Culinary Agents Blog

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Words of Wisdom: Career Advice from Leaders in Hospitality

In the past year, we have interviewed a diverse group of industry leaders for our Get Inspired page as a way of passing along lessons learned and important career advice to aspiring professionals. These leaders in hospitality share some valuable advice:

Jeff Katz General Manager of Del Posto

"Find a place that fits your personality and STAY THERE. Learn as much as you can. Learn beyond food and wine knowledge. Learn beyond appropriate service. Learn what makes the restaurant tick. When opportunity knocks, walk through the door. I promise that door will open, just wait for it."

Graceanne Jordan Director of Operations for Craft Restaurant Group

"There are always going to be challenging times in our careers. I know who to go to when I need gas to fill my tank. Identify that person and keep them close."

Pierre Siue General Manager at Daniel 

"The best career advice anyone can give or receive is to do what you love. It’s simple and true. If you feel passionate about the work you do every day, you work harder, grow faster and share that passion with the people around you."

Pascaline Lepeltier Master Sommelier and Beverage Director of Rouge Tomate 

"Learn everything, do everything. There is no little part, no little job."

Nelson Dequip Wine and Spirits Director at Canlis

"Surround yourself with mentors - good people and people who are more talented than you that you can learn from."

Sabato Sagaria Master Sommelier and Chief Culinary Officer of Union Square Hospitality Group

"It is an extremely small world we work and play in. You are always interviewing for your next job and you never know who is watching."

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Must-Read Titles for the Aspiring Culinary and Hospitality Professional

We asked chefs, one of our favorite bookstores, and our Twitter followers to share with us what they consider to be essential reading for aspiring culinary and hospitality professionals. Below are the most popular titles that came up, plus a few of our own favorites. Any of these would make a great holiday gift. 

Hospitality: 

"Setting the Table" - Danny Meyer

"The Art of the Restaurateur" - Nicholas Landers

Wine:

"Adventures on the Wine Route" - Kermit Lynch

"Reading Between the Wines" - Terry Theise 

"The World Atlas of Wine" - Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson

or "Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1368 Varieties" - Jancis Robinson

Culinary:

"Le Répertoire de La Cuisine" - Louis Saulnier

"Larousse Gastronomique" - Prosper Montagné 

"Flavor Bible" - Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

"On Food and Cooking" - Harold McGee

"Letters to a Young Chef" - Daniel Boulud

"Ratio" - Michael Ruhlman 

Extra Curricular: 

"The Art of Eating" - M.F.K. Fisher 

"Heat" - Bill Buford

"Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat" - Grant Achatz

"Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of Reluctant Chef" - Gabrielle Hamilton 

"My Life in France" - Julia Child

"The Chef Says: Quotes, Quips, and Words of Wisdom" - compiled and edited by Nach Waxman & Matt Sartwell

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If I knew then what I know now...

We ask our guest mentors a series of questions for their Inspirational Career Timelines, ranging from how they started out in their career to lessons learned along the way. One of our favorite questions that we often pose to chefs is, "If you could go back in time to the early stages of your career, what is one piece of advice you would give yourself?" Here are a few of our favorite responses:

Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson Executive Chef/Co-Owner of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, CO

“I wish I could have had someone sit down with me and say early in my career, “Here’s the deal - cooking is really important, but it’s not the only thing”. It’s important to understand the economic discipline that can create a sustainable business. Sadly cooking is the only focus for most young chefs and often the reason so few succeed.”

Anita Lo Owner and Executive Chef of Annisa in New York City

“I wish I had known 10 years ago to take better care of my body. This career can be grueling.”

Charlie Parker Executive Chef at Haven in Oakland, CA

“If I could go back the earlier stages in my career, I would tell myself to be as patient as possible and absorb as much as you can.”

Nadine Donovan Executive Pastry Chef at Old Major in Denver, CO

“If I could go back ten years, I would tell myself to slow down and pay more attention to detail. It's not about what the finish line looks like, it's all about experience along the way. Classic tortoise and the hare story.”

Gavin Kaysen Executive Chef and Owner of Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis

“I don’t think I would have wanted to know 10 years ago what I know now. I think my success at that young age came from being so naïve.”

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"Hospitality is the secret weapon that we need, all of us, to partake in." - Bobby Stuckey MS, Wine Director/Co-Owner of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, CO

We found this TED talk to be be such an inspiring and well articulated summary of hospitality. 

Bobby points out the difference between service and hospitality.

"Hospitality is not thinking of yourself - it's thinking of the other person and making them feel different. It's about looking out instead of looking in."

He invites us all to go out into the world with our work, family and communities, beyond the restaurant dining room, and offer that same level of hospitality.

"Every one of us can do great hospitality...I can look outward and help someone else."

