Moving Right Along
Aaron Gross knows a little something about moving. Originally from
Belton, TX, Aaron grew up in a military family that moved around a lot,
and learned early on how to adjust to changing situations in his life.
So when—after eight years of gymnastics that included a trip to the
nationals—he tore his rotator cuff and could no longer compete, he
didn’t sit around moping about it. “Now that I had a life again, my high
school classmate, Daniel Combs, introduced me to cooking,” he says. “We
were in a high school culinary arts program and did ProStart
competitions together. We actually won the regionals in Texas and moved
on to states. We had a great chance to win there, but had this little
incident where we forgot the carrots. You live and learn!”
And when it was time to decide where he wanted to live and learn for
his college years, the choice came easy to Aaron. “I decided to go to
the CIA because it’s the best there is, to better prepare me for my
future,” he explains. “Daniel was considering another culinary school,
but I talked him into coming here.”
As Aaron was getting situated, signing up for the college’s Cross Country team
didn’t occur to him right away. “I used to be a terrible runner, as
recently as about six months ago,” he says. “I started running with my
father, trying to keep pace with him. I finally just broke that mental
barrier. I push myself more with other people to motivate me.”
He wanted to stay active and do something on campus, so when friend
Annelise McAuliffe kept bugging him to join Cross Country, Aaron finally
relented. “It wasn’t easy at first,” he recalls. “Our first practice, I
ran to Dunkin’ Donuts and back, about six miles, and I was dying. Now
it’s like nothing.”
The experience of competing on an intercollegiate team keeps getting
better for Aaron too. “We’re definitely a team with great camaraderie,”
he says. “We run for each other. I didn’t even know these guys before,
and now we’re all good friends. Plus Coach (Lowell) Fisher is amazing.
He pushes us, and has such a passion for Cross Country that it’s
contagious. His dedication is inspiring.”
That inspiration helped the team to unprecedented success in the
Hudson Valley Men’s Athletic Conference during the 2012 season. The CIA
Steels had its best-ever finish in the standings, and took second place
in the 8k conference championship race at Bard College.
When it comes to finding inspiration in class, Aaron has decided that
he much prefers being in the front of the house. “I started my
restaurant experience in the back of the house, and I just didn’t like
it,” he explains. “After three weeks, I switched to the dining room and
loved it.”
That spirit of service also led him to pursue a position as a
Resident Assistant (RA) on campus. “It’s fun to help new students,” he
says. “As an RA, you’re often the first person they see when they move
in. It’s rewarding, but there’s a lot of planning with classes and Cross
Country practice and RA duties. My best friend has been my calendar app
on my iPhone. You make it work.”
Just as he plans on “making it work” for his career after graduation.
“I’d like to stick around in the CIA Manager In Training program,
hopefully in the front of the house at The Bocuse Restaurant,” Aaron
says. “Long-term I’d like to work my way up to captain in a prestigious
New York City restaurant. I’d also like to keep studying wines, and
maybe take a European excursion.”
Sounds like Aaron is going to just keep on moving once he leaves the CIA. But hey… he’s used to it.