Meet Mike Vandenberg, executive chef at Course at the Great Plains Culinary Institute (www.southeast.edu/course).
Tell us a little about your business. – Course is an upscale student-run restaurant located within the Great Plains Culinary Institute at Southeast Community College. Our culinary students staff the restaurant in the front and back of house. I facilitate menu development, recipe writing, and staff training, and the students execute lunch service under my supervision. We are open to the public Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during active semesters and closed during academic breaks.
How did you get started in the business? – My first job was a busboy when I was 15, and I got promoted to the kitchen one year later. I have cooked professionally ever since, 20 years now!
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Staff retention is always a challenge in the restaurant industry and the recent pandemic exacerbated that struggle tenfold.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – I recently earned a certification through the American Culinary Institute for Certified Executive Chef, but I would say my most important achievement is being able to see cooks/chefs that I have trained grow and develop in this industry and become successful.
Tell us a little about your family. – I am married and have three cats.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – Getting hired at SCC opened my eyes to a different side of the foodservice industry. My focus shifted more toward the development of future chefs rather than putting in long hours trying to keep restaurants afloat. I can offer my insight and experience to the future leaders of the industry to help them avoid the struggles I went through.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Sleep in, make an excessively large breakfast with my wife, and chill as much as possible.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I bowled a 300 game last summer and currently carry over a 200 average in a league. Not sure if that’s unique or interesting, but it usually surprises people.
Who inspires you? – My coworkers and students continually keep me on my toes and push me to achieve things I didn’t think I could.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – Always order more pizza than you think you need.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? -Affable.
If you had a theme song, what would it be? – “Careless Whisper” by George Michael.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? – Teleportation seems pretty handy.
What is your greatest talent that you don’t utilize in your daily work life? – I’ve been an active guitarist for 22 years.
What is your favorite local restaurant? – Although this is a relatively impossible question to answer, the flavors, consistency, and convenience of Sultan’s Kite are hard to beat.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – Daniel Day-Lewis. Mainly just to see what he orders.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – mvandenberg@southeast.edu; (402) 437-2511; www.southeast.edu/course.