Cooking Classes, Chef Training & Food Business Growth | The SLICE Utah Story

[00:00:00] Welcome to The Personal Side of Business, where you hear real stories from real entrepreneurs. Hey guys, if you liked this episode, it was actually shot on location at Salt Lake Institute of Culinary Education in Salt Lake City, Utah.

[00:00:25] Please go check out the YouTube video that I have for this actual interview. You're going to see how the classes are, the facilities, and just get a little bit more of a feel of what's going on at the Institute. Thanks for listening. Hi, it's Jet with The Personal Side of Business Interactive. We're here in Salt Lake City, Utah. We're at the Salt Lake Institute of Culinary Education with Deb and Chris Hallbrook. Welcome. Thank you. It's great to have you here.

[00:00:55] Yeah, thank you. And we wanted to just go over the business and explain what you guys are doing here and how you're a part of the community. Go ahead. So, our business is kind of unique. We do a lot of different things in the community, but it's all centered around bringing people together with food.

[00:01:15] And with that, we have a professional side where we are teaching people who are looking to get into the industry itself, become professional chefs. We have an accelerated program that's quite amazing. It is Chef Boot Camp, which they will all attest to. It's a lot, but in 12 weeks, they learn what typically takes a year and a half to two years in a traditional college setting. Wow, it's pretty, it's pretty intensive. Very. Drinking out of the fire hose.

[00:01:44] It is exactly drinking out of a fire hose. We use the same textbook in an accelerated program that most schools would use in a two-year program. So we go through all of the same techniques, all of the processes. We have lab every day and lecture every day versus spaced out like college, but it is essentially Chef Boot Camp. Wow. Can you go deeper into some of the programs that you have outside of the boot camp? Because when we came here yesterday, there was a lot of fun stuff going on, right?

[00:02:12] So what are some of the classes and courses you guys have? We do a lot of date nights. Those are really fun. We have classes that are on the calendar online so you can go up and go out and check out what you'd be making. All kinds of enthusiast cooking classes. So it might be artisan bread making. It could be Thai food or Indian food or steak and lobster. So you can kind of go and figure out, hey, what should we, what should we go learn how to do?

[00:02:42] And you come here and you cook it with the chef and sit down and enjoy the meal together at the end. So that's a lot of fun. Yeah, that's great. Beyond that, we also have our events that we do and they're across the board, private events where a lot of companies bring their teams in different departments and do team building.

[00:03:01] They might do a competition. Maybe it's pasta competition or taco competitions, but they come in and do team building together and cook together and sit down and enjoy a meal together at the end as well. But it might be a wedding rehearsal dinner where our chefs on staff prepare all of the food and, you know, parties of all sorts and shapes and sizes.

[00:03:27] So a little of everything. And beyond that, we have the kids. We do summer camps for our junior chefs. So those are great throughout the summer. We have a teen chef program that goes throughout the year where it's modeled after the professional program. So it's giving them a little bit in depth and taste of what you're going to get into when you really learn to become a chef.

[00:03:53] And and then we do our junior chef classes, you know, every month, once or twice a month where the kids come and they're doing anything from making steak and lobster to to cookies. I mean, it's just really across the board. Yeah, that's great. And how from a business standpoint, when you guys were developing your programs, tell me about how that all worked out.

[00:04:18] Like when you when you sat down beginning in the business, did you know that you were going to do all these different programs or did it evolve as you were building out the business? Some basic things were very simple, but we try and evolve constantly developing new classes, new curriculums. We've elevated our 12 week culinary program extensively to include more techniques and a lot more key learnings as well as baking and pastry program.

[00:04:44] We do the same thing. We've really elevated and kind of changed from the basic structure to a much more elevated high end baking process as well, but still learning the basics. We also do a lot of fun things. For instance, we had a daycare group in here the other day, a local community group, and we did pizza cooking for four and five year olds for 25 of them. So, you know, as far as the change, we've gone from from just doing some basic cooking classes to structured around everything.

[00:05:13] We even do beer and wine and food pairings and it's very extensive. Yeah. Now, let's go back a little bit and tell me the story of how this all started. What was your inspirations to try to get this business going? And when did it start? This actually was originally a showroom for Viking appliances and then Middleby bought out Viking.

