Ferris sees rising demand for chefs post-pandemic
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — There’s a big demand for chefs and other hospitality industry professionals post-pandemic, Ferris State University says.
Kathryn Wolfer, an associate professor in Hospitality Management at FSU, has seen the labor shortage impact positions across the industry.
“We just had an internship week last week on campus,” she said. “Our students were leaving that internship career fair event with multiple job offers.”
It’s not an easy industry to work in, with long hours, hard work and benefits that are often not the best. Wolfer said companies seem to be making an effort to make the jobs more desirable as they work to fill the positions, but they’re still competing with other industries because several hospitality industry skills can be easily transferred.
“People are looking to choose like, ‘Oh, do I want to work every weekend, do I want to work every holiday, do I want to work these long hours? Or I could work from home and have a little bit more flexibility in my life?'” she said.
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Also adding to the shortage, Wolfer said, is people are cooking less since the pandemic after they went “stir crazy” during stay-at-home orders. Prepared meals are becoming more popular in grocery stores, leading to more food preparation jobs. Others learned how to bake and cook during the pandemic and have since opened restaurants, Ferris said.
Because of the labor shortage, Wolfer said some restaurants have shifted business models, stepping away from table service or minimizing the menu.
Citing data from the American Association of Retired Persons, Ferris said chefs on average earn more than $27 per hour. It found a 15.4% increase in the number of available chef jobs.
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Ferris is aiming to help fill the gap with its Hospitality Management program, part of the university’s College of Business. Students get hands-on learning while also getting a broad business background, Wolfer said.
She said students get involved in the community, working events like the Grand Rapids Food and Wine Festival, and build connections with alumni.
Graduates can take a variety of career paths, she said, from wedding planners to restaurant owners.
“We have a huge variety,” she said. “That’s part of the fun of watching where the students end up because as teachers, we like to see our students succeed.”
One of those alumni is Rock Dandeneau, the owner of the Pressed In Time food truck and the president of the Grand Rapids Food Truck Association. After going to culinary school and then earning a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from Ferris in 1993, he worked as a corporate chef for Herman Miller for 10 years and then went to Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapid for 15 years.
“Being a chef is my love and daily avocation, but that has taken me many places in various roles,” Dandeneau said in a release from the school. “When I talk with Ferris Hospitality students, we explore how the industry has grown to consider production from in-home chefs as a potential avenue so those with the skills can stay in the field they love. With the right people, you learn to manage and tackle the obstacles of this industry. It is a business that involves much more than the restaurant or kitchen.”
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