Learning the Basics

Culinary professional Chef Donigan gives advice on being an entrepreneur in the food industry.

by Chris Lucero

What are some of the most important skills and traits that successful entrepreneurs should have? How should they develop or improve them?

For entrepreneurs, you need to be good at something. You have to have a specific skill that you’ve mastered and can utilize to build upon and teach to others. The profit comes after that. Once you’ve mastered that niche, make it a teachable moment for others who don’t know [it] and share that experience amongst kids or your colleagues, and the profit will come with that.

What skills do you think are important for someone who wants to work in the food industry?

The food industry is very, very tricky. You have restaurants and you have food service, like cafeterias and school lunches. To answer the question directly, just know the basics. Know it and then show... how to utilize a knife, how to hold it, how to sharpen it, how to hone the edge, how to cut. Once you master the basic techniques, everything is cream of the crop. Your life becomes so much easier because you’ve mastered all the basics and any chef can put their trust in you.

What are some of the ways that kids and teens can gain experience and learn more about the food industry?

An open mind. A lot of kids, even today, hear the word food and guess what they expect: they only want to come in and sit down, shove it down their throats, and they don’t want to do anything else. Don’t want to understand or learn the history, don’t want to practice it. Don’t want to do anything. So that’s why I say be open-minded. Professional kitchens are very, very hard. For any child out there that wants to get into culinary arts, have an open mind because you’re going to see, hear, smell, and eat things that you’ve never experienced before. But give your palate and give your mind the opportunity to grow, learn and expand.

What have been some of your biggest learning experiences since starting your career?

Teaching was never really something that I saw myself doing. I always loved cooking. The biggest learning experience was transitioning from culinary to pastry. Prior to going to school to expand my mind and my knowledge, I already knew some techniques in culinary arts. I worked in a restaurant for four years, working as a line cook, then the head cook, and then became assistant manager. So I have a culinary background. I didn’t have anything in regards to pastry. I told myself, “You know what? Let me be different,” and took the baking and pastry role. And look what I’ve become. I’m quite proud of that.

Shamel R. Donigan is an award-winning culinary professional with over 10 years of experience in establishments that include a world-class hotel and several upscale restaurants and bakeries. Chef Donigan is from South Jamaica, Queens, and graduated with high honors from Monroe College. He is currently a chef instructor at Food and Finance High School. His classes implore a unique blend of creative flair, passion for food, strong business sense, and engaging interpersonal skills.