Mr. Michael Barone » MY TEACHER PAGE

MY TEACHER PAGE

I grew up surrounded by people with a love for food. As a young kid I can remember many Sunday mornings where I would smell my grandfather preparing dinner for that night. Sunday dinner was a tradition in my house that consisted of several courses spread out over many hours. The love and care that went into that meal was different than other night we had dinner. I eventually started helping and when I got to my senior year of high school, I knew I wanted to go to the Culinary Institute of America. I got accepted and went with the intention of learning everything I possibly could. I worked through many holidays, weekends and long, late nights because I knew I was building the foundation of becoming a chef. After graduation I worked in many restaurants throughout New York City and Westchester county- moving around to experience different styles of cooking and the unique teaching styles of the different head chefs. Ironically, when I found this culinary teaching position, I had also been offered a spot on Hell’s Kitchen. I went as far as interviewing and was ready to be cast in the upcoming season. I had a tough decision to make, but in the end I knew teaching would be an opportunity to share all that I had learned from my diverse experiences. Since then I have made it my mission to help other students like myself with dreams of entering the culinary world.