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Culinary Currents
September 2005
Jon Burrows: Johnson & Wales Grad Thanks Instructors,
Tells ‘Grizzly’ Story!
By Peter Langlois
 What
strikes me about Jon Burrows story is the passion he displays for not just
the culinary side of the business, but for learning business survivor
skills in the wild that will undoubtedly carry over to whatever career
path he chooses to pursue. This former Coca-Cola National Restaurant
Educational Foundation (NRAEF) ProStart Scholarship recipient definitely
took charge of his career at an early age, and has demonstrated great
persistence in grabbing his share of gusto so far. Striking out for
Alaska at age 19 and then taking charge for various lodge activities upon
graduation clearly demonstrates the career flexibility that culinary
offers. Jon has chosen not to take the beaten path but rather to carve
out a career that includes both his personal and professional desires.
While obviously
it was beneficial to receive a scholarship in terms of money, did doing so
help you in any other way?
Receiving the ProStart
scholarship was indeed a huge financial boost, but better than that, it
made me feel like my schooling, work and future goals were given a nod of
encouragement. Being presented this award brought the ultimate excitement
to me because it showed that after all of the years of studying and
earning money to attend college, I had the added financial and verbal
support from an outside source. It’s like they said, “You’ve worked hard
so far and have the desire to excel further, and so we will support you.”
For a student who doesn’t have extra money, but has a genuine yearning
for further education, there is no better reward than a scholarship.
Tell me about
your college experience and the degrees you obtained, and when you
graduated.
 My
first year out of high school, I attended a 10-month culinary program at
North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene and received a Certificate of
Completion in the year 2000. In May of 2005, I joyfully completed my last
college requirements for Johnson & Wales University in Denver, Colorado.
From my four years there, I obtained an Associate’s degree in both
Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry. During this last school year, I
fulfilled my internship requirements for each of these degrees. I worked
for three months at Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana and also three
months on Orcas Island at Rosario Resort and Spa.
The college experience I
got from all those years in school was one where I tried to learn as much
as I could about cooking and the culinary field. I was completely serious
about my education because cooking is something I am very passionate about
and I was also working to pay for school with my own money. It was
important to glean as much knowledge as possible from my teachers and to
gain as much experience in the unique environment that culinary schools
offer. Of course there were times of irresponsibility and messing around,
but I was there to learn, so I put my nose to the grindstone.
Describe your
biggest takeaway from college?
Trying to consolidate
six years of college into one idea that I took from it seems overwhelming
but I believe the longest lasting impression will be everything that I
received from my teachers. I assimilated their knowledge and was then
able to form ideas and principles that helped me understand what Culinary
Arts is all about. It wasn’t just the factual knowledge, which was
valuable, but their personalities and beliefs as well. Chef Busch had a
passion and talent with chocolate that I have not seen with anyone else.
His constant teaching and genuine care in my education made a huge
impression on me. Chef Clement taught me the importance of plate
presentation and in whatever I did she created a dialogue between student
and teacher to bring about a real understanding of the subject at hand.
Chef Schultz combined all aspects of the front and back of the house in a
way that showed me how important atmosphere and work ethic is to a
restaurant and business.
What was your
first job after graduation? How long did you stay there? What are you
doing now? What has been your greatest career achievement so far?
My first real cooking
job began even before I started my formal schooling at Johnson & Wales.
Through a friend I was connected to Rocky McElveen, who owns Alaskan
Adventures, a hunting and fishing lodge located in the remote interior of
Southwestern Alaska. He was in desperate (thankfully for me) need of a
cook for his upcoming season and I had just finished my first year after
high school at North Idaho College. I really didn’t know what to expect
lodge cooking to be like, but I wanted to go to Alaska with every bit of
my heart, so I plunged in. As I write this, I am nearing the end of my
sixth season with Alaskan Adventures, and the experiences have forever
formed the person I am today. I am the head cook and thus in charge of
all things food related. My responsibilities also include being the lodge
and staff manager and during August and September I am a hunting guide out
on the tundra. When I first started working here, I was a scared rookie.
Today, it’s my job to scare the rookies and form them into a team
that is able to professionally operate a lodge.
 I am
only 24, so I haven’t had time to achieve much. But, I must say, that my
greatest career achievement has been having the opportunity to get this
job in the first place. From the time I first got the invitation to come
and work in Alaska, I could never have imagined what I would learn. I’ve
been schooled about business ethics, cooking techniques, salmon migration,
skinning a grizzly bear, flying, reading a river, stitching yourself up,
cooking with leftovers, moose calling, time management, organization and a
hundred other things that will all unite to help me attain whatever I wish
to in the future. This job has helped form Jon Burrows.
Describe why you
would you tell companies that ProStart is an investment worth making?
Put in the right
student’s hands, this scholarship has some powerful, life changing
ramifications. ProStart is an investment worth making because it is
financially and mentally encouraging fuel for the desire that each
scholarship recipient has. For me personally, receiving that boost was an
extremely vital piece, which funded my formal education and it continues
to have a ripple effect even though I have finished college. It really is
as simple as that.
“Jon
Burrows was an exceptional student. He was always helping with special
events. He had a superb attitude and was always willing to lend a hand to
any other student or faculty member. He consistently challenged himself to
be the best he could be and was always striving for perfection. Jon was a
great role model. He always set high standards. His enthusiasm was
contagious and his skills were amazing. He brought everyone around him up
- I never recall him being grumpy or sour about anything.”
Elena Clement, Chair of the International Baking and Pastry Institute,
Johnson & Wales University, Denver
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Peter Langlois is founder of
www.RestaurantU.com: Tools of the Trade for Business, for School, for
Free!,co-editor of
Weekly Restaurant Connections (e-Newsletter), Culinary Instructor,
The Art Institute of Houston-Culinary, and Management, Marketing
and e-business Facilitator at The University of
Phoenix (Houston). Langlois is also a Malcolm
Baldrige 2005 Ambassador. He has a Political Science degree
from Michigan State University (Modern International Chinese Relations)
and an M.B.A from the University of Houston (Marketing and Business
Strategies). If you enjoyed this feature, you’ll probably enjoy his free
newsletter available on
www.RestaurantU.com.
Contact information: 832.860.5595 or
peter@restaurantu.com
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