Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1492931
S TUART HARDY quarterbacks the culinary program at Bibb County's Hutchings College and Career Academy with a de hand and critical eye. Sure, he and his colleague, retired airman Mark Robinson, instruct their students on the finer points of sautéing and spatchcocking, but their vision and holistic approach to culinary education transcend the technical aspects of training students to be good employees in the food service industry. Students also gain life skills that can be applied a er graduation when Hutchings alumni move forward to higher education, enlistment in the military, employment, or entrepreneurship. Hardy, lead culinary instructor and executive chef of Compass Rose Café and Catering, and Robinson, culinary instructor, have a grand plan for schooling their young charges that begins with establishing the culinary world's Holy Grail: a work ethic. They're ever mindful of the restaurant industry's running joke that culinary students are some of the worst new hires because they're not taught that core principle of success. Hardy and Robinson agree that food service training must be rigorous, and they're tough taskmasters because they have to be. In a restaurant, the minute employees report to work, it's show time. Hardy said, "In this fast-paced, high-stress environment, employees must be adaptive, understand rapid time exchange, and the pressure on management to keep budgets and food costs low. If culinary training doesn't focus on learning to operate under intense pressure and scrutiny, new hires don't make it a week." In the Compass Rose kitchen, there are timelines, deadlines, and quality standards. Hardy explained, "When my second- and third- year students come to class, they have 10 minutes to dress out, sign in, check-in with me, complete their task, change clothes, and do their laundry for the next day before signing out. They either thrive and find enjoyment and success, or it's toxic, and they quit." The chefs have cra ed a real-world curriculum around industry standards — a restaurant, a catering event, a meal kit, and soon, a food truck, but Hardy is the first to say that they set themselves up for success. "We try not to overextend ourselves. It's not the same intensity level of a restaurant. We're not open daily and limit our hours. With catering, we choose our events, and we have the Double vision TEACHING EXCELLENCE FOR WORK AND LIFE AT HUTCHINGS COLLEGE AND CAREER ACADEMY BY JAMI GAUDET | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE YOUNG 68 maconmagazine.com | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023