Michael Willis
Salem,OR
Summary
Culinary Arts professional with a strong foundation of knowledge in restaurant operation. Heavy back of house experience emphasized on line and prep work with lighter experience in front of house.
Skills carry strongly into Culinary Arts education where my background in line work help me prepare students for the rigors of restaurant line cook work. Strong personal development in pedagogy, improving curriculum for information accessibility, and contemporary importance of skills learned in the classroom transferring to the real world kitchen.
Long background in inventory management and cost control for both private & public food service programs, working with tight budgets, and using creative solutions to drive down food cost and improve overall profitability or expense efficiency.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Instructional Specialist
Linn-Benton Comm. College
10.2022 - Current
- Managing and executing student-led events such as banquets of up to 120 people and daily service in on-site restaurant and food truck.
- Performing inventory for the department, ordering according to needs of class instructors as well as requisitioned items from students. Ordering for up to 5 classes at a time while also maintaining house stock par, around $3,200 of product weekly.
- Doing price comparisons regularly between multiple purveyors to ensure the school is paying the best price available. Was able to identify and begin the process of the department switching to a new purveyor that would save an estimated $16,000/ year going forward.
- Maintaining par for all items in inventory and keeping track of spending to stay within a strict yearly budget of $120,000
- Reduced food waste by 20 lbs a week by introducing market basket and cost recover rotations to teach students cost management strategies.
- Built strong ties with students in the program to better identify needs to remove obstacles while they are attending school. Car repair waivers, study assistance, etc. Ensuring I had a relationship with students where they knew I was there to help and ensure they were highly successful.
- Regularly attended over 6 events in which to better learn to communicate and serve students as well as cooperate with other staff to facilitate student success in areas where I could not.
PM Line Supervisor
Territory Restaurant
02.2022 - 10.2022
- Ensuring quality of all dishes while maintaining proper ticket times during dinner and lunch services
- Training and ensuring that all line cooks know procedure for execution of all menu items, following standards for cleanliness, proper food handling, and presentation
- Helping with inventory and maintaining all refrigerated and dry storage areas, ensuring all goods are stored to keep in line with state health code and in-house cleanliness standards
- Keeping track of inventory, ordering in accordance with established pars, tracking spending trends to stay within budget, and communicating with food purveyors to identify items where money can be saved for the business on regularly ordered builds.
- During my time at Territory, while helping with inventory and ensuring that all cost saving measures were being adhered to the business was able to turn a profit for the first time since opening.
- Food cost was brought down from 32% to near 26% from working with the Head Chef to adjust the menu, control portioning, and order cheaper item alternatives without sacrificing original food quality expectations.
- Managing, delegating and executing banquets and catering for events while also ensuring that regular service is executed with the same speed and efficiency
Nutritional Cook
Sacred Heart Medical Center Riverbend
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Preparation and planning of various menu items rotated every few months
- Prepared all shifts, breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a hospital of 400 rooms. Some special events such as Nurse Appreciation Week, would require preparing to-go lunches for up to 2500 regional employees.
- High expectation for adherence to and knowledge of food handling and health code regulations within the medical setting
Line Cook
Territory Restaurant
06.2019 - 12.2020
- Preparation and planning of over 16 menu items rotated with the seasons
- Executing upwards of 45 plates on a single station per seating during dinner in a fast paced environment that demanded multitasking and organizational skills
- Working under Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine to understand inventory management and ordering
- Catering private events under the Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine for buyout groups as large as 85 people.
Weekend Shift Lead
Independence Grill
09.2018 - 05.2019
- Trained new employees and delegated daily tasks and responsibilities.
- Kept employees operating productively and working on task to meet business and customer needs.
- Maintained clean and well-organized production areas to avoid violations or unnecessary work delays due to hazards or inefficient layouts.
- Prepared up to 16 plates simultaneously during peak periods with high accuracy rate, maximizing customer satisfaction, and repeat business.
- Inventoried materials on weekly basis to identify and resolve discrepancies, maintaining highly accurate and current records.
Line Cook
The Gym Bar and Grill
01.2018 - 07.2018
- Creating seasonal specials weekly that fit the desires of the customer base
- Managing a weekly cleaning schedule to ensure an organized kitchen
- Ensuring that all product was stored and organized in compliance with OHD regulations
- Preparation of all entrees and appetizers in accordance with owner and supervisor expectations
Organizing Specialist
SEIU 503, Oregon Public Employees Union
04.2017 - 01.2018
- Worked to grow membership within represented workers through workplace visits and cold calls. During consistent visits to University of Oregon, we were able to make contact with all yearly new hires within only a couple of weeks and more than 70% were members before our visits ended.
- Blitzed across worksites to grow CAPE contributions as well as cold calling union members to contribute to CAPE fund. Out of the initial pool for cold calling, 88% contributed by the end of the funding blitz.
- Took opportunities to develop strong interpersonal communication skills with other employees and potential members, developing cold open skills to better engage with represented non-members
- Developed a better understanding of office centered workplace communication and work expectations
Education
Associate of Applied Science - Culinary Arts
Linn-Benton Community College
Albany, OR06.2020
High School Diploma -
Central High School
Independence, OR06.2015
Skills
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Oregon State Food Handlers Card
- OLCC Alcohol Server Card
- Lesson Planning & Curriculum Development
- Restaurant Operations
- HACCP Development
- Associates of Applied Sciences, Culinary Arts
Timeline
Instructional Specialist
Linn-Benton Comm. College
10.2022 - Current
PM Line Supervisor
Territory Restaurant
02.2022 - 10.2022
Nutritional Cook
Sacred Heart Medical Center Riverbend
01.2021 - 01.2022
Line Cook
Territory Restaurant
06.2019 - 12.2020
Weekend Shift Lead
Independence Grill
09.2018 - 05.2019
Line Cook
The Gym Bar and Grill
01.2018 - 07.2018
Organizing Specialist
SEIU 503, Oregon Public Employees Union
04.2017 - 01.2018
Associate of Applied Science - Culinary Arts
Linn-Benton Community College
High School Diploma -
Central High School
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