Tag Archives: apprenticeship

WHY COOKS APPRENTICESHIP MAY BE THE ANSWER

17 Monday Jul 2017

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What goes around does come around. For the past forty years the restaurant industry has relinquished its responsibility for serious training to culinary schools across the country. From the days of Careme, Pointe, and Escoffier till the early 1960’s the restaurant industry took full responsibility for training and developing the next wave of professional cooks and chefs. Apprenticeship – both formal and informal – was the means to an end. Young people with the desire and aptitude were put through the ringer as they learned – step by step – the craft of cooking.

Those operations that were large and diverse enough (primarily hotels) would engage these young aspiring individuals in an extended program that saw them work their way through every department in the kitchen: vegetable prep, butchery, pastry, garde manger, banquets, line work, and saucier until they were competent enough to function effectively in every area. This was the curriculum that would eventually yield a new wave of sous chefs and chefs. The road was long and sometimes painful, the demands were great, the accolades were few, the professional rigor was an expectation, and pride and discipline was drilled in. When a person was done – he or she had the confidence and the ability to wear the tallest hat in the kitchen. This is how it was done. If you had the stamina, the patience and the commitment the kitchen would mold you into a highly competent, life-dedicated chef who was able to run an operation effectively.

Sometime in the mid-20th century – restaurants and hotels determined that this process was cumbersome and costly and gladly passed on their responsibility to a growing number of schools with the time and single-focus of teaching and training. Surely, this was the best move for all involved. A handful of schools in the late 1960’s grew to somewhere around 1,000 by the change of centuries. With an industry growing at an exponential rate and American dependence on restaurants for their sustenance, this education industry flourished – churning out thousands of eager graduates every year.

Fast forward to 2017 and the restaurant industry is faced with one of the most significant challenges since Prohibition: growth is slowing not because of a drop in demand, but because the industry cannot seem to find enough qualified people to fill positions within their restaurants. The math doesn’t add up – what happened?

Let’s take a look at some probable reasons for this dilemma and at the same time begin to look towards apprenticeship as the answer once again:

[]         TOO MANY SCHOOLS IS A PROBLEM

The exponential growth of culinary schools has created a competitive environment for enrolled students that may erode many of the core requirements for success: commitment, fit, discipline, desire, intensity, and core ability. When a school’s survival is dependent on achieving substantial enrollment goals then there is room for those schools to set aside some of the core requirements for success. The end result is dwindling completion numbers, and far too many graduates without the foundations to be successful in real operations. This in turn creates an environment where many restaurants feel that they can no longer depend on graduates to meet their expectations. Finally, many of these graduates, once immersed in the day-to-day requirements of kitchen work find that it is not their cup of tea and depart for greener pastures.

Is the problem in the industry that there are not enough people available for the work to be done or is it a case of a lack of competent, committed people for that same work?

[]         THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE

Entering a culinary arts program without a reasonable amount of time in a kitchen beforehand is a recipe for failure. Before becoming a student, the best will spend time working in a kitchen environment to see if this is what floats their boat. Schools intent on filling slots in their program make a mistake in convincing young people to enroll – it should be the other way around. The best schools should find lines of eager culinarians flocking to their doors trying to convince the school that they are right for the challenge.

[]         EXPERIENCE MAY STILL BE THE BEST FORM OF EDUCATION

The culinary “degree” comes with many requirements that are dictated by accrediting organizations. These organizations are essential to a college because they allow for the awarding of degrees and provide student access to financial aid. Without these stamps of approval a college could not exist. In an effort to ensure a broad, well-balanced education that accompanies a “degree”, these organizations require schools to offer courses that are not directly associated with a student major and they place limits on how much time students can spend in classes each day and week. This is designed to allow students the time to prepare and study while enjoying a balanced educational experience. This is, of course, an ideal situation – but at the same time it limits how much a student can invest in building culinary skills and proficiency.

A typical two-year culinary program falls quite short in the amount of kitchen time that an apprenticeship would provide. This is why culinary programs add in-house restaurants and externship experiences to try and build skill through repetition. So, which is better in the long run? Education without experience is shallow at best and experience without the understanding behind it is likely just as shallow.

