March 21, 2024 • 23 mins
Join us for another episode of Bed & Butter: THE Hospitality Podcast, where host Sean Riley sits down with Bo Byrne, a renowned chef and professor at Southern Maine Community College. Spotlighting the breadth of opportunities in the hospitality industry, Bo shares his fascinating journey from dishwasher to respected authority in the culinary world and the inspiration behind being an educator in his field.
Byrne gives a glimpse into his progression in the kitchen, highlighting the importance of being multi-skilled and adaptable in the industry. He reflects on his early culinary influences and how these experiences prepared him for a successful career path that encompasses executive chef roles at esteemed restaurants and hotels, up to operating a popular Maine hot dog cart, TOP.
We delve into Byrne's teaching approach at SMCC, focusing on how he motivates his students to foster a deep appreciation for food and cooking. His unique insights into the myriad possibilities in the hospitality industry are not only enlightening but also incredibly motivating for those thinking of stepping into the industry. Byrne further shares vital insights on the diverse elements involved in the restaurant business, encouraging his learners to investigate beyond cooking and into the entrepreneurship facet of this robust industry.
Don't miss this captivating chat about the enriching journey of a culinary figure who continues to bestow his extensive knowledge and skills on the up-and-coming generation of culinary devotees. Tune in now to taste Bo's flavorful story!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to Bed and Butter, the hospitality podcast designed exclusively for
budding students and aspiring industry leaders.
We're thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with you.
Each episode, we'll delve into the heart of hospitality industry with your host,
Sean Reilly, uncovering invaluable insights, trends, and strategies to not only
(00:24):
succeed, but thrive in this dynamic field.
The podcast is produced in collaboration with Southern Maine Community College.
Listen to national leaders highlight opportunities for the active hospitality
professional, students of SMCC's culinary arts program, as well as the L.
Joe Van Wye School of Hospitality.
(00:45):
This program is a labor of love, made possible with the help of the communications
and new media studies students.
Whether you're sharpening your skills or stepping into the world of hospitality
for the first time, Bed & Butter is your go-to resource.
So let's dive in and spread the knowledge one episode at a time.
(01:06):
Hey listeners, our podcast title, Bed & Butter, was developed to encompass both
the hotel and food components of our business.
Today, we visit with Bo Byrne, a chef since he was in his teens,
an executive chef of some of the finest restaurants and hotels in Maine.
He's also done a stint in the dishroom and prep kitchen like most of us,
but his love for coaching Fishing aspiring culinarians led him to become a professor at SMCC.
(01:30):
And to throw in some more diversity into his career, he's the owner of TOP,
top of the old port, food cart.
What an interesting career. So sit back, relax, and get inspired.
Hey, Bo. Thanks for joining us on the podcast today. You know,
I'm really sure our listeners are going to really find your career path exciting as I do.
And, you know, I know you've been an executive chef of many of the finest restaurants
(01:52):
in Southern Maine, but I got to tell you, the hook that got me was the hot dogs.
The gourmet hot dogs. We can get into that later.
We wanted to do something that was a little different, but then I found out
you're a professor in the culinary arts. You've been to SMCC.
You're at the place. It really is kind of cool. So it all kind of came together
and it all happened with a hot dog.
So welcome to the podcast show, Bo. Thanks for having me. Yeah, this is great. Cool.
We'll get into it a little bit, but one of the things I think you mentioned
(02:14):
to me was that you were a foodie early on and somehow that's kind of inspired
you to move in that direction. Tell me a little bit about that. Yeah.
Yeah, I definitely was gravitating toward food at an early age and knew that that was my career path.
I think it was for my 13th birthday, I had asked for culinary classes that I
took at a local community college.
(02:36):
And I remember the day that we showed up when that class started,
my mom had brought me there and the teacher wasn't there yet.
So my mom was just kind of hanging out waiting.
And when the teacher showed up, she's just looking around the room,
introduced herself. And then we'll kind of looked at my mom with a kid and was
like, gave her this look like, who's this lady who couldn't find a babysitter
and brought this kid here.
And then my mom just kind of picked up the vibe and said, oh,
(02:58):
you're the teacher. Great. He's a student. I'll be back in four hours.
And then took off. And then they were all like, we can't believe you're here.
And everybody else was more of a non-traditional student age,
probably 30, 40s and 50s and that kind of a range.
Yeah. I was there at 13 years old with my own knife and apron and learned about
jicama for the the first time, the potato apple hybrid.
(03:20):
And it really kind of blew my mind as to like, I never heard of this vegetable before.
So it was a great class. And the journey started early for me.
My mom was always a great home cook. And so we were spoiled with that.
And that definitely was kind of the inspiration to want to continue to cook
and entertain and to know how to do it.
But that's great. You mentioned cook and entertain. I think that's a real cool concept.
(03:43):
So when you say that cook and entertain, how do those two go hand in hand,
not just with your mom and you probably you know singing and dancing
while you're cooking but outside of that yeah i
mean it's really like the two the two are
synonymous it's not necessarily dinner and
then a movie it's kind of like dinner can be the movie dinner can be the whole
show if you do it right and make it like thanksgiving for example is like the
(04:06):
perfect example of that family dinner plates are getting shared back and forth
everybody's really invested in the meal and just the time together.
And as many memories as you could make like that that are beyond Thanksgiving
is a huge plus for you and your friends and your family.
So I think trying to have that level of entertainment, that level of sharing,
(04:27):
that level of family style, it just really goes a long way.
Wow, that's great. Now, that wasn't one of my questions. I saw it when you said
that. I just thought that's such a cool thing.
Bill, it probably costs you as much to go to a movie as it does to get a fine dinner nowadays.
