Travel not only enriches lives and cultures, it can also fundamentally change you. You book a ticket, depart on a flight and a world of possibilities opens before you. You don’t know exactly what to expect or who you’ll meet. But sometimes, expectations are exceeded, and you feel something altered within. Maybe you fall in love with a culture or meet a significant other. Or maybe you decide it’s time for a life change and travel is the key that unlocks your future.
Traveling is a passion for many people but some wonder how to make it more. Arriving in a new city not knowing anyone is frightening enough. Language and cultural norms can be barriers. Finding a way to support yourself involves uncertainty and bureaucratic red tape. What you need is a support network, but how to build one to support your dreams?
A Global Experience
One way to create a network is by studying at an international school like Le Cordon Bleu. Founded in Paris in 1895, Le Cordon Bleu has developed the largest collection of culinary and hospitality schools in the world with campuses in more than two dozen countries. From its roots in Paris, it has spread to world capitals like London, Ottawa, and more. Its campuses are a melting pot of the planet’s population and many students find themselves not only learning valuable skills but building support networks of fellow students across the globe.
Le Cordon Bleu attracts a wide range of students joined together by a passion for the culinary arts. For some, the culinary arts are the end goal, but for others, it’s a stop on the way to other adventures. The Grande Diplome course is challenging and fosters close relationships, but in the end, students will take divergent paths in their careers. Some remain in the world of restaurants and hospitality, while others use the school and their experiences as a springboard to a rewarding career in another field.
Exploring New Directions
Take Haley Forest, an alum who has already lived several professional lives in the culinary arts, food & drinks journalism and spirits marketing. As a teenager in Marin County, California, she began waiting tables as she worked to establish herself as an actress. Her aptitude for restaurant life led to more responsibility and she decided to pursue a degree in hospitality. During the break between her junior and senior years at San Francisco State, she traveled to Europe. While there, she visited Le Cordon Bleu campuses in both London and Paris, settling on London to study after graduating in the states.
Though originally planning to stay just to finish her degree, Haley wound up settling in London for eight years. “One thing led to another,” she says, including getting a job with the Soho House group the day after graduating. She worked back of house then gravitated to front of house roles, including one at Bocca di Lupo – a terrific Italian restaurant which is well worth a reservation when you’re in London. Opportunities for her started to come up in the media, including writing with Thrillist London. She then became the European Editor of Bar Chick, where she managed 70 city guides and a team of writers across the globe.
The Le Cordon Bleu Network
After school, Haley’s network dispersed across the planet. Many Le Cordon Bleu alums stayed in the culinary field including Hope Waggoner who is the pastry chef at acclaimed Nightbird in San Francisco and Kavit Shaw who has worked at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Geranium, among others.
Ready for a new adventure, Haley moved to New York, where she fell into the world of spirits and craft cocktails, working with Joaquín Simó at Pouring Ribbons and at Belle Shoals with Pam Wiznitzer. Her connections eventually led to her present gig as Brand Ambassador for ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto, an Italian liqueur.
Haley remains close with her fellow Le Cordon Bleu alumni and they continue to reach out to each other for career advice. For her, their shared experiences at the school and foundation in the culinary arts make this global network a family of sorts. You may not see your family often, but when you do, the months or years melt away and the depth of the bonds you have are revealed. This is the unbreakable fabric formed through shared experiences you can only get somewhere like Le Cordon Bleu.
Meet Haley Forest
Hailing from Mill Valley in Marin County, California, Haley grew up with a passion for dancing and theater. She performed as a DJ for years and hosted club nights in both London and San Francisco.
She received her Bachelor of Science degree from San Francisco State University in Hospitality: Foodservice Management then moved to London at age 22 to pursue her culinary passion. There she earned the prestigious Grande Diplome in Cuisine and Pastry at Le Cordon Bleu and cooked at top restaurants like Kettner’s.
Haley is currently the U.S. Brand Ambassador for ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto, Italy’s original aperitivo, and is an intrepid traveler, having visited two dozen countries.