Friday, September 27, 2013

INTRODUCING CHEF BERLIN



Bayview YMCA's Primed & Prepped Instructor, Chef Berlin Lillard II, is the latest addition to the team. He comes with a background suited for the young men of color he will be leading into the exciting Hospitality and Culinary Arts world.

Berlin grew up in Danville, Illinois, a small city about one and half hours south of Chicago. He's always had a love for food. At the age of 5, he would assist his parents with prepping for lunch and dinner by peeling the root vegetables he pulled from the family garden. He has worked as a dishwasher, short-order cook, and shift supervisor while in high school. After graduation, he attended Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama (ASU). While in college, he worked as a manager for various quick-service restaurants.

The second semester of his junior year at ASU, Berlin transferred to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and obtained his B.S. in Hotel Restaurant Management & Travel Administration in 1997. While in Carbondale, he worked at Bistro 51, a fine dining restaurant owned by Chef Bill Pharris. Because of  Berlin's ability to create dishes extemporaneously, Pharris suggested he consider going to the California Culinary Academy Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. It was here that he discovered his love and talent for catering. He graduated with a Culinary Arts Associates Degree in 2000.

Berlin also works with the American Heart Association teaching youth and the community how to cook/eat healthy to help reduce the chances of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and obesity. He is married with two young children, ages 5 & 7.

The students eagerly awaited instructions on how to use their knives. You could hear a pin drop as they listened carefully to every word.


Amazing how quickly they learn especially having an instructor like Chef Berlin who attentively watches and directs every move.
 

PRESTO! This is what came from all that hard work. New York Roast on french baguette with hoisin and plum dragon sauce topped with diced tomatoes and cilantro complemented by couscous with golden raisins.

Cleaning is part of being in the kitchen, and the students embraced it without hesitation. They have fun taking turns washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, and whatever else it takes to have a clean kitchen.

Primed & Prepped prepared a meal for "Parent Night" hosted by  Betty Sells-Asberry, Teen Services Director @ the YMCA. The recipe was: Champagne chicken wings, Chinese long beans, tree oyster & shitake mushrooms, and red bottom mashed potatoes with sweet Thai basil and elephant garlic.



GREAT JOB PRIMED & PREPPED!


Primed & Prepped: A Hospitality Management/Culinary Arts Mentoring and Job Training Program (P&P) is a 10-week personal development training curriculum geared toward young men of color ages 15-17. The program's goal is to provide students with the skills and tools to mitigate barriers to their employment by teaching self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship.

We are seeking interested young men to participate in this exciting program in the 94124 & 94134 zip codes. 

Please contact Kelly Armstrong at the Bayview YMCA (415) 822-7728 or karmstrong@ymcasf.org.