I mean, popcorn costs you more than it would be to play at the Harris-Eakin.
Yeah, it does. You're not lying. You're not lying. Yeah. It's quite a bit to go.
(04:47):
It's been a minute since I've been, but the last time I did go,
it was quite crazy. Yeah. Yeah.
So let's talk a little bit about your career. Not every job,
but I mean, what you've done.
I know some of the great restaurants around the Portland area,
but you've had an interesting career that led you to what you're doing now.
Yeah. I started out, I definitely started out dishwashing and was kind of
cut my teeth in the industry that way. And that was an upgrade from my first
(05:11):
job, which was working at a hair salon where I was sweeping hair and taking
coats at the door and fitting the shampoo bottles to the labels faced out in the retail section.
And my mother was a hairdresser. And so on Saturdays, I was getting dragged
to work and that was what I had to do.
And so when I got the opportunity to leave that job to wash dishes for $7 an
(05:35):
hour, that was a huge upgrade.
And so that was, that was how the path started. And, and I had a love of food,
so it didn't take long before the people in the kitchen realized I could do more than wash a dish.
And next thing you know, I was cooking croutons and, you know,
washing romaine for salads.
And I had interest in picking up those other smaller cooking shifts.
(05:56):
So it's a great thing to say that you raised your hand and you decided to do
more, you know, when you're in that it's this hospitality business,
but specifically restaurants, you You know, if you raise your hand and you just
say, I'll work an extra shift or I'll do this, that's a career path you can set yourself on.
Now you, you've actually had education too, but that's a great way to get started.
Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I mean, if you show an interest in any position that
(06:17):
you're in, in the industry, that's the easiest way to start to move up.
The person who's, who's working on the oven station, you know,
when they, when they're not cooking anything, pay attention to the guy on the
grill, see what's going on over there.
And next thing you know, you could fill in for a few moments and possibly a
whole shift gift before you know it. And you just kind of keep working your way up like that.
You'll train each other as you go. But if you show an interest,
(06:40):
people are always going to want to continue to coach you and train you along the way.
So that happened to you. And I see you've been at some great restaurants around
the Portland area. Just name a couple of them. People will recognize the levels.
Yeah. I've gotten to work at the David's Restaurant Groups and the David 388,
David's Opus 10, Tika Restaurant, restaurant, the Harris Seek It In,
(07:02):
Broad Arrow Tavern, the Pepper Club when that was around as the Good Day Cafe.
Yeah. So I've gotten to work at several different locations around town throughout my time. Absolutely.
That's really cool. So, you know, I know the life is in the kitchen and,
you know, you're washing pots and pans. And I think you talked about that.
And I just wanted to make it clear that I too have been in the dish room and in the dish pit.
(07:24):
And I do know if you hold the ladle down there to clean it and then you spray
it with a spray hose, you get covered.
So I didn't have to just put it in the dish. But, you know, a lot of times people
just tell people to do it. That's one of the training you do is you just get the guy wet.
But so I did learn that and I have done it. And, you know, you don't drop the
dish pan in the strainer in the sink because you get covered with gross stuff. off.
But you've done that too. You've worked in the dishroom, not just as a kid,
(07:45):
but what about as a full-fledged chef or a manager?
Absolutely. Yeah. There's going to be times where that's a position that sees
a lot of turnaround, it seems.
And when that happens, it speaks volumes when the head chef is willing to jump
back there and set the tone, lead by example,
do the dishes, show everybody that they're not above getting back there and
(08:07):
doing that, even as they've graduated up the ladder,
so to speak, as they've gone from dishwasher to prep cook to line cook,
sous chef, chef de cuisine, executive chef.
You still always have to be willing to jump back there and help out.
The dishwasher is the most important person in the kitchen.
That should be your opinion as somebody who works in the kitchen.
(08:30):
You need to take very good care of them.
If you take good care of your dishwasher, they'll take great care of you.
Every time you go back and drop something off dirty.
If you can help out by grabbing a stack of some clean stuff and walk it back
with you, it makes all the difference to them. It's something as simple as that.
And hey, every now and again, bring them a cup of soup or some chicken tenders.
Give them some food too. Give them something to eat. Keep them well fed.
(08:53):
Help them put some stuff away. And they'll help you move mountains.
I'm telling you right now. They're one of the most valuable people in the kitchen,
for sure. Well, because you can't serve food without clean plates.
No, it's really back to the basics. And I think you mentioned as executive chef,
as a professor and all this stuff, you're still, I bet you, if you're walking
by, you jump by the dish and you grab a clean, you grab a rack,
go out and put the dishes out there. And that's just what you do.
(09:15):
And that's a good leader.
A lot of our audience are either in the kitchen or in hotels and they're hearing
the same message, whether you're talking, making beds or doing dishes.
So I appreciate hearing that from somebody, you know, high level of skillset.
As an instructor too, I routinely I'm having to help my students get the dishes
reorganized and how to do it.
Something as simple as the concept of what you put into the dish machine is
(09:37):
reflective of how it comes out on the other side.
It's not magic. If I put in 52 different objects, I now have to go 52 different
directions once it's clean.
So instead, if I try to wash all of the bowls at once, now I only have have
to stack the bowls and bring them to one location.
So part of it starts with like, how are you even loading the rack?
(09:59):
You know what I mean? Like, like it's all about, it's, it's a chess game.
You know, it's not just thinking without any repercussion, you know,
every, every action has a consequence.
And I think one of the neat things about what you're saying is that we in this
industry as leaders and future leaders, you have to look at things more than
just if washing dishes, there's a lot of steps you can make to make their lives better.
