Austin’s Journey from the BHS culinary program to sous-chef at Manny’s

Ten years ago, 15-year-old Austin Allen stood behind the counter at his first job, serving customers at a beachside hot dog stand along the southern tip of Kauai, Hawaii. Even then, he envisioned himself pursuing a career in the culinary field. 

When Allen’s family moved to Burnsville before the start of his sophomore year in 2015, he continued to pursue that goal. He started working as a host at Burger Jones in Burnsville and eventually moved to the kitchen. 

“I realized I was just good at it and it just kept going from there,” Allen said. 

Sometime during a busy sophomore year spent working at Burger Jones and playing football for the Blaze, Allen learned about the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Pathway at Burnsville High School. He soon signed up for his first Pathways class. By the time he graduated in 2018 he’d taken every culinary course available and gained valuable skills and knowledge directly related to his career aspirations.

“My culinary teacher, Matt Deutsch, was really fun and made the classes very fun. In the top culinary class, we used to do cooking competitions against other schools and I absolutely loved it,” Allen said. “Ever since I was little, I always had dreams of being a chef and owning my own food truck. I figured I’d take all those classes and go from there, and it did get me into it and got me going with it.”

Allen’s dream of being a chef was realized last year when he was promoted to sous-chef at Manny’s Steakhouse, a nationally renowned restaurant in Minneapolis. A sous-chef is a chef who manages the kitchen and is second in command, ranking directly below the head chef. Allen had previously served as a line cook for five years.

“It feels really good to get this opportunity,” Allen said. “It’s definitely been a learning curve. I’ve never been in a position to make calls and I’ve had to learn on the fly how to do certain things and deal with issues, but I definitely feel way more comfortable than I did eight months ago.”

In January, Allen got the chance to give back to the program that helped him pursue his dream when he teamed up with Burnsville High School culinary students for Stars of the Future. The event was a fundraiser for a culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students. 

“[Culinary teacher Matt Deutsch] reached out and asked me to do this event and I absolutely loved the idea,” Allen said

Allen met with students at BHS in early January and then prepared with them at Manny’s before the event, which was held Jan. 22 at Four Seasons Hotel in Minneapolis. Allen and the BHS students worked together to make a crostini flight appetizer for attendees. A crostini flight is a selection of crostini, or small toasted slices of bread, served with a variety of toppings.

“Working with Austin was a cool experience because we don't work with professional chefs very often. He taught us a lot of useful things, like how to make a good steak. He also gave us a tour of Manny's and it was cool to see the kitchen and how things worked in an actual restaurant,” BHS senior culinary student Angelina Berg said. “The experience was beneficial to me because seeing the other school's foods gave me a lot of ideas and inspiration for what I want to try to make later on.”

Likewise, Allen appreciated the opportunity to revisit his old stomping ground in the culinary lab at BHS and connect with current students.

“I really enjoyed going back to BHS and seeing the progression of all the equipment and the space. They have about 30 times the stuff we had back then,” Allen said. “It made me super happy looking at it that these kids have some great stuff to play with. They have the No. 1 culinary program in the state now and that’s awesome. It’s great that there will be more students those culinary teachers can reach out to.”
 

Pathways in District 191

From preschool through graduation, District 191’s Pathways model provides all students with age-appropriate experiences through which they explore possibilities, develop the skills and attributes they’ll need to succeed, find their passions and prepare for their futures. 

Being a Pathways district means we:

• Remove barriers and ensure equitable access for all students,
• Center students as decision makers in their learning journeys,
• Promote a future-focused mindset, ensuring students have a plan for meeting their next challenge,
• Engage in partnerships to maximize resources and opportunities, and 
• Provide real-world benefits, including professional certifications and college credits by graduation

Learn more at pathways.isd191.org.