Learning he received the CAFÉ and Idaho Potato Commission’s Student of the Year Award, Culinary Institute of Michigan at Baker College’s Mikal Jones was overcome with joy. He had never been to Idaho and didn’t know how Idaho potatoes were grown, harvested or transported. All that changed this September when he attended the all-expenses-paid award trip to the IPC Harvest Tour with other foodservice industry professionals.

And the news of his award could not have come at a better moment. “I was so happy I couldn’t hide it and wanted to share it with everyone,” said the food and beverage management student. “I received this and big things started coming my way all at once. I was really, really happy.”

In their second year sponsoring the Student of the Year Award, IPC’s Alan Kahn, vice president of foodservice, explained, “We support this award to recognize the achievements and dedication of top performing culinary students. It’s important to IPC to recognize the culinary arts and help develop students within our industry.”

Jones spent three days where he toured multiple fresh potato shippers and visited farms learning about the multi-generational history of potato farming in Idaho. He was intrigued with the farming process and all that it takes to plant, grow and harvest potatoes, but there was one aspect that was completely new to him. “I was surprised kids get out of school to help with the harvest,” he said. “It was cool seeing kids drive trucks, big trucks. You don’t see that where I come from.”

Another trip highlight for Jones included the potato shed, where millions of pounds of potatoes are stored in a climate-controlled environment that maintains fresh potatoes for up to one year. “It was crazy. All those potatoes in one spot,” he said. “When you go to a grocery store and see potatoes in a bag, you don’t realize how much it takes to get them there. It was like a mountain-top view.”

Jones derived inspiration from the organized systems required for sorting and boxing potatoes. He said that he was impressed with the mix of technology and labor required in the sorting process. “I saw they needed to have systems and plans to make sure things went smoothly. They even had backup plans to make sure things went right.”

Jones’s future entrepreneurial plans include becoming a personal chef, opening a restaurant and then “down the road” starting his own winery. “I am a nurturing person and I love caring for people. It has always been something I take pride in,” he explained. He said that the Harvest Tour experience will help him be more successful in the future with all the new industry connections he made. “We bonded so quickly. I loved hearing about all the different backstories. There were so many people with different jobs from different places with different ethnicities. I loved building connections with people from around the world,” he explained.

In addition to Jones’s Harvest tour trip, he also received a $1,000 scholarship as part of his award. The IPC has graciously offered to sponsor the 2024 Student of the Year Award and applications will be available soon.