And whether it it be in the hotel business, whether it be in a kitchen,
(10:21):
whether it be in sales or anything you do, you've got to make things.
So you've done that in your career and helped you to get where you are.
So now you're, I mentioned briefly that you teach, you teach culinary arts and
different classes within Southern Maine Community College.
Just tell, how did you get to that from the dish pit to the executive chef to
teaching people about the business? Yeah.
(10:42):
Well, teaching people how to, how to cook was always kind of one of the most
fun things about this job along the whole way.
And at a smaller level, that was as a young line cook, when there was a new
hire and you had to train them on how to cook the food that was on your station,
the chef would say, Hey, train, train so-and-so how to make the pizzas tonight.
(11:03):
Okay. And that was your job. And that interaction of how you could bond with
somebody, how you could put words to the actions that you do and get someone
else to improve their skills.
I always loved that aspect of it. I now just kind of magnify that concept and
I'm doing that on a level with a whole group of people all at once, right?
Instead of just one person next to me that I'm rubbing elbows with,
(11:26):
this is with the whole classroom of students and young minds that are engaged
and want to improve their skills. and it's a wide range.
I have, I have non-traditional students. I have people right out of high school.
And I've also with that mix, I've got people that currently work in industry
and people who have never picked up a knife in their life. I see it all.
That's really what our audience is. Our audience is that same thing.
(11:49):
You've got people in the industry who want to move up or do more.
We've got people just out of high school.
We've got people maybe in high school. So a lot of our audience,
and then we've got people who are going to be executives in both of these areas.
So that's great. And I think the fact that you did that, it just shows that,
you know, you can have diverse careers within this one industry of hospitality.
You've got the culinary side and you've got the hotel side, but also within
(12:11):
the culinary side, you've got, you've been a dishwasher, you've been an executive
chef, you've now been a professor.
Okay. Here's the cool part. Tell me about the hot dogs.
Right. So, and now, and now, you know, I get to add, you know,
a small time business owner owner to the list.
Right. And so on that level, I get to do street food vending. I go.
(12:31):
Usually right in front of the custom house was one of my favorite spots to go in the summertime.
I operate this business in the off season of the school.
So this works out great for me because when school wraps up mid-May and doesn't
pick up again until mid-August, that's a perfect opportunity for me to take
this food cart, put it out on the street and do my gourmet hot dogs.
(12:53):
Typically what I do is I make a menu that has a few of my, what I call the TOP
dogs, you know, known as the top dogs. So the T-O-P dogs, we're the Old Port dog.
And so what we do is we're big on the toppings. And one of them is called the
Prom Dog, which stands for the pepper relish onion and mustard.
So it's a sweet red pepper relish, caramelized griddled onions, local raised mustard.
(13:17):
And then I do steamed bun, grilled dog.
You can pick between a few different kinds. I've got red ones if you want.
Otherwise, I got like the Nathan Famous ones that they use in the contest. past.
I've got some main made grass fed beef and pork dogs as well.
I have veggie dogs if you're vegetarian. So I've got a few options.
So you're explaining, you're showing to your students, I think,
(13:39):
which is exciting that there's a business out there too.
It's not just a restaurant business. It's the business of restaurants.
There's a really two different things.
And as a professor, you're not just teaching kids to go out and cook.
You may be turning them into business owners and entrepreneurs and successful
restaurateurs that own multiple. I mean, the guy from David's.
I mean, look what he's done. David himself.
I've got the best gourmet hotdog guy in the country on this podcast.
(14:02):
I mean, that's going to make us famous.
That's right. Yeah. And, you know, I have a lot of fun with it.
The hot dog almost is almost secondary to the flavor profile.
You put together like something like, oh, think about like a Rangoon.
And so I do like a warm scallion cream cheese and some crispy wonton threads,
a sweet red chili sauce, pickled daikon radish, and the hot dog.
(14:23):
And so now when you have that bite, it's like over the top.
You've never had that flavor before on a hot dog, but you've had that combination
somewhere else. And now the fusion of it comes together.
And that's one of my biggest sellers. So I have a lot of fun with it.
There's an ode to grandma.
I've got the grandma's chili dog inspired by one of her chili dips that we used
to get at her house when we'd go over there for Sunday for a football game.
(14:46):
And I just did that one a couple of weekends ago at a festival.
If I missed my opportunity to get a hot dog this year, is it available throughout
the year or just in the summer?
It's mostly summer, but I also do private events and things too.
When I bought this hot dog cart, I never thought about these business opportunities.
(15:07):
Things like children's birthday party, a husband's 40th party,
NFL fantasy football draft parties.
I've done late night weddings where they've already had the normal plated dinner
and they said, no, no, we want you there from like 1030 on when they're all
dancing and partying still.
And then they're going to be, you're going to go and the hot dog cart is ready
(15:30):
outside and the place goes nuts. And then they all come out. Right.
So getting out of the restaurant business and teaching was going to get you
to bed earlier. Didn't necessarily happen.
For the most part, it has, you know, for the most part it has,
I definitely, I definitely I
definitely have traded that in for more of a family-friendly schedule now.
I've got my son and beautiful wife and to be home with them on nights and weekends is
(15:54):
It was incredible. I didn't have that for years. I'll tell you right now.
They've been very fortunate to me, very kind to me in moving dates around and
celebrating a holiday on the following day kind of a thing because I have always had to work.
When you're in a hotel that's open 24-7, 365, everybody works Christmas.
(16:15):
Everybody works Thanksgiving for at least part of the day.
The higher up the food chain you go, it seems the longer that shift is,
right? Right. So that's, you know, I think it's a great point.
