I'm an enthusiastic Chef and Culinary Arts Instructor eager to contribute to team success through hard work, attention to detail and excellent organizational skills. My extensive experience in the restaurant and wine business, along with my 12 years in education give me a clear understanding of cost controls, budgets, working with existing inventory, and training in staff/student/volunteer development. Motivated to learn, grow and excel while applying my skills and talents to help solve today's social injustices.
- Extensive Diet, Nutrition, and Wellness Knowledge
- Communications
- Knife safety understanding
- American Culinary Federation Member
- Differentiated instruction
- Business operations
- Problem resolution
- Customer service
- Nutrition expert
- Seasonal, locally-accessed ingredient cooking specialist
- Cost Control and Budget
- Research and Planning
- Relationship development
- Process improvement
- Organizational Skills
State of Missouri, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Continuous Career Education, Exp. 2114
ServSafe Certification - Food Protection Manager Manager Certification, Exp. 2022
Edison, NJ, 08/2008 - 07/2020
- Supervised students in kitchen lab setting to maintain safety and efficiency targets
- Prepared lesson plans for classroom instruction of credited technical and occupational courses
- Directed college-level instruction along with full service restaurant and catering management and operation
- Designed hands-on lesson plans for up to 20 students on a daily basis
- Developed and implemented creative lesson plans to reach diverse student audience
- Facilitated ongoing program reviews and continuous improvement efforts and fostered positive learning environment by developing curriculum and instructional support that targeted and engaged all students
- Encouraged students to enhance recipes with personal style
- Taught culinary theory and practice in a professional, structured environment, focusing on food production, food safety and restaurant operations
- Trained winning teams to participate in culinary competitions, developing student skills and confidence
- Taught basic cooking skills during both one-on-one and group classes
- Provided detailed instruction and role modeling for acceptable social and work-related behaviors
- Facilitated Project-Based learning through authentic activities, ie. regularly cooking and serving of district-held events as well as community events
Manitowoc, WI, 03/2003 - 07/2017
- Managed day-to-day business operations, including accounting, finance, HR, marketing and public relations
- Provided full-service catering, box lunches, and Sommelier presentations for corporate and private clients
- Facilitated team-building cooking events for corporate and private clients
- Worked with local purveyors and farmers on community food events
- Aligned seasonal plans with ingredient availability and key area events for optimal promotions
- Kept labor at or below 20% to support business profit targets
- Mentored more than 30 kitchen staff at all levels to prepare each for demanding roles
- Collaborated with vendors to source desired recipe ingredients while maintaining tight cost controls
- Inventoried food, ingredient and supply stock to prepare and plan vendor orders
- Prevented cross-contamination from utensils, surfaces and pans when cooking and plating meals for food allergy sufferers
- Estimated food consumption and requisitioned food, selected and developed recipes, standardized production recipes for consistent quality and established presentation technique
- Developed and cooked exciting, memorable dishes that consistently brought new clients
- Developed menus, controlled food costs and oversaw quality, sanitation and safety processes
- Maintained well-organized mise en place to keep work efficient and consistent
- Oversaw scheduling, inventory management and supply ordering to maintain fully stocked kitchen
- Scheduled and received food and beverage deliveries, adhering to food cost and budget
- Developed and remained accountable for safety, quality, consistency and adherence to standards
- Properly handled and stored food to eliminate illness and prevent cross-contamination
- Planned promotional menu additions based on seasonal pricing and product availability
- Hired, trained and managed all kitchen staff, including employee development, issuing disciplinary action and conducting performance reviews
- Verified compliance in preparation of menu items and customer special requests
- Trained and managed kitchen personnel and supervised all related culinary activity
- Monitored and controlled overhead and production costs with responsibility for profit and loss
- Spearheaded menu planning, recipe development and day-today management for 6 locations, as well as high-volume catering operations
City, STATE, 03/1999 - 03/2002
- Oversaw inventory by ordering precise quantities of stock and executing corrective actions to drive profitability
- Managed budget implementations, employee reviews, training, schedules and contract negotiations
- Delivered business strategy and developed systems and procedures to improve operational quality and team efficiency
- Increased revenue streams by reducing costs, managing schedules and performing variance and risk analysis to implement corrective actions
- Organized budgets, oversaw P&Ls and achieved margin targets consistently to stay on track with growth plans
- Enhanced operational success through effective staffing, strong training, adherence to safety regulations and well-timed customer service
- Reviewed performance data to monitor and measure productivity, goal progress and activity levels
- Received superior customer service satisfaction scores for 10 consecutive quarters
- Worked directly with management, Executive Chef, and Programming department to brainstorm, discuss strategy and mitigate food waste issues
With over 35 years in the food and beverage industry, I have retired as the Culinary Arts Instructor at the Fort Osage Career and Technology Center, a 2-year program for grades 11/12. Food literacy is the vehicle I have used to motivate kids to take an active interest in their own lives and to connect to their communities.
My mission has been to teach students to become positive contributors and leaders through an integrated approach of teaching Technical, Academic and 21st Century skills facilitated by active, voluntary learning. With a focus on college and career readiness, the āfarm-to-forkā curriculum introduced growing, cooking, serving, and eating food as they relate to professional and personal success and well-being.
The food service industry has given me immeasurable opportunities and experiences I would not have otherwise had. Iām convinced of that. It has the capacity to educate, connect families, and unite friends as few things can. I am eager to apply my talents, skills, and innovative approach to help solve today's most pressing social issues.
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Resume Overview
School Attended
- University of Central Missouri
Job Titles Held:
- Culinary Arts Instructor
- Chef Owner
- General Manager
Degrees
- Associate of Arts
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