Editor’s Note: This special feature focuses on professional chefs from various facets of the foodservice industry. Culinarians answer questions delving into their views of current foodservice developments and how culinary students can obtain positions within different industries. Introduce your students to a plethora of foodservice career options. Click here to view the previous profiles.

In what foodservice area do you work?
I work as a corporate chef for General Mills North American Foodservice. Our team, called Chefs of the Mills, works closely in several areas of foodservice (K-12 schools, colleges and universities, healthcare operations, restaurants, pizzerias, bakeries and more) to provide product consultation and education, develop recipes, consult on menus and offer specialized training.

I have worked in the foodservice industry for 25 years in areas such as corporate restaurants, independent restaurants, airline catering, event catering and concessions.

Briefly describe your position.
My role is managing our chef team’s digital content creation (website, social media, YouTube, and more). I work closely with marketing, brand experience and agency partners to ensure a foodservice operator lens is present for all marketing campaigns. I also lead our culinary content creation team which includes recipe development for trends, new product launches and multiple marketing activations.

Where do you see your foodservice area in five years?
I see the demand for our team of chefs expanding in five years. We offer valuable product training (virtual and in-person) to our sales team and customers and that is only going to continue to grow.

Describe two current foodservice trends you are seeing right now.
Sweet heat continues to grow on menus and global mash-ups are a fun way for chefs to play around with flavor pairings.

What steps would you advise culinary graduates to take in securing a position in today's market?
If you’re not currently working in a kitchen, get into one. Try different types of foodservice establishments to see what resonates with you. Do you like catering, high volume, or independent restaurants? Try it all on for size so you see what fits.

Please describe one surprising event in your professional life that made a valuable impact on your career today.
My first corporate chef job was eliminated due to an acquisition which was a shock. I could have stayed with the new company in a different, non-chef position, but that wasn’t of interest to me. I left after I was offered a role at General Mills in research & development. It was a very new challenge for me and I learned a lot about consumer packaged goods manufacturing and food science. I also learned a lot about other jobs in the food industry that I wasn’t even aware existed. The end of one career chapter opened multiple doors to a new beginning in my career.

Can you share any words of wisdom?
Stay curious. Let that curiosity drive you to learn more.