[]         THE INDUSTRY IS NOT KIND TO KITCHEN WORKERS

The elephant in the room is always the lack of reward associated with kitchen work. In the days of Escoffier and Pointe, young cooks accepted their fate and the price of skill development – but they also didn’t have that looming college tuition debt hanging over their heads. Once again, “If you point your finger at someone who you believe is the cause – note that there are still three more fingers pointing back at you”. Pay and benefits are not the sole solution, but the industry must solve this problem – skilled workers should be paid skilled wages.

[]         REALITY DOES DIFFER FROM THE TEXTBOOK

Schools rely heavily on scenario planning in the classroom and review of case studies to try and build an understanding of what happens and can happen in kitchens every day. Crisis and chaos are always just around the corner in every kitchen. All of this model building pales in comparison to actually living the challenges and disasters that occur in operational kitchens. This reality check – either through school externships or apprenticeship is what builds competence and confidence.

[]         TIME AND REPETITION = SKILL

A cook cannot learn how to bone a chicken by doing so a few times in a guided kitchen lab setting. A cook becomes competent at this by boning hundreds of chickens over time. A cook will never learn how to economically fillet an expensive salmon side by watching a chef demonstrate the process in front of a class – the cook learns by filleting dozens of salmon while a chef looks on with concern over the high cost of mistakes. A student doesn’t learn how to sauté by following a recipe for preparation of an item under the control setting of a kitchen lab – the cook learns how to be effective at sauté when he or she works an insanely busy sauté station in a restaurant for weeks on end. If they cut and burn themselves a few dozen times then that only adds to the learning process. Time and repetition is the real builder of skill.

[]         PAYBACK FOR A FORMAL EDUCATION IS BECOMING UNTENABLE

Young cooks might be able to survive on meager wages for a period of time as they build their skills and resumes, but not if they have $40,000 or more in debt from school loans. The cost of a culinary education has eclipsed a person’s ability to manage on the typical wages paid to cooks and even chefs.

[]         THE TITLE OF CHEF MUST BE EARNED

To some (not all) culinary graduates – there is a belief that the cost of their education entitles them to short-circuit the time it would take to become a chef. “Chef” is more than a title – the person in that role has the time-tested experience to make the right decisions, hire the right people, train them to be competent contributors, plan effective menus, negotiate with vendors, communicate with other players within and outside the restaurant, and serve as a role model for others. This title must be earned every day on the job and these leadership traits and trust that define a chef take time develop.

[]         IT IS THE DISCIPLINE OF BEING THERE THAT BUILDS CHARACTER

When cooks gradually work their way up the kitchen ladder they learn how important discipline is to success. The disciplines of dependability, station organization, focus on technique, sanitation and safety, and teamwork is the building blocks of a future chef. We can talk about this in the classroom, emulate it in the kitchen lab, and encourage students to look for it while on externship, but it is the process of living it every day in a professional kitchen that makes it part of a cooks character.

[]         TO THOSE WHO CAN’T AFFORD IT – THERE IS AN ANSWER

Certainly a formal culinary education provides many incredible advantages, but with it comes a cost. The most significant advantage of an apprenticeship for those who have the passion is that apprentices are paid while they learn vs. paying while they learn. For those with the time, resources, and commitment – a culinary education is a fantastic tool, for those who share all of those traits but find the financial resources required of an education to be insurmountable – then apprenticeship is a viable alternative.

[]         LIVE IT TO LOVE IT

Whether you choose a culinary school or apprenticeship, it is important for any person considering a career in the kitchen to enter it because they love it. If you love it then you will understand how important it is to commit to living it – full time. Invest yourself if you want to invest in yourself. If you do select culinary school as your vehicle then do your research and identify those programs that invest heavily in experiential training.

There are many informal apprenticeships in quality restaurants and destination resorts – if you are looking for a more formal approach then take a look at the nationally recognized apprenticeships through the American Culinary Federation.

http://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Education/Apprenticeship/ACF/Education/Apprenticeship/

If you intent is to pursue a formal culinary education, then of the nearly 1,000 such programs from coast-to-coast, the following link points to programs accredited by the American Culinary Federation. There are other high quality programs that choose not to seek ACF accreditation – do your research.

http://www.acfchefs.org/ACFSource/Education/Postsecondary.aspx

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

Restaurant and Culinary School Consulting and Training

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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MINIMUM WAGE DEBATE IN RESTAURANTS

24 Friday Jan 2014

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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MINIMUM WAGE DEBATE IN RESTAURANTS

There are numerous ways to look at the debate over raising the minimum wage in the United States. First, there is no question that low-end wages have not kept up with the cost of living and that, of course, is an issue that needs serious consideration, however it appears that the primary target has been the restaurant industry. Restaurants are likely one of the most significant sources of minimum wage jobs, thus it is understandable that it would be the focus of this on-going debate.

