Kourtney Viktora is Puff Pastry Chef who who is the founder and baker of Kourtney's Kreations. You can follow her on Instagram, @kourtneyskreations2016!
Kourtney was a stay-at-home-mom for many years and that's where she began baking for her family, "A lot of my friends and family told me that I should pursue it, that I was good at it, that I should follow that, and to start up my own business". So, Kourtney took their advice and enrolled in a culinary school at the Art Institute of Austin.
Kourtney explained that not everyone needs to go to culinary school, however she said that it's very beneficial to have training and to receive a certification. Kourtney herself received her Associates degree in Baking and Pastry. She also described her favorite memory at the culinary school, "Probably the relationships that I made there and my best friends I've met there, and even though we don't see each other because we're about an hour apart, we can pick up talking like no time has passed."
One of Kourtney's favorite parts about being a chef is making the consumers happy and bringing them something special to enjoy. However, though this may be Kourtney's favorite part about being a chef, she said this is also the hardest part. When it comes to a customer's dissatisfaction, Kourtney said "I would try to make it right, I would ask them what they weren't happy with, and if it was something I could fix right then, like a décor on a cake, I would try to correct that for them before their event, if it wasn't something I could correct, then I would give them a credit, like a credit back on their bill or a gift card to come back, I would just do whatever I could to try and make it right."
Kourtney also said that through her job she has gained more business experience and that she has stayed the same person through and through. One of the things that Kourtney said that sets her apart from the other chefs is her perfectionism, "If I don't get it right, I'll fix it, I'll start over if I have to." Kourtney's perfectionism goes both ways, "Yes and no. Yes, because people see the quality and I know my stuff is not perfect, I would like my stuff to be as perfect as I can, but nobody's 100% perfect. But I think me being so detail oriented, that they do see the work and the artistry that goes into it and the quality. But I also think it sets me back because a lot of time I'll waste time, it's just me being over-critical of myself."
Finally Kourtney described that one of her proudest moments as a chef was her graduation, she described that moment in 3 words, "Accomplished, proud... and strong."
Kourtney Viktora was such an amazing interviewee I learned so many new tips and facts from her! Don't forget to check out her Instagram and thank you so much for reading my blog!
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