Williams fires up dream at Johnson & Wales
Da’Vion Williams manned a barbecue grill at Springdale Golf Club on Labor Day as members grabbed lunch following a morning golf outing cut short by rain.
Smoke rose up to his face occasionally as the grill hissed. When Williams smiled the facial expression seemed to stretch from earlobe to earlobe. The last day of summer employment before the first day of college? Yeah, absolutely dreamy.
Williams, a 2019 Nottingham High School graduate, headed off to Johnson & Wales University on Wednesday, trying to run down his dream at the renowned culinary arts school in Providence, RI.
Williams will be one of approximately 13,000 students enrolled as either business, arts & sciences, culinary, arts, education, engineering equine management, hospitality or engineering technology programs.
“I’ve always loved cooking, loved the intensity and how you make something out of almost anything. It’s a perfect fit for me,” Williams, who studied at Mercer County Vo-Tech said.
The barbecue sauce atop chicken and ribs on the Springdale grill? Yep, a Williams creation that includes soy, pickled ginger, brown sugar, sriracha, ketchup, honey, sesame oil, and one undisclosed ingredient because no-self-respected future chef reveals his entire recipe, at least not until he grasps his brass ring.
Johnson seemed ready to burst as he spent his final hours on the Springdale grill.
“It’s exciting. The ultimate goal is to work for a company like Bon Appetit. Own my own restaurant? No way, that’s too much stress,” Williams said, as his kilowatt smile showed again.
Williams serves as a perfect messenger for students everywhere — find an occupation that you love, that excites and allows for personal creativity.
A saying about employment notes that if one finds a job they love, then they will never work a day in their life.
Accomplish that mission and life can be pretty sweet and tasty.