This month’s Farmer Focus is on senior Bradley Gloster who aspires to study culinary arts.

SNAPSHOTS

Favorite TV show: “House”
Favorite food: Pasta
Hot or cold: Cold
Favorite color: Red
Water or juice: Juice

ZOOMING IN

Q: Why do you want to go to culinary school?
A: “I want to go to culinary school because it’s my passion. It makes me happy and my parents always told me I should do something that makes me happy. It [also] makes other people happy. I cook for my family, I cook for my friends and even [for] my dog.”

Q: What do you like about cooking? What is your favorite aspect?
A: “I love the freedom that comes with cooking. You can do whatever you want. It’s all experimental and you can try anything. My favorite aspect of cooking is chopping things up.”

Q: What is your favorite thing to cook? How do you make it?
A: “I like to cook pasta. I have my own mac and cheese recipe I’ve worked on a lot and it’s very tasty. I make my own sauce and use fresh cheese [and] I add peppers to it [along with] meat.”

Q: When did you start cooking and what made you interested in it? Did someone inspire you to start?
A: “I started cooking when I was a little kid [because] I was left home alone a lot and [I could] only make so much ramen and mac and cheese until [I was] sick of it, so I had to learn to cook food for myself. I was self inspired to cook.”

Q: How have you changed since you started cooking?
A: “I’ve gained more weight. It’s made me [happier] and made me enjoy doing it more.”

Q: What would you say to a person who wants to give cooking a try?
A: “You should do it, 110%. You just have to find a recipe you like and test it out. If it doesn’t turn out good, try another one. Also, don’t cut yourself.”

Q: Do you know what culinary school you want to go to? Why that school?
A: “The Art Institute of Dallas, it has a fantastic culinary program and it’s not very far away. The school has a long history and has put out a lot of good cooks.”

Q: What kind of chef do you want to become? What options are available to you?
A: “I want to become one of the greats. There are plenty options. You could cook at a restaurant, you can cook at a test kitchen, you could create recipes or become a cookbook author, but I’m not quite sure what field I want to go into just yet.”

Q: What is the most complicated dish that you’ve made and why?
A: “General Tso’s chicken, which is Chinese food. What made it difficult is all of the different methods I had to use to make it. You have to use chilis and know how to make fried chicken. Cooking with chilis was the most difficult part, it’s really hard to breathe because the smoke from them inflames your throat and nostrils.”

Q: How far do you want to go in your culinary career?
A: “I want to go as far as it will take me, [so] hopefully for the rest of my life. I want to become a good chef [and] maybe have a TV show, something like Gordon Ramsay.”