We are a team who proudly infuses hospitality into our company culture and customer interactions on and off line. If you are someone looking for the next step in your career or you’re a business looking to find talent to join your team, we look forward to welcoming you to our site.

Thank you Bobby for your ongoing support and for being the ultimate "hospitalian"!

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5 Best Practices for Businesses Using Culinary Agents

After assisting in filling thousands of culinary, pastry, service, wine and beverage jobs, we have gathered feedback from businesses across the US to help others best utilize our site and services. 

Here are 5 common best practices that have worked time and time again. 

#1 Make it a team effort – The businesses who involve their management team to help select, vet, and share opportunities are the ones who find success quicker. Use the features like starring and note-taking to coordinate around applicants. Re-tweet and share when we promote your opportunities across social channels to bring talent back to your profile and into the filtering and matching system. 

#2 Highlight your brand – Market to potential candidates. Your business profile is just as important as your job description. Update your business profile and include information about why someone should consider working with you. Build talent interest regardless of where they currently are located or what career stage they’re at.

#3 Broaden your search – Select the skills you’re looking for, edit and adjust the job post to alter your matching results. Sometimes selecting less skills broadens the scope. Choose the package that best suits your needs. Posting jobs to multiple cities at a time is very effective for management positions. Targeting student and alumni networks also brings extra visibility to your opportunities. 

#4 Manage applicants and matches – Connect with applicants in a timely manner, ask them to follow your business for future updates and to stay connected. Our automated matching system intelligently surfaces potential candidates who match to your requirements. Be proactive and communicate with matches to increase your success rate. 

#5 Let us do the work – Save time and money, link directly to your Culinary Agents business profile from your website and let us manage the process for your talent sourcing needs. If you have an applicant tracking system in place easily plug us into your current process to help capture all potential applicants. 

Get started now

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Virtual Mentoring with Sabato Sagaria, MS

Sabato Sagaria, Master Sommelier and Chief Restaurant Officer for Union Square Hospitality Group, joined us recently for our Twitter series #MentorMondays to answer questions and share his insight around career development, mentorship, education, and staying inspired in this industry. Sabato forged a diverse path and gained his experience at esteemed establishments like The Greenbrier, The Inn at Little Washington, and the The Little Nell and was named the 119th member of the Court of Master Sommeliers. (Sabato's full timeline here: http://culinaryagents.com/career/timeline/sabato-sagaria) He’s continued to mentor many of the industry’s up-and-coming and leading professionals. Below are some pieces of wisdom he offered during our twitter chat:

Advice for young professionals - “Be organized and focused on your goal and selfless with your knowledge (not selfish) It's not supposed to be easy. Do as many different things you can under every roof you work under. Great leaders have walked in the shoes of people they lead. Soak it all in!”

Approaching career development - “Ask a lot of questions and diversify yourself through your experiences, but not at the expense of loyalty. It's an extremely small world we work and play in - you're always interviewing for your next job and you never know who’s watching you."

Mapping your career path - “I've always wanted to work with the best, surrounding myself with people I looked up to who would inspire me to push myself and grow.”

Finding daily inspiration - “I find inspiration through learning - learning about food, wine, co-workers, guests, peers, friends and all the experiences along the way. I'm inspired to excel by the people that surround me each day. I'm inspired by seeing the potential we have when we all combine our minds and passions.”

Important qualities in a potential employee or mentee- “I look for someone that is driven, exudes hospitality, has a thirst for knowledge, plays well with others, asks questions, has an inspiring work ethic, has a great outlook on lifeand a great smile.”

Finding a mentor - “Work for and seek out great teachers that inspire you and you aspire to be based on how they interact with others.”

Keeping your team inspired and motivated - “Give them glimpses into different parts of the industry and be open with your expertise. They can learn from you and you can learn from them. In my first managerial role I quickly realized no one works for me, we all work together - that still holds true today.”

Asking for a promotion or raise -  “Be factual with how your contributions have helped the business and team since your last raise and share your aspirations. Be thoughtful and humble.”

Moving on from a job -  “If you feel you're not engaged, chances are your peers will soon see that too. Its better to move on a week too early than a week too late.”

Tips for a successful and sustainable career in wine - “Work in restaurants with a program that has a point of view. Involve yourself in all aspects of the business. Don't let wine distract you from hospitality. It's about the guests, not about us. The best somms I have worked with touch all aspects of the restaurant and have an understanding of finances and managing and motivating people.”

Best resources for studying -  “Read everything you can get your hands on! Guild Somm and Jancis Robinson (Purple Pages) are unrivaled for knowledge. Punch is also a new favorite.”

