Eater: All Posts by Amy McKeeverhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2020-03-03T10:30:00-05:00https://www.eater.com/authors/amymckeever/rss2020-03-03T10:30:00-05:002020-03-03T10:30:00-05:00How I Got My Job: Becoming a Top Restaurant Designer in Chicago
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<img alt="Karen Herold is a white woman with curly blonde hair. She’s wearing a white shirt and smiling into the camera in this black and white cutout image that’s placed on an orange background. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jeVdpJ4EkZpMqBuR0_9WDJ1svTQ=/86x0:1414x996/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66423360/HowIGotMyJob_KarenHerold.0.jpg" />
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<p>Karen Herold left the fashion world to create some of Chicago’s most memorable restaurants</p> <p id="z8KLzA"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: Karen Herold.</em></p>
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<p id="0Y8d3i">In 2010, <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/venue/4445/girl-and-the-goat">Chicago’s Girl & the Goat</a> was one of the country’s buzziest new restaurants. Reviews raved about the creative and impeccably executed dishes from chef Stephanie Izard, fresh off her <em>Top Chef</em> victory. Even more so, <a href="https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/April-2010/Girl-and-the-Goat-Chicago-Restaurant-Design/">critics took note</a> of how the restaurant <em>looked</em> — particularly its distinctive burned wood paneling. In his review, <em>Chicago Tribune</em> Phil Vettel <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-play-0826-vettel-girl-and-the-goat20100826-column.html:">wrote</a> that Izard’s explanation for the design — “rustic with a bit of badass” — was also an apt descriptor for her food.</p>
<p id="5mb2n3">That was no coincidence. Karen Herold, a designer who at the time worked for Chicago-based firm <a href="http://www.555.com/">555 International</a>, created the look for Girl & the Goat in accordance with her philosophy that a dining room should feel like an extension of the chef and her cooking style. </p>
<p id="kPEqtu">Herold’s vision clearly connected with diners, chefs, and restaurant owners. Now as the principal of her own firm, <a href="http://www.studiokcreative.com">Studio K</a>, Herold is known as one of the country’s foremost restaurant designers, creating some of Chicago’s most stylish dining rooms such as <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/venue/19987/monteverde">Monteverde</a> and <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/venue/19741/maple-ash">Maple & Ash</a>. In the following interview, this Dutch native who started out studying fashion design in Amsterdam discusses the unexpected turns her career has taken. She also offers advice for aspiring designers on how to deal with setbacks and the importance of understanding how a restaurant operates before you get to designing it.</p>
<p id="r0tRxi"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve?</strong></p>
<p id="6ywbcI"><strong>Karen Herold: </strong>I design interiors. I try to create a three-dimensional version of chefs — an environment that is the exact reflection of the chef and their menu.</p>
<p id="Dllskd"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career?</strong></p>
<p id="TgveVA">I was a fashion designer.</p>
<p id="Od615P"><strong>Did you go to college? If so, would you recommend it? </strong></p>
<p id="kVyLQn">Yes. First, I studied marketing and communications. then I [studied] fashion in Amsterdam. During that time, I worked as a fashion designer and realized it was not what I wanted to do. Fashion is actually a two-dimensional type of design because you work in flat patterns; I really wanted the 3D part of it. </p>
<p id="0VQdRD">So, [my school] allowed me to specialize in material development. I had a mentor who did that for and with me. So I graduated with hundreds of fabrics and materials. I had to find a way to show those materials and the crazy [way] that I did that was with interiors for restaurants. I designed four spaces based on the four seasons and separated all these fabrics [according to] those seasons, creating aprons, tables, tablecloths, entire renderings of restaurants, wallpapers — everything that I could [do to] show all the textiles and materials I had developed. So the fact that I ended up [designing restaurant interiors] later is just very crazy, because it wasn’t planned.</p>
<p id="kn4l2n"><strong>Why did you gravitate toward restaurants?</strong></p>
<p id="7X6BSA">I have no idea. I was 22. It seemed like a good idea. And the thing is, when I first came to America, I started working at my first firm as a materials librarian, meeting with field reps for carpets and fabrics, and filing those, and organizing them. That was a company that worked in laboratories and [did] very boring stuff. Through that, I got connected with the company I ended up working with for 13 years — a company that specialized in retail design. So I started with retail, and then somehow somebody knew someone [who] was going to do a job in Vegas. I ended up designing that and it turned into <a href="https://vegas.eater.com/2012/3/16/6604421/playboy-club-closing-in-june-at-the-palms">the Playboy Club at the Palms Hotel</a>. A lot of work came out of that. </p>
<p id="dkJSzZ">So it was a complete coincidence that I got into interior design, first of all, but especially into the restaurant world. And it was many, many years later that my mom was cleaning the house and wanted all the stuff I’d created out of there, because my parents were moving, and she was like, “Do you remember that you started in restaurants?” So she’s the one who made that link. It just kind of happened.</p>
<p id="jOgpGO"><strong>Looking back, would you have done anything differently at school?</strong></p>
<p id="ysP1Kx">No. I tell my son the most important thing in college is just to become older and smarter. What you’re studying, I think is a side effect. It’s just about evolving.</p>
<p id="cgdgUD"><strong>What are the biggest challenges when it comes to designing a restaurant?</strong></p>
<p id="gIvbA8">The biggest challenge is to end up with something that the chef and owners are happy with and, at the same time, [find something that’s] current or valid from a design perspective. </p>
<p id="4uU5Xg">So on the one hand, I tell the chef, “I want it to look like, when you walk in, that it’s exactly how you would have done it, if you happened to be as good at designing as you are at cooking.” I really want it to be an extension of who they are. But at the same time, I don’t want it to become so normal or traditional or whatever it is that I don’t think it is valid from a design perspective. I just don’t think it’s a good idea, because it doesn’t add anything to the world. But if that’s what they want, it’s hard for me to completely go against it. So the biggest challenge is if chefs or owners start thinking they’re designers.</p>
<p id="DpSV93"><strong>When did you decide to focus on restaurant design, specifically?</strong></p>
<p id="JgoAYN">It’s kind of a cause-and-effect. When I started [working] in the hospitality world in Vegas, it was mostly nightclubs and some restaurants. And then I think the real focus shifted when I did Girl and the Goat. Afterward, there were just so many requests for restaurants, so I ended up becoming known for doing restaurants. I did a lot of other things, but people knew me because of Girl and the Goat.</p>
<p id="ELqIS4"><strong>What was it about Girl and the Goat that changed things?</strong></p>
<p id="V9QOmm">Stephanie Izard had already built a really great following and, with Rob [Katz] and Kevin [Boehm]’s expertise on the operational side, there was just kind of a match made in heaven. So that restaurant just became so popular and, with that, the design.</p>
<p id="Jr2zSc"><strong>What was your inspiration for that design and what is your process like?</strong></p>
<p id="lbyEpt">Well, one of the really important parts was the burned wood, which is a direct result of [Izard’s] cooking style. That was when people just started to do wood-fired ovens in open kitchens. It’s very normal now, but it wasn’t 10 years ago. So the burned wood wall was to make things look the way the space smells. </p>
<p id="tHG2gl">The rest was all so simple. I found these fireplaces, [which became] the back wall for the back bar. It was very organic. It wasn’t really themed by anything. I was just trying to understand who Stephanie is and what things she likes. She’s very not over-the-top, doesn’t want anything too shiny. Maybe all a little bit humble. And I think [that’s what] that restaurant is. We built that for very little money. I think it was mostly just to support her food and who she is, and it’s very layered. You know how her food is so layered and so rustic? The restaurant is like that, too, just really warm and layered. There are no focal walls or anything over-the-top.</p>
<p id="jJKZip"><strong>What are the most important skills to succeed as a restaurant designer?</strong></p>
<p id="YEDIpp">I think you need to listen to what [clients are] saying, but also what they’re not saying because a lot of them don’t really say what they want. You need to kind of listen between the lines. Empathy is a really important skill to have. And I think you need to really want to do your homework and understand the operational side of the business, because if you don’t understand how they actually operate a restaurant, it just becomes very difficult and most likely you won’t get a repeat customer out of it. </p>
<p id="aJU8mK">So I think it’s a separation: one side is the very pragmatic architectural side of just making it work within the time and money that’s allowed, and, on the other side, separating that completely from the artistry of it and still shooting for the dream. Because if either one of those lacks, it just won’t work in the end.</p>
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<img alt="Karen Herold points at a design with an orange pen. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NJm19Y4Fm55CKiQGVxRYMFVoUrI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19764139/Studio_K_August_2019_115.jpg">
<cite>Stoffer Photography/Courtesy photo</cite>
<figcaption>Karen Herold in her office at Studio K. </figcaption>
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<p id="mbeRQ1"><strong>Did you have any setbacks in your career?</strong></p>
<p id="R3bAOB">Oh, every day. So many. Growing from one or two projects going on at the same time to 50 projects at the same time means that a lot of the focus is spread out. It means that a lot of things need to be [delegated] to other people; you can’t do it all by yourself anymore. </p>
<p id="r3Ud0f">We’ve had many setbacks where a project opened and closed within a year for various reasons, which is always so painful, because they all become so personal. We had a project burn, which is horrific. </p>
<p id="4qxscR">The one thing that’s sure is that there will be problems. It’s just a matter of how you deal with those that becomes the differentiator between success and failure. That’s just one of those things you’ve got to embrace and see what there is to learn from it. And hopefully next time there’s not the same setback, but a new one.</p>
<p id="ebOmjG"><strong>Do you have, or did you ever have, a mentor in your field? </strong></p>
<p id="wKXOFm">Yeah. My mentor in fashion school is a very strong mentor for me who always pushed me to not be content and to look farther. And now, many times, my clients become my mentors, because they just teach me so much of whatever their industry is, whether it’s the restaurant industry or the other projects that we’re doing. And some of them become business partners, too. </p>
<p id="FyG0Gf">Having mentors in the field of business is as important as having mentors in the field of design. My old boss, James, who [worked with me]at <a href="http://www.555.com/">555 International</a>, was, and still is, an important mentor to me. I call him at least once a month with a question or complaint.</p>
<p id="dzhFuC"><strong>For young people coming up in the field, why do you think it makes a difference for them to seek out a mentor?</strong></p>
<p id="IBW6yM">I think the biggest thing is you have to find someone who has the time and interest and effort to be honest with you and not just tell you, “Yes.” It’s like how you have a personal trainer and when normally you might quit at a certain point, the trainer makes you go 10 more times. I think a mentor can help you go farther when other people might not take the interest or the time investing in you. I think that’s the most important thing: people to help you push your own limits.</p>
<p id="2RqwBl"><strong>What’s the best part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="PQtdso">Design. Which seems such a small part of my job. I really like when I can actually physically work with my designers, sketching and talking and things are being born. At that first real kickoff session with clients, I always say, “I need three hours of your time and after that I know what I need to do.” Those three hours, especially when clients are able to be really open and transparent and vulnerable, that’s always a really great, intimate time. Which, in the end, that’s why I do it: to make it so that they’re happy with it. So, that initial getting-to-know-each-other is always really exciting.</p>
<p id="lVYeru"><strong>What would surprise people or something you didn’t know going into your job? Why?</strong></p>
<p id="nVSXlr">It is still surprising that after 20 years, I feel I only understand about 20 percent of my business. The longer I do it, the more I’m aware of all the stuff I don’t know in and around acoustics and lighting and air conditioning systems. </p>
<p id="Z1Gqyu">When you first start in design, you’re in kind of a silo, and you think it’s a lot about picking colors and tiles and fabrics. And then the longer you’re in it, you understand that you’re just one little micro-element in this whole circus. It’s the landlords and the general contractors — so many people have such an important role, and the sooner you understand that, you’re better off learning your role and making friends with all those people...</p>
<p id="u7gXFc">That’s something I wish a mentor had told me earlier. In the first five or 10 years of my career, I was just fighting with general contractors and putting way too much effort on a specific tile because I wanted it. And, over time, you just learn it’s a really big cast of a play and everyone does their little part in it. And if people are doing it together then that’s the best way to create.</p>
<p id="yGEEug"><strong>What’s one of the coolest things you’ve gotten to do through your work?</strong></p>
<p id="4Oiq2h">I do so many cool things. The best experience is working with people who really know what they’re doing and let me do what I do. And that’s pretty much always [the case] working with Rob and Kevin. That’s my favorite moment: when I can work for them. </p>
<p id="2KI5dH">The coolest thing I’ve done… Well, being in a room with [Robert] De Niro for <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2019/4/30/18524381/nobu-west-loop-chicago-japanese-restaurant-hotel-rooftop-lounge-grand-opening-date-renderings">the Nobu hotel</a>, that’s cool. Overall, I’m lucky that I get to work with a lot of people who are on top of their game. That’s really inspiring, because it’s a tangible energy when you’re in a room with people who are really good at what they do. And that’s just always attractive. </p>
<p id="E4lAFF"><strong>How are you making change in your industry?</strong></p>
<p id="guwOmN">I’m hoping that I make a change in keeping people focused on the experience that a space should offer and not focused so much on how things are photographed. Everything comes in trends, but I hope that the places we create have a little more longevity, because the focus is on the emotional well-being of the person in that place and therefore has a longer time than the quick, Instagrammable moments. </p>
<p id="X7ZA0V"><strong>What would you have done differently in your career?</strong></p>
<p id="W2mVTw">I wish I would have also studied industrial design. But at some point I’m going to take a sabbatical and do that.</p>
<p id="PedRZK"><strong>What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?</strong></p>
<p id="w8b5IM">Proof is in the pudding. James, my old boss, always said that to me when I was worried about what other people were doing or thinking about certain things. He always said that proof was in the pudding. It really made my approach. I just do what I do. Keep your nose down and do what you’re supposed to be doing, and don’t spend too much time on what other people are doing or how they’re doing it or what people might be thinking about what you’re doing. Steering your own path is the most important thing, I believe.</p>
<p id="aPFzwr"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
<p id="ozrXkg">I would give advice that is probably for every career: Pay your dues, do your due diligence, and just have a little patience, so you can actually learn the groundwork. A lot of people want celebrity status in a year, but they also want a life-work balance pretty much in the same year. I have a really great work-life balance. My life is filled with work and that’s a good balance for me. Everyone has different balances, you know?</p>
<p id="tSBJUP"><strong>Is there anything else you think would be important for young people coming up in the industry to know?</strong></p>
<p id="8BjbhA">Whether you design a restaurant or a hospital or a retail store or someone’s home, there really isn’t that much difference. All of it means you need to understand how the space is being used. You need to understand how your client is going to benefit from it — whether it’s personal or financial — and then, over time, you need to learn the operational and technical side of that business. </p>
