inding the right people for the right job is becoming more challenging in our profession. Among the many reasons for this are long working hours, including weekends and holidays, when restaurants, resorts, and casinos get very busy. While we strongly believe in the importance of promoting from within, there must be a balance. It is equally vital to recruit motivated and experienced outside talent with a passion to teach and to retain them with innovative programs and clear career opportunities.

At our property, potential candidates interview with at least three different chefs or managers to determine if they are the right fit. Questions we seek to answer include:

1. Can the candidate do the job?
2. Will the candidate fit in with the team?
3. Is the candidate affordable?
4. How long will the candidate stay with us?

For supervisory levels and specialty chefs like pastry, bakery, or Asian, we require cooking audits as part of the process, and this has been instrumental in significantly improving our retention rate. But, generally speaking, we look more for personality, passion, and motivation rather than skill and experience.

Building relationships with local and regional culinary schools has proven helpful in tapping into resources not always taken advantage of. We are recruiting more culinary graduates than ever and seeking opportunities through internships as well.

Beginning culinarians start at square one and learn necessary skills through hands-on training before moving on to another area of the kitchen. This is accomplished by repetitive practice combined with effective coaching. All kitchen team members are responsible for ensuring the newcomer learns the skills. Because of the size of our kitchens, an apprentice does not work in every area of the kitchen to learn the skills needed to progress.

Our culinary academy program is about to advance to the next phase with an expanded series of classes designed to educate and prepare attendees for new opportunities. With the start of classes last August, we implemented a seamless process for all levels of culinary certification, in addition to alreadyexisting ServSafe® certification.

Our management team is fully committed to our training and certification program, but we must take it to a higher level to plant the seeds for future success. One of the most vital parts of the culinary education process is having chefs who are dedicated to the educational growth of all team members. From the beginning of their training, we must ensure that there is a strong support system in the kitchens to enable these young people to rely on their chefs for educational development.

For us, that means working together to continually strengthen our culinary academy program so our team members become better culinarians and are prepared for the future, not only at our property but in our profession as well. Perhaps some will rise to be future leaders in the industry.

Chef Peter Gebauer, a HOTEL F&B OBSERVER contributor, is executive chef at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee. A native of Germany and always one to seek out professional challenges and opportunities to immerse himself in new cultures, Chef Gebauer has held positions with the Steigenberger Hotel chain, Hilton International, Royal Viking Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Star Cruise, Gulf Air Hotels, Abu Dhabi Airline, Palace Resorts, Disney World, and Gaylord Opryland Resort. Contact Chef Gebauer at pgebauer@paysbig.com