Renowned chef and restauranteur Gregory Gourdet, St. Andrew’s class of 1993, delivered the Commencement keynote at my school on Sunday, May 28. He said, “Stay loving, stay brilliant, stay gritty, stay wise. May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears. Continue to be fueled by passion in all you do.” This sounded like wisdom coming from a fellow saint who has had his share of twists and turns in life. His keynote left me sad for all he had experienced but inspired by his resilience and determination to find his passion. It was clear to me that Mr. Gourdet’s words, “The pressure that can break you can also be the pressure that can inspire you to pick yourself back up and keep putting one foot forward,” were actually hard-earned wisdom. I also heard him say, “… it’s not the steps of the path but your ability to persist that will get you somewhere worth going.” Persistence is a theme for me, I really enjoyed hearing from Mr. Gourdet.
I want to visit his restaurant, Kann, in Portland, OR, someday. I also want to spend time cooking this summer. Besides the life lessons he shared, I had a deep visceral reaction to his description of the joy that comes from being in the kitchen cooking. I guess I don’t have to be a closeted chef. I could start sharing more of that side of me with others; hmm, now that’s an interesting idea.