[00:05:39] And so they took the franchises away. So the owner of this building let his one of his employees who had been teaching people how to use their Viking appliances. Make a school out of it. So she and her husband started with it and just, you know, kept it very, very niche little classes that they would do.

[00:06:02] And then eventually they decided, hey, we should maybe try and come up with a chef program. And they they got a real basic one started. And then in 2022, we took it over. And I mean, Chris has been in the business for 35, 40 years. So so it gave me a chance to really elevate. I was also in the training department for a specific restaurant chain here owned restaurant.

[00:06:31] So it gave me the real opportunity to kind of expand the educational side, not only develop my skills more, but be able to really build and develop. So we could teach every person at every level, whether they're a young one or an adult, somebody who's an expert in cooking already from to somebody who can't even has never picked up a chef's knife before. So it makes it a lot of fun to be able to watch people grow and develop.

[00:06:54] Did you ever think 30 something years ago that you were going to be in this position to actually be teaching our school? Absolutely not. I've always had a fondness for cooking. I started cooking at a very young age with my parents, you know, five, six, seven, eight years old, started the basics and kind of developed. I got started my first job as a dishwasher at a restaurant when I was 14. And I've just stuck with the food business forever. But I never thought that it would be anything like this.

[00:07:24] This is just this is spectacular. And as Deb said earlier, bringing people together with food to me, teaching people to bring other people together, not just bringing people together. That warms my heart even more. Yeah, one of the wonderful, amazing things with what we do for kids. I mean, being able to cook for yourself. That's a life skill. And the confidence that it builds.

[00:07:48] And, you know, these nine year olds and as they, you know, move up the 13 year olds, the 17 year olds going off to college to have that confidence that they can be out on their own and they're not going to starve. They can enjoy good meals. They don't have to do fast food for every meal of the day.

[00:08:06] Yeah, I think that's something we talked about yesterday that I feel like there was some report that I had read that the life skills are starting to diminish because we're so relied, the younger generation is so reliant on things being easy. Food can be delivered to you in, you know, an hour, you know. So I think this is something amazing you guys are doing to be able to help the community.

[00:08:31] And I think over time, you're going to see that, you know, you're planting these roots where these young nine, 10 year olds are going to come back one day and be like, oh, you know, I was inspired to keep going with my culinary education and go into other places. What do you guys see as your five year business future? Where would you like to be in five years? That's a really tough question.

[00:09:00] I think I would like to really expand what we have. We've created some, some great things. I think we could go to another level, create a larger space for guests, maybe a larger style of commercial cooking and really, really build it up from where we are now and really plus everything out. I think it would be beneficial. We could teach more people. We could have a lot more fun.

[00:09:26] And I think we could have a lot more active involvement with, you know, we have a lot of active involvement with the community, especially locally with the city we're in here for sure. But I think we could expand that even more. And to me, giving back to the community is just as important as, you know, running a business. And I think that we have, we will have the ability to do a lot more of that. Yeah, that's great. And what have you guys learned from being in business so far for the past, it's over a decade, right? Well, we bought this particular business in 2022.

[00:09:56] Okay. So four years, we're four years now. Nice, nice, nice. And, you know, there's no many lessons. If you can go back to day one, Deb, and go, hey, I'm going to give you a couple pieces of advice down the road, what would it be? For my side of it, it would probably be getting help sooner instead of just think, you know, I mean, you're a new business, small and growing, very small.

[00:10:26] It was very, very niche when we bought it. But wanting to do all the things that luckily his experience in the world of food and that industry gave us the opportunity to build and grow really fast. But on my side of it, feeling, you know, so torn between spending more money on things that don't make you money. Yeah. And just doing it all myself.

[00:10:53] And yeah, it's just been a lot. But we're finally to a point where I'm learning my lesson. Let go. Other people can do a lot of these things. I think that's one of the hardest things when you, the more I speak with entrepreneurs, business owners that trust in someone else is, it's, it's a huge gap, right? Because you're like, Oh yeah. They're not going to do exactly the way I'm going to do it.

