When you ask Josh Maron what he thought of his trip to Germany to participate as an apprentice for the USA Culinary Olympic team, he will tell you, “What an amazing experience...the opportunity of a life-time!”
In June, Josh was selected to participate in “be a member of ACF Culinary Team USA for a day.” His selection to this elite group came from the demonstration of his organizational skills, his great personality, his drive to learn, and his great knife skills. While working alongside the ACF Culinary National Team USA as they prepared for the “Culinary Olympics,” Josh impressed the group enough to be invited to work with Team USA in this international Culinary Olympics.
The “Culinary Olympics” or International Culinary Exhibition (IKA) was held in Erfurt, Germany October 5th – 10th, 2012 and was coordinated by the World Association of Chefs Societies (W.A.C.S.). This competition, which occurs every four years, is the pinnacle of culinary competitions and this year included 45 nations. W.A.C.S. is considered the global authority on food.
This opportunity has been a positive in Josh’s career path. He notes: “I have a new perspective on things, and I feel like this experience has put my career on a new trajectory. I honestly feel like anything is possible at this point. So many amazing experiences have already come my way, and I'm only a year into my apprenticeship! I feel so lucky to be where I'm at... the apprenticeship is without a doubt the best thing that's ever happened to me. I owe everything to Chef Miller; he has been such a great mentor!”
Josh was able to work alongside accomplished chefs who are at the top of their game. He is freshly inspired by the passion that these culinarians have for their craft. Not all of the trip was inspirational Josh had to challenge himself with a typical day lasting from 7:00 am to 1:00 AM (an 18 hour day), with the toughest day being a 22 hour marathon with 3 hours of sleep, then back for another grueling 19 hour shift.
Now knowing the level of detail necessary to compete at this level, Josh has a new inspiration to join the competitions. Don’t be surprised when you see Josh achieving medals very soon!