<p id="IJYC1C">To only focus on restaurant design, I don’t think that’s really good advice. In my company, people who do restaurant design also work on our multi-family housing project, because I believe those separations and that vertical way of thinking about the job really doesn’t fit how people live and act with each other anymore. Our hotels are the spaces where we also work and eat. All those things are just blending together. </p>
<p id="gKWEWY">It’s not so much [about] skills, but interest. You need to be interested in the person who is hiring you — what motivates them. Obviously, for restaurants that’s a very specific thing, but I think after this life is done I want to start doing set designs, for example. I think if I would have been a set designer, that would have made me a great restaurant designer, because, in the end, we all tell a story.</p>
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<a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, DC.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo of Karen Herold by </em></small><a href="https://www.ebkphoto.com/"><small><em>Eric Kleinberg</em></small></a><small><em>.</em></small><br><small><em>Illustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small>
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<aside id="t1QyH7"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"How I Got My Job: Leading San Francisco’s Favorite Greek Restaurant Chain","url":"https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/12/18/20994157/san-francisco-souvla-founder-charles-bililies-founder-greek-restaurant-career-path-advice"}]}'></div></aside><aside id="Lb3ZMw"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside>
https://www.eater.com/young-guns/2020/3/3/21035087/restaurant-interior-designer-chicago-karen-herold-studio-k-monteverde-girl-and-the-goat-career-tipsAmy McKeever2020-02-18T09:30:00-05:002020-02-18T09:30:00-05:00How I Got My Job: Researching the History of American Food at the Smithsonian
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<p>Ashley Rose Young went from bored biology student to one of the foremost experts on street-food history in New Orleans</p> <p id="yLWY9J"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: Ashley Rose Young.</em></p>
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<p id="0SdG2F">Ashley Rose Young faced some skepticism when she began her career as a food historian. Other historians — and even some acquaintances — questioned the seriousness of her chosen subject. But Young was undeterred. Having written a dissertation on the history of street food in New Orleans, she knew how much food can reveal about a society, from how people make and spend their money to the class and racial inequities they face. </p>
<p id="GZxgSD">Now, Young has trained her eyes on U.S. food culture as historian for the <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/food-history">American Food History Project</a> at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) in Washington, D.C. Beyond her duties as a researcher and curator at the museum, she hosts a live cooking demonstration series exploring food histories with guest chefs ranging from professionals like Sean Sherman and Edouardo Jordan to home cooks. In the following interview, Young shares what it takes to become a food historian and some of her coolest experiences — including hanging out in Julia Child’s kitchen.</p>
<p id="d2koW2"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve?</strong></p>
<p id="jU512v"><strong>Ashley Rose Young: </strong>I’m a trained historian who researches and teaches the history of the United States through the lens of food: its culture, economy, politics, environmental impact, and more. Many trained historians go on to be professors at colleges and universities, but I chose a different path. I am what people call a “public historian.” I share my research through articles, museum exhibitions, programs, and special events created to engage and educate a broad public.</p>
<p id="0K5zFE">At NMAH, my position has several components. I’m part of the curatorial team that recently refreshed and re-opened the exhibition, <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/food"><em>Food: Transforming the American Table</em></a>, which explores the cultural and technological changes that have shaped how and what we eat since 1950. We conducted fieldwork and archival research, recorded oral history interviews, and collected objects to provide new perspectives on the story of food in modern America.</p>
<p id="0XOMJV">I am also the historian and host for our live cooking demonstration series, <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/food/pages/cooking-history">Cooking Up History</a>. Each month, we invite a special guest chef to the museum to prepare several dishes on stage while discussing the history and traditions behind its ingredients, culinary techniques, and enjoyment. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with home cooks and professional chefs, including Edouardo Jordan, Mollie Katzen, Priya Krishna, Martin Yan, Carla Hall, Aarόn Sánchez, Maneet Chauhan, Sean Sherman, and Sheldon Simeon.</p>
<p id="8smGRW">Additionally, I work with my colleagues to organize the <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/events/food-history-weekend">Smithsonian Food History Weekend</a>. Each year, we bring together culinary professionals, activists, scholars, and community members to explore an annual theme such as “<a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/events/food-history-weekend/past-years/food-history-weekend-2015">Innovation on Your Plate</a>,” “<a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/events/food-history-weekend/past-years/food-history-weekend-2017">Many Flavors, One Nation</a>,” and “<a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/events/food-history-weekend">Power Through Food</a>.” Through live cooking demonstrations, round table discussions, and hands-on activities, we bring museum visitors together to understand the profound impact that food has on our everyday lives.</p>
<p id="iBZpBH"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your studies?</strong></p>
<p id="rh09tw">My interest in becoming a public historian is deeply rooted in my college experiences at Yale. When I started my freshman year, I wanted to be an evolutionary biologist. At that time, my dream was to work with professor <a href="https://eeb.yale.edu/people/faculty/richard-prum">Richard Prum</a> and examine the cellular structure of bird feathers and how birds of paradise use ultraviolet feathers to attract potential mates. A strange start for a food historian, right? </p>
<p id="hlmtPI">It was not long into my freshman year that I found my history course on the American Revolution, taught by noted Hamilton scholar <a href="https://history.yale.edu/people/joanne-freeman">Joanne Freeman</a>, to be way more engaging than the prerequisite courses required for the biology major (chemistry, calculus, organic chemistry, etc.). It took some time, but eventually I switched to the history major. After earning my bachelor’s degree, I immediately went on to graduate school at Duke where I earned my master’s degree and PhD in history.</p>
<p id="p2RWAM"><strong>What was your first job? What did it involve?</strong></p>
<p id="jDAi2V">I cut my teeth on food entrepreneurship in my family’s business, <a href="http://mcginnis-sisters.com/">McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores</a> [in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]. The business, open for more than 70 years, was owned and operated by my mother, Sharon, and my two aunts, Bonnie and Noreen. It closed in 2018.</p>
<p id="TFqtTu">The business grew out of my grandfather’s post-World War II employment as a produce vendor selling oranges from a roadside cart. Street food vending provided him an economic toehold in the postwar period and he eventually opened a small corner grocery store with an in-house butcher shop (my grandfather Elwood’s kielbasa were much beloved by Pittsburghers). From there, he established several other grocery stores. </p>
<p id="jpke28">In the early ‘80s, my mother and aunts took over the business, expanding it, refining it, and making a name for themselves as local business leaders and entrepreneurs. I grew up watching these amazing women (often clad in ‘80s power suits) transform a small family grocery business into an industry leader in gourmet retailing.</p>
<p id="NcXyDq">As soon as I could hold a spoon, I was put to work spreading tomato sauce on our hand-tossed pizza crusts. Eventually, I graduated to the bakery department, where during the holiday rush, I would help my mother bake cookies, pies, dinner rolls, and loaves of bread in the middle of the night. From placing product orders with our vendors, to peeling more shrimp than I could ever count, to ringing out customers at the cash register, I worked in every department of our stores, and that was all before I started high school.</p>
<p id="arJ8t7"><strong>How did you first get interested in pursuing food history?</strong></p>
<p id="C1EF6i">My role in the family business had a profound impact on my interest in food cultures, business history, and entrepreneurship. My father is a retired public high school history teacher who instilled in me a passion and insatiable curiosity for history. The long-term influence of my parents’ professional lives came to bear on my own life in college; specifically, when I took a course with professor <a href="https://wgss.yale.edu/people/maria-trumpler">Maria Trumpler</a> called Women, Work, and Food. Given my mother’s business and my own experiences in the food industry, you can guess why I was interested in the course. </p>
<p id="TgzLAD">In 2009, freshly inspired by the possibility of critically studying food, I interned with <a href="https://natfab.org/liz-williams">Liz Williams</a> at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans where I found my passion project: to research and write a history of New Orleans through its food culture and economy. And I did just that. My senior history thesis at Yale was a critical study of historic Creole cookbooks, specifically examining racial, gender, and ethnic stereotypes of the women who were cooks in private homes, catering businesses, and restaurants throughout the city in the 19th and 20th centuries. </p>
<p id="IhyFyc">I continued to pursue my focus on New Orleans as a graduate student in the history department at Duke, eventually writing my dissertation, “<a href="https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/handle/10161/16358">Nourishing Networks: the Public Culture of Food in Nineteenth Century America</a>,” which uses New Orleans as a case study to examine the culture around selling and eating foods in city streets, plazas, and parks. In other words, I wrote a street-food history of the Big Easy, taking seriously the entrepreneurial spirit and tenacity of women, recent migrants, people of color, and other marginalized communities. I am now developing that dissertation into my first academic book.</p>
<p id="EZ6Eji"><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced in starting your career?</strong></p>
<p id="nihCcv">Although scholars have been writing about history through the lens of food for generations, there were still historians and members of the public who were skeptical of the seriousness and rigor of food history just 10 years ago. </p>
<p id="pJTfNY">When I told people that I was a food historian, their first response was usually to laugh with surprise and ask the follow-up question, “What does that <em>mean</em>?” And then many of them would try to guess what I researched before I had a chance to answer their first question: “Does that mean you look at what George Washington ate?” I would reply that some scholars do, in fact, pursue that topic. Then, I clarified that my research interests were in the life and labor of everyday people: market people, street-food vendors, and cooks. </p>
<p id="XJt3Z9">I would tell them how food history enabled me to begin piecing together the experiences of people who are often overlooked in history — the people who fed entire cities and whose ingenuity, perseverance, and business acumen are regularly ignored in traditional histories. And my goal was, and is, to help people understand the importance of the street food economy historically as the primary means through which cities fed themselves well into the 19th century. Further, street food labor was a means through which many people provided for their families when their access to other jobs was limited, because of structural barriers tied to race, ethnicity, and gender.</p>
<p id="CKekBq"><strong>What was the turning point that led you to where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="VTBDYG">In 2014, I was in the midst of graduate school when I received an email from my now colleague, <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/profile/527">Steve Velasquez</a>. He asked me for recommendations of senior scholars who wrote about New Orleans through the lens of food. He had learned about my work through my research fellow profile page on the Southern Food and Beverage Museum website. I replied back with several suggestions, but a few weeks later, Steve asked me if<em> </em>I<em> </em>would be interested in coming to the National Museum of American History to speak about my research during their <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/food/pages/food-garden">Food in the Garden</a> series. </p>
<p id="z5PsO5">A few months later, my parents and I traveled to D.C. where chef <a href="https://nola.eater.com/2012/5/25/6583073/new-orleans-boy-david-guas-on-coming-home">David Guas</a> and I spoke about New Orleans’ rich culinary history. Leading up to and during the event, I developed a sense of kinship with the Smithsonian food history team. Their approach to public programming was so creative and engaging, all while being grounded in serious academic research. I fell in love with their work, and became a close follower of the <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/american-food-history-project">American Food History Project</a>. A few years later, I interned for the project, and shortly thereafter was hired as its historian.</p>
<p id="a4rLAs"><strong>What were the most important skills that got you there?</strong></p>
<p id="KslWFG">The Smithsonian is a scholarly institution, and so my professional research and writing skills in history played a key role in my ability to thrive at the museum. </p>
<p id="Ja69MU">Perhaps surprising to some, another key component is my love of performance, which stems from my childhood obsession with musical theater. I was never the star in the high school musical, more like the overenthusiastic chorus member, but I learned how powerful art can be in communicating a message. In graduate school I applied skills of oration, movement, and improvisation in the classroom. </p>
<p id="XPpIh2">Now, as the host of our monthly cooking demonstration series, Cooking Up History, I bring that same skill set to our demonstration stage, drawing the audience into history through storytelling, lively conversation with guest chefs, and, on occasion, a song or two (ones that are historically relevant, of course). One of my favorite cooking demo moments was when Carla Hall taught the entire crowd her “mirepoix” song (a way to remember key ingredients in classical French cooking).</p>
<p id="2l4r1m"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="J1RTTn">I enjoy connecting with museum visitors and discovering a shared sense of curiosity and wonder about history.</p>
<p id="XI7V5w"><strong>What’s one of the coolest things you’ve gotten to do as a food historian?</strong></p>
<p id="mqkSp6">Julia Child’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, kitchen is on display in the <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/food"><em>Food: Transforming the American Table</em></a><em> </em>exhibition at the museum. As a member of the exhibition team, I have the chance to step <em>inside </em>the kitchen to check the condition of the objects — the tools, equipment, furniture, books, and decorative pieces — that are placed exactly as they were when Julia left Cambridge in 2001. </p>
<p id="8ZNheb">The first time I crossed the threshold, a shiver ran down my spine (my body’s reaction to what can only be described as a religious experience of the culinary kind). To stand in the kitchen of such a talented, dedicated culinary educator, surrounded by the tools of her trade was inspiring.</p>
<p id="4Cixmp"><strong>How are you making change in your industry?</strong></p>
<p id="PFVrFF">The museum field is always evolving, but it feels as though we are in a particularly transformative time as institutional priorities shift to creating museums that are even more inclusive, relevant, and accessible. As a member of the Smithsonian food history team, I am working with my colleagues to create opportunities for community leaders, chefs, and home cooks from incredibly diverse backgrounds to come to the museum and share their personal and community history through food. </p>
<p id="Bdsdno">In the past several years, our research has focused on the relationship between migration and food, mapping out the kaleidoscopic presence of diverse food cultures in the U.S. This year alone, our lineup of guest chefs included those originally from Eritrea, Iran, Syria, Vietnam, El Salvador, Ethiopia, China, and Peru, along with second-generation guest chefs from the Philippines, Armenia, India, and Mexico. It was an honor and privilege to work with such knowledgeable cooks, and I look forward to expanding the content and reach of our food history programming at the museum. </p>
