We always have a wide variety of students in each of our Culinary Boot Camp classes. From retirees who now have time to learn to cook to college students who want to get a jump start on life skills, our staff loves to meet people from all walks of life (and all over the world) who share a common love of cooking.
Inevitably, that means all these diverse people also have different skill levels in the kitchen. From novices to people who have been cooking for over thirty years, everyone learns something new in this class.
Professional Training Option
That was certainly true for Tess Eckert, who took this program as professional development training paid for by her company. Tess works for Polar Tankers, a subsidiary of the energy company ConocoPhillips, which operates five tankers that run the West Coast of the U.S. from Alaska to the West Coast of the U.S. and across the Pacific.
Photo credit: Tess Eckert
Photo credit: ConocoPhillips/Polar Tankers
Tess holds the position of Cook/Baker, and she rotates between all ships. She’s responsible for cooking breakfast and portions of lunch and dinner for approximately 30 people on the boat at any given time. She makes some type of bread every day and breakfast always includes eggs to order for the crew.
Photo credit: Tess Eckert
“Before Culinary Boot Camp, I would have described myself as moderate skill level. I’m mostly a home cook but a few years ago, I took a job as kitchen manager/cook for a small retreat house, and it was trial by fire. But I figured it out, and that was my introduction to the professional world of cooking, if you want to call it that. I’ve been at Polar for three years, and I’ve made it my focus to learn all that I can about cooking and baking to assist me in my role,” said Tess.
Photo credit: Tess Eckert
To boost Tess’s training in the culinary industry, her boss Nelson Bourgon, who is a captain in the fleet of tankers, researched online and found our Culinary Boot Camp. “It’s very difficult to find a week-long class that meets our scheduling demands. I stumbled onto The Chopping Block, and it drew my attention quickly. Most professional culinary training happens for many weeks, is very expensive and results in a culinary degree, but none of that meets our needs or scheduling,” said Nelson.
The galley department workers’ schedules vary but most positions work 60 to 75 days on the ship and then have 60 days off. So, scheduling training off the ship can be difficult, but Nelson says it is more important now due to personnel changes resulting from COVID, retirements and opportunities ashore. "We want to ensure that all of our galley personnel are well trained, and The Chopping Block provided that opportunity to Polar Tankers," said Nelson. So, he sent Tess to vet our course to see how it could fit into the company’s need for culinary training for the entire fleet.
Going in Blind with an Open Mind
Tess admits she went into the course blind but kept an open mind throughout the entire course. “It far surpassed anything I could have imagined in terms of professionalism and the way the course was designed. The Chopping Block has distilled so much information down to the critical pieces, and we covered it all in just five days! When I looked at the curriculum before the class, I thought it was a lot to cover, but I was impressed by the staff’s efficiency, the working relationship between the chefs and the assistants, and even the way that the kitchen and workspace were constructed and set up,” said Tess.
Tess is a former teacher so she knows how instruction is best delivered. “Executive Chef Lisa Counts has a tremendous gift, and you can tell she truly enjoys what she does. She was able to flex and pivot throughout the week to take my professional goals into consideration,” said Tess.
Putting the Skills into Place
Tess had not yet returned to work in the fleet from her vacation at the time we spoke for this interview, but she says she has been practicing the skills she learned in Culinary Boot Camp at home. “I know how to follow a recipe, but understanding the skills and techniques of cooking and how to layer them and multitask was invaluable for me. That takes practice, and I appreciate the opportunity to talk with the chefs who work like that on a daily basis,” said Tess.
She says her cooking skills have advanced thanks to Culinary Boot Camp. “There were some areas that were mysterious mountains that I hadn’t experimented with. I’ve made hollandaise before, but I had not delved into the Mother Sauces. I now have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of sauce making and how you can start with one sauce and take it in so many different directions. Once you master those simple techniques, then it becomes much more approachable. I can not only make a velouté now, but I know how many minutes it will take me to make it, how long I can hold it and how I can vary the flavor to match the dish I’m making. That was important to me because it took the intimidation factor away. That recipe may look intense, but I can break it down into different easy-to-manage pieces. I’ve really increased my breadth of dishes and their varieties with this training,” said Tess.
Just one factor that makes Tess’s job unique is that she only gets provisions on the ship every two to four weeks depending on ship schedule. That means there’s creativity involved to not only use up ingredients before they go bad but also to make substitutions when ingredients are gone. “We need to have flexible mindsets and flexibility of skill to know when and how to substitute other ingredients. This course covers that as well as balancing flavors which elevates my ability to create an appetizing meal,” said Tess.
Photo credit: ConocoPhillips/Polar Tankers
She also credits Culinary Boot Camp with helping her time management skills and improve her efficiency. “I know how to write out a recipe correctly and in a way that enables me to construct the dish in my own time so I can multitask and still get all of the food out at the right time,” said Tess.
Recommended for Colleagues (and Others)
Tess not only whole-heartedly recommends Culinary Boot Camp for all her colleagues and anyone working in the culinary industry, but she’s now turning to her family. “I’ve been trying to recruit my sisters to take it with me. Even though I’ve already taken the class, it was so enjoyable that I would repeat it anytime. Every single one of your staff that I engaged with was just awesome!” exclaimed Tess.
Nelson would also recommend Culinary Boot Camp as a training option for anyone who oversees kitchen staff. He says he found the process of setting up the class for Tess simple, and he also enjoyed all his interactions with our staff. Nelson, we can’t wait to welcome many more crew members of the Polar Tankers galley team to Culinary Boot Camp!
Do you work in a business where your employees need training, but you don’t want to commit to the length and expense of professional culinary schools? Perhaps you run a resort, bed and breakfast, a restaurant, or a fleet of ships like Polar Tankers. Whatever your business, our Culinary Boot Camp is your easy, affordable training solution that will check off all the boxes of what you are looking for!