Please check out our upcoming mentoring event “Building a Profitable Beverage Program” led by Sabato Sagaria and John Ragan of Union Square Hospitality Group.

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Virtual Mentoring with Johnny Iuzzini

Pastry Master Johnny Iuzzini, CIA graduate, DANIEL alum, James Beard Award recipient for his pastry program at Jean-Georges, and one of Forbes 10 most influential Pastry Chefs in America, has just released his second book, Sugar Rush. Recently, Chef Iuzzini generously shared his experience and knowledge with the F&B community as a guest mentor on Culinary Agents’ Twitter series, #MentorMondays, where industry leaders share experiences and their candid advice around career development. The following quotes are some of our favorite pieces of advice that Johnny offered:

“It is important to love what you do and love where you work. Set short term goals and as soon as you complete them, set new ones. No one can and will make you a great Chef but yourself.”

Finding a Path in Pastry Arts - “Before attending school and blowing money on an expensive culinary education, find an internship or apprenticeship - Live the life. Make the sacrifices and work the hours. I'm partial to the CIA because the campus, programs, equipment and Chef instructors are the best out there. If your school offers an externship program, you should be thinking about this right away."

Choosing Pastry - “There is a freedom of absolute creativity that exists in Pastry that doesn’t exist in the kitchen. Dessert is a little treasure, a jewel at the end of the meal, and guests are more likely to try something they haven’t had. This is where creativity can shine. I also love the mediums we work in desserts - Chocolate, bread, cakes... You can become so specialized.”

Honing in on Pastry Skills - “You don't know what you will love and excel at until you try it.  If you find something specific you like to do, immerse yourself in it. Learn as much as you can about it and apply previous experience to it - Create your own unique food voice. Essential pastry skills should include making puff pastry from scratch, the ability to temper chocolate, and making a small showpiece.”

Finding a Mentor - “Find a chef whose food excites you, interests you and makes you happy. Get in there, spend a year or so and learn all you can. Then move on with another chef. Suck the knowledge out of them - Take the good, leave the bad, and move on.”

General Advice - “Keep your head down, eyes open, and mouth closed. Never accept mediocrity from yourself and strive to be better everyday at your craft. Use tools like Culinary Agents to help you find new opportunities and learn from others.”

Diversity of Experience - “I was lucky at a younger age to understand the meaning of engaging in the culinary community, working with brands who sponsor trips to schools Europe, and attending and partaking in festivals and charity events. There is so much out there and learning should never stop. I am constantly eating my way through different cultures and cuisines and adding these experiences to my personal database of flavors, techniques, and combinations. I take payment in experience and personal growth.”

Keeping Talent Motivated/Inspired - “As an employer it’s up to you to give 100% daily and constantly be honing your skills and techniques. Share ideas, techniques, and philosophies so employees will continue to grow, learn, and be more of an asset.”

Staying Fresh with Technique and Education - “I'm constantly keeping my eyes open both at home and abroad and I attend symposiums like Star Chefs and ICC - They bring chefs from around the world together to collaborate and share philosophies, knowledge, and techniques. I also read The New York Times, Food and Wine, Food Arts, and Dessert Professional. I also admire the Ideas in Food Team, Michael Laiskonis and Francisco Migoya.”

Moving On From a Job - “I’ve always been a loyal guy, not one to jump jobs every year or so. When you've learned everything possible, then you owe it to yourself to find knew challenges. I left both Daniel and Jean-Georges after giving 3 months notice out of respect for the house.”

Doing Your Own Thing -”The best thing you can do for yourself is be a part of every step of the development. Really educate yourself on the parts of the business you are unfamiliar with. Do your homework! What are you bringing to the table and why? Why are you different from everyone else?”

For more career advice and to follow Johnny’s career timeline: http://culinaryagents.com/career/timeline/johnny-iuzzini

Get your copy of Sugar Rush here: http://www.johnnyiuzzini.com/

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Virtual Mentoring with Gavin Kaysen

Chef Gavin Kaysen, former Executive Chef at Café Boulud, Food and Wine Top New Chef, James Beard Rising Star, and Head Coach at Bocuse d’Or US, has ventured back to his roots and will soon open Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis’s North Loop. Chef Kaysen joined us earlier in the year as a guest mentor on our Twitter series, #MentorMondays. These ‘virtual mentoring’ sessions feature industry leaders and mentors answering live questions around career development for aspiring F&B pros. Here are some highlights from Chef Kaysen’s #MentorMondays tweets.

“I find inspiration every day in what I do, especially with the people I am surrounded by. We feed off on one another, pushing ourselves to succeed and accomplish the goals we have set forth.”

Finding a mentor—“Mentees present themselves with hard work, dedication and passion. Once I see that, I gravitate to that type of person and do all I can to help take their career to the next level.”

