Apprenticeship program helps whip up a culinary career for Jordan Gutierrez

Five years ago, Jordan Gutierrez of Ottawa starting washing dishes at Tangled Roots Brewing Company when it opened the venue The Lone Buffalo.

Gutierrez, now 21, of Ottawa, is currently the shift leader at The Lone Buffalo and runs the kitchen when the kitchen manager isn’t there, he said.

He’s also working on an applied science degree in culinary arts management at Joliet Junior College, thanks to his participation in an apprenticeship program where the company pays for his education.

“I love it,” Gutierrez said. “I enjoy cooking and I like doing it for a living.”

JJC is the sponsor of a registered apprenticeship program through the U.S. Department of Labor, according to a news release form JJC.

The college also has a three-year apprenticeship grant through the American Association of Community Colleges/Expanding Community College Apprenticeships initiative, the release said.

This cooperative agreement between the US DOL and AACC’s ECCA initiative helps JJC grow the number of registered apprenticeships, the release said.

So when Gutierrez completes his apprenticeship program at the end of 2021, he’ll earn a degree from JJC and a nationally recognized industry credential from the United States Department of Labor, the release said.

Future plans for Gutierrez include becoming an executive chef and managing the kitchen at one of the company’s restaurant locations, Scott Struchen, founder and chief commercial officer of Tangled Roots Brewing Company, said in the release.

The company also owns Hangar Two in Glenview and recently opened the Lock and Mule at 1025 S. State St. in Lockport,

Struchen also praised the benefits of apprenticeship programs, especially in regard to retaining employees by helping them “move up and advance their career,” he said in the release.

“Apprenticeship programs are an excellent way for companies to create a culture for employees to grow within an organization,” Struchen said in the release. “Not only will employees realize the company is investing in them, but they’ll also believe in the company’s vision and share their passion to get others excited.”

Before Gutierrez became an apprentice, he had started doing some cooking at The Lone Buffalo and enjoyed learning from the venue’s chefs. That gave Gutierrez the first inkling that he could actually build a career with these skills.

Gutierrez said one of the owners asked him one day, “How would you like to go to school at JJC for culinary?”

Of course, Gutierrez agreed.

“It was a chance for me to go to school and have a job after I graduate,” Gutierrez said. “Like many apprenticeships, I have to work for the company for a while after I graduate.”

Gutierrez said his cost and proportion class at JJC has helped him plan for the price of the food that The Lone Buffalo will offer at an event in Ottawa this summer. He’s also thankful for learning the proper techniques for preparing different meats through his fabrication class, instead of relying on “YouTube videos,” he said.

“We cut our own steaks and being shown the proper way to do it really makes a difference,” Gutierrez said.

Perhaps the main lesson Gutierrez has learned is that the culinary industry encompasses more than culinary. For instance, strong math skills are needed, he said.

“It’s a lot more than being a chef and knowing how to cook,” Gutierrez said. “There are people skills and communication skills.”

For more information about Joliet Junior College’s Registered Apprenticeship program, visit www.trainingupdate.org/apprenticeship or email apprenticeships@jjc.edu.