THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 29, 1994 TAG: 9408300378
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY GAGE HARTER, BUSINESS WEEKLY, STAFF
LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
Standing in the kitchen, Tim Cameron adjusted his chef's hat and scratched his head. He had a dilemma.
Out in the dining room, 20 home-education teachers waited for 20 calamari salads. But the students in his cooking class had prepared only 12.
``Make those 12 into 20, and do it evenly,'' he barked.
As his words boomed through the kitchen of Johnson & Wales University in Norfolk, Cameron's students scurried to put lettuce on plates, divide the calamari and splash oil on top.
Welcome to the '90s.
In this pricey cooking school, Cameron's class of 10 labors over salads and sauces, learning a new craft.
While community colleges and vocational schools fill up with dropouts from a downsized America, there's another breed in Hampton Roads looking for new careers and an element of self-expression in their work.
Some of them are in Cameron's class. Their backgrounds are as varied as the food they prepare: a carpenter, a municipal mural painter, a music teacher, a Marine colonel, a Navy SEAL.
They aren't alone.
More than 7 million American workers older than 25 will seek some sort of job retraining outside their companies this year, estimates Anthony Carnevale, chairman of President Clinton's National Commission on Employment.
That's four times more than 10 years ago.
Dreams motivate many would-be chefs; dreams and, sometimes, frustration. So they abandon their careers and enroll in cooking school.
``I was one of 12 accountants,'' said Tim Stewart, 34. ``We had three bosses who had one boss who was under the owner. I was always reporting to somebody and saw no potential for advancement.''
For a long time, Stewart was not ready to make a jump to another career. Fear of change and reduced income played a big part. His friends were persuasive, though.
``My friends would send me brochures from Johnson & Wales because they enjoyed my food I made at dinner parties,'' Stewart said.
After 10 years as an accountant at Tarmac America Inc. in Norfolk, he enrolled in cooking school.
That was two years ago. Now in his last trimester, he works full time as a student in the kitchen of a Florida resort.
In a phone interview, Stewart said he expects to graduate and immediately be promoted to manager and head chef in the resort's pizza kitchen. That'll put him a step closer to his dream of owning a bed and breakfast.
Heide Kluck also was frustrated with work before enrolling at Johnson & Wales.
``If no one's bleeding, then you're doing a good job,'' said Kluck, describing her old job. She taught music to middle-schoolers in Connecticut.
Kluck, 26, found inner-city teaching, with its guns, drugs and bureaucracy, too much to handle. She followed her fiance, Navy Lt. Jeff Walker, an officer on the salvage ship Grasp, to Norfolk.
Last year, they were driving and saw the cooking school. In an offhand way, Walker urged her to enroll. She did, and is scheduled to graduate next May.
``It's a secret yen,'' said Kluck, who wants to open up her own catering gourmet shop. ``I went to an auto parts store in my uniform and the man behind the counter said, `I've always wanted to be a chef. You're so lucky.' I was doing what he wanted to do.''
One big surprise for graduate chefs is the salary earned by new cooks. It can be low. Stewart, for example, figures he'll take a $5,000 pay cut compared to his Tarmac salary when he's promoted in Florida.
``It's a big shock when I tell them about the pay,'' said Nikki Nixon, a career development counselor at Johnson & Wales.
Line cooks and managers might earn no more than $18,000 annually coming out of school. In bigger cit ies, such as New York, salaries ranging from $22,000 to $28,000 are common.
The average age of students in Johnson & Wales' weekend and night schools is 30. About 400 attend the Norfolk school, which offers a two-year associate's degree.
Tuition and fees cost $8,000 to $10,000 a year. Despite the cost, there's no shortage of determined students.
Many cooks thrive on instant gratification, Nixon said. Seeing an empty plate return from the dining table signals a job well done. That's a greater reward than many other jobs provide.
``For an accountant like Tim Stewart, the only time he gets feedback is when something is wrong,'' Nixon said.
While pay can be low, restaurant jobs are available. Students wanting work, Nixon said, usually will land jobs within 60 days of graduation.
``The hospitality industry is growing, and restaurants are springing up everywhere,'' she said.
Artistic flair, rather than making money, lures some cooking students.
``Money is only good for buying the things you need,'' said Kolby Garrison.
Garrison, 18, said he's willing to live paycheck to paycheck. He said he thinks older students admire his attitude because he's already doing what they wanted to do earlier in their life.
``If you're doing what you like, then it's a career,'' Garrison said. ``But if you're doing what you don't like, then it's a job.''
A lover of music, painting and cooking, Garrison said he selected a culinary school over traditional art schools in part because of the variety of exotic dishes such as alligator that lend themselves to artistic preparation.
After the last dessert is served, Cameron sighs in relief. He removes his toque, the chef's tall hat. He picks up a plate, fills it with grilled chicken, turkey breast, carrots, zucchini.
Cameron makes his way to a table, sits and spreads a napkin on his lap. He smells the food, and scoops a forkful. Ever so slowly, the corners of his mouth curve upward. His students have done well. ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photos by D. Kevin Elliott
Shannon Burks, 22, was a carpenter in Richmond before enrolling as a
cooking student at Johnson & Wales University.
Johnson & Wales student Kolby Garrison, above
Above: Kolby Garrison, 18, of Aberdeen, MD. prepares calamari.
Garrison painted murals for the city of Fayetteville, N.C., before
enrolling in Johnson & Wales.
Left: Many cooking students come to the school from the other
professions, including, from left, Mark Waitsman, 43, Jackie
Campbell, 49, and Michael Dulong, 26. Waitsman was a jeweler,
Campbell a retired Marine colonel and Dulong a Navy SEAL.
by CNB