Seeking intern/extern opportunities—“Go at it with the intention that you are there to learn. You are a student, always. I am still a student and learn everyday. Write a cover letter, check your resume and be ready to work. You give me 100%, I will give you a 150% back.”

Importance of education vs. experience—“You need them both, one will teach you the “why’s” and the other will teach you the discipline.”

Career development and forward growth—“Go to your chef and ask him/her where you should go. If you do it correctly, you will only have to show your resume one or two times in your career. Work hard, speak to your chef and you find out where to go based off what they say.”

Advice for young cooks—“Be patient.”

Motivating and inspiring your team—“I try to be fair, honest, and push them the same way I push myself. I walk away everyday knowing that I can be better at what I do.”

Staying fresh with skills and techniques—“I am always texting my chef friends, emailing them, and trying to learn as much as I can. I also read everything I can get my hands on - Ulteriore Epicure, Eater, The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Food Arts, Art Culinaire, and Fool, to name a few.” 

For more career advice and to follow Chef Kaysen’s career timeline: http://culinaryagents.com/career/timeline/gavin-kaysen

Chef Gavin Kaysen is seeking talent for the upcoming opening of Spoon and Stable! Check out the opportunities here: http://culinaryagents.com/entities/18605-Spoon-and-Stable

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Inspirational Career Timelines

Beyond creating a space for job matching, talent sourcing, and opportunity discovery, Culinary Agents’ dedication is to the people in the hospitality profession. Our goal is to offer tools to help existing and aspiring talent navigate their career development, mentorship, and continuing education across this profession. We continually seek ways to employ these goals.

Inspirational Career Timelines (ICT) are an important part of our mentorship strategy. Here we spotlight industry leaders who inspire, mentor, and pave the professional landscape for talent in the food, beverage, and hospitality industry. Their individual paths showcase the hard work, dedication, and diversity of experience that goes into creating a sustainable and successful career. Peppered throughout their ICTs are nuggets of advice and lessons learned that have shaped them into the leaders they are today.

On the “Get Inspired” section of our site, we offer a place for existing and aspiring hospitality professionals to find inspiration and motivation to forge their own career paths.

Here are some quotes from past Inspirational Career Timelines:

“Becoming a sommelier and endeavoring to make people happy through service is as noble and meaningful a career as becoming a doctor or a teacher.” Christie Dufault, Culinary Institute of America

  “Do as many different things as you can at every roof you work under. Great leaders have walked in the shoes of people they lead. Soak it all in! Ask a lot of questions and diversify yourself through your experiences, but not at the expense of loyalty.” Sabato Sagaria, Union Square Hospitality Group

“Learn to take orders and learn to do the hard work that no one else wants to - Eat humble pie from the get go.” Bryan Dayton, Oak at Fourteenth & Acorn

  “Take a job to learn for the experience, not for the money. The money will come, but the foundation will slip away quickly if you do not take your formative years to build your base.”  Gavin Kaysen, Merchant

“Always remember why you work as hard as you do. You don’t do it for your employer, you do it for yourself! If you're working many hours and making sacrifices, it should be because you’re doing something you love, have passion for, take pride in and aim to excel in.” Johnny Iuzzini, Sugar Fueled

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We Serve the Hospitality Industry!

8/18/15

Welcome to the Culinary Agents Blog

Over the past 16 months we have worked tirelessly to serve thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of hospitality professionals across the US.

For those who are not familiar with us yet, our website enables talent to represent themselves professionally, match to and seek out job opportunities, get a dose of virtual mentorship, and connect with resources to help them build/further their careers across the food, beverage, and hospitality industry.

Equally important, with the technology we’ve built throughout our site, we innovatively address an inefficient process that most (if not all) businesses in this industry face around talent sourcing. Businesses across the US leverage our site and services to cost effectively source all levels of culinary, pastry, wine & spirits, service, and office positions. 

Our team has deep industry experience combined with strong technology and business expertise.  We’re committed to continuing to work with YOU to support your job/talent search needs with the same level of hospitality and attention as you offer your guests day in and day out.  

Recently, I contributed a piece to Food+Tech Connect "4 Ways Tech can Support the 13.5m US Restaurant Employees". While it does focus on restaurants, we view the family of food, beverage, and hospitality talent as all encompassing - anyone who is part of the ecosystem that builds up this amazing profession.  Be sure to create your free profile and share with anyone who is part of the family. 

We’re proud to be working with some of the very best talent, businesses, and schools across the US and look forward to serving more of the industry as we grow with you.

Warmly and welcoming,

Alice Cheng, Founder & CEO

Beautiful and delicious - Frasca Food & Wine (Boulder,CO)