<p id="K9vxMa"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
<p id="wUpCoo">I would advise people to build professional and personal relationships with historians they admire. I firmly believe in the power of mentorship, and encourage young scholars to seek out the advice and support of both their peers and senior scholars.</p>
<p id="OIEboD"><a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, DC.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo courtesy of </em></small><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ashweeweeib/"><small><em>Ashley Rose Young</em></small></a><small><em>.</em></small><br><small><em>Illustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small></p>
<aside id="U4Gucf"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Keeping Bar: Put a Savory Spin on Your Cocktails ","url":"https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2020/1/3/21043500/savory-cocktails-how-to-drinks-recipe"}]}'></div></aside><aside id="nl4tGP"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside>
https://www.eater.com/young-guns/2020/2/18/21053949/smithsonian-american-food-historian-research-career-path-adviceAmy McKeever2019-12-18T12:00:00-05:002019-12-18T12:00:00-05:00How I Got My Job: Leading San Francisco’s Favorite Greek Restaurant Chain
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<p>Souvla founder Charles Bililies on working his way up to CEO (and paying back his investors in less than a year)</p> <p id="mDqUK9"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: Charles Bililies.</em></p>
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<p id="TbXTAs">Charles Bililies wasn’t originally planning to get into the restaurant business. He knew how difficult the field could be from watching his grandfather, a Boston chef and restaurateur with whom he shares a name. But, fortunately for the people of San Francisco, he did: In 2014, Bililies <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2014/4/7/6247309/souvlas-greek-fare-arrives-in-hayes-valley-tomorrow">opened Souvla</a>, a fast-casual Greek restaurant that is now an enormously popular Bay Area chain that counts <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2017/12/21/16807182/michelle-obama-souvla-flight-sf-dc">first lady Michelle Obama</a> and <a href="https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2018/top-100-restaurants/souvla/">critics at the <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em></a><em> </em>among its fans. Bililies has further parlayed that success into advising food and tech start-ups.</p>
<p id="Xh5ihi">It’s almost hard to believe there was a time when Bililies was worried about being the only culinary school graduate at Cornell without a job lined up. In the following interview, Bililies explains why he finally decided to pursue a culinary career — and how one of his culinary school professors helped him get it kick-started by introducing Bililies to the legendary restaurateur Thomas Keller, whom Bililies served as a culinary assistant for years before opening Souvla. Bililies also shares his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and explains the importance of treating your employees well in the hospitality business.</p>
<p id="Ijukmq"><strong>Eater: What was your first job and what did it involve?</strong></p>
<p id="anY4rA"><strong>Charles Bililies: </strong>By my last semester of Cornell, I was perhaps one of the only students who didn’t have a job lined up. I was struggling with what to do; how could I combine my culinary background working the line or in a hotel banquet kitchen with this business degree? At the time I was a teaching assistant for <a href="https://sha.cornell.edu/faculty-research/faculty/ggp1/">Giuseppe Pezzotti</a>, one of Cornell’s food and beverage management professors and a living legend who has taught so many amazingly successful people in our business. I was sitting in his office one afternoon, mentioning my concern of being the only student to graduate without a job. In his Italianate and wise way, he simply said, “Well, who do you want to work for? Who do you really admire and respect?” I quickly said, “Thomas Keller.” At that moment, he picked up the phone and dialed <a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/7020/the-french-laundry">the French Laundry</a>. </p>
<p id="BEUBi1">It was a total right place, right time situation. A few months later, after a series of phone interviews, emails, a spring break trip with a buddy to eat at the French Laundry (while all our friends were in Cancun), and an in-person interview at <a href="https://ny.eater.com/venue/792/per-se">Per Se</a>, I became Thomas Keller’s first culinary assistant.</p>
<p id="YcKxDh">That job was pretty intense, but also pretty amazing. No two days were the same, aside from typing and printing the menu (which changed daily and went through three rounds of proofs and revisions). It was everything from flying with Thomas to assist him with cooking demos to managing the <em>stagiaires</em> (interns) to project-managing a construction project or fabrication of a custom kitchen piece to planning and executing offsite events like the organization’s first Culinary Summit. I think the best part is that, to my knowledge, the position still exists within the restaurant group. </p>
<p id="A8ND73"><strong>What does your job involve?</strong></p>
<p id="tpDGcU">At the moment, my job exists simultaneously in the weeds and up in the clouds. In the weeds, because I still love the creative process and continuing to iterate and grow the Souvla brand, so I’m very hands-on with special projects, collaborations, and development opportunities. In the clouds, because I am so fortunate to have an amazing, talented team now running our restaurants day-to-day. In that respect, I am now more in a support role, empowering these individuals to operate our restaurants and providing input, guidance, and resources when needed. </p>
<p id="r3XXrk">On any given day it can vary — from attending restaurant manager meetings or profit and loss reviews to teaching a class on Greek wine to taste-testing products for a brand collaboration to touring future restaurant spaces to driving our vintage frozen Greek yogurt truck to an event to speaking on an industry panel. No two days are the same and I love every single one of them.</p>
<p id="U5sygg"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career?</strong></p>
<p id="CM6SVJ">It’s sort of funny, because despite growing up in a food-focused family — always around food, cooking, and always out to eat (My first spoken sentence, no joke, was ordering lunch at a restaurant) — I sort of swore off that profession. My grandfather was a chef and owned restaurants in and around Boston and, though he passed away before I started my career, he was fairly explicit about how brutal the business was — the hours and the back-breaking work.</p>
<p id="f28CxW">In high school, I ran cross country, skied, raced mountain bikes, and worked as a bike mechanic. I wanted to be outdoors, so after high school, I went to the University of Vermont as a natural resources major with the thought that I could turn my bike hobby into a profession. On winter break, a bunch of high school buddies got together for New Year’s, and, as always, I was the one who cooked. Midway through trying to cook chicken parm and spaghetti for 30 in a tiny, cramped cabin kitchen — everyone hanging out, trying to taste the food, and help out — the lightbulb went off. I thought, “This is what I love to do. I really love cooking food and making people happy. Why am I not doing this?” I came back from that trip and told my parents I wanted to transfer to culinary school after the school year, and went from there.</p>
<p id="hL4dRw"><strong>You went to both college and culinary school. Would you recommend it?</strong></p>
<p id="hE4579">It’s become somewhat of a running joke now, but my father, every six months or so, will say, “Would you do it again? Would you go to Johnson and Wales? Would you go to Cornell?” The short answer is yes, I would. Do you need to? Of course not. Did both provide a tremendous technical foundation to build off of and open incredible doors for me within the industry? Absolutely.</p>
<p id="Mw1WXM"><strong>What would you have done differently at school or paid more attention to?</strong></p>
<p id="kMcWej">I think something that doesn’t get spoken much about is the fixation on grades or one’s grade point average, especially in college. Do you know how many times I’ve been asked by a potential employer or, well, anyone really what my GPA was? Zero. </p>
<p id="x7sbh2">I have always been a proponent of the philosophy that you get out what you put in. Take classes that you’re genuinely interested in, ask lots of questions, get to know your professors, join clubs, and attend the non-required seminars and guest lectures.</p>
<p id="YHSSMw"><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced when you were starting out in the industry?</strong></p>
<p id="4riPu3">I’m sure this parallel exists in other professions, but in the beginning most kitchens wouldn’t hire me for a cook position without any prior experience, but I couldn’t gain any experience if I didn’t have a job in a kitchen. It’s somewhat of a double-edged sword. That was one of the advantages of going to culinary school; once I had a few classes under my belt and gained the trust of some instructors, I was able to get my foot in the door.</p>
<p id="EpSFE5"><strong>When was the first time you felt successful?</strong></p>
<p id="bSDYgd">I’m certainly very proud of what we’ve built at Souvla and so grateful to those who come to work every day and believe in our vision. I must say, though, paying our investors back just one year after opening our first restaurant felt pretty damn good.</p>
<p id="HJEgXy"><strong>Did you have any setbacks? What were they?</strong></p>
<p id="WoeZxI">So. Many. Setbacks. Honestly, we deal with setbacks each and every week still; we’re just better equipped to deal with them. </p>
<p id="xlircQ">Certainly, an early one in my career was when I left the Napa Valley to move down to San Francisco, because I really wanted to learn the development side of the restaurant business: how to create a concept, build a brand, and stuff like that. I landed in the city without a job, but a bunch of promising interviews with several growing restaurant groups. This was the fall of 2008, and shortly after my move, the economy crashed and everyone’s projects were on hold. In better times, this mythical development role I was seeking could have been a possibility, but all that quickly disappeared. The silver lining was that Michael Mina was looking for a culinary assistant and I knew how to do that. </p>
<p id="vp3YkW">With any modern restaurant, setbacks are always a thing, no matter how big or experienced you are. So much of it is keeping cool under pressure, not letting the person, agency, or incident control you and taking a solutions-focused approach.</p>
<p id="dtBUeV"><strong>What was the turning point that led to where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="bGDuhl">I had spent most of my 20s working for great chefs and operators like Thomas Keller and Michael Mina, dedicating basically all of my time and energy to them and their organizations.<strong> </strong>As I was nearing 30, I had somewhat of a realization that if I was going to continue to work as hard as I was and keep up that level of commitment, I was going to do it for myself.</p>
<p id="RKEVNU"><strong>What were the most important skills that got you to this point in your career?</strong></p>
<p id="HwxEeK">Work ethic was certainly a big one. Growing up with entrepreneurs as parents who ran their (non-food) businesses out of the house, hustling and work was a way of life. They wore all the hats and did all of the things. Their life was work, but they loved what they did, so it really didn’t seem like work, and they approached it with the same zeal then as they do now. </p>
<p id="DUP6PF">With that entrepreneur mentality comes a certain degree of fearlessness, a willingness to jump in and get your hands dirty. When I first told my parents that I was going to resign from my stable, well-paying management job and open my own place, they were against it. I had to remind both of them that they did the exact same thing when they were my age. Heredity is a crazy thing.</p>
<p id="gerMK2"><strong>Do you have, or did you ever have, a mentor in your field? How has that made a difference?</strong></p>
<p id="aPqua7">The first real mentor I had when I was cooking was <a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/chef/scott-crawford">Scott Crawford</a>, who I met while doing my culinary externship at the Ritz-Carlton. He was the chef of their fine dining restaurant and took me under his wing, going so far as offering me a role in the restaurant he later went on to helm and letting me stay in his spare room for several months before I went to Cornell. Not only did he open my eyes to the world of fine dining, but he gave me many of the tools and principles to be a better and more focused cook and culinary professional. He’s gone on to open several incredibly successful restaurants of his own in North Carolina. I couldn’t be more grateful for his willingness to set a young, cocky culinary graduate straight — and setting me up for success. </p>
<p id="jVaL4W"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="o3VgDj">There are too many to list, but if I had to pick one, it’s watching the many women and men on our team grow and develop as leaders in our restaurants and in the field overall. The dining rooms of our five restaurants are run by two women, both of whom started at Souvla in entry-level roles over five years ago and now oversee the restaurant operations. To watch them embrace new challenges, find their respective voices as leaders, and mentor the next generation of Souvla talent is truly remarkable. I’m so proud of them and everyone on our team who sees the big picture and embraces the belief that you can have a rewarding career at Souvla.</p>
<p id="9U33zK"><strong>What would surprise people about your job? </strong></p>
<p id="m8T6tB">One of the big things that people don’t know about restaurateurs, or restaurant operators, is the level of understanding they need to have about a wide variety of subjects. Most people simply think that to run a restaurant well, you’ve got to know about food, wine, and service (more or less). In reality, you have to have an above-average understanding (and/or learn quickly) about things like plumbing, HVAC, contract negotiation, networking (internet, computers, and people), architecture, graphic design, social media, general contracting, structural engineering, computers, and, well, the list goes on.</p>
<p id="5Prq7r"><strong>What’s one of the coolest things you’ve gotten to do?</strong></p>
<p id="VfeY3W">A few years back, someone emailed the restaurant asking if we could deliver food to a private airstrip for a flight out of San Francisco. The person mentioned that their guest had Souvla delivered to them while on previous visits to the city, and had specifically requested it for her and her team for their flight home. That “guest” <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2017/12/21/16807182/michelle-obama-souvla-flight-sf-dc">turned out to be</a> first lady Michelle Obama. While I didn’t get to meet her, she did graciously write us a thank you note that hangs in our office.</p>
<p id="GR2Qzv"><strong>How are you making change in your industry?</strong></p>
<p id="BMCBkC">One of the core tenets I had when structuring and growing the Souvla brand was to prioritize work-life balance — to reject the notion that working in restaurants required this absurd machismo of priding yourself in how many hours you worked, how long of a “stretch” of days you had worked, etc. At Souvla, every employee has two days off per week (consecutive if preferred), and no employee — management included — works more than 45 to 50 hours per week. Considering we’re a seven day a week operation open to the public 11 hours a day, it requires a larger management team than most operations in our space. But it allows us to recruit top-tier, full-service restaurant talent looking for the next step in their career, and who place a priority on their happiness both at work and outside of it.</p>
<p id="xkvZmq">The restaurant business, like everything in the hospitality space, is a people business. We are a team of 180-plus women and men who take care of thousands of guests every day. Human interaction is a critical part of the guest experience, whether they are dining in or taking away. A tired, overworked, or otherwise unhappy counter server or food runner can very easily taint the guest experience, and from there it’s a domino effect, ultimately impacting productivity, revenue, and profitability. This prioritization, as well as providing benefits like paid vacation, paid meal breaks, health insurance, and a 401K plan, are all part of creating an extraordinary place to work, even at our (relatively) small size.</p>
<p id="J7UNgR"><strong>What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?</strong></p>
<p id="iAsfHG">It was always instilled in me to go out and work for the absolute best people, brands, or companies that you possibly can, and in as many fitting roles as possible, absorbing everything along the way and volunteering to take on more. My career (so far) has spanned kitchens, dining rooms, offices, and everything in between. Those experiences have only given me a better understanding of every part of the restaurant development process and given me more empathy for every single role that exists in a restaurant organization.</p>
<p id="fXVr45"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
