“What has surprised me the most is the freedom Rutgers Engineering gave me to continue pursuing my passions. I never felt it as limiting, but instead felt it as liberating.”—Nico Cosereanu
For Nico Cosereanu, majoring in biomedical engineering (BME) has been the best of two worlds, allowing him to fuse his interest in health topics and mathematics. But engineering isn’t his only passion: making tortellini with his mother as a child fed a love of cooking that has led to noteworthy successes as a young chef. He describes his cooking style as “arrogant, creative, elevated, and delicious.”
Why BME?
Esoteric health topics have always interested me, especially since I had some health problems that I fervently would try to cure myself without medical intervention. So, I decided I might as well get a baseline understanding. Math always came easily to me, so I see BME as the best of both worlds.
What most surprised you about Rutgers Engineering?
The freedom it gave me to continue pursuing my passions. I never felt Rutgers Engineering was limiting, but instead felt it was liberating.
What would you tell future students?
It’s okay to be random. Doing well in school should be the baseline. Your good grades should give you the confidence that you can persevere through difficult times – and give you the freedom to follow your passions more deeply.
What is your favorite SoE memory?
It’s running my bootleg internship accelerator program, where I taught other engineering students the principles and fun techniques for getting internships more consistently.
What kind of internships have you had?
I worked at RC Andersen and Northrop Grumman, doing project engineering, and worked as a business development representative, or BDR, at Thereson, an Italian medical company. And I worked at Carcasse, a 1-star Michelin restaurant in Belgium this past summer as a cook.
How did you land that internship?
I watched a YouTube video about the restaurant, and after seeing how much care the head chef Timon Michiels had for the guests and the food, I knew it was a place I had to work in. I
messaged him on Instagram, and we built a relationship until I finally got the chance to cook with him.
How do your BME studies intersect with your culinary passion?
I picture cuisine in different ways from most chefs. My goal is to not only serve dishes that taste amazing, but also to understand why they taste so good.
What do you love most about cooking?
I love how it’s the time when my conscious brain completely turns off. I forget time exists and completely immerse myself in the present moment, operating purely on feel, taste, and intuition. It’s a break from the conscious work that school drills into you. True creativity is unconscious, yet most of waking live I’ve been overthinking.
Is there a cuisine you focus on?
I’m from northern Italy, so I’ve been inspired by the mixture of French and Italian cuisines, focusing on local and seasonal ingredients.
Do you have a signature dish?
My signature dish is my red wine risotto with caramelized pears and gorgonzola bechamel, and nasturtium flowers. My personal cooking website shows some of my other dishes.
I understand you will soon be starring in Season 16 of MasterChef . How did this happen?
There were 10,000 applicants and only 20 people were chosen for the show. There were a lot of interview rounds. The new season hosted by Gordon Ramsay on Fox airs on April 15.
Do you have any other aspirations as a chef?
I want to buy back my family farmhouse built by my great-grandfather in the northern Italian mountains and turn it into a 3-star Michelin restaurant.
What are your immediate post-graduate plans?
My parents ask me that all the time, and I try my best to avoid the question.
What three words best describe your SoE experience?
Stressful. Engaging. Liberating.
