November 6, 2006 - 4:00pm
Chefs are like the superb food they prepare: it takes knowledge, time and seasoning to make them great.
“Cooking is like any other complex profession,” said Debbie Shore, a chef instructor at Malaspina University-College. “First, you obtain training. Second, you obtain experience. Third, you build your career as a professional chef.”
Would-be chefs pay their dues, often working long hours at low wages as they gain experience. But the payoff is a challenging and creative career that can take them around the world, along with the potential for a well-paid future in the food industry, said Shore.
Tim Panagrot, 23, knows too well how hard the work can be. He originally enrolled at Malaspina to enhance his hobby but found a career.
“I’ve always had a real passion for cooking but never thought of it as a career,” he said. “But the longer I was in the Culinary Arts program, the more I realized this was an opportunity for a life-long career. If you’re going to be doing it for the rest of your life, it may as well be something you love.”
Panagrot loves the creativity of culinary arts; the opportunity to craft new dishes and presentations. He loves the rush and challenge of working as a team member when preparing a banquet or fulfilling food orders.
“It’s an incredible course and we’ve got eight chefs as instructors, all of whom have been out in the industry and represented Canada in culinary arts competitions. It’s phenomenal,” said Panagrot, who graduated in October 2006.
Panagrot was so impressed he chose to have his fellow students cater his September 24 wedding. Ten students produced a four-course dinner for 100 guests.
As he moves into his job at the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa in Victoria, Panagrot knows he has long hours ahead. “There isn’t an easy entry into this industry. You need a real dedication to the art of cooking.”
Jarrah Kirk, 20, returned to Malaspina in October for an intensive, month-long review before taking his Level 2 Apprenticeship test. Now working at Weigh West Marine Adventure Resort in Tofino, he feels time on the job honed the skills he learned at Malaspina.
“Working where I am, especially in the summer months, requires a lot of speed to keep up with the orders,” he said. “One of the comments when I was a student was that I wasn’t fast enough. I hope I’m fast enough now.”
By going through the apprenticeship process, Kirk demonstrates his training, experience and expertise as a professional. It isn’t easy. “For a Level 3 Apprenticeship, the pass rate is only 60 per cent,” he said.
Officially classes are six-and-a-half hours but often stretch longer. To Kirk, it’s all part of the process. “In a cook’s world, the end time is never set.”
Kirk’s apprenticeship is with Chef Brad DeClercq, who graduated from Malaspina in 1990.
“I worked my way up from being a pub line cook to sous chef,” said DeClercq.
The biggest challenge was wages. “That’s the hardest part because you can’t expect much when you get out of school. You’ve really got to have a passion for it.”
Although DeClercq knows large hotels may pay more for his skills, he prefers the creativity and variety of smaller resorts. Plus, he likes Vancouver Island.
Working at the Weigh West, he has created signature dishes like his Elephant Rice Bowl and award-winning clam chowder. As chef for a family-oriented restaurant, he strives to produce good affordable meals that are served within 20 minutes of ordering.
“My biggest reward is to have a person say ‘thank you very much, my dinner was terrific’ or ‘that was the best chowder I ever ate,’” said DeClercq.
Tags: In the Community