<p id="tgDSCk">Write a business plan. It’s a really important exercise that helps inform so much about who you are, what you want, and how seriously you want it. It took several years and countless iterations of the Souvla business plan to get it to a point where I was ready to share with peers and prospective investors and start to raise capital, but that time helped me really refine the concept and the vision.</p>
<p id="deARJ5">The second bit of advice — and I’ve said it a few times to my amazing wife, Jen Pelka, who owns and operates <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2019/12/4/20991672/airs-riddler-champagne-bar-review-nyc-restaurants">the Riddler</a> Champagne bars in San Francisco and New York — is that life happens outside your comfort zone. I took a huge leap in leaving my job to start Souvla, and that in and of itself took years to get off the ground. That was me going out on my own, which was incredibly scary, but it was only then when I really got to experience what is now such an important part of my life. </p>
<p id="hyiYNx">Starting and growing a restaurant brand from the ground up is not for the faint of heart. It’s a long, involved, and painful process that, for better or worse, never really ends. Having said that, it’s been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, and I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else.</p>
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<a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, DC.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo of Charles Bililies by Kassie Borreson. </em></small><br><small><em>Illustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small>
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https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/12/18/20994157/san-francisco-souvla-founder-charles-bililies-founder-greek-restaurant-career-path-adviceAmy McKeever2019-12-13T10:30:00-05:002019-12-13T10:30:00-05:00How I Got My Job: Becoming a Go-To Food Authority in Rome
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<p>Author, journalist, and podcaster Katie Parla discusses what it took to become a food writer in Italy</p> <p id="0WegHq"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: Katie Parla.</em></p>
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<p id="hxTeMZ">Rome has such an abundance of stellar drinking and dining options that navigating the city can be a bit daunting. That’s why food obsessives turn to Rome-based journalist Katie Parla to get an insider’s perspective on where to hit during their visits. Parla has been Eater’s go-to expert for years, most recently serving as consulting editor on <a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/5/9/17308980/where-to-eat-rome">Eater’s Guide to Rome</a>. She’s written for the likes of the<em> New York Times</em> and <em>National Geographic Traveler</em>, and published two cookbooks, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Rome-Flavors-Forgotten-Recipes/dp/0804187185?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Tasting Rome</em></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1524760463/?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Food of the Italian South</em></a>. She also consulted on the Italy-based episodes of the Netflix series <em>Master of None</em>, calling it one of the coolest projects she’s ever done.<em> “</em>Spending two weeks immersed in the food of Modena was a dream, and, because it’s such a small city, even a short time was long enough to become a regular at wine bars, restaurants, butcher stalls, and coffee shops,” she says. “It was a fun break from Roma.” Through it all, Parla somehow finds the time to lead culinary walking tours and host a podcast about food, too.</p>
<p id="YJXIoR">But food journalism wasn’t always part of Parla’s life plan. Growing up in New Jersey, she didn’t even realize you could make a career out of writing about Italian cuisine. In the following interview, Parla discusses how she became an authority on dining in the Eternal City through a combination of education, curiosity, and relentless hustle.</p>
<p id="QbD8hn"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve? </strong></p>
<p id="76jOMQ"><strong>Katie Parla:</strong> I live in Rome, Italy, where I am a freelance food and beverage journalist, culinary guide, cookbook author, and co-host of the podcast <a href="https://www.golapodcast.com/">Gola</a>. Everything I do is related to food and drinks, so I spend a lot of time researching those topics, eating and drinking, and telling people about what I discover.</p>
<p id="gavIAT"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career?</strong></p>
<p id="ho0D6o">I just wanted to survive on writing about food and drinks and the people who make them, and was totally open to every possible medium, from online publications to newspapers to mobile apps. </p>
<p id="VG4lXk"><strong>Did you go to culinary school or college? If so, would you recommend it? </strong></p>
<p id="B16MSf">I did my master’s degree in Italian Gastronomic Culture at <a href="http://web.uniroma2.it/">Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”</a> and the Italy-centric sommelier certification course offered by <a href="https://www.fisar.org/">FISAR</a> (Federazione Italiana di Sommelier, Albergatori e Ristoratori), both in Italian. For me, education is so important, and I learn best in a classroom setting with structured lessons and assigned readings. Education gave me a solid base to build on, but I think really hard work, relentless travel, and intense curiosity have been better teachers for me. </p>
<p id="oREVv8"><strong>What would you have done differently or paid more attention to at school?</strong></p>
<p id="x0s0l5">No complaints or regrets with my graduate studies, but I wish I knew food writing was a thing back in college. I was really into food from a young age and would have focused on food and topics related to it, if I had even considered writing as a profession.</p>
<p id="Z2zf1D"><strong>Student loans are such a part of the conversation around higher education right now. Has your career trajectory been impacted by debt in any way?</strong></p>
<p id="PUPHxL">Because I live in Italy, education is incredibly affordable. My master’s degree cost less than $3,000 for a year-long program. I worked full-time during my studies, so [I] was able to pay for the course in full as the bills came due. My American college loans took longer to pay off — about 12 years. During that same time, my alma mater, Yale’s endowment nearly tripled to $25 billion. That’s gross and fucked up.</p>
<p id="dGePHV"><strong>What was your first job? What did it involve?</strong></p>
<p id="FnFWgF">My first legal job was working at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheBagelPlacePlainsboro">the Bagel Place</a> in Plainsboro, New Jersey, in high school. I sold bagels by the dozen and made bagel sandwiches and pizza bagels. My first job in Rome was teaching Roman topography to freshmen at an international private school, a gig for which I was profoundly unqualified and criminally underpaid.</p>
<p id="AEfsM2"><strong>How did you get started covering the food and beverage industry?</strong></p>
<p id="R7brZX">I started writing about Rome in general in 2003, mainly for guide books at first, then websites and magazines. I began focusing on food and beverage over other topics in 2006.</p>
<p id="rsiMHQ"><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced when you were starting out?</strong></p>
<p id="o3mEJm">I was based in Italy and didn’t really have any connections in journalism or to editors. Building relationships and getting on people’s radar took years. </p>
<p id="9Rb6V6"><strong>When was the first time you felt successful?</strong></p>
<p id="RaIERF">When I published <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/travel/08overnighter-ponza.html">my first piece in the <em>New York Times</em> Travel section</a> (shout-out to Dan Saltzstein, the best editor, for taking a chance on me). It was about Ponza, one of my favorite destinations near Rome. My mom framed the article. Success.</p>
<p id="Tx68ZL"><strong>Did you have any setbacks? What were they?</strong></p>
<p id="CXSfop">I hired London-based designers and developers to create mobile apps “Katie Parla’s Rome” and “Katie Parla’s Istanbul.” They were massive projects that I self-funded at huge expense. They were pretty successful, and we were in the process of creating two more city apps when the developers disappeared, leaving me with code I couldn’t update myself. When Apple updated its operating system for mobile devices, the apps died. Other developers I interviewed to update my apps quoted such outrageous prices that I had to abandon my mobile babies. </p>
<p id="N9vEQo"><strong>What was the turning point that led to where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="e8HoIz">In 2006, after three years in Italy writing about everything I could — archeology, history, travel, wine, transport, restaurants — I decided to focus solely on food. I gave myself a year to determine if I could support myself making such a switch. I hustled hard, and it worked out.</p>
<p id="67pZa0"><strong>What were the most important skills that got you here?</strong></p>
<p id="xXHgQ2">Surviving on three hours of sleep, which is actually not a skill but just one way some people live, and it’s the only reason I have any money in my bank account. </p>
<p id="Txrli3"><strong>Do you have, or did you ever have, a mentor in your field? How has that made a difference?</strong></p>
<p id="5U05VY">Sadly, no. Italians aren’t big on the whole supporting and advising younger colleagues thing. </p>
<p id="CCf4Ex"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="Xx9hmr">The best part is learning recipes from the best teachers: farmers, bakers, wine makers, chefs, and home cooks. </p>
<p id="DDzmzd"><strong>What is something you didn’t know going into your job? Why?</strong></p>
<p id="zrTTsp">Sometimes you have to chase invoices for a year or more! Finance offices hate freelancers!</p>
<p id="TxnoH1"><strong>How are you making change in your industry?</strong></p>
<p id="Kd4ANN">I think through my writing and the <a href="https://www.golapodcast.com/">Gola</a> podcast, which I co-host with my friend <a href="https://www.thecabinetofdrcallegari.com/about">Dr. Danielle Callegari</a>, I get people thinking about Italy in a way that transcends the romantic stereotypes and forces them to confront the realities of the food industry, from <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/29/18523163/turkey-hazelnut-farms-syrian-refugees-laborers-nestle-godiva-ferrero">Nutella’s nefarious labor practices</a> to <a href="https://www.eater.com/2016/2/4/10903992/olive-oil-fraud-dangers-prevention">fraudulent olive oil</a> to the very real presence of <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/73de228c-e098-11e8-8e70-5e22a430c1ad">agricultural mafias</a>. This doesn’t change the travel or buying habits of enough consumers, though, unfortunately.</p>
<p id="gyUoox"><strong>What would you have done differently in your career?</strong></p>
<p id="dd1Dse">I should have been more confident in my abilities earlier, and I should have started writing cookbooks years before <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Rome-Flavors-Forgotten-Recipes/dp/0804187185?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Tasting Rome</em></a> came out in 2016. </p>
<p id="NcTYFe"><strong>What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?</strong></p>
<p id="a1t9HQ">Learn to take a vacation. </p>
<p id="ZJm3bp"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
<p id="tr9Hxr">Study. Academic credentials masked my complete and continuing inability to craft a compelling pitch, and this tactic can work for you, too!</p>
<p id="Z8Ghlu"><a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, DC.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo of Katie Parla by Cobey Arner.</em></small><br><small><em>Illustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small></p>
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https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/12/13/21003474/katie-parla-food-writer-rome-italy-travelAmy McKeever2019-12-05T13:40:07-05:002019-12-05T13:40:07-05:00How I Got My Job: Running an Award-Winning Wine Bar in Charleston
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<img alt="A black and white cutout of Miles White and Femi Oyediran on an orange illustrated background. Miles is sipping out of a large wine bottle and Femi is smiling with a baseball hat on. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KHL5oT8TGot5IWviMGwLHaqPY24=/11x0:1339x996/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65834184/HowIGotMyJob_GraftWine.0.jpg" />
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<p>Graft Wine Shop owners Miles White and Femi Oyediran saw a hole in the city’s wine scene and designed their ideal bar to fill the niche</p> <p id="mDqUK9"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: Miles White and Femi Oyediran.</em></p>
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<p id="jpPVJQ">It didn’t take long for <a href="https://www.graftchs.com/">Graft Wine Shop</a> to become an essential element of Charleston’s drinking and dining scene. After opening in early 2018, Graft — also part wine bar — quickly gained a reputation as an approachable place to discover interesting bottles. It helps that Graft has curated a perfect soundtrack (Think: Prince, Fela Kuti, and James Brown) and welcomes guest chefs in for <a href="https://charleston.eater.com/2019/9/20/20873748/graft-wine-bar-charleston">hip pop-up events</a>. But, most importantly, owners Miles White and Femi Oyediran clearly have a gift for making wine relatable. Eater Charleston named it the <a href="https://charleston.eater.com/2018/12/5/18127133/best-charleston-restaurant-chef-eater-awards-2018">2018 Bar of the Year</a>, marveling at how White and Oyediran “took the stuffiness out of wine.”</p>
<p id="Bngcyj">How did this duo make it all happen? In the following interview, the partners — who met years ago working at local fine dining institution, <a href="https://charleston.eater.com/venue/7882/charleston-grill">Charleston Grill</a> — share how they each found their way to wine and why they joined forces to realize their vision for a new and totally unconventional kind of wine shop.</p>
<p id="1X8SgO"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve? </strong></p>
<p id="YIp8A7"><strong>Miles White: </strong>My job entails all of the fun stuff: bookkeeping, finance, scheduling, inventory management, payroll, etc. Other than that, I sometimes get to be a bartender and pour wine. Femi and I still make a big point to try and select all of our wines together, as this has always been a duo kind of thing.</p>
<p id="2kJ5IZ"><strong>Femi Oyediran:</strong> Outside of collaborating with Miles on wines for the shop and pouring wine all the time, I handle all the other stuff: staff education, wine classes, events, tastings, etc. I also manage all of our print, marketing, and social media. </p>
<p id="KHnmQy"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career?</strong></p>
<p id="ZYC6A2"><strong>MW: </strong>I’d thought since I was about 14 or 15 that I wanted to work in hotels or resorts. I was really lucky to travel and see a lot of cool places. The movie <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116151/"><em>Dunston Checks In</em></a> had a bigger impact than I would like to admit, because for the longest time I thought general managers of hotels got to live in the penthouse. I got into my dream school — the <a href="https://sha.cornell.edu/">School of Hotel Administration</a> at Cornell University — and realized that maybe that corporate job at Marriott wasn’t quite for me.</p>
<p id="hfINuh"><strong>FO:</strong> I didn’t really have an endgame when I started. I just knew I liked wine. I was more excited about getting a new hobby to nerd out on outside of music. I don’t think I really ever knew what I was going to do or wanted to do, I just knew I wanted to taste a lot of wine and get better at talking to people about it. </p>
<p id="iBQYby"><strong>Did you go to culinary school or college? If so, would you recommend it? </strong></p>
<p id="kNZMGN"><strong>MW:</strong> I did — I attended the <a href="https://www.ciachef.edu/">Culinary Institute of America</a> at Greystone in Napa after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the <a href="https://www.cofc.edu/">College of Charleston</a> in hospitality management. The program at the CIA was a yearlong program that fast-tracked you into the sommelier certification process. I’ve always been one of those people that thinks hands-on experience is more valuable than schooling; but I cannot deny that not only was it one of the most memorable times of my life, but also the amount that I was able to learn in such a short period of time was incredible. My teachers were nothing short of amazing and influenced me in so many ways.</p>
<p id="eenKfL"><strong>FO: </strong>I briefly attended the College of Charleston, but had to step away due to some family-related circumstances. I left Charleston for a year, came back, and started working, thinking I’d go back to school immediately. I started working in restaurants when my music gigs at the time weren’t paying the bills as much as I would have liked. I was lucky enough to meet my mentor, [sommelier] Rick Rubel, when I got hired at Charleston Grill. That was where my schooling began.</p>
<p id="0zPe6R"><strong>What was your first job? What did it involve?</strong></p>
<p id="izQGWR"><strong>MW:</strong> My first paycheck [and] tax-paying job was making biscuits for my sister. She and my mother were starting up <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalliesbiscuits.com%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2Fyoung-guns-rising-stars%2F2019%2F12%2F5%2F20994155%2Fhow-to-run-charleston-graft-wine-shop-bar-award-winning" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Callie’s Charleston Biscuits</a> and they needed as much cheap labor as they could get. I was also the first employee she fired. </p>
