All smiles for young Taiwanese chef Hsing Lun-yi, who will start working for the French president in July. (Photo : Photo/Hsing Lun-yi)
Hsing Lun-yi, a 29-year-old pastry chef from Taiwan, has received an offer to work at the Elysee Palace in Paris, following his month-and-a-half-long internship in France, reported United Daily News on Sunday.
Hsing Lun-yi is back in Taiwan to get engaged. He is the first Taiwanese to ever work for the French president's residence, added the news site.
It was only after his graduation from Nan Ying Vocational High School Department of Data Processing in Tainan that Hsing Lun-yi discovered his passion for desserts.
Working part-time at various Taiwanese restaurants enabled Hsing to save up NT$1.5 million ($48,750) for his education in France, the report said.
Arriving in France in 2012, Hsing spent one and a half years in a language school before finally going to the Centre European des Professions Culinaires (European Center for Culinary Professions, or CEPROC) in Paris.
"I could only budget three euros for each meal," uttered Hsing, recalling his days as a student in France.
He chose to apply for the rarely targeted destination--the Elysee Palace--as opposed to the more common restaurants and hotels. This decision became a challenge, as he could not figure out a way to gain access to the French president's official residence.
It was on one fateful day that Hsing tried walking around the palace to look for a way in, but was stopped by an armed security guard, who became suspicious of the young Taiwanese chef's motives.
The armed guard asked what he was doing around the mansion and searched his bag. The security guard then gave Hsing the contact number of the presidential residence's personnel department head.
Hsing did not wait long and sent his resume to the contact to apply for an internship. He received an admission notice just a month after.
"I would never have had a chance if I didn't give it a try."
He knows he is still a fledgling at best, compared to the master chefs working at Elysee Palace, but Hsing was determined and worked 15 hours a day, more than double the required seven, to master his craft.
This paid off as Hsing was offered to start a contract in July, after barely one and a half months of internship.
Hsing Lun-yi has a two-year contract to finish at the Elysee Palace before he embarks on another adventure pursuing his dream of owning his dessert store in Taiwan.
