What’s fueling the culinary education pipeline for the next generation of industry leaders
By Ellen Weaver Hartman
Simone Byron with some of her students.As kids get back to school this fall, it’s become clear that teaching – and learning – has undergone monumental changes due to the pandemic. But how will culinary education change in the long term?
For one thing, the necessary skills to thrive in a post-coronavirus restaurant industry will be different and are already evolving beyond what was needed before. Restaurants will be leaner, more efficient by necessity. They’ll have less staff, tighter management teams and smaller menus, and the focus on delivery will continue.
To address those issues and more, the Hospitality Education Foundation of Georgia (HEFG) recently held a town hall meeting attended by teachers, administrators and industry leaders from across the state. Led by HEFG Executive Director Simone Byron, several leaders in the state’s hospitality education field came together to discuss the 2020/21 school year and how to continue the job of educating and training the next generation of Georgia culinary and hospitality professionals.
HEFG is a statewide educational foundation that connects students with career resources and opportunities. The organization administers the Georgia ProStart Program in partnership with the Georgia Restaurant Association. It also hosts a hospitality expo each February for junior and senior high school students in the culinary arts, nutrition and food science, and hospitality pathways as well as culinary arts and hospitality college students.
For almost 30 years, HEFG/ProStart has taught 87,000 high school students real-life culinary and management skills. As part of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, HEFG/ProStart Georgia is able to provide access to scholarships, internships and mentoring as well as participation in NRAEF’s national competition for culinary and hospitality management.
“Our students graduate from high school job-ready to begin their careers in the industry or to pursue college degrees, especially in universities with hospitality and culinary education curriculum such as Georgia State University, Johnson & Wales and the CIA [Culinary Institute of America],” says Byron, who was named the NRA’s 2017 Teacher of the Year. “It is the pipeline for a skilled labor force and future leaders of our industry.”
Karen Bremer, CEO of the Georgia Restaurant Association, says that the education HEFG provides to students is invaluable and the entire Georgia restaurant and hospitality industry has a stake in its continued success. “This industry must support this organization for the good of the industry,” she says, “and to provide a talent pipeline for each business – a restaurant or a supplier to the industry.”
Chef Daryl Shuler instructing students.Bremer, Byron, Master Chef Daryl Shuler, president and founder of the Shuler Institute, and Debby Cannon, director of Georgia State University’s School of Hospitality, all agree that innovations in teaching will come out of this pandemic crisis.
“Our training will address hospitality and event management but with an emphasis on digital and technology advancements, safety, cleanliness, health and on customer service,” Cannon says.
According to Cannon, the important aspects of our industry now include contactless interaction, such as check-in at a hotel, presenting the menu at a restaurant and retrieving items ordered. The impact of the front-line employee interacting with guests becomes pivotal. This interfacing must include employee knowledge of sanitation and cleaning processes that can be described to guests in ways to inspire their confidence and create trust. Mobile and self-service technologies ideally should personalize the guest experience, with staff making sure the highest levels of customer experience are being delivered.
Guest and customer expectations are not at a lower level; in fact, they are higher than ever. Current and future industry leaders must balance technology with safety and health concerns while simultaneously addressing consumer needs. Addressing the needs of our guests will be the key to brand loyalty, notes Cannon, who adds that GSU is incorporating these essential components in its hospitality courses.
Most of the classes this fall are being held online, taught by the faculty as well as demonstrations by celebrity chefs and industry leaders.
“We know that we will succeed, and our students will persevere,” Byron says. “From crisis will come innovation, and we expect to learn new, enhanced teaching methods that we will be able to use in the future.”
“We know this crisis will pass, and it’s important for us all to be prepared for the other side,” says Shuler of the Tucker-based Shular Institute, which offers a community-based, hands-on culinary education. “Restaurants are at the heart of every community and what brings us together, both in small towns and in larger cities, across the state.”
Through the dedicated leadership at HEFG and the local chefs and industry leaders who are so generously dedicating their time and talents to the students, the next generation of Georgia hospitality professionals is in good hands.
Support Georgia’s Culinary Students
Due to the pandemic, the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation cancelled its annual National ProStart State Invitational, which is usually held in May in Washington D.C. This event is a student skills showcase in culinary arts and hospitality management.
The HEFG’s Expo, typically held in February, was also cancelled. The Expo is where students learn about how vast careers in the restaurant industry are. Hundreds of students from across Georgia attend each year to listen face-to-face with restaurant operators, chefs, restaurant supplier companies.
The invitational and the Expo provides an opportunity for HEFG to raise money through sponsorships for their competing teams, ongoing student enrichment programs and organizational support. Due to the event cancelation, HEFG is asking for program sponsorship support. Please contact Chef Simone Byron at simonebyron@hefg.org.
Ellen Weaver Hartman, APR, Fellow PRSA, is the CEO of Hartman Public Relations, a full-service public relations and crisis management agency specializing in the foodservice industry. Hartman has experience working for global food and beverage companies in QSR, full service, fast casual, convenience stores and airport concessionaires. An industry leader for more than 30 years, Hartman served as vice president for communications and diversity at AFC Enterprises. She has helped restaurant clients through a variety of crisis situations including contagious diseases (COVID-19, Norovirus, Hepatitis A), violence in the workplace, sexual and racial discrimination, cybercrimes, criminal activities in the company and environmental disasters. She is active in the Women’s Foodservice Forum, Les Dames d ’Escoffier International and serves on the board of the Georgia State University School of Hospitality. She earned her APR accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of PRSA’s Fellow program for senior accomplished professionals.
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This article first appeared in Restaurant Informer‘s October 2020 issue. To read the full issue, visit the magazine issues page. Do you work in the Georgia’s restaurant trade? Sign up to receive a free subscription to Restaurant Informer and the monthly Enews.
