If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant and loved it…then OCC culinary arts grads say you might want to consider a career in the kitchen.

Many new courses have been added to Institute’s offerings. Among them will be a range of professional development seminars taught by visiting professional chefs for individuals already working in the culinary professions. Another new course deals with the legal aspects of running a food service business. "For students in the management programs, understanding the legal basics has become increasingly important, and this new course will deal with using the law as a management tool, not as a last resort," says OCC Hospitality faculty member Darlene Levinson.

OCC offers certificate and degree programs in baking
 and pastry arts.

An additional full-time instructor has joined OCC’s culinary staff. Chef Doug Ganhs, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York, began teaching at OCC in September. He comes to the college after more than four years as executive chef at the Country Club of Detroit and four years at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club where he was executive sous chef. Chef Doug enjoys teaching and looks forward to putting together a team of OCC culinary students to compete in the Culinary Olympics held every four years in Germany.

Not only will OCC students continue to enjoy learning from highly regarded professional chefs, they’ll also have the opportunity to work in renovated OCC facilities with the newest equipment.

OCC grads in demand And once they graduate, there’s no lack of positions waiting for them, according to Chef Susan Baier who directs OCC’s program. "There are more jobs than graduates.   The demand for private chefs is increasing, catering businesses are thriving, and restaurant/hotel management graduates who are willing to travel or move will find many opportunities to advance," she explains. OCC students learn management skills

Chef Doug Ganhs – a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America - joined OCC’s Culinary Arts staff in 2002.

OCC programs teach students not only the cooking or baking skills they need, but also the business, management, human resource, marketing and financial aspects of the hospitality industry - skills that today are needed to succeed and advance in the field. "This additional emphasis on the business side of our industry truly sets OCC’s program apart from others offered in the area," says Baier. "OCC is also working with Eastern Michigan University to develop an articulation program so students in our restaurant and hospitality management programs can go on to complete a bachelor’s degree in their field," she says.

What OCC grads have to say

Julie Herman and Brad Dockery attended OCC’s Culinary Arts program together in the early 1990s. Both had worked for years in restaurants. Julie waitressed while working on a bachelor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University, then afterwards in Chicago. Brad began working in restaurants when he was 15. Julie’s husband, Erik, who studied to be a stockbroker at Michigan State, also worked his way through school in restaurants. Today the three own Annabel’s & Co., a catering firm in Southfield, that has created events from California to the Midwest…and even entertained former President Bill Clinton when he visited Detroit.

Brad recounts the excitement of the evening they cooked for President Clinton who was a guest at the home of people for whom Annabel’s regularly caters events. "The security was tremendous. You had to be there four hours ahead of the President’s arrival. Then, 45 minutes before he came, everyone had to vacate the house for a security sweep. The President did come to the kitchen after the dinner and had his picture taken with all of us," he recalls.

"You have to love the business to stay in this field," Julie says. Her favorite part of her work is exercising her creative bent in planning events. "The most unusual party we ever planned was back around 1993. It was a Tibetan dinner we developed for an area carpet company that brought in a group of Tibetan weavers to demonstrate to customers how they made carpets.

We had the most unusual food, and I spent a lot of time in the library researching the foods of Tibet," she says. That was back before the Internet made it easier to seek out such information. Denise Caurdy - somewhat of a rarity as a female in her position – is the executive chef at Travis Point Country Club in Ann Arbor and has between 20 and 30 people working under her. She agrees with Julie about loving the field. "You have to really like this business to remain in it as long as I have (she graduated 17 years ago), because the hours are long and it’s hard work." But for her, exercising her creativity to come up with events for a club busy with golf, tennis, swimming and dining is "fantastic," she says.

Denise Caurdy – is the executive chef at Travis Point County Club in Ann Arbor.

Staying current and getting the right education are also important, she emphasizes. "Our field has changed over the years and continues to change. We need to ask our customers what they want and respond to them. I also think it’s important today that students have some education in business or finance to back up their culinary skills and education," she says.

All of the grads agree that quality and presentation are key to being a success in the kitchen. And that’s where their training at OCC came into play. "You learn so much - terminology, ordering foods, presentation, cutting techniques. I still keep in touch with instructors at OCC and sometimes the chefs even come here for a day or so to work with us in the summer," Julie says. Denise agrees, noting that she still talks to OCC chefs Kevin Enright and Sue Baier regularly: "We’ve become like a network, a support system for each other."

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