Top accomplishment this year:
Winning Ohio Living’s Top Sous Chef award for 2017.
What’s been your most rewarding moment?
At a time in life where our residents are looking back on full and accomplished lives, it makes me very happy to be able to provide a small bit of the Tardis (the time machine in “Dr. Who”) to transport our diners to a different time in their lives with fond memories. This is not an easy feat by any means, and certainly not one that happens every day. But when I arrive in the morning and see feedback from the previous day that alludes to this experience, I can’t wait to happily share the achievement with our staff.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?
Noncommercial foodservice staffing can be difficult to the point where you are taking anyone who is interested and training them from the ground up, versus having a pool of hungry young culinarians who will fight among themselves just to show you how well they can brunoise a pepper. This also means thick skin can be in short supply, so checking your attitude and approach to managing staff at the door becomes crucial.
What attracted you to the noncommercial foodservice segment?
Initially, it was the ability to have more of a “normal” life schedule as my family began to grow, as well as the opportunities for more professional growth paths. It quickly became clear to me that with the newfound occasional weekend off came the chance to be a part of providing hospitality beyond just a fancy dining experience: whole life hospitality.