Jeremy Leven
- Executive Chef
- Noma
School Information
School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
College Major: Other
Years at College Works: 2005
Career Information
Working For: Noma
Title: Executive Chef
Industry: Food and Beverages
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
I have been cooking professionally for over a decade and am currently participating in an internship at the world renowned restaurant Noma in Copenhagen.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?Developing a team I can trust from the ground up who are committed to a common goal of opening a restaurant.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
College Works Painting has nurtured my lifelong passion for entrepreneurship and being my own boss.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
It took a while to fully realize how much it had shaped me. But going after my own dreams on my own terms started with College Works Painting.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
Like all people, some are good, and some are not so good. Do your best to stick to your convictions and don’t allow people to take advantage of you.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
Life is filled with endless challenges but there are always solutions.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
Don’t give up, it will be worth it.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Love what you do.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
Towards the end of the summer when the paint crews are in full swing, getting together with other managers and swapping stories.
Last words of wisdom?
If the office life isn’t for you, it never will be.