[00:11:24] And then you start to learn that maybe that's the power of this is they're not going to do it the way I'm going to do it. They have set different eyes and they can go in there and maybe add something to it. And, and you can also train someone, right? I think that's the thing we expect people to come in and like, where they're going to do exactly what they need to do right away. And they're like, no, they I've been doing something for a year and a half and I just need someone come there and learn what I got to do so I can just back off a little bit. Right.

[00:11:51] For you, what was it that you had to adjust as the business was growing? I'm somebody who will try and do everything myself, obviously. You're so. Yeah. That's just kind of what it is. Even in the kitchen though, you do have to let go. Like you were saying, I think getting input from those that work with you every day is just as important. They have great ideas. And if you shut them out, you'll never, you'll never get past some of the pitfalls that happen.

[00:12:17] And I think one of the benefits that I have to kind of where I am now is that, you know, all hell breaks loose in the kitchen sometimes and you have to pick up the pieces and you have to think on your feet. It's all about problem solving. How do you get that play out to that guest? If you have an issue with, with everything going on in the background. And I think learning skills to cope with that and to be able to overcome all these obstacles. I think that's benefited me in the long run.

[00:12:43] And also, again, I can't say enough about getting input and help from, from the people that you work with every day. You have to get new ideas and you have to be willing to listen to feedback to really help yourself move forward. And for each of you, what has been a tool or something that educational piece that you guys have stepped into to make you a better business owner?

[00:13:06] You know, I, I am always doing education through online opportunities, you know, watching webinars and listening to podcasts and those kinds of things. It really helps me. I, I try to be very introspective about the things that I'm hearing and figure out how that applies to me. How, how can I be a better mentor and an employer?

[00:13:32] It's important to me that, that I do all that I can for our staff. You know, they're amazing people. I want them to be able to grow and, and I want to continue to grow to always improve myself. And like I say, I do a lot of it through, um, spiritual spirituality really.

[00:13:56] And listening, like I say, to things that people like yourself are putting out there for us all to learn from and grow from so many amazing podcasts. So it sounds, it also sounds like through this, as you're trying to become a better business owner, you're trying to become a better person. Like you're trying to develop as a person too, right? Absolutely. Yeah. That's really, that's really important to me and go off on a tangent, but for me, it's, it's all about love. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I appreciate it.

[00:14:26] Figuring out to how to come from a place in love, a place of love, no matter what the circumstances. So yes, you still have to have standards and boundaries and, but it can all be done in such a kind way as opposed to nice. Yeah. I'm recently learning the difference between kind and nice. Yeah.

[00:14:47] And I, I think for a lot of business owners as they're going through that stage of development, where you have to be firm in order to get what you need, but also be welcoming so that your staff doesn't hate you over time. That's always the toughest part. And I think it's a great thing that you're doing as you're developing yourself because you get to, to, I think, make yourself a better person.

[00:15:12] But you, I think through that, cause I've done that too, you get to see a little bit of, oh, this is how I was and this is what I can become. But these are things I need to do in between in order to do that. Yeah. Absolutely. What are you, Chris? What, what do you think you have dived into to try to make yourself? I, one of the things that's really important about whether you're a chef of a restaurant or operating a school or something like this is you have to stay relevant to the culinary side of it.

[00:15:39] I run the majority of the culinary side of our business and relevancy is really important. If you lose, if you're not relevant, you're not up to date, you're not constantly learning. I focus on trying to learn something new on a weekly basis, whether it's a new cooking technique, it's a new recipe style, it's a new piece of equipment, anything that can possibly benefit me to help other people learn, I think is one of the most important things.

[00:16:02] And that goes to really driving the business and helping, you know, develop new skills and some of it even involves a lot of interpersonal skills. Sometimes I'm, I'm focused on this week, I'm going to become a better teacher side of the instructor side of it. So becoming somebody who maybe has to look at different learning styles or being different communication styles and really being able to focus and, and because communicating with the student is very, very important.

[00:16:30] And if, if you're getting a different type of a feedback from them or a different feeling, they're not learning what they need to learn and you're not gaining, you know, anything from that. So I think it's really important that you really continually grow yourself. And do you think, do you feel like it's a different style of communication to a student learning here as opposed to a kitchen that you've worked in before? Definitely. I think it's important for people to learn both sides of it.

