemic , it has brought a lot of changes to the way people use to do things, installed a lot of fears in most, which in return switch our mindset and at the same time opened up our eyes. But I am hopeful that things will get back on track, and we will all get to enjoy ourselves like the old days, that include myself getting back on a plane, fearlessly heading to my next destination.

So, in all, the hospitality industry is a tough one to be part of, but as we all know, nothing worth having come easy. No matter the circumstances, I personally won’t give up easily. I am very confident, that with hard work and dedication, I can/will complete the program, graduate, and go on to be one of the best chef/Business owner in the food industry.