by Aaron Cousineau
I’ve had a passion for cooking ever since I was old enough to chew my own food. Even as a child, I didn’t stray far from the kitchen and as I got older, I found that experimenting with food was just one of those things that I never stopped loving. When I decided to make a career out of cooking, I knew I had a lot options as far as where I chose to go to school, and I couldn’t be happier about choosing Colorado Mountain College. The training I received at the CMC Culinary Institute was thorough, innovative, energetic, and invaluable. It has paid off for me in ways unimaginable.
Throughout my schooling at CMC, I got hands-on experience working at upscale restaurants such as Beano’s Cabin in Beaver Creek, and Atwater on Gore Creek in Vail. I participated in special culinary events alongside renowned chefs such as Steve Topple, whom I assisted at the 2011 Grand Tasting at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the Taste of Vail Culinary Festival, and the “Summertime in Piemonte” Chaine Culinary Fundraiser dinner in 2012. The amazing instruction I received at the Culinary Institute kept me inspired and motivated, and led me to win the Chaine des Rotisseurs Vail Bailliage Young Chefs Competition in Denver in 2011. All of these opportunities that were made available to me through the program helped me build up the credentials that got me invited to estage at restaurants like Daniel Boulud’s Daniel NYC and Mindy Seigel’s Hot Chocolate in Chicago.
Now, I’ve landed a coveted position at Thomas Keller”s Bouchon Bistro in Las Vegas. I’m working at what I love, every day, and learning more and more with every step I take. It’s the tools that I was given at the CMC Culinary Institute that helped build a solid foundation of knowledge, creativity, and confidence. I’ve had the spark in me my whole life, and my time in school is what really set the fire ablaze.
Aaron Cousineau got his training at CMC in Edwards.
Edwards Campus 