Chef Ashley Allen Sr. is a Culinary Management professional with over thirty years of operations experience encompassing culinary arts, management, coaching, vendor relations, training, and cost management. He possesses excellent leadership skills and business acumen. He has spent the past ten years of his career building restaurants for individuals and training the next generation of culinary and hospitality professionals. He calls this ‘Workforce Development’, and this is his passion!
“The workforce is paramount to the survival of any and every business especially in a hospitality driven industry. It is of optimum importance to have trained staff to be successful. That’s not an if, it’s a must!” Chef Ashley exclaimed.
The restaurant industry is one of the hardest industries to stay afloat. Approximately 80% of the time, they fail due to under trained staff or high turnover, and Chef Ashley feels is a workforce issue. Therefore, having a trained work force from the front of the house to the back is imperative to the success of any business in the hospitality industry. It helps make enjoyable experiences for the guests which causes them to share their positive experience with friends and create return customers.” Chef Ashley calls this formula ‘Creating Raving Fans’. His formula for the workforce starts from education, next employment, and then entrepreneurship. This three-step process is vital to making any business in the hospitality industry successful.
Because of this global issue affecting this worthwhile industry, Chef Ashley decided to do something, meaning, he became the change he wants to see in this specific industry. Four years ago, he started a culinary institute in St. Thomas to address this problem. It started with on-the-job training which he feels is one of the best ways to train participants. It included training for students from seventh grade and up. The youngest trainee was fourteen years old when she started as a junior high student, and she stuck with the program until she received her bachelor’s in hospitality management. “She could’ve almost been a supervisor from when she turned fifteen. She was trained in everything from front of the house to the back and everything in between such as events, caterings, shows and private chef events in villa rentals or charter yachts.” said Chef Ashley and he added, “Catching students at this age group is best because they are very malleable, and this helps to get them molded and prepared for when they actually get on the job.”
There is a high need for trained personnel in these very important and well needed hospitality and tourism industries. Take for example during the recession of 2008 where an approximate sixty five percent (65%) of the world’s population was employed in the hospitality and tourism industries, because these were the only industries that maintained a high need for employment. The industries took in mechanics, lawyers, truck drivers, trades men and women, and a multitude of different industries turned to these industries for employment when things fell apart. Because it’s just like fuel – human fuel – whether you are selling for mom and pops, to corporate, to fine dining – it is fuel because food is life.
When the COVID-19 global pandemic hit, the hospitality and tourism industry got affected in reverse. So many in the workforce had to find work in other industries where human interaction was not necessary. This caused an almost total professional staffing drainage to the restaurant industry. With COVID almost in our rear-view the hospitality and tourism industries are bouncing back, and retooling is important to every manager and owner. Therefore, training of the workforce in these industries is urgently important.
“Here in Natchez restaurateurs or even hoteliers may feel that this lack of trained personnel or high turnover is unique to them, but it’s not.” Chef Ashley assured “Being from St. Thomas, Unites States Virgin Islands I have spent my entire adult life in the hospitality industry, starting at age ten. I have worked in Jackson Mississippi, Miami Florida, and it’s the same everywhere I’ve been. Plus, I have so many friends globally who all share the same stories from where they are.” Chef Ashley clarified.
When Chef Ashley came to Natchez two years ago, he ran into a similar situation where they were opening multiple restaurants and the turnover was so great. In six months, they went through sixty employees, roughly ten employees a month in turnover.. From that experience, he realized that they were putting the cart before the horse. Instead, they need to go back to the formula: training, hiring and eventually ownership. He said this would be done by having each restaurant go through a month’s training before opening, or what is called a ‘dry run’ of all staff being trained in front and back of the house and all related aspects, and then they do the grand opening. He feels it’s a ‘win’ for the participants, the restaurants where they got trained in an on-the-job setting and the school.
The concept was about going back to basics where they connected with the city and the community and implement a basic training program which was a success. From Little Easy to the Kitchen Piano Bar and Bistro there was a total 120 participants, where they touched the lives of forty individuals per establishment in the hospitality industry. Even if they didn’t stay with the restaurant, they were able to be an asset to the next establishment they went to.
The first pilot program was done through Copia Linclon (CoLin) which aided in the formation of Restaurant University, an accredited institution focusing on improving intellectual capital, customer service and culinary arts that holds the same goals and ideals as Chef Ashley. This second round is a collaboration with CoLin and Restaurant University to get participants ready for the upcoming season. The goal is to have at least sixty students ready for the major upcoming events such as Balloon Festival, movie production and weddings that will be taking place.
Chef Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree in tourism and hospitality management which he is proud of. It is a business degree program from the University of the Virgin Islands that focuses on the tourism and hospitality industry where students are taught restaurant operation, restaurant financial management, the cruise ship industry and concierge-basedtravel agency because the hospitality industry is not just restaurants but anything that deals with guest services. Chef Ashley explained that the course wasn’t only in the classroom but involved concept launches, entrepreneur competitions and large events setup, organization and execution. Some of the events he did during the course included preparing and catering sold out concerts for artists Tessane Chin and Pressure at Reichold Center for the Art, Donnie McClurkin, Sizzler Colangie, the USVI Governor’s inaugural ball, yachting and boating trade shows and more.
“This concept took the boredom out of just being stuck in the classroom!” Chef Ashley exclaimed and added. “This is the same concept that we implement with Restaurant University and training for the workforce, where you can take an unorthodox mix of restaurants and have the students from our school trained in these establishments and rotated. Or you can send a group of students to St. Francisville to do a food and wine festival event, which helps to break the monotony. This concept will ensure a consistent workforce for each establishment and students will get a well verse and rounded hospitality experience before completing the course. Plus, upon completion of course, a job is guaranteed for graduates and the industry is getting properly tooled.”
Restaurant University is targeting students from the junior high school level and up, those who want a career change, the unemployed and the under employed, those who want to make hospitality their career, and prisoners who can be trained while in prison to assist them easily getting back on their feet through the hospitality industry upon release.
With gratitude Chef Ashley said, “None of this would be possible without getting the opportunity from the onset to work with John and Tate, Gregg Everhart at The Kitchen Piano Bar and Bistro, the team at CoLin, Tuwana Williams, the WIN Job Center, Natchez government under the leadership of Mayor Dan Gibson, Chesney Doyle, Teresa Busby, Stephanie Sullivan, Jackie Martin and others who saw and share the vision. A heartfelt thanks to all of you.”
Chef Ashley and Restaurant University are looking forward to impacting the tourism and hospitality industry not only in Natchez but the entire south and ask for the support of the community to come onboard with this worthwhile vision. ENROLL TODAY! Call (601) 431-8503 or email: chefashleyallensr@gmail.com
ASHLEY ALLEN’S SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS:
BA in Business Administration, Hospitality & Tourism Management – BA in Culinary Arts, Hotel & Restaurant Management – ACF Certified Executive Chef 2013-present – Serv Safe Certified – Serv Safe Alcohol Certified – Executive Chef – Entrepreneur