I do not profess to have the answer to this issue that would satisfy the needs of all sides of the argument, however, I think that it is important to look at the situation from every angle. Unemotional assessment oftentimes leads to the best resolutions.

The positions in the restaurant industry that are the subject of concern are typically classified as either “entry level” or “gratuity based” positions. I refrain from using the term “unskilled” because that is far from the truth. All positions in a service industry have a level of skill associated with successful execution of tasks. To this end it is important to define “entry-level”. By definition, this would infer that there is a track for growth and that the initial position is temporary if the individual is willing and able to take advantage of the opportunities availed. This, to me, is the real issue.

When an industry provides “entry-level” positions does it have a responsibility to provide opportunities for growth? Does this mean that this same industry has a responsibility to assist “entry-level” employees reach those opportunities through effective training and assessment? I believe that the answer is yes and also believe that few industries are as well positioned as restaurants to do so.

Unfortunately, formal training programs are few and far between. The intent is there since most restaurants would agree that promoting from within is preferred to constantly searching for candidates to jumpstart their careers by entering an established business culture without a true understanding of the dynamics of its team. Intent is rarely supported by the funds or the investment of time in the process of training people for growth.

Minimum wage is designed to give people a chance. In restaurant operations there are numerous examples of dishwashers who became breakfast cooks and eventually went on to become chefs or managers. If you were to poll a sampling of successful professionals in the prime of their careers I would dare say that a large percentage likely began with a minimum wage position in restaurants. This was their foray into the world of work and the experience provided them with an opportunity to grow.

Entry-level positions are not designed to be a long-term career for anyone. To view them as the sole means of providing a livable wage is not realistic. When education and training are not in place to provide opportunities for growth then entry-level, minimum wage jobs appear to be a problem that needs to be fixed.

The restaurant industry is labor intensive. The provision of a service that is driven by customer spontaneity, requiring the creation and service of products to order will always be difficult to automate and systematize. The profit margins are very slim, limiting the funds available to support a large labor force. You can do the math.

In the front-of-the-house another related issue is a concern. Gratuity based employees can, by law, be paid a sub-minimum wage with the intent that customer gratuities will bring their average wage at least up to Federal minimum. In most cases, this is the reality and service staff will typically make substantially more than minimum as a result. There are a handful of restaurants considering the elimination of gratuities and simply paying servers a much better wage. On the surface this sounds reasonable, however elimination of gratuities will simply mean that the selling prices of menu items will need to increase substantially to support the higher wages associated with service impacting the incentive for an entrepreneurial approach.

Service staff members in a restaurant are private entrepreneurs who have been given an opportunity to set up shop in a restaurant dining room. They must adhere to the standards of the operation, however the more adept they are at meeting and exceeding guest expectations, the more they know about the product that they sell, the more they are able to control the outcome of the guest experience, the better their private business will perform. It is similar to having your own business without any upfront investment of capital. They are in control of their success and earning power.

With the right training in place and a commitment from the restaurant to invest in training, dishwashers can become better paid cooks and maybe even kitchen managers and chefs and servers can become the next wave of restaurant supervisors and managers. It is this investment in people that will take the focus off of minimum wage and benefit the business at the same time.

A positive approach would be for the restaurant industry, as a whole, to reinvigorate the age-old apprenticeship model that has been the hallmark of hospitality throughout Europe and one that continues to flourish with some of the trade careers in the United States. Individuals would begin their career as an entry-level Apprentice while they learn the basics of a trade, move on to Journeyman status after successful assessment of their acquired skills and eventually on to a Master once they have completed the program. At each stage the wages they receive would increase, as would their overall value to the company. The investment of time and funds would be apparent on the part of the employer and the commitment of time would be required of the employee (typically a three year contract to work for the company).

Not everyone is inclined or can afford to pursue a college education so this model would provide an alternative with comparable results. The investment on the part of the employer would help to address the issues of employee attrition and the short-term concern over “entry-level” wages. Apprenticeship can be a win-win and possibly a more effective alternative to simply raising minimum wage.