And I was, one of the questions I thought about asking was how do you balance
you're an entrepreneur, you're a professor, you're a chef and you're a dad and a husband.
How do you, now again, I think you've said it well, is that there were times
(16:37):
in your career, you just got to do it.
And, but how do you balance that and make sure that, you know,
your son and wife get some time?
I try to be, I try to be mindful of it. Our schedules right now mesh really
well where I can be with him completely some of the days of the the week because
I don't have school at the beginning of the week.
And then I have other days where classes are over before noon.
(16:58):
So there are opportunities some of the days like that where I get to participate.
Her work has been really flexible with allowing her to do some time like that.
But then again, with me just being home every night has just been a game changer.
That's been my life for the last several years.
And I'm glad that I get to cook for a smaller, or more secluded audience,
(17:19):
but they're just as judgy, just as much critique.
I mean, if that kid doesn't like it, his face will tell you instantly. It's hilarious.
So no doubt. That's great. My grandkids go through the hot dog phase.
They love it. Then the next time they don't. So you never know what their taste buds are going to do.
So obviously you mentioned something about your mom, but give me a couple of
(17:42):
people who influenced you and really made a difference in in your life that
maybe helped you guide you into what you're doing today in the last 10 years of your life?
Yeah, I'd say, you know, mom was a big influence. I would say,
you know, if she didn't have kids at the time that she did at a younger age,
she probably would have wanted to gravitate more into the cooking scene a little bit more herself.
(18:03):
She's always been completely entranced by it. And I remember being a kid,
we were watching Food Network in the early days, long before all the competition
shows and all the stuff like it is now.
I swear, they didn't even have beyond 10 hours of content.
And then they would just repeat the same shows over and over.
They only had so much content back then. but she was always into food and that
(18:26):
stuff was always on at our house.
And she was always making bread, cooking dinner for us.
I remember making green bagels as a little kid for St. Patrick's Day and things
like that. So food was always special.
We never ate a meal for dinner until my dad got home.
So that was always a big thing for us. So it wasn't like the kids ate and then our parents ate.
(18:47):
If dad didn't come home until 8.30, we didn't eat till 8.30.
And that was how how it always was for us. And we didn't know any better.
We just thought that's what everybody did.
And I would talk to my other friends and they'd be like, oh no,
yeah, last night I had like a bowl of cereal.
And I'd be like, what do you mean you ate cereal? What are you talking about?
And I guess I grew up with my mother making French baguette and full complete meals.
(19:12):
We were spoiled in that way, but food was always an important thing for her.
That was something something that she always wanted to be able to give to us and to share with us.
And to this day, we've done this now for probably the last 25 years.
Our Christmas has consisted of her making a Chinese-themed dinner where she
makes her own potstickers and egg rolls and fried rice and some other things
(19:35):
like that. But the potstickers are definitely the star of the show.
So we'll always be like, oh, yeah, we're doing potstickers. Oh,
yeah, yeah, we're doing potstickers. And so...
But nowadays, it involves getting together with her a few days before,
helping her form them. It's even more of a family process.
And then when we get together on the day and cook them up and fry them up, it's a magical thing.
(19:55):
And I think it all kind of started from the Christmas story movie where the
bumpus dogs ruin the dinner and they have to go out.
The only thing that's open is the Chinese restaurant for dinner,
right? And so that's always been our family's movie.
And so I think that that pseudo led to this dinner for us and we've been doing
it forever and I hope we continue it. Yeah.
(20:16):
I got a couple of questions because I do have to close this out.
But so if you had a chance to say something, one person in your career,
you get the 30 second speech, one person in your career really made a difference to you.
Who might that have been? It doesn't have to be the person. A person did something
special that made a difference to you. like that person that impacted you be?
(20:37):
I'd say, I'd say probably the biggest, the biggest impact would be,
I I'd say chef Berrio had probably the biggest impact coming up in culinary school.
Just seeing that level of professionalism, hearing about the stories of working
in the hotels and the springboards and what the level of education could lead to.
So did you want to ask the CT as a student as well?
(20:59):
I did. I was an SMCC student. I was there back when it was SMTC.
And I was actually the first graduating class of SMCC.
So it was SMTC for year one, SMCC for year two.
But in my time there, yeah, Chef Berrio was just definitely the trendsetter,
the mindsetter for how to approach the business.
(21:20):
And some of the things that he said, things like, make it nice or make it twice.
Twice stick with me still to this day you
know they're just like burned into your mind my son
graduated from smcc he was a non-traditional older student he
remembers chef there and he talks about him actually chef walks around his house
in the neighborhood every day every day and and i'll see him on weekends and
(21:40):
we stop yeah he's just a great guy and he's he's he's traveling all over the
world still eating fine food still still and and just you know utmost you know
when you you talk about culinary professional.
You're talking about Wilberio for sure.
What would you say to someone about this career and about what they should or
shouldn't do? Or how do you, how do you, how can you guide someone in their career?
(22:02):
Things that they should do, things that they should do. It should be,
they should be coachable. They should be on time.
They should be, they should be willing to, to take criticism right now,
especially at the early stages of their career.
People are only really looking to help them improve and your ability to take
criticism and make corrections is going to help you improve drastically.
(22:25):
I would also tell anybody that's a culinary student, do it. You get better at
it by actually physically getting out there and doing it.
My students who put their knife in their knife bag and don't touch it for a
week, don't get any better at cutting.
It's the people who after class go to work, work for a couple hours, even part-time.
Your skills will improve improve drastically if you're involved,
(22:47):
even at your house, get behind the cutting board, make dinner,
do something and be active in the kitchen.
Well, I'm going to do two things. I'm going to go home and I'm going to prep for dinner tonight.
