CULINARY EDUCATION: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

by Michele Teat

Chef Robert Danhi The question of to go or not to go – to culinary school – is a question that all potential chefs must ask themselves. There are many considerations when trying to reach a decision, including time, money, location … the list goes on and on. Asian Restaurant News spoke with chef and culinary educator – among other things – Robert Danhi, who gave us a glimpse of the many rewards of a culinary education. “If you look at the top-profile chefs in the country, many are not formally educated,” says Robert. “One major reason that is, is because they all started 20 or 30 years ago. If you look at the young, hot stars, a lot of them are formally educated. It’s a different world now. It’s now commonplace, where it used to be a rarity.” In today’s market, Robert says that culinarians entering the field are almost expected to have a culinary degree. “There are numerous successful chefs that have not gone to culinary school – this is more common in the restaurants, hotels and other traditional foodservice arenas,” said Robert. “If you are looking into Research and Development, food media, chain restaurants, onsite dining services and so on, a formal education is much more important.” He adds that a person that has learned from only hands-on experience might initially be ahead in some ways, such as money or position, but when you take the time out to get education, you can often climb the ladder quicker in the long run. “Of course, it’s competency-based and depends on the person,” said Robert. “My second favorite thing to teach is effective communication skills. It’s not just about cooking skills; when you’re executive chef, you’re cooking maybe 10% of the time. It’s all about communication skills and management. And interpersonal communication makes all the difference. It’s not what you know, it’s how you can communicate it because you can’t do it all yourself.” He emphasizes that a formal education provides an environment that is specifically geared toward training and educating, whereas those that have moved up through the ranks have often just learned through people screaming and yelling. It is because of this, he says, that the people who have gone to school often become better managers and educators because they were in a situation that helped to cultivate and refine these skills. “I recommend that people looking to attend a culinary school visit at least three in person – one should be the CIA,” says Robert. “We all are different, and seeing the campus, hearing the faculty and students, tasting their food and experiencing the culture is worth the expense of the trips around the country. It is one of the single most important decisions in your career – invest in finding the right fit for your culinary education. And if you can afford the time and money – get a bachelor’s degree. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, convenience should not be a consideration – move to where the best fit is for you!” At age the age of 15, Robert began his culinary journey by working in a restaurant for two years, and says that he “got hooked” on the food business and the excitement of the food business. At Ocean Avenue Seafood, he worked with the first two educated culinarians he had met thus far, both of whom had attended CIA. At age 19, Robert became a sous chef but realized that if he wanted to continue to move up, he would need a formal education. He then acquired his first degree from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. Robert says that at CIA, it’s not just what happens in the classroom that is important. “There are some great faculty and teachers and curriculum all over the country, but what makes the CIA special for me was all of the other things that happened on campus, opportunities for those that really put the effort into it,” said Robert. “If you’re going to get involved in clubs that are active – Wine Society, Food Art Club, Global Food Society and numerous others available – plus you have 90+ chef instructors that are teaching there and are also doing other activities. There are opportunities to get involved with them and guest chefs coming all the time.” After graduating from CIA, Robert worked in a few restaurants, and after 10 years in the restaurant industry, he transitioned into the culinary education world as a teacher. “Seeing people’s eyes light up when they ‘get it’ is a wonderful feeling,” said Robert. “You’re affecting their daily life, you’re not just teaching them a trade. They’re learning something that they can use personally and professionally. It is just wonderful being in that environment, where everyone is just wanting to learn, it’s all about the food.” Robert then moved on to an Executive Chef Instructor position at the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, and was ultimately was the Director of Education, leading the school through accreditation with the A.C.I.C.S. He eventually returned to the CIA, teaching over a dozen classes in the degree program and working with industry professionals in the Continuing Education Department. The Culinary Institute of America Robert also led the redevelopment of the Cuisines of Asia course, a 14-day course covering Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian and Indian cuisines. Continuing his focus in culinary education, Robert studied to attain a specialized Bachelors degree in Culinary Education. He is also a Certified Hospitality Educator and Certified Culinary Culinary Educator, showing his dedication to promoting culinary education. Next, he joined Two Chefs on a Roll in Los Angeles, California, which designs and manufactures soups, sauces, dips, appetizers and desserts. As the Conqueror of Discriminating Tastebuds and Executive Chef, he partnered with restaurant chains and retailers to help bring their guests and customers the best quality food possible by working within the Sales & Marketing and Research & Development departments. He teaches at CIA as a Consulting Chef Instructor, and is finishing the research, writing and photography for his first book, The Flavors of Southeast Asia – an adventure on how to cook Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean and Malaysian cuisines. He leads Culinary Immersion Tours to Southeast Asia and is the Culinary Advisor for 7 Paths, a new line of fresh and refrigerated Asian foods that are inspired by travels across the vast continent of Asia. Robert still perseveres in his teaching because he says “the most rewarding job is being in the classroom and seeing the students mature, having them at the beginning of their education and being able to teach them and work with them at the end. The definition of education is change, and you change that person as a whole, not just as a cook but also as an individual. And if you’re a good teacher, you affect their life forever.” For more information, please visit www.chefdanhi.com