Working with a Mentor
How to start.
- Call your mentor and invite them to meet you.
- Try to call your mentor when they might be less busy. Do not call when the might be in service.
- Ask the mentor when they are available to see you. Do not assume they are free when you are available.
- Start slowly by asking the mentor to come as a guest speaker. Recommend a specific topic. Are you asking for a knife skills demonstration, a career development Q&A, discussion of food trends? They will need to know time and date, of course, but, tell them where to park, how to come in to the school, what they may need to bring and what facilities you have.
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Preparing for your Mentor.
- Be prepared. Have students prepare questions to ask the guest speaker. Do not leave it up to the students.
- If the guest speaking goes well, ask if they would be interested in working more closely with the students.
- Give the mentor options: coming regularly to work on knife skills, discuss trends and concepts for restaurant management, or building a competition team. Don’t dictate – your mentor should have input.
- You and the mentor can to develop goals, schedules and timeframes.
- If your mentor can’t come to you every time, be prepared to pack up your team and travel to him/her, ask if this is possible at their location.
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Be a gracious host/hostess.
The mentor is there at your invitation. Ask when and how to best reach them and then follow their request.
Have coffee ready for them, upon their arrival. You and your students should call the chef “Sir” or “Ma'am”. Treat them like a guest. If you wish for a mentor to return, make sure you and your students make them feel like a welcomed and respected guest.
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Teach your students Mentor etiquette.
Emphasize to students the extraordinary gift they are getting and that it requires special behavior. Model for students the behavior you want them to exhibit when you talk to the mentor. Discuss with students how to properly treat a mentor.
Chefs should be addressed “Chef”, “Sir”, or “Mam”. Students should always be prepared PRIOR to the chefs arrival, demonstrate a “sense of urgency” when the chef directs a request, all students and educators should take notes whenever a chef speaks (all tips should be considered golden), anticipate the chefs needs. Consider the chefs donation of time equal to money. There should be no greater value to your students.
This is really important because their time is money!
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Respecting a Mentor.
Be respectful of the mentor’s goals and values. Teach students how to ask questions, with courtesy and professionalism. If you hear something that you don’t agree with, treat the mentor with respect and courtesy.
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Communicating with your Mentor.
You must put effort into the relationship, to get benefits back from it. At your first meeting, discuss how often your mentor would like you to contact them, to avoid miscommunication. This would be in addition to sending a thank you email after a visit.
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Mentors have skills and abilities.
Respect your mentors time, abilities, and professional skills. Nurture this relationship and let it develop. Get to know each other slowly and your mentor can last a long time.
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The educator benefits.
This is your chance to learn, grow and improve your skills, too. Be a good example to your students. Impress the mentor by learning new skills along with your students. Your relationship with the mentor is very important to your professional growth and an important part of why mentor is there. Volunteer yours and your teams services to help the chef out at his place. Pay it forward.
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You’re the expert working with students.
Remember the first time you walked into a classroom? Part of your role is to encourage the mentor’s understanding of students. Your mentor joins this program to make a connection with the students, watch them grow and be an integral part of a student’s development. You know how great that feels. Help them. Do not speak negatively about students, if you hate your job don’t teach your mentor to hate it, too. Be positive.
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How do I thank my mentor?
A hand written heartfelt thank you card, a school sweatshirt, a signed picture, an award of appreciation or a press release is special. These are things that will be cherished. Do something they will remember and can keep in their office. You know already that a token from students will be cherished forever. Anyone can give knives or coats to a chef. You and your students can do something special. Are they married? Have kids? Give them a gift card to a great restaurant or hotel night out with their significant other whom they probably rarely see because their free time is spent with you!
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Can the mentor spend time with other teachers too?
By passing a mentor around to other teachers, they will not be connected to students or you. A mentor without a feeling of connection is less likely to return.
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How long is a mentor visit?
Have the mentor start with one class, unless he/she has suggests on doing otherwise. Remember your mentor has a full time job and unemployed people don’t make good mentors. If they can only demo in one class, videotape it to show to your other classes.
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Will my mentor be an upscale restaurant chef?
Foodservice is made up of thousands experts and a very small percentage is from upscale restaurants. Your mentor will be a caring professional that is taking time from their day to spend with your students.
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Management mentors?
Not every mentor will demonstrate how to hold a knife. There are mentors that can demonstrate menu development, building marketing plans, costing, restaurant management, human resources, and industry trends. Don’t miss out on a mentor just because they don’t wear a white coat.
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Flexibility
Your mentor is your partner. Every partnership takes compromise. Communicate changes as soon as you know about them.