And secondly, I'm going to find out wherever you're going to be open next.
And I'm going to grab one of those hot dogs. Although maybe that's tonight, some hot dogs.
Hey, thank you so much, Bo. Bo has been a great leader in in our industry throughout
(23:11):
the Southern Maine. He's now teaching that at SMCC.
He's taught me a few things. And Bo, I really appreciate you being part of our
podcast, Bed and Butter, the hospitality podcast.
Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Thank you for joining us for another episode of Bed and Butter,
the hospitality podcast produced in partnership with Southern Maine Community College.
(23:32):
Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you don't miss any episodes
and have a butterful day.
Welcome to Bed and Butter, the hospitality podcast designed exclusively for
budding students and aspiring industry leaders.
We're thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with you.
Each episode, we'll delve into the heart of hospitality industry with your host,
Sean Reilly, uncovering invaluable insights, trends, and strategies to not only
(00:24):
succeed, but thrive in this dynamic field.
The podcast is produced in collaboration with Southern Maine Community College.
Listen to national leaders highlight opportunities for the active hospitality
professional, students of SMCC's culinary arts program, as well as the L.
Joe Van Wye School of Hospitality.
(00:45):
This program is a labor of love, made possible with the help of the communications
and new media studies students.
Whether you're sharpening your skills or stepping into the world of hospitality
for the first time, Bed & Butter is your go-to resource.
So let's dive in and spread the knowledge one episode at a time.
(01:06):
Hey listeners, our podcast title, Bed & Butter, was developed to encompass both
the hotel and food components of our business.
Today, we visit with Bo Byrne, a chef since he was in his teens,
an executive chef of some of the finest restaurants and hotels in Maine.
He's also done a stint in the dishroom and prep kitchen like most of us,
but his love for coaching Fishing aspiring culinarians led him to become a professor at SMCC.
(01:30):
And to throw in some more diversity into his career, he's the owner of TOP,
top of the old port, food cart.
What an interesting career. So sit back, relax, and get inspired.
Hey, Bo. Thanks for joining us on the podcast today. You know,
I'm really sure our listeners are going to really find your career path exciting as I do.
And, you know, I know you've been an executive chef of many of the finest restaurants
(01:52):
in Southern Maine, but I got to tell you, the hook that got me was the hot dogs.
The gourmet hot dogs. We can get into that later.
We wanted to do something that was a little different, but then I found out
you're a professor in the culinary arts. You've been to SMCC.
You're at the place. It really is kind of cool. So it all kind of came together
and it all happened with a hot dog.
So welcome to the podcast show, Bo. Thanks for having me. Yeah, this is great. Cool.
We'll get into it a little bit, but one of the things I think you mentioned
(02:14):
to me was that you were a foodie early on and somehow that's kind of inspired
you to move in that direction. Tell me a little bit about that. Yeah.
Yeah, I definitely was gravitating toward food at an early age and knew that that was my career path.
I think it was for my 13th birthday, I had asked for culinary classes that I
took at a local community college.
(02:36):
And I remember the day that we showed up when that class started,
my mom had brought me there and the teacher wasn't there yet.
So my mom was just kind of hanging out waiting.
And when the teacher showed up, she's just looking around the room,
introduced herself. And then we'll kind of looked at my mom with a kid and was
like, gave her this look like, who's this lady who couldn't find a babysitter
and brought this kid here.
And then my mom just kind of picked up the vibe and said, oh,
(02:58):
you're the teacher. Great. He's a student. I'll be back in four hours.
And then took off. And then they were all like, we can't believe you're here.
And everybody else was more of a non-traditional student age,
probably 30, 40s and 50s and that kind of a range.
Yeah. I was there at 13 years old with my own knife and apron and learned about
jicama for the the first time, the potato apple hybrid.
(03:20):
And it really kind of blew my mind as to like, I never heard of this vegetable before.
So it was a great class. And the journey started early for me.
My mom was always a great home cook. And so we were spoiled with that.
And that definitely was kind of the inspiration to want to continue to cook
and entertain and to know how to do it.
But that's great. You mentioned cook and entertain. I think that's a real cool concept.
(03:43):
So when you say that cook and entertain, how do those two go hand in hand,
not just with your mom and you probably you know singing and dancing
while you're cooking but outside of that yeah i
mean it's really like the two the two are
synonymous it's not necessarily dinner and
then a movie it's kind of like dinner can be the movie dinner can be the whole
show if you do it right and make it like thanksgiving for example is like the
(04:06):
perfect example of that family dinner plates are getting shared back and forth
everybody's really invested in the meal and just the time together.
And as many memories as you could make like that that are beyond Thanksgiving
is a huge plus for you and your friends and your family.
So I think trying to have that level of entertainment, that level of sharing,
(04:27):
that level of family style, it just really goes a long way.
Wow, that's great. Now, that wasn't one of my questions. I saw it when you said
that. I just thought that's such a cool thing.
Bill, it probably costs you as much to go to a movie as it does to get a fine dinner nowadays.
I mean, popcorn costs you more than it would be to play at the Harris-Eakin.
Yeah, it does. You're not lying. You're not lying. Yeah. It's quite a bit to go.
(04:47):
It's been a minute since I've been, but the last time I did go,
it was quite crazy. Yeah. Yeah.
So let's talk a little bit about your career. Not every job,
but I mean, what you've done.
I know some of the great restaurants around the Portland area,
but you've had an interesting career that led you to what you're doing now.
Yeah. I started out, I definitely started out dishwashing and was kind of
cut my teeth in the industry that way. And that was an upgrade from my first
(05:11):
job, which was working at a hair salon where I was sweeping hair and taking
coats at the door and fitting the shampoo bottles to the labels faced out in the retail section.