<p id="XNSZsv">I’d say my first real job, though, was running food at the Charleston Grill in the Charleston Place Hotel, where Femi and I met. It was pretty simple: run food to stations, wait for servers to pick it up, go back to the kitchen, get yelled at for something I didn’t do, sneak some room service cookies, rinse, and repeat. As far as restaurant jobs go, it was pretty easy and the cash usually covered my bar tab.</p>
<p id="ydSEYe"><strong>FO: </strong>I worked at a Circuit City in Tysons Corner, Virginia when I was in high school. It was a cool first gig because I was a total nerd at the time and loved being surrounded by new electronics. It was a fun gig for a teenager, and I feel like the experience taught me a lot at the time on how to deal with people.</p>
<p id="9V5Iu7"><strong>How did you get into the industry?</strong></p>
<p id="CNvGGX"><strong>MW:</strong> Amazingly, this is all I have ever done. I did data input at a law firm one summer and noped out of that pretty immediately. </p>
<p id="Mper3q"><strong>FO:</strong> I applied for a job at Charleston Grill when I was 20, because it was the place where this legendary local musician, Quentin Baxter, played. All my friends in the music program at the college revered him, so I knew it had to be a serious place to work if he was hanging there. I got hired as a server assistant and met Miles. I learned everything I know about hospitality and wine through that restaurant. </p>
<p id="ur74kA"><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced when you were starting out in the industry?</strong></p>
<p id="FOpeJP"><strong>MW:</strong> It’s difficult to see a stable end when you’re starting in this industry. I tend to put too much pressure on myself with what the future holds, and while the cash is great when you’re young, my mind would often wander toward what was next. I feel like this industry doesn’t have the best reputation toward treatment of management, so there were times I would ask myself, “If I’m not going to manage, what’s the plan?”</p>
<p id="pnXiF7"><strong>FO: </strong>Having perspective. There wasn’t really a lot of opportunity for wine professionals (and there still isn’t) in Charleston, so it was really hard to see where everything was headed and if there was really space for me to continue to grow a career based on wine service in this city. </p>
<p id="2Qsvfd"><strong>When was the first time you felt successful?</strong></p>
<p id="3IOMtW"><strong>MW:</strong> It’s a toss-up. My mother has always been my biggest supporter in this industry and to see her get excited about every little thing makes me feel successful. But more specifically? When [winemaker] Maggie Harrison at <a href="https://www.anticaterra.com/">Antica Terra</a> [in Oregon] asked me to come back to work for her the following vintage, that was pretty humbling.</p>
<p id="Sa4cQO"><strong>FO:</strong> When I passed my Certified Sommelier exam in 2013. I got the highest score that day. There weren’t a lot of us doing that program in Charleston then, so my small circle of buddies were all super proud of ourselves when we hit that landmark. </p>
<p id="LXYKHP"><strong>Did you have any setbacks? </strong></p>
<p id="JFFAmH"><strong>MW: </strong>Where do I start? I have had some not-so-great anxiety issues with my path in this industry. My brother is a doctor and my father is an attorney, so me bouncing around the world making wine and working in restaurants weighed heavily at times. The direction was so unclear, I often second-guessed myself. I remember sitting on King Street in Charleston at the age of 27 crying my eyes out to my dad about how I should just apply to law school and get out. He quickly helped me realize that that wasn’t the answer.</p>
<p id="O0vPox"><strong>FO:</strong> I had a lot of things that happened internally with my family that sort of threw my life into flux when I was in my late-teens. I arrived to Charleston when I was 18 with the understanding that I was “on my own.” It was certainly a setback at the time, but ultimately knowing that I don’t have a cushion to fall back on has shaped my mindset on building goals, getting work done, and not settling for less. </p>
<p id="3NCD3G"><strong>What was the turning point that led to where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="SEnK3r"><strong>MW: </strong>Realizing that Femi and I had a weirdly similar vision in a place that I adore. I basically had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do after I left [an internship at the Antica Terra winery in] Oregon and made a pit stop back in Charleston. It was like a lightbulb went off.</p>
<p id="MJc5jr"><strong>FO:</strong> I had reached a point of frustration in Charleston, both as a wine professional and as just a general fan of wine. I think when I mapped out all the issues I had with the local culture at the time along with Miles, we realized that there was an opportunity for us to air out our grievances by making something we thought was cool and represented the ideas we had. </p>
<p id="q2LByw"><strong>What skills did you need to get to where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="u3Hcmq"><strong>MW: </strong>I’m not good at very much and just average at a lot of things, but I do believe that I am very good with people, as I genuinely care about people — probably too much at my own expense, but that’s the job isn’t it? There are a billion ways to make someone happy. I like to try to find as many as I can. I like to think that people enjoy being around me, especially at Graft. I’m getting better at the administrative stuff day by day.</p>
<p id="33ZrXz"><strong>FO:</strong> I think being able to devote more of my time to talking to people specifically about wine has given me many opportunities to get better — better at helping them communicate what they are looking for and better at being the sommelier they need. It’s become easier to recognize the experience people want from us just by talking to them. </p>
<p id="6T09YC"><strong>Do you have, or did you ever have, a mentor in your field? How has that made a difference?</strong></p>
<p id="dGiUGQ"><strong>MW:</strong> I’ve been lucky enough to have a few incredible people take me under their wings for as long as they could stand me. My first and forever is my mother, who is probably the sole reason I am in this industry. She forced me into the kitchen at a young age and has always taught me the value of authenticity and pride. A few others: Maggie Harrison from Antica Terra is firmly at No. 2 — she is the reason I still work in wine and has changed the entire way I approach wine and a lot of personal aspects of my life. My sister and her incredible business has always been a guiding light. My teachers at CIA (Christie Dufault and Bob Bath), Rick Rubel at Charleston Grill, god bless him, for dealing with me during the training wheel phases of my career. The list goes on.</p>
<p id="PqeOAA"><strong>FO:</strong> I’ve had some phenomenal mentors. Rick Rubel, Mickey Bakst, and Michelle Weaver at Charleston Grill were an incredibly supportive team to work under for such a long time. I really owe most of [my] development to my experience with them. </p>
<p id="soanaF"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="DtEdSq"><strong>MW:</strong> The fact that we have regulars. I’ve always worked in restaurants and dealt with regulars every night of every shift, but owning your own business and seeing someone walk in the door with the sole intention of coming back to your place is one of the most rewarding feelings. Also I’ve fallen in love with making sure my staff is well taken care of. They are the life force of what we do and I put them above every other aspect of the business, including the customer. </p>
<p id="vgbB5K"><strong>FO: </strong>Meeting people and sharing great wine with them in a space that I love to be in every day.</p>
<p id="3I3J1x"><strong>What would surprise people about your job or what is something you didn’t know going into your job?</strong></p>
<p id="QCCFMU"><strong>MW:</strong> This probably wouldn’t surprise most people who knew me well, but I had never managed a soul in my life nor had I ever touched Quickbooks or ran an inventory. It can be pretty overwhelming at times, but it’s not as scary as I thought it would be.</p>
<p id="MzF0UG"><strong>FO:</strong> We didn’t know what the hell we were going to do for food. We had so many ideas and had no clue how to shrink all the possibilities into a reality. I think when we first opened if you asked for food we just plated things and didn’t charge you. It really came together at the last minute, but we’ve had a fun time with it since.</p>
<p id="bQjUW9"><strong>How are you making change in your industry?</strong></p>
<p id="GFfIzp"><strong>MW:</strong> I think aside from helping this seemingly nationwide push to change the perspective of wine in general, I think one of the things we’re most proud of is our approach to staff. I love our staff, and while our situation is pretty unique, I feel that most hospitality workers are left high and dry. We pay our staff an hourly wage that is much higher than most front of the house staff in town and offer health insurance to full-time employees. Shifts are reasonable and we work with everyone’s schedule. Like I said before, they come first. </p>
<p id="Z68Wr0"><strong>FO:</strong> I think we’ve added to the conversation of how or where wine should be enjoyed, and how we choose to talk about wine with our peers and customers. </p>
<p id="KdkHD1"><strong>What would you have done differently in your career?</strong></p>
<p id="PIKeRL"><strong>MW:</strong> I’ve had the phrase “timing is everything” drilled into my head since a very young age. I am a pretty firm believer. If we’re going with that, then I wouldn’t have changed a thing as it may not have gotten me to where I am today. If we’re being honest though, I wish I had tried to do this earlier. I just turned 30 but had been wanting to do my own thing since my mid-20s. From the age of 24 to 28, I didn’t really gain a ton of experience that would have helped me here, and I felt like I was too young to be asking to open my own business. In retrospect, I was not. </p>
<p id="vjXZAi"><strong>FO:</strong> Started earlier. </p>
<p id="Xls6kj"><strong>What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?</strong></p>
<p id="MPxbR1"><strong>MW:</strong> Take the leap.</p>
<p id="QbRbJy"><strong>FO:</strong> Bring a bottle of [Pierre] Paillard.</p>
<p id="Phv7US"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
<p id="oC5Lqm"><strong>MW:</strong> Be nice to people! For the love of god, hire a good accountant. Network! It is so beneficial and can help separate you from everyone else. Lastly, to reiterate, take the leap. If it’s a job you want in a place you’ve never been? Take it. If someone offers you a job you want that you don’t feel ready for? Take it. If you don’t, someone else will.</p>
<p id="wTTgpy"><strong>FO:</strong> Focus on being the best you.</p>
<p id="jnRJh0"><a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, DC.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo of Miles White and Femi Oyediran by </em></small><a href="https://www.leslieryannmckellar.com/"><small><em>Leslie Ryann McKellar</em></small></a><small><em>. </em></small><br><small><em>Illustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small></p>
<aside id="j7ebCm"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Inside a Brooklyn Chef’s First Apartment — Without Roommates","url":"https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/11/25/20960487/new-york-bushwick-home-kitchen-tour-francesca-chaney-sol-sips"}]}'></div></aside><div id="04W6wj"><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Featerwineclub.com%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dwine_banner%26utm_content%3Dthirsty%26utm_medium%3Dinternal%26utm_source%3Deater%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2Fyoung-guns-rising-stars%2F2019%2F12%2F5%2F20994155%2Fhow-to-run-charleston-graft-wine-shop-bar-award-winning" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21984221/anassner_201019_1039_CTA.jpg">
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https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/12/5/20994155/how-to-run-charleston-graft-wine-shop-bar-award-winningAmy McKeever2019-11-13T10:30:00-05:002019-11-13T10:30:00-05:00How I Got My Job: Running a Food-Focused Radio Station
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<p>Heritage Radio’s executive director Caity Moseman Wadler went from biotech startup to nonprofit radio</p> <p id="s7ZjNd"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: Caity Moseman Wadler.</em></p>
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<p id="5prizg">If you’ve ever tuned in to one of the dozens of shows on the <a href="https://heritageradionetwork.org/">Heritage Radio Network</a> — the nonprofit radio station covering everything about food and drink from policy to hospitality — then you should know <a href="https://heritageradionetwork.org/hrn_staff/caity-moseman-wadler/">Caity Moseman Wadler</a>. As executive director, she ensures everything runs smoothly from the station’s headquarters in a pair of shipping containers behind <a href="http://robertaspizza.com/">Roberta’s Pizza</a> in Brooklyn, New York.</p>
<p id="L8ExDh">Moseman Wadler has always been interested in food and promoting a better food system, but she originally thought she might do so as a family doctor. In the following interview, she explains her journey from pre-med to landing a <a href="https://juliachildfoundation.org">Julia Child Foundation</a> fellowship at the Heritage Radio Network. She also offers some excellent advice on how to snag a dream job that allows you to collaborate with culinary heroes like Alice Waters.</p>
<p id="5DFbQi"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve? </strong></p>
<p id="AME7uc"><strong>Caity Moseman Wadler: </strong>No two days are the same — managing a lineup of 35 weekly food and beverage podcasts, running live broadcasts from food festivals, event planning, fundraising, supervising an absolute dream team of really smart and driven staff, developing partnerships, trying my best to be an IT consultant, scouting new shows, making sure our work stays in line with our mission (of enhancing equity, sustainability, and deliciousness), and eating and drinking very, very well.</p>
<p id="lMMoIR"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career?</strong></p>
<p id="fzwzzG">I always planned to go into medicine — I have a lifelong interest in how food systems affect public health, and my goal was to be a family practice doctor and consult on good food and nutrition. That all changed when I realized how little time doctors get to spend with their patients — I realized there were more effective pathways to change the food system.</p>
<p id="6MjS2R"><strong>Did you go to culinary school or college? If so, would you recommend it? </strong></p>
<p id="IM3WuX">I was pre-med in college and majored in molecular biology/biochemistry. I went to Middlebury College and, for me, the liberal arts education was exactly what I needed to help me admit to myself that the career path I’d always imagined for myself might not have actually been the best fit. When I decided to quit my job as a scientist and really focus on food, I got a master’s degree in food studies from New York University in part to accelerate that career change. For me, college and grad school were the right path to finding the job that really matched my sense of purpose. I don’t think everyone needs to go that route though — some people have a much clearer idea of their goals early on.</p>
<p id="IlxluK"><strong>What would you have done differently at school or paid more attention to?</strong></p>
<p id="KszZJJ">I put a lot into the pre-med path, but in hindsight I’m glad for the experience and the brain training. I wish I hadn’t stressed as much about studying for the MCAT though!</p>
<p id="4DIgKZ"><strong>What was your first job? What did it involve?</strong></p>
<p id="hxpb4f">I filed for a work permit when I was 14 and got a job as a waitress at a small-town breakfast and lunch diner. I really preferred being in the kitchen though, so soon enough I switched roles to be a short-order cook. I still make a mean breakfast.</p>
<p id="X7MEAP">My first “real” job out of college was in antibody engineering at a biotech startup. I’d begun to doubt whether medical school was for me, and had a high-tech science degree to put to use. It was meant to be a temporary thing while I figured out my life, but it turned out I loved the work. It was hard to turn away from that stability and relative financial security to start again in a new industry.</p>
<p id="BGHMfh"><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced when you were starting out in the industry</strong></p>
<p id="WYRFiL">Networking doesn’t come naturally to me, but it was so critical to getting connected in the New York City food scene and the good food movement. I forced myself to become a “yes” person, to be more outgoing, attend lots of events, and ask for help and ideas from people whose work I most admire. I had to get over my shyness.</p>
<p id="w16nY5"><strong>What was the turning point that led to where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="MRZuUW">I applied to the <a href="https://juliachildfoundation.org/">Julia Child Foundation</a>’s Food Writing Fellowship program, and was placed at Heritage Radio Network. The turning point, if you could call it that, was that I realized how much this lean nonprofit media organization had in common with startup enterprises, and that jumping in with a broad problem-solving and systems-building point of view was actually really productive.</p>
