Knowledge Base > Dan Marek - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
Dan Marek - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
This event was on
Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern
Join Chef Dan Marek in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to cours… Read More.
Question:
How did you get started in the industry, and what are some important things that helped you out in your path?
— Melissa Bryant
Answer:
Wow, that's a kind of a long story. Um, but I basically, uh, started, huh, how do I make this short? I started at a grocery store. I started as a dishwasher at Whole Foods Market in Austin, Texas. It was my first, uh, job in the industry. Uh, quickly worked my way up to a waiter and then, uh, was a waiter for about a month or two. And then when the chef would go out for his cigarette breaks, I would take over cooking and the clientele ended up liking my food better than the chef. Um, I had been cooking a very long time on my own for probably 20 years before that as a vegetarian. Um, my mom used to have a catering business when I was a little kid, but, you know, for 20 years didn't before that, but I learned to cook pretty early because of that. So, um, once I got into that restaurant thing, um, they hired me as a chef and then I kept increasing from there. Um, and it was a grocery, it was a, it was a restaurant inside of a grocery store in Austin, Texas at the, the headquarters for Whole Foods. Um, it's no longer there anymore, but it used to be a vegan and raw cafe. Uh, that's when I first met Chad Sarno, um, who, uh, helped develop the plant-based pro course as well too. Um, and then moved on to other things basically, um, in the industry. So had a, you know, uh, had done a lot of different things since then, but that's how I first got into it. Um, you know, so what are some important things that helped me out in my path is just listening. Um, you know, working in a kitchen with other people I think is, uh, of like, if you're looking to do it professionally, um, you know, you need to pay attention and learn from everybody around you. And I think that going into situations with open ears, um, you know, and open eyes is very important. You're there to learn. Um, so, you know, working with Rouxbe is great and that's gonna get you on that path as well too. But once you're actually working in a location at a restaurant, it's always good to talk to your peers and, uh, learn as much as you possibly can from that situation.