Let’s push for investment in training and a restructuring of our education system to provide improved skilled career opportunities for young people.

PLAN BETTER –TRAIN HARDER

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AMERICAN PLAN HOTELS – A TIME OF TRANSITION

30 Monday Dec 2013

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AMERICAN PLAN HOTELS – A TIME OF TRANSITION

We all remember watching the movie “Dirty Dancing” which takes place in the Catskill Mountains of New York during the heyday of the destination American Plan Hotel. A place of tradition where families booked “their week” every year and focused on rest, relaxation, bonding and pampering – all for one price. These hotels dotted the American landscape from coast to coast offering everything that a family could ask for: all meals, golf, tennis, swimming, boating, entertainment, cocktail hours and personal coaches for all of these activities. This “right of passage” was passed down from generation to generation, setting aside “their week” as an essential part of family life.

At the time, we had fewer distractions than today without the need for constant communication using our electronic devices, less need to be busy every minute, less need to be independent and a much greater need to be together. These hotels flourished finding themselves more focused on serving their guests and paying less attention to the need for guerilla marketing to get their share. Their guests continued to arrive each season as a result of traditions passed from generation to generation.

From a hotel’s perspective all services were amenities to support the revenue from packaged room sales. The hotel needed to provide exceptional dining, interesting activities, learning opportunities, and face-to-face social networking in order to sell their packages. Sure, each department had a budget, but for the most part it was an expense ceiling. These areas within the resort were not expected to generate revenue, but rather control their share of expenses. To this end they were not viewed as separate businesses but rather parts of the whole. If the resort was profitable, then all departments were viewed as viable.

Over time transportation became easier, technology robbed us of the desire to step back and “get away”, family traditions began to dissolve, competition for consumer time and money increased exponentially and our American Plan Resorts lost much of their sparkle. The Catskills and Poconos were no longer the place to vacation and those American Grand Hotels that were able to survive found themselves in a highly competitive market that forced change.

In an effort to maintain a comfortable level of occupancy these resorts enhanced their marketing departments and dramatically shifted budgets to ensure that sufficient cash flow existed to support the business. Traditional “family weeks” that had been passed down from generation to generation would be replaced by a need to attract transient, short stay guests, business travelers, conferences, conventions and other event activities that had previously been reserved for the “shoulder seasons”. From an accounting standpoint it was no longer acceptable to view departments as amenities, they needed to view themselves as separate businesses that could demonstrate sales to cost ratios leading to profit contribution. If a department was unable to demonstrate profit it was eliminated, replaced or outsourced. The American Plan hotel was now beginning to look and act like any other hotel. The real downside was that most of these resorts had been built as destinations that were isolated from the activity of cities. It became more and more difficult for these properties to survive, let alone thrive.

Even the landmark properties across the country, the ones that folk lore was built from: The Greenbrier, Mohonk Mountain House, Broadmoor, Breakers, Casa Monica, The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Basin Harbor Club, Mount Washington Hotel, The Lake Placid Club and the Balsams Grand Resort were finding themselves in a catch-up game.

From a young cooks perspective, working in an American Plan Hotel was the perfect environment to learn your trade and build a resume. It was even possible to flip properties from season to season and become a vagabond cook chasing opportunities and the weather that you preferred. The kitchens were large (sometimes multiple kitchens), staffed with Executive Chef and all other departments outlined by Escoffier as part of his classical brigade. You could work in the butcher shop, garde manger, the saucier station, roast station and grill all within a season. Hundreds of guaranteed guests every day, three meals per day, buffets, a ‘la carte menus, receptions, snack stations, ice carvings, weddings, reunions, outdoor pig roasts, and the list goes on and on; the resort had it all.

To place an American Plan Hotel kitchen on your resume was to clearly state to an employer that you had the chops. You were versatile and could fit in anywhere and handle any level of business. This was the place where many of the accomplished cooks across the country were born. Many hotels were so successful at training that they developed their own apprenticeship programs that included placement in sister properties during their off-season. As the era of American Plan vacationing began to fade, so too did this avenue for culinary education.

Many of these Grand Hotels have either closed or transitioned to another format, leaving behind a gap in American culture. Family traditions have lost their appeal and the venues for this to occur.