<p id="1PfRpz"><strong>What were the most important skills that got you there?</strong></p>
<p id="I0QIAH">Being an independent learner — all the slogging and Googling and tears that got me to the point of being a spreadsheet whiz in my biotech job really paid off, both in relevant data skills and in building the mentality that problems can be solved through research and testing, which is super important on a small team.</p>
<p id="NrkNZs"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="jv9DVN">Learning from all kinds of people in the food industry and beyond, and knowing I’m playing a role in amplifying voices that will change the world.</p>
<p id="c0z6Tb"><strong>What would surprise people or something you didn’t realize going into your job? Why?</strong></p>
<p id="yaM1sX">People in the food movement tend to be incredibly generous with their time and ideas when you make thoughtful use of them. Almost no one says no to an interview request.</p>
<p id="XeQOBc"><strong>What’s one of the coolest things you’ve gotten to do?</strong></p>
<p id="K8Niuz">I’ve gotten to know so many of my food heroes! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be having tea with Alice Waters, ice cream with Rose Levy Beranbaum, pizza with Jamie Oliver — I spend a lot of time feeling starstruck. But the greatest thing about this sort of network-building is that it has opened up new possibilities for collaborations between organizations and people that amplify each other — together, we’re greater than the sum of our parts. That’s something I’ve been thinking a great deal about lately.</p>
<p id="W0doXq"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
<p id="xMdm8v">Be ready to step out of your comfort zone, knowing that awesome things will come of it — and you’ll probably find that it’s not so bad on the other side, either. Be humble, ask for advice, don’t feel like you have to be an expert at everything; just be ready to learn something new every day (or hour!).</p>
<p id="pYKAz1"><a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo courtesy of Caity Moseman Wadler. </em></small><br><small><em>Illustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small></p>
<aside id="0JYXk9"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"How I Got My Job: Becoming a Taco Journalist ","url":"https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/10/7/20886117/taco-editor-texas-monthly-jose-ralat-writing-career-path-advice"}]}'></div></aside><aside id="v63hb2"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside><p id="sUgGHL"></p>
https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/11/13/20959972/heritage-radio-executive-director-caity-moseman-wadler-career-path-adviceAmy McKeever2019-11-08T12:25:00-05:002019-11-08T12:25:00-05:00How I Got My Job: Pastry Chef and Women’s March Co-Founder Breanne Delgado
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<p>Breanne Delgado’s career path took her from culinary school to Michelin-starred kitchens to Facebook to the Women’s March</p> <p id="s7ZjNd">Breanne Delgado didn’t set out to be a chef or an activist — let alone one of the founders of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/womensmarchonwash/">Women’s March</a>, the historic protest held to counter Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. In fact, she got her start in pastry by accidentally enrolling in culinary school at the age of 17.</p>
<p id="HLQ0Me">Since then, Delgado’s career has spanned from Michelin-starred kitchens to a role as executive pastry chef at Facebook. In that time, she learned how to work hard, show up, and think creatively — and also how to overcome systemic challenges in the workplace due to her age and gender. After helping to launch the Women’s March, which earned her a place among Glamour’s <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/women-of-the-year-2017-womens-march">2017 Women of the Year</a>, Delgado has leaned in to her activism; soon, she’ll launch <a href="https://www.stirthenation.org/">Stir the Nation</a>, a movement that aims to build bridges between people through food. Here, she shares how she got her start and why she believes the restaurant industry has “an obligation to ensure that we model how to treat and be treated in the workplace.”</p>
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<p id="Dftu4l"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve? </strong></p>
<p id="QfEIPs"><strong>Breanne Delgado: </strong>Whew, what does it <em>not </em>involve is more accurate! I call myself a “cheftivist” because being a chef and activist isn’t an either/or for me, it’s a both/and. After co-founding the Women’s March, a drastic change from my life as a chef, I had a lot of identity issues with my career and purpose in life. But then I realized how food is political in so many intersections, making it an extremely effective way to build bridges. So I decided to create <a href="https://www.stirthenation.org/">Stir the Nation</a>, where I use food to talk about social justice and workplace issues alongside community organizers. </p>
<p id="mnLuf9">I’m actually about to officially launch in a few weeks, so I’m wearing a lot of hats. One day I might be protesting in Washington, D.C., and the next day be pulling an all-nighter in my kitchen prepping for an event. But the one thing I’ve learned through movement-building and entrepreneurship is that listening is the most important thing I can do. Listening to feedback with an open heart, learning from other communities, and taking in the wisdom from those that have helped me find my voice. </p>
<p id="MQpx8V"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career? </strong></p>
<p id="2B589a">I got pretty good grades in high school, enough for me to be dually enrolled at my local community college my junior and senior year. I thought I would be an accountant because I was good at math — until I flunked my accounting course. Discouraged, I saw there was a Baking 101 class listed and immediately signed up. I was always baking for fun anyway, ever since my Grandma had shown me and my sister how to decorate a cake with piped borders and buttercream roses. It was the only thing I was better at than my sister, and I thought this class would just solidify that. Except it was part of culinary school — you know, that baking class everyone is usually begrudgingly required to take when pursuing a degree in the hospitality industry. </p>
<p id="uNKNLy">So there I was at 17, enrolled in culinary school. One of the only women, certainly the youngest, and most likely the only one to enroll accidentally. On the first day of class, I got yelled at by Chef for spreading my cheesecake batter with a butter knife instead of an offset spatula. That’s when I knew that I wanted to be a pastry chef. </p>
<p id="7xpRHP"><strong>Did you go to culinary school or college? If so, would you recommend it? </strong></p>
<p id="B8BYUI">I ended up getting my associate’s degree in baking and pastry arts and was only one class away from a dual degree in culinary arts. While the fancy culinary schools sounded appealing, I knew I would never be able to afford that tuition, so I went the community college route. </p>
<p id="yVDrMV">It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It allowed me to graduate debt-free and invest in making the move from Detroit to New York City. Plus, there’s only one way to make a crėme anglaise. You may learn that in school, working in a pastry department, or even watching YouTube. Determination, drive, humility, and passion make up the foundation of pursuing a career in this industry, not your education — that can only enhance your foundation and vice versa. Master these skills and the ability to be awake at odd hours and you have a bright future ahead of you! </p>
<p id="nHoC12"><strong>What was your first job? What did it involve? </strong></p>
<p id="3s1EjK">I was a cashier at Target. Once they found out I was in culinary school, they moved me to “Food Avenue” because they thought I would want to cook. Heating up frozen pizzas got old but chocolate never does, so I took a job dipping strawberries at Godiva. I would get in trouble with corporate because I would decorate the strawberries too over the top and make chocolate purses and shoes to appeal to the shoppers. Once I graduated from culinary school, I started working at a bakery in Royal Oak, Michigan, where I learned to ice a cake in 30 seconds in order to keep up with the other bakers and our orders. </p>
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<p id="pJvuMm"><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced when you were starting out in the industry? </strong></p>
<p id="JXC0p3">It was always my age and/or the fact that I’m a woman. I would be constantly underestimated and passed up for promotions because of it. One time, I was told the reason I didn’t get a higher position over the man applying for it was because he “had a mortgage to pay” and I didn’t. I’m really stubborn and had something to prove, so those instances motivated me to persevere for the most part. </p>
<p id="kxyRE2">However, that’s not the case for everyone. In fact, I’ve seen it make talented people leave the industry because they can’t take it anymore. There’s a huge cultural shift happening around equality, and it’s crucial that we lean into that. In the food industry, where <a href="https://restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/Research/SOI/restaurant_industry_fact_sheet_2019.pdf">nearly 6 in 10 adults</a> have worked at some point in their lives, we have an obligation to ensure that we model how to treat and be treated in the workplace. We can show over half of Americans work environments filled with equal opportunities, diverse and inclusive leadership, work/life balance, and transparency. No other industry touches so many people, especially early on in their working careers. These are the thoughts that keep me up at night, while still getting me out of bed every day to do what I do. </p>
<p id="s8Y5Cf"><strong>What was the turning point that led to where you are now? </strong></p>
<p id="Yu00fn">I’ve had many turning points throughout the last few years, but a big one for me was last year at this time leading the [protests at the] <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/27/us/politics/brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-hearings.html">Brett Kavanaugh hearings</a>. I was in DC for over a month coordinating protests, volunteering on jail duty, and sitting in senators’ offices pleading they vote no on his confirmation. The stories that were shared by victims of abuse were really triggering to me, especially since I had just lost my job a few years back when I refused to engage in sexual relations with my boss. It was why I had gone freelance, even though I wasn’t quite ready, because I refused to work for anyone else after that instance. But after Kavanaugh was confirmed, I committed to creating space using food to talk about toxic work culture and unpacking systemic issues. </p>
<p id="0MYrEh"><strong>What were the most important skills that got you there? </strong></p>
<p id="pQaoO3">Listening, showing up, and staying creative. Showing up physically, not just on social media, makes a visible difference in our screen-driven lives, and staying creative helps fuel my willpower to keep building. Also, you’d be surprised how many skills I acquired working in restaurants I’ve been able to use in my activism! Especially the whole long hours and days part. </p>
<p id="CyvJVh"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job? </strong></p>
<p id="YybtU4">I love meeting people and learning about different communities when I travel. It’s so interesting when you realize just how much we are connected. You look at something like bread that is so nourishing and simple, yet symbolic in many cultures. The same ingredients, yet so many different interpretations. I love connecting all of the dots. </p>
<p id="sv9F0m"><strong>What would surprise people or something you didn’t know going into your job? Why? </strong></p>
<p id="CnvfgD">I feel so grateful to have found a way to merge my passions together, but that has resulted in a lot of falling down along the way. A lot of work really is learning as you go and requires a tremendous amount of vulnerability. I’ve Googled the craziest things and watched hours of videos on how to make spreadsheet or build a website. Sometimes you figure it out and sometimes you just have to delegate or ask for help. Creating change isn’t easy, in fact it can be rather isolating, so I’m always trying to find a balance between human connection and recharging my own batteries. </p>
<p id="8wyzSD"><strong>What’s the coolest thing you’ve gotten to do? </strong></p>
<p id="ze7npH">I was just recently a part of Reality Taste, where 49 other food professionals and I toured Israel and Palestine, learning about the food, the culture, and how conflict has impacted the many communities living within. It was a life-changing trip being able to experience so many different cultures and learn alongside amazing leaders in our field. I’m still processing it. </p>
<p id="wDe0eb"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job? </strong></p>
<p id="PFFgqg">You have to slow down to speed up. Take time to really understand your goals and what you want to accomplish, make a plan on how to get there and know it’s okay if it takes time. I struggle with imposter syndrome and perfectionism, but you have to be your own biggest cheerleader. You will make mistakes, you will have hard moments, but you can’t put a price tag on doing what you love and living out your purpose. And finally, know that you can create change and make a difference! </p>
<p id="pYKAz1"><a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo of Breanne Delgado: Heidis Bridge </em></small><br><small><em>llustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small></p>
<aside id="hb8el8"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"How I Got My Job: Cookbook Author Julia Turshen","url":"https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/10/4/20895899/julia-turshen-cookbook-author-podcast-career-path-advice"}]}'></div></aside><aside id="U8cjko"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside><p id="Ipjdsp"></p>
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https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/11/8/20933004/womens-march-co-founder-breanne-delgado-pastry-chef-facebook-career-path-adviceAmy McKeever2019-11-01T11:30:00-04:002019-11-01T11:30:00-04:00How I Got My Job: Running Noma’s Fermentation Lab
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<p>How David Zilber found his niche in the culinary world</p> <p id="W45oEj"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: David Zilber.</em></p>
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<p id="JhGadu">Young cooks — or, really, young people in any field — have much to learn from David Zilber’s career. As head of the Fermentation Lab at Noma, Zilber is in charge of experimenting with and creating the unique ingredients like pea miso or rose kombucha that have come to define Renė Redzepi’s world-renowned restaurant. Zilber regularly shares his discoveries on the Fermentation Lab’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nomaferments/?hl=en">Instagram account</a> and, last year, he and Redzepi co-wrote a book about their work, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Noma Guide to Fermentation</em></a>.</p>
<p id="fF5D7f">It’s one of the most interesting (and prestigious) jobs in the culinary world — and one that Zilber earned not just through the classic combination of hard work, experience, and talent, but by constantly teaching himself new things, taking risks, and embracing the sciences. “It can sometimes feel like all there is is gastronomy,” he says. “But the world is so much bigger than that. So much of gastronomy is informed by mechanisms, sciences, and natural laws that sit just beyond the horizon of recipes and cultures that make up the world of food. Some of the biggest insights into my job have come from the fields of economics or cognitive science.”</p>
<p id="bwDLJO">In the following Q&A, Zilber traces the arc of his career path from a cooking apprenticeship he took on as a high schooler in Toronto to his decision to leave Canada to see if he could make it in Copenhagen. He also shares the wisdom he’s gleaned through experiences like dropping out of culinary school, dealing with the criminally low pay of restaurant jobs, and becoming an omnivorous reader. </p>
<p id="xNZDU8"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve? </strong></p>
<p id="21rWTq"><strong>David Zilber: </strong>My job involves a lot, I guess. Technically my title is Director of Fermentation, and that means I’m in charge of Noma’s scientifically oriented research and development kitchen. </p>
<p id="Suehwa">Noma has two R&D kitchens: the <a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/3/8/17014336/noma-copenhagen-reopening-seafood-menu-food-photos-test-kitchen-mitte-soberg-interview">Test Kitchen</a>, which invents the actual dishes our guests eat, and the <a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/3/9/17100494/rip-noma-science-bunker-2014-2018">Fermentation Lab</a>, which supplies the Test Kitchen with novel ingredients to make those dishes with. Within that scope, my team and I look to all areas of food science to find new and interesting things for the chefs in the Test Kitchen to work with. That could be a new vinegar or kombucha using a microbe we’ve never encountered before, or a new way of holding an emulsion together using technology; we work within pretty nebulous boundaries. </p>
