I'm going to go out on a limb here, and guess that the majority of public radio listeners aren't also huge fans of "reality" T.V. Running with that assumption, I'm also going to guess not everyone reading this has already heard of Chicago's Tommy Walton. Well let me tell you...
Listen to the interview with him, here:
"It's really important to dream. It's important to dream big, and dream in full color ... The future belongs to those who have the vision to see it." - Tommy Walton
Walton, a fashion designer and professor, was a contestant on this season of MasterChef. In case you don't know - it's a show on Fox (or in my case, Hulu) where chef Gordon Ramsay of Hell's Kitchen fame is one of the judges. What are called home-chefs, (aka non-professional chefs) - fight to gain the title and win prize money and the ability to publish their own cook-book.
Walton made it pretty far - getting to the top seven, but he was booted off earlier this month. He still has big plans for the future, and will continue to teach at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as he has done for 20 years. He also wants to open 'Tommy Walton's Caviar Club', which would combine performance art, food & "high fashion." His advice to others who want to pursue a career living their creative dream? "It's really important to dream. It's important to dream big, and dream in full color ... The future belongs to those who have the vision to see it." As for himself? "I can see (the future) in a kaleidoscopic panoramic way, and I'm going to do something big!"
