It was only a couple of months ago that highly acclaimed chefs, Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz, teamed up on a $1,500 twenty-course dinner at Per Se,—where guests didn’t think twice about spending a whopping $3,000 for dinner.
The dinner consisted of an assortment of fine cuisine including the chefs’ famous mouth-watering truffled custard and mousse, often referred to as the black-truffle explosion. This can be described as the Last Supper before the financial melt-down. However, many New Yorkers aren’t giving up one of their favorite past-time—fine dining—just yet.
Today, it seems as though every newspaper headline announces another Fortune 500 corporation fallen by the wayside. In the midst of economic turmoil, there are actually success stories in the culinary arts field sprouting up across the country that rarely make headline news. From hopeful new chefs, to seasoned chefs who are reinventing their menus or joining forces with other chefs to cut costs, fine dining is still selling.
During the past few months, many New Yorkers were forced to find a new way of earning a living, like Bronx native Ed Kaufmann, who was laid-off from his advertising job located in Melville, NY. Since he lost his job in 2008, Kaufmann hasn’t been able to find another job in the advertising industry. Initially, he thought he had no other choice than to join the ranks of thousands of other New Yorkers who lost their jobs, too.
But as laid-off workers started signing up for unemployment benefits, Kaufman took full advantage of his situation. For Kaufman, losing his job became a huge blessing in disguise. Rather than send countless resumes to potential employers and attend job interviews, he decided to take a giant leap of faith and change careers—a bold move during a bad economy.
Kaufman traded in his business suit and briefcase for chef whites in order to fulfill his old dream of becoming a chef. He invested over $16,000 for a six-month cooking course. He was able to secure partial funding from the New York State Workforce Investment Act Program and applied for a student loan to help cover his tuition. Kaufmann’s ultimate goal now is to focus on his studies in order to become a more ‘salable’ employee and land a job in the thriving culinary arts industry.
As a matter of fact, a large percentage of laid-off workers have decided to go back to school in the culinary arts industry. Stacy Sloan, director of culinary education at Holiday Market's Mirepoix Cooking School in Michigan, expected enrollment to drop in 2009 due to the feeble economy. But enrollment has actually risen—people are still signing up despite the economic uncertainty.
Nietzsche said, "On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow." Friedrich Nietzsche may not have been referring to the culinary arts industry, but perseverance can go a long way for the individual who’s not afraid to take a leap of faith during tough times.
