Students from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute were selected to attend the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga. earlier this month.
Nicholls culinary students were given this opportunity when the Augusta National Country Club sought students to help work the tournament this year. Students were interviewed and had their resumes reviewed, and 36 students were selected to work.
The chosen students left for a 13-hour bus ride on April 3 and trained for three days on how to prepare and serve the food at the various stations that the students were assigned.
Lauren Fendalson, a culinary freshman from Ponchatoula, was one of the youngest students chosen to attend this event.
“I found out I was chosen to go right after my interview, which made me super excited,” Fendalson said. “This was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Fendalson worked at the Pavilion preparing salads and desserts, and there were one-minute and forty-second ticket times for every order.
“You are on your feet the whole day, but you were so busy you did not even think about it,” Fendalson said.
Rachel Mundell, a culinary junior from Virginia, worked in the Terrace Kitchen serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to the members of the Augusta National Golf Club, as well as their families and all of the patrons of the Masters Golf Tournament.
“I would have never expected to be able to take part in such a great event by coming to Nicholls. The culinary program has opened so many doors for me to amazing opportunities that I would have never thought possible,” Mundell said.
According to Mundell, there was not much free time during the trip, but the little time they did have was spent hanging out with friends and walking the golf course.
“I think the best part of my Master’s experience would be the friends I made and the people I met,” Mundell. “I worked so closely with around twenty people in my kitchen for ten days, and we really grew to become great co-workers and friends.”
Kellen Hart, a culinary junior from Virginia, said, “The highlight of my Master’s experience was getting to meet many prestigious and famous people, as well as getting to watch the final groups of the tournament finish up their rounds.”
Hart was a pantry cook, meaning that he aided in preparing all of the cold food ready to be put out in the hospitality suite, as well as for the members of Augusta National Country Club and their families. He was one of the buffet attendants for these two suites, so he was in charge of making sure all of the food tables were full and looked presentable.
Overall, the students selected were able to learn what it was like to work in a real high-pressure kitchen and serve copious amounts of people at once.
“I will never forget this experience, and I am so grateful for the opportunity,” Fendalson said.