And my mother was a hairdresser. And so on Saturdays, I was getting dragged
to work and that was what I had to do.
And so when I got the opportunity to leave that job to wash dishes for $7 an
(05:35):
hour, that was a huge upgrade.
And so that was, that was how the path started. And, and I had a love of food,
so it didn't take long before the people in the kitchen realized I could do more than wash a dish.
And next thing you know, I was cooking croutons and, you know,
washing romaine for salads.
And I had interest in picking up those other smaller cooking shifts.
(05:56):
So it's a great thing to say that you raised your hand and you decided to do
more, you know, when you're in that it's this hospitality business,
but specifically restaurants, you You know, if you raise your hand and you just
say, I'll work an extra shift or I'll do this, that's a career path you can set yourself on.
Now you, you've actually had education too, but that's a great way to get started.
Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I mean, if you show an interest in any position that
(06:17):
you're in, in the industry, that's the easiest way to start to move up.
The person who's, who's working on the oven station, you know,
when they, when they're not cooking anything, pay attention to the guy on the
grill, see what's going on over there.
And next thing you know, you could fill in for a few moments and possibly a
whole shift gift before you know it. And you just kind of keep working your way up like that.
You'll train each other as you go. But if you show an interest,
(06:40):
people are always going to want to continue to coach you and train you along the way.
So that happened to you. And I see you've been at some great restaurants around
the Portland area. Just name a couple of them. People will recognize the levels.
Yeah. I've gotten to work at the David's Restaurant Groups and the David 388,
David's Opus 10, Tika Restaurant, restaurant, the Harris Seek It In,
(07:02):
Broad Arrow Tavern, the Pepper Club when that was around as the Good Day Cafe.
Yeah. So I've gotten to work at several different locations around town throughout my time. Absolutely.
That's really cool. So, you know, I know the life is in the kitchen and,
you know, you're washing pots and pans. And I think you talked about that.
And I just wanted to make it clear that I too have been in the dish room and in the dish pit.
(07:24):
And I do know if you hold the ladle down there to clean it and then you spray
it with a spray hose, you get covered.
So I didn't have to just put it in the dish. But, you know, a lot of times people
just tell people to do it. That's one of the training you do is you just get the guy wet.
But so I did learn that and I have done it. And, you know, you don't drop the
dish pan in the strainer in the sink because you get covered with gross stuff. off.
But you've done that too. You've worked in the dishroom, not just as a kid,
(07:45):
but what about as a full-fledged chef or a manager?
Absolutely. Yeah. There's going to be times where that's a position that sees
a lot of turnaround, it seems.
And when that happens, it speaks volumes when the head chef is willing to jump
back there and set the tone, lead by example,
do the dishes, show everybody that they're not above getting back there and
(08:07):
doing that, even as they've graduated up the ladder,
so to speak, as they've gone from dishwasher to prep cook to line cook,
sous chef, chef de cuisine, executive chef.
You still always have to be willing to jump back there and help out.
The dishwasher is the most important person in the kitchen.
That should be your opinion as somebody who works in the kitchen.
(08:30):
You need to take very good care of them.
If you take good care of your dishwasher, they'll take great care of you.
Every time you go back and drop something off dirty.
If you can help out by grabbing a stack of some clean stuff and walk it back
with you, it makes all the difference to them. It's something as simple as that.
And hey, every now and again, bring them a cup of soup or some chicken tenders.
Give them some food too. Give them something to eat. Keep them well fed.
(08:53):
Help them put some stuff away. And they'll help you move mountains.
I'm telling you right now. They're one of the most valuable people in the kitchen,
for sure. Well, because you can't serve food without clean plates.
No, it's really back to the basics. And I think you mentioned as executive chef,
as a professor and all this stuff, you're still, I bet you, if you're walking
by, you jump by the dish and you grab a clean, you grab a rack,
go out and put the dishes out there. And that's just what you do.
(09:15):
And that's a good leader.
A lot of our audience are either in the kitchen or in hotels and they're hearing
the same message, whether you're talking, making beds or doing dishes.
So I appreciate hearing that from somebody, you know, high level of skillset.
As an instructor too, I routinely I'm having to help my students get the dishes
reorganized and how to do it.
Something as simple as the concept of what you put into the dish machine is
(09:37):
reflective of how it comes out on the other side.
It's not magic. If I put in 52 different objects, I now have to go 52 different
directions once it's clean.
So instead, if I try to wash all of the bowls at once, now I only have have
to stack the bowls and bring them to one location.
So part of it starts with like, how are you even loading the rack?
(09:59):
You know what I mean? Like, like it's all about, it's, it's a chess game.
You know, it's not just thinking without any repercussion, you know,
every, every action has a consequence.
And I think one of the neat things about what you're saying is that we in this
industry as leaders and future leaders, you have to look at things more than
just if washing dishes, there's a lot of steps you can make to make their lives better.
And whether it it be in the hotel business, whether it be in a kitchen,
(10:21):
whether it be in sales or anything you do, you've got to make things.
So you've done that in your career and helped you to get where you are.
So now you're, I mentioned briefly that you teach, you teach culinary arts and
different classes within Southern Maine Community College.
Just tell, how did you get to that from the dish pit to the executive chef to
teaching people about the business? Yeah.
(10:42):
Well, teaching people how to, how to cook was always kind of one of the most
fun things about this job along the whole way.
And at a smaller level, that was as a young line cook, when there was a new
hire and you had to train them on how to cook the food that was on your station,
the chef would say, Hey, train, train so-and-so how to make the pizzas tonight.