In recent decades properties like the Lake Placid Club in the Adirondacks and the Balsams Grand Resort have joined their fellow hotels from the Catskills and Poconos and shuttered their doors. The Balsams, one of my personal favorite properties and a location where I spent a number of weeks over the years polishing my craft and enjoying the formality of a classic kitchen was sold and closed in recent years. There is still promise that this magnificent piece of America will reopen at some point and bring life back to the rural mountain area of New Hampshire that it called home for generations. We can only hope.

This article points to the progress or lack there of in resurrecting an important piece of Americana. If you have a warm spot in your heart for these properties then SHARE this article with your networks.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/localstate/N_H__resort_hotel_crucial_to_jobs_remains_shut_.html?fb_action_ids=696286723734958&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5b193787277489809%5d&action_type_map=%5b%22og.recommends%22%5d&action_ref_map=%5b%5d

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The Problem with College for Everyone

08 Thursday Aug 2013

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As a person who spent 30 years as a teacher and administrator in higher education I have often thought of the dilemma we have created in the U.S. The term “education” is drawn from the Latin root word: “Educo” which somewhat literally means to draw forth. This attacks the premise that our goal as educators is to “give knowledge” and assume that the end result will be an individual ready, willing and able to function effectively in society. The intent of those who gave the process a name was to provide an environment where the “student” becomes aware of his/her own potential and calling and that they should have as much to offer in the classroom as the person orchestrating the class. What further complicates the problem that we have created is the feeling that without a college education, any individual will have a difficult time in life fitting in, making a living and making a difference.

I must state that I have no scientific study to support my theory except my observations as a teacher and as a chef and restaurant manager. Let me ramble on….

What about the trades? It was the craftsmen who made this country great; the doers, those people who made great things by using their innate creativity and their hand skills. When I watch great carpenters, plumbers, electricians, sculptors, painters (commercial and artistic), line cooks, mixologists, computer wizards, photographers, farmers, cheese makers, wine makers, etc. I find a greater sense of amazement and wonder than watching the most highly credentialed person directing the functions of an office. All of these trades and professions are important and everyone who is good at what they do should be admired. When we infer that one type of career is more valuable than another to our young people then we have participated in the worst form of bigotry.

Colleges have convinced families that a college education is the only real track for their son or daughter’s success and as a result we have many students misplaced in a program that is not for them, is outside of their ability or is simply too expensive in the long-run placing students in decades of debt.

As we have pressed the issue for college as the portal for any success (we even promote statistical data that demonstrates life-long earning power of those with various degrees vs. high school diplomas) more and more colleges have been built, college programs have been designed when the degree makes little difference with their success in that field, admissions criteria has become lax in an effort to fill seats and cover the cost of delivering these programs, and more and more students are either pushed through as a result of lowering standards, or fail to complete because it was not the right fit for them.

Every culinary school allows their graduates to believe that students will be noteworthy executive chefs or restaurant owners soon after graduation thus leading to significant disappointment, specialized degrees result in graduates with an expensive document and likely some good memories, but no prospect of a career in that field, and a debt load that parallels buying a house.

In the meantime, those wonderful craftsmen who amaze everyone who watches (carpenters, metal workers, great plumbers and electricians, line cooks, cake decorators, mechanics, and computer hardware builders) wonder where the next generation of craftspeople will come from.

College is not, nor should it be for everyone. Trade programs and apprenticeships should be restored to prominence and should participate in a program of educating guidance counselors, parents and students about the joy and oftentimes lucrative nature of the trades. I know many carpenters and electricians who have much nicer homes (paid for) than those in the professions that were defined by a college degree.

As an aside, these trade people actually use math, science and communication skills on a daily basis. Just watch a gifted carpenter figure out the angles for an addition to a house or a piece of furniture, watch a cook wrestle with the design of a new recipe or simply expand a recipe to yield a certain amount of finished product.

I support the president’s administration and their effort to promote community colleges and trade programs. Apprenticeship, which is still alive and well in Europe, should receive support from the federal government and trade schools should be a focus of an intensive PR campaign.

If America wants to restore it’s economic prominence in the world we must begin to make things again. Craftsmen are the backbone of a respected economy. Service economics is something that I promote and have always focused on when in the classroom, however, service without a proud product to serve is the basis for a subservient economy.

It really is time for a revamp of not just how we teach our young people but what we teach them and how we present their options in life. As with the meaning of Educo, our job is to draw forth and learn from each individual what will make their life full, enjoyable and financially rewarding.

I imagine many of you will have an opinion about this article. Fire away.

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