Faculty Spotlight: Chef Gordon Rader
I am Chef Gordon Rader, Program Director and Lead Culinary Instructor at Indian Hills Community College.
I have more than 30 years of hotel and restaurant experience including extended stays in Canada and Mexico. I had a brief stint in England several years ago and recently completed a trip to Northern Italy with our students, exploring the cuisine of Tuscany and networking with Italian chefs for future travel and stage events.
I am certified through The American Culinary Federation with a CEC (Certified Executive Chef) and have completed my final testing for Certified Culinary Educator (CCE). I also hold the posts of Vice-President and Certification Chair for The American Culinary Federation of Iowa, our local ACF Chapter, which is made up of more than 80 culinary professionals from across the state of Iowa.
Hear for yourself...
Indian Hills is a wonderful school for Culinary Arts. Our administration has recently spent more than 1.5 million dollars to completely remodel the program. We have an amazing demonstration studio with all of the Food Network studio “bells and whistles,” as well as new china, flatware, stemware, and smallwares. We have taken a long, hard look into our curriculum to make sure that our students are getting the best possible education, and have added many new elements of challenge. Food and wine pairings, classic cuisine, and international protocol are included in our studies, and special emphasis is given to professional networking to provide the best possible sources for potential work after graduation.
My students often compare my classes to episodes from “Hell’s Kitchen” with Gordon Ramsey! It’s not that we’re purposefully trying to be threatening, it’s just that this is one of the most difficult and demanding fields in the workplace today. Local industry chefs and restaurateurs invest hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in facilities, equipment, and advertising in order to provide a service to clients and, most importantly, to make money. They are a demanding bunch themselves and require employees that are able to “cut the mustard,” so to say! The time we, as instructors, spend with students is short and the amount of information to cover is heavy, so we don’t have time to hold hands, sing Kumbaya around the campfire, or mince words. I don’t ask my students to try to be the best, I demand the best from each of them.
If you feel that you have a vocation, an ardent passion to pursue excellence, and won’t settle for second best, then we will do everything within our power at Indian Hills. as professional chefs and educators, to give you the tools and information you will need for a successful career in the culinary industry!