(11:03):
Okay. And that was your job. And that interaction of how you could bond with
somebody, how you could put words to the actions that you do and get someone
else to improve their skills.
I always loved that aspect of it. I now just kind of magnify that concept and
I'm doing that on a level with a whole group of people all at once, right?
Instead of just one person next to me that I'm rubbing elbows with,
(11:26):
this is with the whole classroom of students and young minds that are engaged
and want to improve their skills. and it's a wide range.
I have, I have non-traditional students. I have people right out of high school.
And I've also with that mix, I've got people that currently work in industry
and people who have never picked up a knife in their life. I see it all.
That's really what our audience is. Our audience is that same thing.
(11:49):
You've got people in the industry who want to move up or do more.
We've got people just out of high school.
We've got people maybe in high school. So a lot of our audience,
and then we've got people who are going to be executives in both of these areas.
So that's great. And I think the fact that you did that, it just shows that,
you know, you can have diverse careers within this one industry of hospitality.
You've got the culinary side and you've got the hotel side, but also within
(12:11):
the culinary side, you've got, you've been a dishwasher, you've been an executive
chef, you've now been a professor.
Okay. Here's the cool part. Tell me about the hot dogs.
Right. So, and now, and now, you know, I get to add, you know,
a small time business owner owner to the list.
Right. And so on that level, I get to do street food vending. I go.
(12:31):
Usually right in front of the custom house was one of my favorite spots to go in the summertime.
I operate this business in the off season of the school.
So this works out great for me because when school wraps up mid-May and doesn't
pick up again until mid-August, that's a perfect opportunity for me to take
this food cart, put it out on the street and do my gourmet hot dogs.
(12:53):
Typically what I do is I make a menu that has a few of my, what I call the TOP
dogs, you know, known as the top dogs. So the T-O-P dogs, we're the Old Port dog.
And so what we do is we're big on the toppings. And one of them is called the
Prom Dog, which stands for the pepper relish onion and mustard.
So it's a sweet red pepper relish, caramelized griddled onions, local raised mustard.
(13:17):
And then I do steamed bun, grilled dog.
You can pick between a few different kinds. I've got red ones if you want.
Otherwise, I got like the Nathan Famous ones that they use in the contest. past.
I've got some main made grass fed beef and pork dogs as well.
I have veggie dogs if you're vegetarian. So I've got a few options.
So you're explaining, you're showing to your students, I think,
(13:39):
which is exciting that there's a business out there too.
It's not just a restaurant business. It's the business of restaurants.
There's a really two different things.
And as a professor, you're not just teaching kids to go out and cook.
You may be turning them into business owners and entrepreneurs and successful
restaurateurs that own multiple. I mean, the guy from David's.
I mean, look what he's done. David himself.
I've got the best gourmet hotdog guy in the country on this podcast.
(14:02):
I mean, that's going to make us famous.
That's right. Yeah. And, you know, I have a lot of fun with it.
The hot dog almost is almost secondary to the flavor profile.
You put together like something like, oh, think about like a Rangoon.
And so I do like a warm scallion cream cheese and some crispy wonton threads,
a sweet red chili sauce, pickled daikon radish, and the hot dog.
(14:23):
And so now when you have that bite, it's like over the top.
You've never had that flavor before on a hot dog, but you've had that combination
somewhere else. And now the fusion of it comes together.
And that's one of my biggest sellers. So I have a lot of fun with it.
There's an ode to grandma.
I've got the grandma's chili dog inspired by one of her chili dips that we used
to get at her house when we'd go over there for Sunday for a football game.
(14:46):
And I just did that one a couple of weekends ago at a festival.
If I missed my opportunity to get a hot dog this year, is it available throughout
the year or just in the summer?
It's mostly summer, but I also do private events and things too.
When I bought this hot dog cart, I never thought about these business opportunities.
(15:07):
Things like children's birthday party, a husband's 40th party,
NFL fantasy football draft parties.
I've done late night weddings where they've already had the normal plated dinner
and they said, no, no, we want you there from like 1030 on when they're all
dancing and partying still.
And then they're going to be, you're going to go and the hot dog cart is ready
(15:30):
outside and the place goes nuts. And then they all come out. Right.
So getting out of the restaurant business and teaching was going to get you
to bed earlier. Didn't necessarily happen.
For the most part, it has, you know, for the most part it has,
I definitely, I definitely I
definitely have traded that in for more of a family-friendly schedule now.
I've got my son and beautiful wife and to be home with them on nights and weekends is
(15:54):
It was incredible. I didn't have that for years. I'll tell you right now.
They've been very fortunate to me, very kind to me in moving dates around and
celebrating a holiday on the following day kind of a thing because I have always had to work.
When you're in a hotel that's open 24-7, 365, everybody works Christmas.
(16:15):
Everybody works Thanksgiving for at least part of the day.
The higher up the food chain you go, it seems the longer that shift is,
right? Right. So that's, you know, I think it's a great point.
And I was, one of the questions I thought about asking was how do you balance
you're an entrepreneur, you're a professor, you're a chef and you're a dad and a husband.
How do you, now again, I think you've said it well, is that there were times
(16:37):
in your career, you just got to do it.
And, but how do you balance that and make sure that, you know,
your son and wife get some time?
I try to be, I try to be mindful of it. Our schedules right now mesh really
well where I can be with him completely some of the days of the the week because
I don't have school at the beginning of the week.
And then I have other days where classes are over before noon.
(16:58):
So there are opportunities some of the days like that where I get to participate.
Her work has been really flexible with allowing her to do some time like that.
But then again, with me just being home every night has just been a game changer.