<p id="DgINZe">Beyond that, I run the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nomaferments/?hl=en">Noma Ferments</a> Instagram account, publishing our successes and failures as way of informing the public about what we do. I’m also responsible for writing all of the recipes at Noma and standardizing them, serving as a sort of in-between for the Service Kitchen’s cooks and the Test Kitchen’s stack of handwritten notebooks. And, of course, [I’m in charge of] everything that went into and continues to go into the production of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>The Noma Guide to Fermentation</em></a>; fielding questions; doing workshops and speaking events (spreading the gospel so to speak); as well as putting together the next book… whatever that may be.</p>
<p id="OElzH7"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career?</strong></p>
<p id="7fAVlJ">When I started cooking at the age of 18 in Toronto, I was surrounded by passionate young chefs who’d cooked for the likes of Ferran Adrià or Nobu Matsuhisa. I thought I was going to be running my own restaurant by the age of 27, doing my own version of fine dining food and expressing my own ideas. I’d set this sort of arbitrary goal for myself. Ironically, I didn’t even know how to cook back then, so while it was great to have dreams they were maybe a tad ill-informed. </p>
<p id="WSL9lX">Where I actually ended up at 27 was probably a much healthier place career-wise than venturing out on my own unprepared. I was the sous chef of Canada’s best restaurant, <a href="https://hawksworthrestaurant.com/">Hawksworth</a> in Vancouver, helping to run dinner service, create menus, and be part of an amazing team. I don’t know if I’ll ever have my own restaurant anymore — my life has definitely deviated from the original plan — but you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way.</p>
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</div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3SX72FF_W1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by David Chaim Jacob Zilber (@david_zilber)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2019-10-06T18:38:24+00:00">Oct 6, 2019 at 11:38am PDT</time></p>
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<p id="t99rzB"><strong>Did you go to culinary school or college? If so, would you recommend it? </strong></p>
<p id="XxAPUN">The program that got me into cooking in my last year of high school was an apprenticeship program that provided a crash course in cooking and then lots of on-the-job training in a high-end restaurant. I had the opportunity to continue on that path and get my <a href="http://www.red-seal.ca/about/pr.4gr.1m-eng.html">Red Seal</a> [a prestigious Canadian certification program endorsing a person’s skills and experience in their trade so they can work anywhere in the country without further examinations], but opted to keep working.</p>
<p id="G1SmiM">Still, my parents, Baby Boomers that they are, thought a piece of paper was valuable no matter where you went, so I enrolled in the culinary diploma program at a Toronto college. I didn’t want to give up my job, though, as the restaurant where I’d done my placement had hired me as a commis. So I did both and ended up working 90 hours a week between the two and getting really sick because of it after just a couple months. I had to make a tough decision, but opted to stay in the kitchen, which I think was the right choice. I was cooking circles around all my peers in school and, whenever we’d see new hires in the restaurant who’d been in school longer than I’d been cooking, I’d be cooking circles around them too. </p>
<p id="upVRlR">Cooking can be theoretical, sure, anything can. But in practice, it is far more an example of <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/complexity-and-the-ten-thousand-hour-rule">the expert rule</a>: Give me two hypothetical candidates, one with 10,000 hours in a kitchen and one with 10,000 hours spent reading cookbooks, and I can plainly tell you which one will succeed. </p>
<p id="vMkdjU">On top of that, I’ve met a lot of cooks who are crippled by the debt of expensive schools and come out the gates only to make minimum wage. Why pay for an education when you could be paid for it? The choice is clear for me. </p>
<p id="euxgAg">That said — COMMIT. You won’t learn anything by hopping around restaurants every six months. You will by coming up the ranks of a solid establishment and learning what it means to depend on your peers, build something together. You’ll also learn the importance of teamwork doing everything from covering a sick dishwasher to calculating food cost.</p>
<p id="t7jwJS"><strong>What would you have done differently at school or paid more attention to?</strong></p>
<p id="xOn3Oc">Not attended in the first place!</p>
<p id="ktlVvC"><a href="https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/9/11/20859784/culinary-school-debt-relief-democratic-presidential-candidates-2020"><strong>Student loans</strong></a><strong> are such a part of the conversation around higher education right now. Has your career trajectory been impacted by debt in any way?</strong></p>
<p id="FisRUM">Mine, no, because I opted to stay in the workplace instead of striving for a diploma. I did pay for that one semester of school I attended, but it wasn’t a significant amount. But I have seen a lot of young cooks accrue debt while slaving away in expensive cities they basically can’t afford to live in. While I’m sure cooking schools have improved greatly since I attended one in 2004 — and there are many passionate and well-intentioned instructors out there — there is no replacement for on-the-job experience. Make your mistakes on someone else’s dime. What is being a kitchen apprentice if not that?</p>
<p id="ySpiiS"><strong>What was your first job? What did it involve?</strong></p>
<p id="h39uI7">I was a commis at Rain Restaurant in Toronto. It was one of Canada’s best, and the Rubino brothers who ran it <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/restaurants/here-comes-the-rain-again-a-peek-inside-guy-and-michael-rubinos-ame/">were painfully cool</a> back in the early aughts. They had <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0872178/">their own show</a> about the restaurant on the Food Network! It was all very posh, pan-Asian cuisine. The food was very tall. There were a LOT of garnishes. I was effectively a commis, running one of two garde manger sections that plated all the cold accoutrements for the cooks on the hot line — lots of deep-fried crispy spindles, baskets made of julienned taro root, simple sauces like togarashi sabayon and the like. </p>
<p id="2BIFGG">I was 18 and had never had a job before in my life, let alone set foot in a fine dining restaurant. But my first sous chef, Luigi Encarnacion, a Filipino hip-hop nerd with a lot of style, took me under his wing. We’re still friends to this day, and he really did look out for me, teaching me how to act in a kitchen, what to care about, and how to do a good job. But most importantly, he taught me how to teach, which is something I’ve paid forward many times over. It’s the only way this industry propels itself: good cooks teaching promising apprentices how to become good cooks.</p>
<p id="5X39GN"><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced when you were starting out in the industry?</strong></p>
<p id="MKndTw">Pay. When I started cooking, I earned $564 Canadian every two weeks. My rent was $600. Looking back, even though I was young, my income was for sure below the poverty line. It was a struggle to save any money or even have food in the apartment, which I shared with three other guys. It’s a bit unjust how little we value the work that goes into producing food, whether that’s a young chef or a farm hand. We could all live without Facebook. We couldn’t live without food.</p>
<p id="nOIPBP"><strong>When was the first time you felt successful?</strong></p>
<p id="mRt2iy">I think when I nailed my first medium rare steak after I’d been moved to the grill. There’s something powerful about realizing that you understand something ineffable about the world of cuisine — that someone’s taken the time to demonstrate to you how all of the minute pieces of experience fit together to do something tangible. I was on the new section for not even a week and the chef had asked to cook up a veal chop to try it with some new accoutrement. He sliced into it on the pass, and it really was a perfectly cooked medium rare. Not bad for a 19-year-old. And he told me as much.</p>
<p id="oGRGPC"><strong>Did you have any setbacks? What were they?</strong></p>
<p id="kg6Np0">In my career? Not huge ones. There were instances where I felt as though I wasn’t working for a chef I truly wanted to learn from, or that things at a job felt as if they were stagnating. But overall, if I was ever in a less-than-ideal situation, I’d try to bounce back and not dwell on it or in it for too long. You always have the power to change your situation. It may feel uncomfortable at times, but that’s the point of moving forward. </p>
<p id="X0P71V"><strong>What was the turning point that led to where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="gqJ0dp">Taking the leap and applying to Noma. The winter before I sent off my application, I hunkered down and saved up enough cash to be able to afford making the jump overseas. Getting out of Canada —which, don’t get me wrong, has tons of great food but just isn’t on the same level internationally as places like Denmark, France, or the United States even — was the best thing I ever did in my career. It’s frightening to leave your whole support group behind, but if you trust in your own development, it always ends up working out.</p>
<p id="DRYhWO"><strong>What were the most important skills that got you there?</strong></p>
<p id="cCrsn1">Reading. Self education. Determination. I can’t emphasize enough how valuable it is to teach yourself things no one else in your immediate surroundings will. And branch out — don’t only read about ONE topic. Be a generalist. Read about a lot of different things. We’re omnivores in our diets; we should all be in our learning, too.</p>
<p id="mtOaiS"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="A82iWk">My ability to play, create, and explore. I feel so fortunate that Renė truly <em>believes</em> that R&D is worth its expense. Noma, I’m sure, could make it much further into the black each year if we didn’t have three salaries in a lab full of the restaurant’s most expensive equipment. BUT, Noma wouldn’t be Noma if that was the case, and everybody knows that. Everything we make for the restaurant — from pantry staples like pea miso or rose kombucha, to bespoke experiments like meadowsweet extract or white currant juice emulsions — always starts as an idea, an experiment in the mind of a chef. And that’s the most important (and favorite!) part of my job, coming up with an endless mental list of things to try out in the hopes of striking gold.</p>
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<p id="AFMg4J"><strong>What’s one of the coolest things you’ve gotten to do?</strong></p>
<p id="Bgbojd">In 2015, the lab’s team got to head down to Zimbabwe to assist Chido Govera, who runs a home for young girls and a mushroom farm, with the launch of her <a href="https://www.thefutureofhope.org/">Future of Hope Foundation</a>. It was 10 days of taking in the African landscape and foodscape, working with the most amazing children, togetherness, and the exchange of ideas. My job is always surprising me with interesting opportunities, but this trip will stick with me for years to come.</p>
<p id="qSSTG6"><strong>How are you making change in your industry?</strong></p>
<p id="Z305T6">There are so many people out there who achieve fame or notoriety for being in the right place at the right time, or are famous for being famous and have nothing of value to add to the wider conversation. Imagine if our rockstars were all scientists instead of vapid performers. </p>
<p id="CyEGm2">So if I’m getting any attention for my work, you can be damn sure I’m going to say exactly what I mean, and inform myself, at a deep level, about the issues at hand. If I’m inspiring cooks or amateurs to not just ferment, but to see the natural world through a grander lens of interconnected parts, then I’m doing all I could hope for.</p>
<p id="XcCRby"><strong>What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?</strong></p>
<p id="Zz1Qua">“You are your own business.” It’s absolutely true. No one out there will go the extra mile for you. No one will put in the extra work on your behalf to propel you further in the field. That’s something you can only do yourself. And the dividends do pay off eventually if you’re smart about it. </p>
<p id="eboYbq"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
<p id="ZhQo5t">My job is one of kind. My advice? Be one of a kind as well.</p>
<p id="CPW8WN"><a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo of David Zilber: Asmund Sollihøgda</em></small><br><small><em>llustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small></p>
<aside id="wVG2wT"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"How I Got My Job: Leading an Award-Winning Seattle Restaurant Group","url":"https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/10/2/20886034/edouardo-jordan-salara-junebaby-career-path-advice"}]}'></div></aside><aside id="Gnh8I9"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside>
https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/11/1/20942964/david-zilber-noma-fermentation-career-path-advice-interviewAmy McKeever2019-10-29T10:00:00-04:002019-10-29T10:00:00-04:00How I Got My Job: Becoming a Restaurant Lawyer
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<p>Jasmine Moy went from server to miserable law firm associate to one of the go-to lawyers in the restaurant world</p> <p id="a2m5P4"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: Jasmine Moy.</em></p>
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<p id="pH0LeS">There’s enough to worry about when you’re building a restaurant or food business, let alone navigating its legalities. Instead of tackling it on their own, many chefs and restaurateurs turn to <a href="https://www.restaurantlawyer.nyc/">Jasmine Moy</a> to untangle it all. Moy is a business attorney who specializes in the hospitality industry, meaning she knows the ins and outs of funding start-ups, forming a business, negotiating for real estate, and more. She’s worked with the likes of Kwame Onwuachi, Kristen Kish, and Andrea Reusing ― and she’s offered smart insight on Eater on subjects from <a href="https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/9/5/20849951/restaurant-tip-pool-sharing-for-workers-cooks-managers">tip pooling</a> to <a href="https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/9/23/20857786/how-to-get-a-good-cookbook-deal-contract">getting a good cookbook deal</a>.</p>
<p id="H2HHAI">But while Moy has become one of the biggest names in her field, it took her awhile to discover that this perfect marriage of her interests ― hospitality law ― even existed. In the following Q&A, Moy explains how she went from a “miserable” corporate lawyer saddled with debt to running her own practice that allows her to spend time with her favorite people in the world: those in the service industry.</p>
<p id="ScBVBI"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve?</strong></p>
<p id="G6HISk"><strong>Jasmine Moy: </strong>Mostly drafting and negotiating all the contracts you need to start, run, and grow a successful hospitality company, with some business advising and hospitality consulting tossed in for good measure. </p>
<p id="wC7g68"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career?</strong></p>
<p id="vaj7so">I mostly went to law school because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and thought it would be smart to buy myself a few more years to decide. The thing about law school is that the debt it often puts you in quite limits the type of work you can afford to take afterward. </p>
<p id="Omcr9F"><a href="https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/9/11/20859784/culinary-school-debt-relief-democratic-presidential-candidates-2020"><strong>Student loans</strong></a><strong> are such a part of the conversation around higher education right now. Has your career trajectory been impacted by debt in any way?</strong></p>
<p id="6WUkCh">Oh God, yes, 100 percent. I had to take corporate jobs at a series of big firms in litigation just because that’s what was available, and I think my initial loan repayment amounts were like $1,700 a month. That’s a second rent for someone in their early 20s. So I took these jobs I didn’t want, doing work I hated doing, working 100 hours a week, losing my friends and social life, and did that for about eight years until I thought I might have a mental breakdown when I turned 30. </p>
<p id="gtkMWi"><strong>What was your first job? What did it involve?</strong></p>
<p id="W3GkFy">My very first job was as a hostess at a suburban California Pizza Kitchen (where I also was a food runner and then a server when I was old enough to serve wine), and honestly, it’s where I fell in love with restaurants and the camaraderie and work ethic of the hospitality industry. I continued to wait tables all through college (at various Lettuce Entertain You restaurants in Chicago) and law school (at the Soho House in New York). There are literally two kinds of people in the world ― those who have worked in the service industry and those who haven’t ― and I really only ever want to hang with the former. </p>
<p id="OWSi5R"><strong>How did you get involved with restaurant industry law?</strong></p>
