The Joy of (teaching) Cooking

2007-10-06T12:10:00.001-07:00

I enjoy teaching people how to cook but, until I started my own company, I encountered some obstacles.

Several years back, I considered trying to get an Chef-Instructor Assistant position at the California Culinary Academy (my alma mater - 1995). I was given a fairly difficult practical test to pass - the Academy's chefs, naturally, wanted to assess my skills. My portion sizes were a bit too large, and the gigantic salmon I was given to filet proved difficult - in short, I was told to "reapply at a later time, perhaps".

I then took a look at a cooking program run by a chain of local cookware stores. The only adequate pay grade was reserved for bonafide chefs who had worked their ways up through the stores ranks through years of teaching. I declined to pursue this route.

Then came a chance to interview at Contra Costa College. Their program was lesser known at the time, and they were looking for new ideas and new blood. Putting in great effort, I came up with a program geared towards helping lower-income students to get some of the basic requirements of the industry under their belts to give them a leg up on employment. I assisted with one of the classes, established as much of a rapport as possible with the very serious-minded culinary program director. After filling out several tons of paperwork, I waited for a phone call. Finally the call came ... the school's budget had been cut and there was no room to even consider new instructors.

Teaching cooking to small groups interested in gourmet cooking is one of my current endeavors. It's rewarding work, in a relaxed environment, with mature, interested clients. Can't wait for the next class to start ...

Chef Dan's Column

The Joy of (teaching) Cooking