By Kim Shambrook, Interim President of Kendall College

This past spring, the nation’s leading culinary professionals convened in Chicago to celebrate and recognize the outstanding achievements of the men, women and restaurants responsible for the dramatic growth of an industry that the National Restaurant Association estimates will generate $783 billion in sales, nationwide, and will employ 10 percent of the U.S. workforce this year. The James Beard Foundation (JBF) Awards, often called the “Oscars of Food,” were a wonderful celebration of industry accomplishment and innovation.

To achieve the restaurant industry’s most prestigious recognition, it is obvious that the James Beard nominees and winners have perfected culinary skills. What few people appreciate is that these individuals and those achieving other industry recognitions have also become masters of culinary business skills, including marketing, management and accounting.

One of our Kendall College graduates, Chef Adam Siegel, corporate chef and managing partner at Bartolotta Restaurants (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and past winner of a James Beard Award echoes this. Adam often shares with his mentees that it is just as important to be able to build and manage a balance sheet as it is an award-winning dish. If not for the former, the “shelf life” of the business might expire well before its time.

As educators, it is extremely important that we remember how truly essential these business skills are in opening, running and sustaining a restaurant. The best providers of culinary arts education understand the significant role business skills play in paving the way for successful careers and offer the opportunity for students to learn, practice and perfect these skills. This is absolutely fundamental to our approach to culinary education at Kendall College.

As the restaurant industry evolves, we must nurture and encourage its future leaders. It is our responsibility as educators to arm students with the knowledge that will set them up for success. In addition to classic culinary training, this must include education in major business concepts, from accounting and marketing to personnel management and entrepreneurship.