Barbara Higgins

The first lecture in Fundamentals was "mise en place". Everything in its place. Every chef instructor I had stressed preparation before cooking or mixing. Chef Melvin introduced the very important "sense of urgency." This cannot be stressed enough. The real world moves to a different drummer than the classroom and lab. Time is money. The third very important lesson I learned was to take pride in the product, every time you produce it. Every vegetable cut must be precisely the same, every time. Every pastry must be identical to every other one, every time. Is it easy? Nope. Especially working quickly, working smart, and working safely with attention to details.

I applied to Gaylord Opryland in the middle of October last year, after finishing Culinard in September. All applications for Opryland have to be done on-line. Pay attention in Portfolio class. The interview was word for word from the text book.

Fun facts: 2881 guest rooms, 600,000 sq. ft. of convention space. 1500+ employees with a weekly employee newsletter printed in three languages: Arabic, Spanish and English.

Customer service is the number one directive. Making sure the guest has a fabulous experience by exceeding their expectations is key. And while my position in the Commissary keeps me from interacting with guests, my pastries are the first thing they see at breakfast, and the cheesecake I was making was their final impression of a meal.

I moved to the breakfast pastry station early in January. Since I've been in this station, we've changed the amount of icing on the Danish after I said it looked like something from Wal-Mart with all the goo on it. Now it's delicate and the pastry and fruit are the stars. The bear claw filling is now a classic almond based filling. They are also not coated in fondant icing.

I love what I do. I drive sixty-seven miles to work with a smile on my face. I found the job overwhelming when I started. Chef Kazenske stressed production, working faster and cleaner and the lessons learned in his class have been key in my success in my current position. The quantities we produce keep two drivers busy trucking the product to the hotel, the golf course, the Wildhorse, the General Jackson, and the Radisson. It's not just the bakery station, bread station and breakfast pastry. We've got a hot kitchen and cold kitchen and butcher shop all in the same building. It's a multicultural and multiracial environment that is an education in of itself.

The best advice for anyone in school who plans on making a career in this industry is to be a sponge. Learn everything you can, ask questions, do more than the minimum on every project or assignment and be excited about it. The more you put into school the more you will get out of it. This attitude will also help when you get out into the workforce. Remember, all your education does is entitle you to an entry level job with entry level pay. There is so much more to be learned once you get out into the industry.

I work with people who've been doing the same job for 10-12 yrs. They are perfectly happy just to show up and do what they are told and take home a pay check at the end of the week. I'm already in charge of a station, suggesting new products, making test products for tastings and helping change the products we're already making. I'm on the list of people to be cross trained in pastry at the hotel.

Is this the perfect forever job? Probably not, but it is a great educational experience that will provide me with the skills to take the next step on my career path. I learned a tremendous amount at Culinard, especially about making the most of the opportunities that are presented. Working with the instructors and other students during special functions, meeting other chefs from the area; these are all ways to put yourselves out there and be noticed. It's hard to be the new person, but you're only new the first time, and, if you've done a good job, you'll be remembered.