The training of chefs is essential to the ongoing consistency and success of a management company’s culinary portfolio for several reasons.
Trained chefs have the skills and knowledge to consistently deliver high-quality dishes that meet the company’s standards. They are able to execute recipes with precision, ensuring that each dish is prepared correctly and tastes delicious every time.
With that as the focus, Delaware North has raised the bar for the Foodservice industry with the creation of an innovative training program.
The Buffalo, NY company has launched its Culinary & Hospitality Excellence for Future Success (CHEFS) program, a training program designed to develop talent, elevate standards, and cultivate a culture of mentorship within the organization.
The program embraces the goal that properly trained chefs are able to adapt to changing culinary trends and customer preferences.
By staying up-to-date with the latest techniques and ingredients, they can create innovative and exciting dishes that keep customers coming back for more.
This ability to evolve and innovate is crucial for a management company to stay competitive in the constantly changing food industry.
Furthermore, trained chefs understand the importance of food safety and sanitation, which is critical for maintaining the company’s reputation and preventing foodborne illnesses.
They follow proper hygiene practices and ensure that all food is prepared and stored safely, reducing the risk of contamination and ensuring the health and safety of customers.
For over a century, Delaware North has been an institution in the world of travel and hospitality, with a presence in the United States, Britain, Europe, and Australia.
With a diverse portfolio spanning airports, casinos, and a restaurant arm that includes venues in Disney, New York, and Los Angeles, Delaware North has remained at the forefront of culinary and event innovation.
Lou Piuggi, the Vice President of Culinary at Delaware North, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and has been working in food service for over 40 years.
With experience working in restaurants throughout NYC and with some of the premier chefs in the country during the heyday of food service, he described Delaware North as a company that truly cares about their people; this is particularly evident in the CHEFS program.
“I think that’s one reason that this CHEFS program is so important,” he said. “It’s about our people.”
The program was started with the intention of doing something meaningful with training and development. “We wanted to put together a program that really leaned on our subject matter experts, our chefs, to really mentor those who are up and coming,” he said.
The program is based on learning through mentorship—associates work with chefs at Delaware North to learn real-world, technical skills on the job.
Piuggi stressed that this program is about training people on all levels; it isn’t only about training associates, but training current chefs to become better mentors, teachers, and communicators, and giving them the opportunity to hone their skills while influencing the next generation.
A big focus of the program is training associates to be able to learn and work independently. A digital learning initiative in the program helps to make this possible.
In collaboration with the CIA, the program includes videos that offer benchmark technical skills that associates can return to if they don’t feel competent at a certain technique.
Being part of the culinary team at Delaware North isn’t just about mastering skills in the kitchen—it means all-around customer service and developing competency and capabilities around leadership on all levels.
“Basing the structure around mentorship and on-the-job training means that we’re building a culture where it’s natural to learn while working,” Piuggi noted.
This makes it easy to teach and learn foundational skills in real time, but the program isn’t limited to learning kitchen skills; it’s really about developing careers.
“You’re not going to retain everybody,” Piuggi said. “But if they’re better off for having come to work with us, they’re going to be stronger culinarians and they’ll be out in the field. We’re not only strengthening our program, we’re strengthening the industry.”
This is the kind of return they’re looking for on the program—the elevation of food across the board, from restaurants to events to concession stands.
While of course there is always a desire to attract and retain employees, the real return comes from further interest in the program. “More and more we have associates reaching out asking to be part of the program and chefs asking to be mentors,” Piuggi said.
“People who have been part of the program are interested in staying on to mentor others.” Associates get CIA certification at the end of the program, which jumpstarts their careers in all areas of food service and hospitality.
Piuggi said that Delaware North plans to expand the program within the company, and hopes to put all of their management employees through the program.
Once they finish the program, they will then stay on to do peer mentoring and continue with their higher education.
Delaware North’s commitment to the training of its chefs will enable the on-going development and retention of their chefs.
In addition, the program will maintain high standards of quality and continue to delight customers with delicious and safe food offerings over a diverse portfolio of venues.
Interested applicants can learn more at Delaware North’s website
