Ambitious students - a culinary passion and challenging yourself with Adriana

We recently made a video of you preparing a dish, and we’ve been lucky enough to try it! Can you tell us how you got into cooking? 

My fascination for good food started when I was younger and watched MasterChef a lot, especially MasterChef Junior. I was super inspired and dreamed of going to the MasterChef camp in Spain, but my parents would only let me go if my cousin came along with me. Unfortunately, she didn't want to go, so that never happened. Instead, I binge-watched all the MasterChef seasons. 

After moving to Amsterdam by myself, I realized this was the first time I had control over everything: which groceries to do, how to use them, and what dishes to prepare. I learned a lot by watching cooking shows, but I gained further practical skills in my studio at Student Experience. Once, I prepared too much of a dish, so I had some leftovers. I offered them to my neighbor, who told me she really liked the dish and suggested I should make an Instagram page. Thanks to the encouragement from my peers at university, and because I always took pictures of my food anyway, I decided to go ahead and do it. 

I don't think I was meant to do something with cooking. It was more of a product of a cumulative experience that added up to that, watching my grandma's cooking, screen time, and being put into a situation where I needed to care for myself. I was away from home, needed to be independent, and had to come up with something to eat. 

You seem like someone who likes to challenge yourself when it comes to cooking; is that true? 

Yes, I think that's true. But not just for cooking - I generally like to challenge myself and set new goals. That's the only way I can develop as a person. There's always a part of me that's scared of the unknown, but another part that's like: you have nothing to lose if you're trying something new. Okay, I might lose some time or even a little money. Still, I'm gaining experience and giving myself the opportunity to learn something new. You can't say you don't like something if you haven't tried it, right? The worst that can happen is that you don't like it as much as you thought. 

I have all these random skills that don't really make sense together. I started learning them because I wanted to challenge myself or improve in a specific area of my life. I can speak five languages, and I'm into writing poetry and short stories, and because I wanted to pair those works with illustrations, I started drawing. I also joined the vegan cooking class at Student Experience, took on wood carving as a quarantine hobby, took improv classes, and even took a one-year masseuse course. 

What would you say to students who want to create better dishes? 

I know that many students come home exhausted after studying the whole day and start scrolling through Instagram or TikTok to disconnect. I've been there, done that, I'm still there, doing that. The 

difference is that they make a really sad dish of pasta or noodles. Or they feel like they need to make healthier meals but then prepare a plain sandwich with some vegetables, even though they're not enjoying that food. Then, I think: If you're not even enjoying it, what's the point? 

My tip for students who don't like cooking is to create a fun and interesting environment for themselves. I personally like to multitask. When I'm cooking, I turn on Netflix. That way, I can prepare good food while enjoying a good TV show. 

What do you think the future holds for you? 

I wanted to become a writer, but I thought that maybe that wouldn’t get me enough job opportunities. Storytelling is what I like most, so I considered journalism and marketing. Then, I realized what encapsulates everything is communication, so I decided to pursue a degree in Communication Science. 

For now, cooking is a hobby since I enjoy it a lot, but I don’t have the knowledge or the preparation to pursue it professionally – yet. If there’s a way I can link it with my major, that would be both a lot of fun and very fulfilling. Maybe I’ll intern at restaurants, apply to a minor, and simultaneously see how the rest of my studies develop. 

However, there’s still a lot to learn. I like getting inspired by other people’s creations, but where does their work end and mine start? When I cook, I ask myself: ‘Which ingredients would make such a thing?’. Ultimately, the thought process with my life and goals is the same: “With which experiences will I make ambitions a reality?” 

Curious about Adriana’s culinary creations? Check her out on Instagram!