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Young Brett Maddock didn't know what he wanted to be when he grew up. And when he graduated high school he was still unsure of his career path. But he always knew he wanted to travel. These days, however, he's living a dream and continues to strive for his ultimate goal: celebrity chef. Maddock has certainly already cooked up a successful Culinary Management career. He began working at a butcher shop at the age of 18 in his hometown in Minnesota. "I started learning how to cut meat and grind a hamburger," says Maddock. "Two years later, I was fully knowledgeable."But there was something missing from Maddock's culinary life. "People would ask me questions about the temperature to cook the meat and other things that I couldn't answer. It bothered me," he explains. For this reason, Maddock decided to further his knowledge in culinary management. He applied for a 12-month culinary program at Saint Paul College (St. Paul, MN) and began his culinary management career. Maddock describes his education: "We wore a chef's uniform all the time and we gained experience doing everything from classical buffets to cooking in the cafeteria to making wedding cakes. School strengthened my skills and gave me a background of the whole industry, including cake decorating, ice making, butchering, and general cooking. You train and learn and work with different chefs. I was able to get a little experience in everything and then go out and get my feet wet in the business."  Currently, Maddock is the executive chef and general manager of the California restaurant that bears the name of golf legend, Arnold Palmer. But it took him some time to get to that position. Maddock (pictured in his chef's uniform at left, with Palmer) kept with his desire of getting to travel with his job. "I was looking in a gourmet magazine one day [after I had graduated] and I saw the top hotels in the world," he says.
He saw that the Ritz-Carlton had many locations throughout different countries and decided to apply for a culinary management career. Once he got the job there he moved to a climate much different than chilly Minnesota to sunny Naples, Florida. He worked as a chef there and trained under many different Ritz-Carlton chefs as he transferred to Atlanta and then to the Palm Springs area of California. He helped bring each restaurant more prestige, especially in California, earning four stars and four diamonds for The Lodge. He spent about three years at each restaurant. When Arnold Palmer was about to open his restaurant in 2003, he needed a head chef and he certainly found that in Maddock, who had a reputation at that point. "Word got wind that I worked and I was doing well," says Maddock. "I got the call, they were comfortable with my background, and they give me reign to do things." The latest project Maddock undertook was a complete redesign of the kitchen. Maddock says that the customers can sometimes be challenging because there are many different personalities that exist. But, he says, that it's definitely challenging in a good way. He's one of those people that thrive on adversity. "I need challenges," he says. "If I feel nervous about something I want to go for it. Most people don't do it, but I want to indulge myself." Maddock describes the industry as one that continually changes. "Never stop learning," he advises. "You have to always keep up with what's happening. I was always looking at magazines and watching cooking shows. Do it the fun way." His ultimate goal is to become the Arnold Palmer of cooking. "I want to be a celebrity chef and be known by all with one of the best places to dine," he says. Until then he'll settle for working in culinary management by interacting with people, blogging to share his recipes, and traveling. *Image provided courtesy of ArnoldPalmersRestaurant.com
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Amanda Fornecker is a staff writer at The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.
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