Day 60 of 60 | Bonjour, Paris 🇫🇷
Part One: The Final Exam
I still remember standing at the free-throw line with the game on the line with four seconds to go, down one point. Championship run hanging in the balance. Make both and we advance. Miss the first, go home. Nothing else existed. I sank both, and we went on to win it all.
Hand to heart—today carried more pressure than that moment ever did.
But we did it!
Lori and I passed our final exam at École Ducasse. And if we’re being honest, we didn’t just pass, we really delivered on three of the four dishes.
One dish put up a fight. It tested my plating timing and composure. But even that one came out solid. And the real twist? The dish we were most worried about going in:
See two photos below for progression. Same dish. One week apart. What changed between then and Dish #3 on exam day wasn’t talent, it was thinking.
We made some big, deliberate calls.
Out went the fried Jerusalem artichoke chips. In came pommes pavé, a technique that wasn’t taught in class. Lori taught herself by watching numerous YouTube videos and a lot of trial and error. She practiced it at nausea, struggling with it attempt after attempt. Then, for the final, she executed it under pressure. That one move elevated the entire plate.
We also ditched mashed potatoes for a proper potato purée, smoother, cleaner, more precise. Less comfort food. More control. I plated it using a precision French technique called Quenelle using two large spoons to form its unique shape. One week apart. Dish #3. Completely different result.
This first photo is from our practice run the week before the exam. Solid. Respectable. But not yet Ducasse-worthy. The second photo is from our exam today.
What changed between then and Dish #3 on exam day wasn’t talent, it was thinking.
We made some big, deliberate calls.
Out went the fried Jerusalem artichoke chips. In came pommes pavé, a technique that wasn’t taught in class. Lori taught herself. Practiced it. Executed it under pressure. That one move elevated the entire plate.
We ditched mashed potatoes for a proper potato purée, smoother, cleaner, more precise. Less comfort food. More control. I used a french technique called Quennell using two large spoons to elegantly plate. 
We scaled the fish way down. The practice plate was generous; the exam plate was restrained. What we delivered was composed, intentional, and unmistakably more Ducasse.
And then there was the pivot that tied it all together: Lori created a citrus gel, those three yellow-orange dots, bringing brightness, balance, and just enough acidity to make the whole dish sing.
Same foundation. Better restraint. Sharper execution.
By the time Dish #3 hit the pass, the chefs called it a beautiful plate and it earned our first perfect score.
Not the final plate.
Not the victory lap.
Just the moment where everything clicked and we felt a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Proof that growth doesn’t always take months…sometimes it takes one focused week and the courage to change what isn’t working in the 11th hour.
Poetic justice.
There was no time to take photos of the other three plates. Controlled chaos doesn’t pause for content.
And I need to pause here and say this:
I am incredibly proud of Lori.
After already spending seven intense hours at school yesterday, she stayed up until 2:30 a.m. prepping. Quietly. Methodically. With total commitment. When the pressure rises, so does she. We both gave it everything we had, but she went over and beyond! 
Part Two will be about the people, the friendships, the unexpected lessons, and why this experience was about so much more than cooking.
For now…I am boarding a flight to Arizona to wed my pals Akshay Nanavati & Melissa Nanavati. I had to rush out as the last dish was served to the judges.
I tipped my Uber driver €20 at the start to get me to the airport as fast as possible so I wouldn’t miss my flight. He almost got us in three accidents, but he performed extremely well under pressure. I can relate - mission accomplished. 🥂🇫🇷
