Get cooking p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

Prentice Nelson isn’t your textbook chef. Rather, he says logistics skills he learned in the military helped him when it came time to swap his uniform for a starched white toque.

“Organizing, maintaining order: That’s what kitchens do. You can be sautéing, or you can be boiling. But if you don’t know how to lead, you are not going to be able to handle it when things go awry,” the 25-year Marine Corps veteran said. In his last post, Nelson served as operations chief at Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16 in Miramar, Calif. He is one of many who have found a career outside the traditional restaurant setting.

As executive chef at Goodwin House Retirement Community in Fairfax County, Va., Nelson oversees the service of 800 to 1,000 meals a day. Best of all, the job satisfies the same values that steered him into the military. Goodwin’s 65-and-over patrons rely on him to bring not just sustenance but warmth to their days.

“What better niche could I find in the culinary world, where I could use my skills and still be able to serve?” Nelson said.

Getting started

Anywhere people eat, there is a chef job waiting. The range is broad, from sit-down restaurants to hotel kitchens, seasonal work at resorts, catering companies, cruise lines, schools, jails and hospitals. Experts say the best way to get these jobs without a culinary degree is to start at the bottom.

“We tell people to try and do it, so you can taste it, see if you like it,” said Rachel Birchwood, director of admissions at the Culinary Institute of America.

Find the setting of your choice, be it a hospital or a dude ranch, “Then you start in typically as a prep cook,” Birchwood said. “You may have to wash dishes for a while to prove you are going to come to work every day, but you’ll learn whether it is right for you.”

Restaurant alternatives

Nelson had done a short stint in government after separating and decided he wanted to pursue his personal passion. In 2006, at the age of 48, he took the academic route, enrolling at the Art Institute of Washington.

“They had a 100 percent placement policy, so I knew that when I graduated, I would at least have a job,” Nelson said.

He learned quickly that there’s more to the culinary life than chopping and chafing.

“You can work front of the house, which is all about management and customer service,” he said. “You also have purchasing skills, because everywhere you go, the food has to be bought. You have to manage the health and sanitation aspect. All of that is part of the food industry.”

Secure industry

Nelson wanted to be in the kitchen, albeit without the high-pressure aspects of restaurant work. “There is all the stress, the long hours, the demand that is placed upon young people. For me, being a little bit older, I didn’t want to go through all that stuff,” he said.

In the world of senior care, the heat is less intense. Nelson oversees 15 people, earns about $56,000 a year and — best of all — enjoys job security. In a weak economy, “The numbers in the restaurants are down, so the hours you put up as a cook or a sous chef in a restaurant are down. Me, as an executive chef in senior dining, I am recession-proof,” he said.

Training options

The experts say there are two ways in: Go to school or climb the ladder. One you have to pay for, the other pays you. Start at ground level and you’ll learn as you go, which can be valuable. But schools also deliver hands-on experience. The Culinary Institute of America delivers 1,300 hours of work in its kitchens and bake shops, as well as 18-week externships at institute-approved restaurants, hotels and resorts.

— Adam Stone