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Brian
Student
Sedro-Woolley, Washington
2
Questions
Asked
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have a few questions?
"Can you tell me about your career journey and what led you to your current role if cullinary or security is your chosen
"What inspired you to pursue a career in security, and how did you get started in this field?"
"What skills or experiences helped you the most when starting out in the culinary industry?"
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Thomas Robert Clarke
Award winning freelance photographer best known for editorial, commercial, architectural, and food related photography.
2
Answers
Princeton, New Jersey
Updated
Thomas Robert’s Answer
I can't speak to the security side, but I have spent the bulk of my working life in the service industry and can share some insights about how I started, where it took me, and what I learned.
My family was working-poor and couldn't afford to give me an allowance so I started bussing tables at a local cafe when I was 12 years old. My mom had to sign special papers allowing me to take on the part time job at that age. I quickly learned how to do other things there like make espresso drinks, make sandwiches, and more... from there I found jobs working "front of the house" in burger joints and ice cream shops while in high school, and in college I started waiting tables. I loved being around the energy and learning how to make things and as I learned more I started working in "nicer" places with more robust menus where a higher level of skill was required. I decided I wanted to go to culinary school and said something to the chef at the restaurant I was working at the time. He suggested I come in an hour early before my shifts and he'd show me the ropes. I got so good that he even had me cook one busy Friday night when one of the line cooks went down! The greatest lesson I learned from that was that I DIDN'T want to be a chef! It was a great experience, but in the end I discovered it wasn't for me and my passions in the culinary world were elsewhere... good thing I didn't have to spend $30K to learn that lesson, right?
The point of this is to say the best advice I have for you is to find a cafe or restaurant that is hiring and get your foot in the door. Once in, listen and understand what your job is and show interest in other roles as well. There is nothing more valuable to a restaurant owner/manager than an employee that can do a bit of everything (bus, wait tables, bartend, dishes, cook...) and you'll learn what you like most in the industry! The service industry, by and large, is filled with kind and generous people that love nothing more than to help others!
Fast forward to today, I am no longer in the industry but I work close to it. I frequently have the opportunity to meet with chefs and bartenders in Michelin starred restaurants in NYC and Washington DC, as well as top restaurants in NJ and the Phila. area and I can tell you that a great deal of those most respected chefs and bartenders didn't go to culinary school but had a similar journey as my own! They had a passion to learn and create, and found mentors as they worked their way up just like how I described to you here.
Bottom line:
Get in the door
Listen and learn
Be friendly and ask questions
Be willing to do a variety of jobs
HAVE FUN!
My family was working-poor and couldn't afford to give me an allowance so I started bussing tables at a local cafe when I was 12 years old. My mom had to sign special papers allowing me to take on the part time job at that age. I quickly learned how to do other things there like make espresso drinks, make sandwiches, and more... from there I found jobs working "front of the house" in burger joints and ice cream shops while in high school, and in college I started waiting tables. I loved being around the energy and learning how to make things and as I learned more I started working in "nicer" places with more robust menus where a higher level of skill was required. I decided I wanted to go to culinary school and said something to the chef at the restaurant I was working at the time. He suggested I come in an hour early before my shifts and he'd show me the ropes. I got so good that he even had me cook one busy Friday night when one of the line cooks went down! The greatest lesson I learned from that was that I DIDN'T want to be a chef! It was a great experience, but in the end I discovered it wasn't for me and my passions in the culinary world were elsewhere... good thing I didn't have to spend $30K to learn that lesson, right?
The point of this is to say the best advice I have for you is to find a cafe or restaurant that is hiring and get your foot in the door. Once in, listen and understand what your job is and show interest in other roles as well. There is nothing more valuable to a restaurant owner/manager than an employee that can do a bit of everything (bus, wait tables, bartend, dishes, cook...) and you'll learn what you like most in the industry! The service industry, by and large, is filled with kind and generous people that love nothing more than to help others!
Fast forward to today, I am no longer in the industry but I work close to it. I frequently have the opportunity to meet with chefs and bartenders in Michelin starred restaurants in NYC and Washington DC, as well as top restaurants in NJ and the Phila. area and I can tell you that a great deal of those most respected chefs and bartenders didn't go to culinary school but had a similar journey as my own! They had a passion to learn and create, and found mentors as they worked their way up just like how I described to you here.
Bottom line:
Get in the door
Listen and learn
Be friendly and ask questions
Be willing to do a variety of jobs
HAVE FUN!