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Forget Hell's Kitchen -The "Dish" on Culinary Instructors

Written By: Alexandra Perez-Urbina on Thursday, July 10, 2008

Chef Ramsay may have a strong personality in Hell's Kitchen, but he isn't the only Chef worth talking about.

Before entering culinary school, I did not know what trained chefs were like. I had never worked with chefs, and I don't really watch much tv -- not that I thought chefs on tv act the way real chefs do.

The first instructor I met was Chef Tell. Chef Tell was the resident celebrity of the school, and was much liked by the students who were fortunate enough to have him (he passed away towards the end of my first semester). He was a funny guy who would often stop the entire class from working, gather us around, and tell us a joke -- usually, the kind that would make most people blush and kitchen people laugh. His heavy, German accent gave the jokes a certain flair that made them seem even funnier. He always communicated with us and asked us what we wanted to do with our culinary degree, and he never withheld stories from personal experiences -- regardless of whether or not they were positive and negative. The students of my group had a special kind of relationship with Chef Tell -- we were as fresh and sassy as he was and we never let him forget it. My group at the beginning of the semester was pretty even gender-wise, and for being "old school," he never treated the gals differently than the guys -- but maybe its because us ladies kept him on his toes.

Another memorable instructor, whom also passed away this year, was Chef Scanlan. He was also a celebrity amongst students. Chef Scanlan was probably one of the best instructors in the school (he was also the instructor of some of my present instructors). He always brought in culinary trends-type magazines for students to look at during class. With a sharp kind of humor and a lot of energy, he always kept us in line. He was fairly strict and taught my group a mise en place technique that became so engraved in me that I don't think I'll ever forget. He used to address all students as "hey ladies" as opposed to "hey guys," and on occasion would try to shave guys who didn't shave in the morning with a paring knife.

Chef Patton was one of my favorite instructors. He was the person who taught me that acids bring out the salt and flavors in food while I was making a Cock-A-Leekie soup. I had him in every semester and he was a brilliant instructor. Every time he would say something that was a revelation to us he would reply, "that's why I wear the tall hat."

I have had nothing but great teachers so far. These chefs are all as different as night and day as far as personality and kitchen styles go. There are chefs that seem almost cartoon-y, where one could visualize them alongside Bugs Bunny in a Chuck Jones short. There are a few instructors that have about as much sass and attitude as the students, such as the Market Production instructor, Chef Slonaker. A few other instructors challenged and pushed my classmates and I to the point where we felt like we could do no more. There are a wide variety of styles, skills, and experience walking around the school in "tall hats," and I am grateful to all of them.

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