[00:16:57] You will learn tips and tricks and little, you know, hey, we don't have to do it. This takes 10 minutes to do this here in this business, this particular restaurant, we do this and it only takes two minutes. There's a lot of that that goes on, but there's also, you know, some techniques have to be done in that amount of time. So, yeah, but I think everybody should learn both sides of it. If you're going to go into the chefing world, even while you're in school, I would recommend that you worked in a restaurant at least part time to have an idea and get a feeling for the differences. Yeah.

[00:17:25] Because sometimes, I mean, you guys have all seen that crazy blonde headed man, Gordon, right? Gordon can be harsh. I've worked, I've worked with chefs like that. And I've worked with chefs that have absolutely no form of emotion at all. So, but you learn different things from different people. Yeah. And I think that's really important. That's great. One of the things that we strive for here is that we do have a really positive, warm environment, that it feels good when you walk in the door.

[00:17:53] And employees who have come from true kitchen backgrounds, they really appreciate what they have here. So that's nice. It is different for sure. Yeah. And to wrap up, if you guys could give advice for someone looking to either get into the culinary world or even start their own culinary business, what piece of advice would you guys give? Hmm.

[00:18:22] That's interesting. I think educating yourself is very important. Step number one and becoming comfortable with the kitchen. If you really want to get into the culinary world and you really want to jump in without going to culinary school or just want to jump into the restaurant business, knife skills and cooking techniques are the things you have to learn the most. There's no, there's no and ifs or buts around that. That will, that will make you more successful. But also you have to learn efficiency and being able to multitask.

[00:18:52] But as far as just, if you wanted to get into the business yourself, study the business side, it's just as important as the culinary side. It takes both. And I think working in other people's businesses, you know, even if those are six months stints, you will gain so much education that will save you when you open up and start out on your own. You will have learned things you didn't even realize when you go to train, do it all yourself.

[00:19:19] And I mean, I get, I totally agree with you on that. And because I've met in my business advising world that there are people that want to open up food businesses that have never, ever worked in that. And one of the things I always tell them, like, just at least for six months, go work in a restaurant just to see, even if you like it, you might, you might go in there and go, this is crazy for the energy that you have to keep up with the hours being on your feet and be able to do that.

[00:19:50] So, yeah, I agree with you. Sorry, they won't cut you off. Oh, no, I was going to say that there was when I first wanted to get into the restaurant business and really open a restaurant 30 years ago, the success rate was about 70 percent failure, 30 percent success. And what happened was everybody just decided this is a great industry. People say I cook well. They like my food. I'm going to open a business. And without the knowledge of controlling food costs, what does it labor costs? What is rent? You know, where do all these expenses?

[00:20:19] How do you figure out what to what to charge for a plate of food? Things like that. If you don't know that the success rate is very difficult. But once you learn those basic techniques, it's easy to know I need to have 20 20 covers or 20 meals at this price every day in order to pay my overhead and my staff. Everything else starts to become a profitable state. And we try to teach that in culinary school, the basics of doing it. But if you want to go out there on your own, it's really important to learn that. Can you guys dive into that business aspect?

[00:20:47] We do. We teach all about food cost, all about, OK, here is the generalized cost of a potato, a carrot and a pork chop on this plate. So if that's eight dollars, what do you have to charge for that to be able to be profitable? Yeah, that's amazing. I think that's the one thing that's always left out. Right. That dream gets halted by these numbers like, whoa, this is real. OK, guys, if they wanted to reach out to you or learn more about the school, where can they find you?

[00:21:14] Well, we are on the Web site at Slice Utah. Slice like you slice a piece of cake and Utah spelled out Slice Utah dot com. And you can go there and check out all of the variety of opportunities that we have. You're also welcome to call the school at 801-464-0113. And you can always email us at hello at Slice Utah dot com. Could I add one more point to that?

[00:21:44] There is almost always a chef here. So if you even ever have a cooking question, please call the number Deb just gave. Because trust me, we'd love to answer them and love to help people. That's to us. That's important, too. For sure. Especially Thanksgiving time. You'd be amazed. I'm wearing weird calls. But it's great. We want everybody to be successful in the kitchen. All right. Well, thank you, guys. Thank you, Chris, for being on the show. Yeah. And this is WorkSelfide Business. Thank you.