A Kid Raised in The Industry
Presented by Society Insurance
To write your own article click here
By Kyle Hildebrand
A kid raised in the industry: chasing a dream or living a reality?
As a 15-year-old, I got my first job as a busboy at a local restaurant. The atmosphere captivated me. It was fast-paced and so much was going on. It was here that I learned the basics like how to move through a restaurant, going with the flow, rolling silverware, and how to properly handle food. My older brother had always wanted to be a chef, he showed me that there was a career in this industry.
After high school, I went into working full-time at a hotel doing room service. I was still rolling silverware, delivering food, and cleaning tables. My brother worked the line at the hotel and made cooking look fun. Watching him play with knives and fire while eating all the food he wanted really inspired me. So I took off the tie and started cooking. There, my first Chef gave me morning shifts at the hotel so I could experience the whole order of operations. I saw so much in the early days. Every day was something different. Another banquet, different food or cuisine, a plate up or a buffet, and holidays. It takes a strong mind to make the sacrifice of being a cook.
My strength was tested by the old environment of cooking, the pirate mentality I sometimes call it. For years I followed the lifestyle of the drinking, smoking, tattooed, foul-mouthed cooks that worked hard and played harder. Burning the candle on both ends, I found myself at the lowest point in my life with double DUIs, being overworked, and hungover. Hitting rock bottom gave me a solid floor to stand upon. A hard look in the mirror and self-talk about where we go from here. God showed me my positive optimism. I learned from cooking that it's a 24-hour business. What happened today won't affect me tomorrow. You need to keep moving forward when you fail, learn from your failure, and attempt to do it right on the next attempt. Now, I am four-plus years sober. I see clearly nowadays.
I cooked, failed, and learned over and over again. I say cooking is a profession where you can fail your way to success. Cutting, mixing, and scratch cooking my way through life have taught me so much. Sacrifice, discipline, friendship, unity, peace, joy, patience, communication, and responsibility. I'm finding what moves and inspires me. I made long-term relationships and even found love all working together in the name of service.
Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wis., Society Insurance has been a leading niche insurance carrier since 1915. As a mutual insurance company, Society focuses on the small details that make a big difference to its policyholders while offering top-notch insurance coverage, service and competitive pricing to businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Georgia and soon Texas.
Man smiling at laptop
My name is Kyle Hildebrand. I am 37 years old, born and raised in Colorado. I’ve cooked for 20 years and counting. Currently I am the chef at the wellshire golf course but I’ve worked at hotels and golf courses around town. I did not go to culinary school.
Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Best Served. To achieve our mission of bringing more voices to the table, we are committed to sharing a variety of viewpoints across the industry.
