Getting Real About Culinary Schools and Restaurants

Read Being a Chef in the Modern Culinary-Arts Field for more information.

This is an interview with a former executive chef who cooked and worked in restaurants since he was fourteen years old. My goal was to compare my personal experience and perspective of culinary schools and the restaurant business with that of someone who had many years of experience and traveled the path I wanted to take. Here is what I learned.

What is your background?
I've been cooking ever since I was fourteen years old. I started in the culinary business as a dishwasher, and I worked my way up to the manager of Bob's Big Boy restaurant and similar restaurants. I eventually took a culinary course at a French cooking school with Victoria Emmons. I did private catering with her for a number of years. Then I did a three year internship at the San Jose Athletic Club for three different chefs. I learned about garde manger, entrees, sauces, soups and meat cutting. I eventually went to a restaurant management company in San Francisco where I started as a sous chef and became the executive chef for about four to five years.

Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently in guiding your own career?
I did what I wanted to do. I started out as a dishwasher and I wanted to be an executive chef. I have been an executive chef and I still can be. I've entered a lot of cooking contests. I think I've done what I wanted to do and accomplish in this business, short of being a master chef. I'm not interested in becoming a master chef.

What has been the best part or aspect for you about working in the culinary profession?
Meeting the people and working with a lot of different people. I've had opportunities to design kitchens. I love writing menus, and just working with food.