JORDAN BOULER i CE

When September 6 arrives, Jordan Boulerice will officially begin his college culinary studies at Johnson & Wales University at their North Miami campus. But he’s been at home in the kitchen since he was just a boy.

Jordan got his first taste of restaurant work flipping burgers in a family restaurant owned by friends. It didn’t take long for him to develop a passion for food and to realize he wanted a career in the culinary world.

Jordan, 18, graduated from Lecanto High School this past May, where he went through their culinary arts program.

“Ms. Sheffield, my culinary teacher at school, helped me focus on what I want to do,” he says. “I have dwarfism, so that alone is a challenge. It’s not every day you hear there’s a ‘short person’ in the kitchen. I’m determined to open the door for other people with physical and mental challenges.

“Because of my physical stature, I’ve learned you shouldn’t limit yourself. You need to believe you can do whatever you want, whether in the kitchen or another field. Even though I can’t reach certain things, there will always be people in the kitchen who can help out.”

Jordan’s determination and talent have been rewarded. He’s received two different scholarships and a grant from Johnson & Wales. He plans to start with an associate degree in baking and pastry and then possibly go on to get an associate degree in culinary management.

“I’d like to own my own bakery or have a food truck that focuses on bakery items and pastries. I’ve done a lot with baking and pastries at school since my sophomore year,” he notes.

“I’ve taken French in high school; I appreciate that culture and how they have a passion for baking and pastries. I would like to go to France for my internship and see how I can learn more. I’d like to bring some of that passion here and expand on it. Because I’ve just been taking French, it will be fresh in my mind.”

Jordan’s interest in cooking and baking began when he was very young, watching his great-grandfather in the kitchen.

“He was also a baker,” recalls Jordan. “I was kind of his guinea pig; if he made something and I ate all of it, that meant it was good!”

Today, Jordan uses some of his great-grandfather’s recipes, including his carrot cake, which is one of Jordan’s favorite things to bake. He also likes to bake for his younger sister.

In addition to his great-grandfather, Jordan counts Chefs Robert Irvine and Gordon Ramsey among his greatest inspirations. He enjoys watching shows on Food Network and the Cooking Channel; among his favorites are Chopped and The Pioneer Woman

“I follow a lot of food pages on Facebook,” says Jordan, who likes to take some of those ideas and come up with his own twists on recipes. “I’m into molecular gastronomy,” he adds.

“Jordan has gone through all four levels in our culinary arts program. Lecanto High School is a Premier ProStart School, of which there are only 17 in the state,” says Suzanne Sheffield, the culinary arts instructor at Lecanto High School. “ProStart is the curriculum created by the National Restaurant Association that teaches the students and makes students work-ready in what the industry needs.”

Sheffield, who trained at Johnson & Wales University, has been teaching since 1980, when anything to do with cooking in the schools fell under the category of “home economics.” She’s delighted with how things have changed over the years and is proud to have taught a number of students who are now professional chefs, cooks and restaurant owners.

“Jordan will be the next chef who’s gone through our program,” she says. “One of the most exciting things for me is when former students who are now in the culinary industry come back to visit and mentor the class.”

One day in the future, she won’t be surprised to see Jordan return to do just that, ready to encourage and enlighten a new era of aspiring young chefs.

In honor of helping kids hone their cooking and baking skills, we’re giving away two Deluxe Cooking Kits, one for ages 3 and up and one for ages 6 and up, courtesy of Playful Chef by MindWare. You can win one of these sets by visiting the Ocala Style Facebook pageLiking(facebook.com/ocalastyle), the page and then staying tuned for details on how to enter to win.