my brother, the pastry chef artist

Say hello to my brother, Jonathan. I've been dying to brag a little bit about him and the fact that I am related to this celebrity of El Paso's Greenery Market. You probably can't even guess that we're brother and sister - we don't even look like we came from the same set of genes, do we? Oh well. Let me just share with you some other differences I've noticed over the years. First of all, he got a significantly greater helping of humor than I did. Since I got jipped and my brother got some of what should have been mine, I really have to work at it; I'm sure this will explain a lot to a few great friends of mine! Secondly, when it came to "knowing what we wanted to do with our lives," he had it figured it out in high school, decided exactly where he wanted to go to college, set his goal, and made sure he did the things to get there. Here I am at 27 and just now figuring it out for my life. And if you hadn't noticed, he's got some height on me. I'm about a good foot shorter than he (shortest in my immediate family, actually). He likes to take every chance to remind me that I'm his "little" sister, when in reality, I have almost five years on him! And finally, I would dare to say he's more logical and likely to reason things out. I consider myself more of a dreamer and probably a little "out there." Just a few things that are worth mentioning.

I don't think it ever came as any big surprise that my brother turned out to be a chef of some sort. When we were growing up, he would often take different flavors and blend them together to make some weird drink that he would dare me to try, mix cans of Chef Boyardee with some unusual ingredients and make it something most of us would consider inedible, and really, he just liked to play with his food (and not just when he was little). He made faces in everything (ie hot dogs and ice cream cones) and would make his food "talk" to us - it didn't matter where we were - McDonald's, Olive Garden, or at home. We still joke with my dad about how much it used to annoy him and always have a good laugh remembering my brother's antics.

In high school, my brother attended a votech and started learning the basics about the culinary arts. He not only enjoyed it but he was really good at it. He worked at a couple of restaurants as a sous chef and entered a culinary arts scholarship competition through the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America. He placed first at the state level and then in the top five at the national level. Because of his achievement in this competition, he obtained part of the funding for his college education, which would be at The Culinary Institute of America. He completed two years there and is now a very successful pastry chef in El Paso, Texas.

I know he works very hard, long hours and it's not always easy work, but I can tell he really enjoys what he does. There's no way he would work so hard doing anything else, I think. When I visited my family over the Thanksgiving holiday, we paid a visit to the Greenery Market where he works. I’ve seen his pastry creations before, but for some reason, this time, it struck me how intricate and detailed they are! I was very impressed and proud just to realize how much care goes into the things that he makes. Of course, I got to sample some, too, and let me tell you they are tasty! (Below is just a sampling of all the different things he makes!)

There is a lot more to his story that I’d love to share, but it would take me too long. He has definitely had his moments of despair, depravity, and grace. God has worked out a beautifully redemptive story in his life and everytime I get to visit with him, I think I am most reminded of God’s activeness in our lives. God doesn’t ever take a break and when I look at my brother, I can see how God continues to move and work out His will in our lives as we allow Him to.

So, here’s to my brother, the pastry chef artist, who still amazes me with his energy and humor and still plays with his food! Love you, my big little brother!