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San Antonio, TX – Charles M. Carroll, an executive
chef in Houston and vice
president of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WorldChefs),
challenged graduates of Ѹ to work
harder than everyone else to achieve success. Chef Carroll delivered the
commencement address at the college’s Texas campus on January 23.
A 1986 graduate of the Ѹ’s Hyde Park, NY campus, Carroll is
executive chef at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston. In addition to his
full-time job, he chaired the WorldChefs Congress
held in South Korea in 2012 and the following year became vice president of the
organization, which encompasses culinary federations of 100 countries and more
than 10 million chefs.
“Nothing matters but your will to succeed,” Chef Carroll
told recipients of the Ѹ San Antonio associate
degree in culinary arts. “If you want something badly enough, you have to keep pounding on that
door until it opens. I have been blessed to accomplish amazing things,
simply by pounding on the door until my knuckles were bloody.”
Chef Carroll served the United States on seven Culinary
Olympic teams, including managing the 2000 team which took home four gold
medals and a silver. He says one of the things of which he is most proud was
the creation of “Operation HOT (Honoring Our Troops).” With 21 celebrities and
a support team, he brought a seven-hour Vegas-style show and home-cooked meal
to 5,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in both 2011 and 2013.
Chef Carroll is the author of Tasting Success: Your Guide to Becoming a
Professional Chef and Leadership
Lessons from a Chef: Finding Time to Be Great. He has been a recipient of the
American Culinary Federation’s President’s Medallion in four different decades
(1989, 1999, 2005, and 2014) as well as its national Chef’s Professionalism and
Sharing Culinary Traditions Awards in 2008.
After the graduation ceremony in San Antonio, Chef Carroll
left for Lyon, France for the biennial competition. He is representing WorldChefs at the renowned
international contest.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image
Chef Charles M. Carroll '86, executive chef at Houston's
River Oaks Country Club and vice president of the World Association of
Chefs Societies (WorldChefs), delivered the
commencement address at Ѹ in San Antonio on
January 23. (Photo credit: Darren
Abate/Ѹ)
Founded in 1946, Ѹ is an independent,
not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in
culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, culinary science, and applied food
studies, as well as certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage
studies. As the world's premier culinary college, the Ѹ provides thought
leadership in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability, and world
cuisines & cultures through research and conferences. The Ѹ has a network
of 47,000 alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Roy
Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The Ѹ also
offers courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting
services in support of innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry.
The college has campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and
Singapore.
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