Stirring Up Job-Readiness and Communication Skills in Food Prep

On February 7, 2013, the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Food Preparation/Services class welcomed Executive Chef Sean Fountaine, from the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center and Hyatt Place East End Hotel, as guest speaker and presenter. He spoke to the students about workplace professionalism including job-readiness skills.  

ESBOCES Chef Joy Graf said, “Chef Sean’s visit was planned as part of the unit on workplace professionalism which incorporates how to communicate in the workplace, getting along with co-workers, following directions, and how to prepare for interviews.”

Chef Fountaine engaged the students in a demonstration on how to beautifully prepare and plate a smoked mozzarella appetizer. The students had the opportunity to display their learned skills by preparing one of their own.

The students practiced their active listening and communications skills when Chef Fountaine led a discussion about entry-level employees and what an employer is looking for. A question-and-answer period ensued after this discussion.

Work Experience Coordinator Ray LoFrese and Chef Fountaine conducted mock interviews for three second- year students, Angela Bonilla and Gary Bell, both from the Riverhead CSD, and Steven Zapata from the Hampton Bays UFSD. All three students are scheduled to begin internships with Chef Fountaine in the coming weeks.

Chef Fountaine said, “We’ve been providing internships for about seven years now. The ESBOCES students are really good kids. Chef Graf prepares them so they know what they’re doing. I was impressed with them. They follow instructions and they do what needs to be done.”