For Steve Allen, an interest in cooking began as a six-year old helping his mom prepare meals for their large family. Deciding that this is what he wanted to do for a living, Steve began work at Southfield’s prestigious Golden Mushroom restaurant in 1983 at the lowest link in the food chain – a Garde Manger preparing cold foods, including dressings, salads and sandwiches.

BLEND PLANNING, PASSION AND A COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Pontiac businessman Jim Lang, a 1984 OCC graduate, has an attitude about life that's led him down an interesting career path...and into several businesses that he and his two partners currently operate.

Lang's OCC years began in 1969. An admittedly poor student in high school, he enrolled in OCC's hospitality program, but college didn't prove to be an experience much better than high school. When his money and enthusiasm ran out in 1970, Lang quit school and spent the next five years holding down six different jobs in three states, including management trainee in a chain restaurant, maitre d' in a night club and management trainee in the cafeteria of Illinois Bell's Chicago offices.


Chef Joey Beato is nephew to Chef Joe and an Oakland Community College Culinary Graduate. He was the Chef de Cuisine at Il Centro. Working with his uncle, he experienced  the excitement of creating great tasting Italian dishes.

With the sale of Il Centro, Joey traveled to Italy and worked at Café Veneto in Rome, one of   the upscale restaurants in Rome. He worked there eight months familiarizing himself with   the flair of central and southern Italian cuisine.

Now teamed with his uncle, he is matching his culinary training with the creation of authentic culinary cuisine.