<p id="AhVKwn">I was miserable practicing corporate litigation, had dreams of quitting my job and traveling the world, and so signed up for a travel writing class at New York University taught by David Farley. Farley taught me how to pitch stories, but the only things I knew anything about were food trends and chefs because I was eating out so often. So I started pitching stories and writing about food for the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> Off Duty section, Esquire.com’s food vertical, and <em>Time Out New York</em>, and doing some advertorial work for print magazines. I was interviewing a lot of chefs and eventually one of them suggested that I should be a lawyer for chefs. It turns out that’s an actual job I had no idea existed. </p>
<p id="kaPhWG">So I started looking for local attorneys who were practicing law in the restaurant space. I interviewed with one small prominent restaurant law firm in the city that said they’d hire me if I sent them clients. So I sent them clients, and then they (I wish I were kidding, but this is <em>not</em> a joke) said they didn’t have a job to offer me, but they wanted me to write company newsletters for them as a marketing intern. After I “HARD PASS”-ed those bros, I was introduced to Tom Colicchio’s first cousin who was representing a lot of chefs at the time. He luckily had just had an employee quit and needed an extra hand. I’ll always be thankful that he had the patience to take in someone without relevant experience ― it was definitely the break I needed. I worked with him for a few years before going out on my own, and now I run my own practice. </p>
<p id="C70yGp"><strong>What’s been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in that field?</strong></p>
<p id="dgs6di">Honestly, going out on my own was really scary. It meant not knowing how many clients would come with me or whether I was going to be able to find enough clients to keep my bills paid. It meant finding the confidence that I could do the best work for my people without having the safety net of more experienced attorneys around me when I needed it. Thankfully, I was living in an incredibly affordable, rent-stabilized fifth floor walk-up in Washington Heights and had gotten my loans down to a more reasonable $900 per month so I didn’t need much income to support myself and was able to manage it all without being too uncomfortable. </p>
<p id="crD9or"><strong>When was the first time you felt successful?</strong></p>
<p id="ez7uR9">I was quoted in the <em>New York Times</em> once for a story and, while it may not seem like much, it was exceptionally legitimizing at a time when I needed it. It’s also really nice when a notable chef I’ve never met hunts me down to say they’ve heard I do good work and hires me.</p>
<p id="is6orI"><strong>Did you have any setbacks? What were they?</strong></p>
<p id="yearp0">I’m a pretty typical Virgo. I plan ahead and am risk averse, so I fortunately haven’t had any major blows. (Yet!) But I get emotionally invested in my clients so it always feels like a setback to not get certain things I want in deal-making, or when a client’s restaurant isn’t doing as well as they’d hoped, or a Department of Health inspection doesn’t go well, or a treasured space falls through ― even if this is all part of the regular course of business. </p>
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<img alt="Jasmine Moy speaks on a panel." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gG5vVHlRguM5POyZfronbEYpleQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19320238/limone_monica_conference_1.jpg">
<cite>Limone Creative</cite>
<figcaption>Jasmine Moy, center, speaks on a panel.</figcaption>
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<p id="2Adgpj"><strong>What were the most important skills that got you where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="n7sZAC">I like people, and I think (hope!) people generally like me in return. That goes a long way in finding clients, earning a client’s trust, and working successfully and communicating amicably with opposing counsel. I’m not sure this is a skill, per se, but because the work I do is in such a niche field, I have a particularly good sense of what market rates are for hospitality contracts (for chefs or food and beverage companies or restaurant groups), and that empowers me to ask for things for my clients and to feel justified that my asks are reasonable ones. So it makes me a superior negotiator to someone who isn’t primarily working in this field.</p>
<p id="u7xQ9G"><strong>Do you have, or did you ever have, a mentor in your field? How has that made a difference?</strong></p>
<p id="w1PHfZ">I have a dear friend, Richard, who is an attorney (he’s older and has been a partner at firms and argued in front of the Supreme Court) and so he’s always offered priceless and grounding guidance as to how to get out of the job I hated, how to get paid better at the job I took next, and how to function as a solo legal practitioner. </p>
<p id="upYNpE"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="TOco4x">The first time I got a client a very significant increase in pay on a consulting contract. I made $75,000 appear overnight for this woman where it previously had not existed, and I was like, “This is why I do this job!” It just feels so good. Probably not as good as having an extra $75,000 feels, but I’ll take what I can get. </p>
<p id="RWNImL"><strong>What would surprise people, or what is something you didn’t know going into your job? </strong></p>
<p id="9XeYz1">I never cease to be surprised that I can make a nice living off of doing such a limited range of work, but I think generally people might be surprised to learn about how much of my time is spent trying to convince people of their own worth ― being a life counselor as much as I’m a business counselor. Business partners need to have really hard conversations about life, death, disagreements, etcetera, when they start new ventures, and it’s my job to facilitate those difficult conversations. Attorneys are meant to be trusted advisers, but I sometimes find myself in the seat of a therapist, especially when partnerships or businesses are going awry. </p>
<p id="P5xEkn"><strong>What’s one of the coolest things you’ve gotten to do?</strong></p>
<p id="4qpzRj">Generally, I love industry gossip, so it’s fun to know about certain exciting projects/deals for months and months before they are announced to the general public. I once got invited to one of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/questlove-food-salons-activism-june-vogue-issue?verso=true">food salon parties</a>. I was by miles the least famous person in that room which was equal parts thrilling and embarrassing! Getting to chat with David Byrne and Wyatt Cenac and to also meet industry folks <a href="https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/10/2/20886034/edouardo-jordan-salara-junebaby-career-path-advice">like Edouardo Jordan</a> was a perfect night for me and I’ll treasure it. Lastly, knowing enough people to get last-minute reservations at places like Red Hook Tavern or whatever are decent perks as well, if I’m honest. </p>
<p id="21X9SE"><strong>How are you making change in your industry?</strong></p>
<p id="oTFT2x">I’m actively searching out underrepresented folks (of all kinds ― race, gender, sexual orientation) and recommending them to hotel clients and developers for projects for which they’d be a great fit. It’s mostly still white men making the final choices at the end of the day, but I’m trying to get a more diverse group of talent into these gigs since I’m now finally :insert musical notes emoji: in the room where it happens. </p>
<p id="tmy4Zz"><strong>What would you have done differently in your career?</strong></p>
<p id="nW5FFd">I obviously wish I’d figured out sooner that there was a career for me that married my law degree to my actual interests. It would have saved me so much anguish in my late 20s!</p>
<p id="CdLyL8"><strong>What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?</strong></p>
<p id="lCA9LH">Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want ― the worst that can happen is that they say no. </p>
<p id="jEL0h2"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
<p id="lbBHsN">Provided they’ve learned the foundations of corporate legal practice (which they could do at any firm that was appropriately supporting their attorneys), the best way to thrive in the legal industry (whether with a firm or solo practice) is to always have work. The way to always have work is to be generous with your time and your favors, earn as much goodwill as you can, make friends in the industry you’d like to represent (though it honestly helps to be someone who will make friends anywhere ― you never know who will know your next client), and do good work. Referrals will follow!</p>
<p id="ctNj0y"><a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo courtesy of Jasmine Moy.</em></small><br><small><em>Illustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small></p>
<aside id="Fs3QOK"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"How I Got My Job: Cookbook Author Julia Turshen","url":"https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/10/4/20895899/julia-turshen-cookbook-author-podcast-career-path-advice"}]}'></div></aside><aside id="ZBFHXj"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside><p id="mhHpSf"></p>
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https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/10/29/20933025/restaurant-lawyer-jasmine-moy-career-path-adviceAmy McKeever2019-10-25T10:00:00-04:002019-10-25T10:00:00-04:00How I Got My Job: Blogger, Cookbook Author, and Food Stylist Jerrelle Guy
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<p>Instagram sensation Jerrelle Guy on forging a career without a map and making big decisions</p> <p id="RvQUBa"><em>In </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/how-i-got-my-restaurant-job-employment"><em><strong>How I Got My Job</strong></em></a><em>, folks from across the food and restaurant industry answer Eater’s questions about, well, how they got their job. Today’s installment: Jerrelle Guy.</em></p>
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<p id="ihsgFD">Jerrelle Guy knows what it means to blaze your own career path. After earning her master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University, Guy quickly got to work building a name for herself in the food world. While contributing recipes to the <em>Boston Globe</em>, Guy launched a food blog, <a href="https://www.chocolateforbasil.com">Chocolate for Basil</a>, and quickly began cultivating a massive following thanks to her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chocolateforbasil/?utm_source=ig_embed">Instagram</a> — which is truly one of the most killer food ’grams in the game. </p>
<p id="sTRCvn">In 2018, those successes led to the publication of Guy’s first cookbook, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Girl-Baking-Wholesome-Upbringing/dp/1624145124/?tag=eater0c-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em>Black Girl Baking</em></a>, which intertwines her childhood food memories with recipes like orange-peel pound cake. In no time, <em>Black Girl Baking</em> earned praise as one of Eater’s <a href="https://www.eater.com/cookbooks/2018/3/21/17027662/best-cookbooks-spring-2018">most notable cookbooks of the spring</a> — and <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/3/27/18280709/james-beard-awards-2019-finalists-chefs-restaurants-media-cookbooks-journalism-jbfa">earned a nomination</a> from the James Beard Foundation as one of the best baking and dessert cookbooks of the year. Guy and her partner, Eric Harrison, have also formed a food photography business, <a href="https://www.chocolateforbasil.com/booksweveshot">shooting and styling cookbooks</a>. All this, and she hasn’t even cracked 30. In the following Q&A, Guy explains how she made it all happen — and offers a ton of great advice for young people looking to break into the industry.</p>
<p id="0zmjo7"><strong>Eater: What does your job involve?</strong></p>
<p id="ESvcII"><strong>Jerrelle Guy:</strong> A lot of different things to do with food —<strong> </strong>developing recipes, writing food stories, digital hosting (cooking and talking about food for online audiences), food photography — but my main business and focus at the moment is shooting and styling cookbooks. </p>
<p id="MynYS2"><strong>What did you originally want to do when you started your career?</strong></p>
<p id="dfb0bP">I had no idea, but I knew I did <em>not</em> want to be an entrepreneur! I wanted to do something, anything with food or design, and I wanted to pay off my student loans because I was terrified about those. </p>
<p id="vE3DKv"><strong>Did you go to culinary school or college? If so, would you recommend it? </strong></p>
<p id="XUZdKX">I got a master of liberal arts in gastronomy. I know school is not for everyone — you have to figure out what type of person you are. Attend if you need a confidence boost and if the curriculum sounds fascinating and you like the idea of learning in a classroom setting. But, in my opinion, don’t attend if your only motivation is gaining skills so you can get a job and make money. Not saying that path doesn’t work, but I think you can save time and lots of money by landing an internship or entry-level job instead, since you’re probably gonna have to start there after you graduate anyway. </p>
<p id="pZin3J"><strong>What was your first job? What did it involve?</strong></p>
<p id="E1VWJj">My first job was in undergrad at one of the school’s coffee houses. I just made (pretty bad) cappuccinos and heated oversized cookies and croissants in a toaster oven for people. </p>
<p id="6ydNTO"><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced when you were starting out in the industry?</strong></p>
<p id="Plb0ZO">Not getting attached to people’s ideas and opinions of the way the industry <em>has</em> to work.</p>
<p id="nLqyX1"><strong>What was the turning point that led to where you are now?</strong></p>
<p id="vBM8jE">In retrospect, the biggest decision I made was picking up everything at 23 and moving across the country to Boston for grad school. It was the ballsiness of that decision — relocating in the dead of winter with no money, furniture, or job lined up and a boyfriend and an entire support system still back home; it was the moment I fully committed to my career and there was no recoiling. </p>
<p id="yVEZKQ"><strong>What were the most important skills that got you there?</strong></p>
<p id="A7xdbe">Unwavering enthusiasm, an open mind, and a lot of restlessness. </p>
<p id="Odtxa2"><strong>What’s your favorite part of your job?</strong></p>
<p id="slEYNQ">Getting to read people’s manuscripts and laying out my plans to visually bring them to life, coming up with the concept, learning more about the authors, and watching the photos evolve once we get on set and zoned in. </p>
<p id="C5VguA"><strong>What would surprise people or something you didn’t know going into your job? Why?</strong></p>
<p id="6bx8EF">Half the time I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m just following my heart and internal compass to the best of my ability. There is a spontaneity that comes with this lifestyle and it helps to be as adaptable as possible. </p>
<p id="ItfloW"><strong>What’s one of the coolest things you’ve gotten to do?</strong></p>
<p id="wC4XEd">Speak on a panel at my alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design! I went back for alumni weekend, and I got to show [my partner] Eric where I went to college and reflect on how much happened since I left. ALSO, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwxDB_VFTCB/">going to the James Beard award ceremony</a> with my parents! All the amazing food and inspiring people!!! It was unforgettable. </p>
<p id="uZfFzk"><strong>How are you making change in your industry?</strong></p>
<p id="QrG4Yi">Since I’m not following any career map, I think it can help open people’s eyes to the infinite career possibilities within the industry. I’m excited to push convention if it means allowing hope for someone who wants to follow their passion but also make money doing it. </p>
<p id="qhgIvS"><strong>What advice would you give someone who wants your job?</strong></p>
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<li id="rfYlYq">Ask yourself what aspects about it you’re really drawn to so you can tailor it to fit you. </li>
<li id="xGKJ8R">Make “food storytelling” one of your life passions and pursuits. </li>
<li id="hOqtzP">Find things about food that keep you engaged and curious. </li>
<li id="Q8rEvC">Learn how to shoot and style food. </li>
<li id="6us3P8">Practice. </li>
<li id="69t0DZ">Maybe start a blog so you can practice some more.</li>
<li id="HpUr3Z">Ask if you can shadow the people who do this job. Observe them at work. Work for free. See if it’s something you’re really fascinated by and can imagine yourself doing — that’s really important. </li>
<li id="qtW7bm">Always pay attention to your food. Think about what you might say if you were writing about the experience or what it would look like photographed. I sometimes make a viewfinder with both my thumbs and index fingers and go around looking at my food experiences through them. </li>
<li id="KlEkke">Always be looking at inspiration photos because it helps you train your eye and spark new ideas. </li>
<li id="E6jjEz">Keep practicing.</li>
</ol>
<p id="qTMgXL"><a href="https://amymckeever.com/"><small><em>Amy McKeever</em></small></a><small><em> is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.</em></small><br><small><em>Photo of Jerrelle Guy by Eric Harrison.</em></small><br><small><em>Illustrations from the Noun Project: camera by Dhika Hernandita; covered dish by Made by Made; wine by Made by Made; lightbulb by Maxim Kulikov; hand writing by Pongsakorn.</em></small></p>
<aside id="y8pXQN"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside>
https://www.eater.com/young-guns-rising-stars/2019/10/25/20928910/jerrelle-guy-black-girl-baking-chocolate-for-basil-career-advice-interviewAmy McKeever