That's been my life for the last several years.
And I'm glad that I get to cook for a smaller, or more secluded audience,
(17:19):
but they're just as judgy, just as much critique.
I mean, if that kid doesn't like it, his face will tell you instantly. It's hilarious.
So no doubt. That's great. My grandkids go through the hot dog phase.
They love it. Then the next time they don't. So you never know what their taste buds are going to do.
So obviously you mentioned something about your mom, but give me a couple of
(17:42):
people who influenced you and really made a difference in in your life that
maybe helped you guide you into what you're doing today in the last 10 years of your life?
Yeah, I'd say, you know, mom was a big influence. I would say,
you know, if she didn't have kids at the time that she did at a younger age,
she probably would have wanted to gravitate more into the cooking scene a little bit more herself.
(18:03):
She's always been completely entranced by it. And I remember being a kid,
we were watching Food Network in the early days, long before all the competition
shows and all the stuff like it is now.
I swear, they didn't even have beyond 10 hours of content.
And then they would just repeat the same shows over and over.
They only had so much content back then. but she was always into food and that
(18:26):
stuff was always on at our house.
And she was always making bread, cooking dinner for us.
I remember making green bagels as a little kid for St. Patrick's Day and things
like that. So food was always special.
We never ate a meal for dinner until my dad got home.
So that was always a big thing for us. So it wasn't like the kids ate and then our parents ate.
(18:47):
If dad didn't come home until 8.30, we didn't eat till 8.30.
And that was how how it always was for us. And we didn't know any better.
We just thought that's what everybody did.
And I would talk to my other friends and they'd be like, oh no,
yeah, last night I had like a bowl of cereal.
And I'd be like, what do you mean you ate cereal? What are you talking about?
And I guess I grew up with my mother making French baguette and full complete meals.
(19:12):
We were spoiled in that way, but food was always an important thing for her.
That was something something that she always wanted to be able to give to us and to share with us.
And to this day, we've done this now for probably the last 25 years.
Our Christmas has consisted of her making a Chinese-themed dinner where she
makes her own potstickers and egg rolls and fried rice and some other things
(19:35):
like that. But the potstickers are definitely the star of the show.
So we'll always be like, oh, yeah, we're doing potstickers. Oh,
yeah, yeah, we're doing potstickers. And so...
But nowadays, it involves getting together with her a few days before,
helping her form them. It's even more of a family process.
And then when we get together on the day and cook them up and fry them up, it's a magical thing.
(19:55):
And I think it all kind of started from the Christmas story movie where the
bumpus dogs ruin the dinner and they have to go out.
The only thing that's open is the Chinese restaurant for dinner,
right? And so that's always been our family's movie.
And so I think that that pseudo led to this dinner for us and we've been doing
it forever and I hope we continue it. Yeah.
(20:16):
I got a couple of questions because I do have to close this out.
But so if you had a chance to say something, one person in your career,
you get the 30 second speech, one person in your career really made a difference to you.
Who might that have been? It doesn't have to be the person. A person did something
special that made a difference to you. like that person that impacted you be?
(20:37):
I'd say, I'd say probably the biggest, the biggest impact would be,
I I'd say chef Berrio had probably the biggest impact coming up in culinary school.
Just seeing that level of professionalism, hearing about the stories of working
in the hotels and the springboards and what the level of education could lead to.
So did you want to ask the CT as a student as well?
(20:59):
I did. I was an SMCC student. I was there back when it was SMTC.
And I was actually the first graduating class of SMCC.
So it was SMTC for year one, SMCC for year two.
But in my time there, yeah, Chef Berrio was just definitely the trendsetter,
the mindsetter for how to approach the business.
(21:20):
And some of the things that he said, things like, make it nice or make it twice.
Twice stick with me still to this day you
know they're just like burned into your mind my son
graduated from smcc he was a non-traditional older student he
remembers chef there and he talks about him actually chef walks around his house
in the neighborhood every day every day and and i'll see him on weekends and
(21:40):
we stop yeah he's just a great guy and he's he's he's traveling all over the
world still eating fine food still still and and just you know utmost you know
when you you talk about culinary professional.
You're talking about Wilberio for sure.
What would you say to someone about this career and about what they should or
shouldn't do? Or how do you, how do you, how can you guide someone in their career?
(22:02):
Things that they should do, things that they should do. It should be,
they should be coachable. They should be on time.
They should be, they should be willing to, to take criticism right now,
especially at the early stages of their career.
People are only really looking to help them improve and your ability to take
criticism and make corrections is going to help you improve drastically.
(22:25):
I would also tell anybody that's a culinary student, do it. You get better at
it by actually physically getting out there and doing it.
My students who put their knife in their knife bag and don't touch it for a
week, don't get any better at cutting.
It's the people who after class go to work, work for a couple hours, even part-time.
Your skills will improve improve drastically if you're involved,
(22:47):
even at your house, get behind the cutting board, make dinner,
do something and be active in the kitchen.
Well, I'm going to do two things. I'm going to go home and I'm going to prep for dinner tonight.
And secondly, I'm going to find out wherever you're going to be open next.
And I'm going to grab one of those hot dogs. Although maybe that's tonight, some hot dogs.
Hey, thank you so much, Bo. Bo has been a great leader in in our industry throughout
(23:11):
the Southern Maine. He's now teaching that at SMCC.
He's taught me a few things. And Bo, I really appreciate you being part of our
podcast, Bed and Butter, the hospitality podcast.
Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Thank you for joining us for another episode of Bed and Butter,
the hospitality podcast produced in partnership with Southern Maine Community College.
(23:32):
Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you don't miss any episodes
and have a butterful day.
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