Nykolas Jaimes is heading to his dream school–the Culinary Institute of America–to do exactly what he loves to do, which is baking.
“I decided I wanted to bake professionally about two years after I first started. I fell in love with the process of turning basic items like flour, sugar, and water into delectable treats everyone can enjoy,” said Jaimes. “The first baked good I ever tried to make were cookies which is where most beginners start. The recipe was from a cookbook my grandmother passed down to me, and I figured I could make something from there for fun. I made the cookies and really enjoyed the process, so I pursued it, and now I’m going to a specialty culinary school.”
According to Sara Blakely, who has taught Jaimes culinary arts at Wylie High School for the past two years, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) only accepts 200 students a semester.
“This is a very prestigious culinary school with a stellar reputation,” said Blakely. “So proud of him!”
Jaimes, who has taken culinary arts classes for three years at Wylie, will earn a degree in Baking and Pastry with the aspiration to own his own business.
“The San Antonio campus only offers the associates program, so it will take me about two years to complete my degree,” he said. “I’m really hoping to learn decorating techniques and better ways to assemble cakes.”
Outside of his learning experience at Wylie, Jaimes says he is self-taught with his love of baking coming from his grandmother Shyrl Martinez, who happens to be the librarian at Wylie East Elementary School.
“My grandmother introduced me to baking, and I took it from there,” said Jaimes, adding that his favorite item to bake isn’t cakes but croissants.
“They have so many variants and are among the most challenging things to prepare. No matter how you make them they will always be good,” he said. “That is what I enjoy about baking.”
Jaimes will attend CIA’s San Antonio campus next spring; it has campuses in New York, California and Singapore. In the meantime, the anticipation of what is ahead is real, said Jaimes.
“There is genuinely so much to look forward to that I cannot list it all, but when I toured the school everything about it was perfect. From the good location to the scenery all the way to the educators and kitchens.”
By Kristen Johnson
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