“I don’t even need a dream job, I just wanna get yelled at by Gordon Ramsay.”
That’s what second year culinary student Andy Lutwick had to say when asked what his perfect job would be.
“I’ve got too much to learn to figure out a dream job,” said Lutwick.
In his second year at Lethbridge College culinary arts program, Lutwick is your average student, except that he’s not really average at all.
Lutwick battles epilepsy and recently lost his father. At the age of 23 and set to graduate in the year 2013, Lutwick says it’s easier to just keep busy.
Lutwick’s father Gerry had been battling lung cancer for the past six months. Diagnosed on his son’s birthday, Gerry waited until after Lutwick wrote his first-year final exams to tell him the grim news.
Lutwick’s father was always an avid blood donor, one who had a goal of donating 100 pints of blood in his lifetime.
“He wasn’t even concerned about having cancer, he was more upset that he couldn’t donate blood anymore.”
“When he passed, we knew about the goal. It came to my aunt at the funeral home. She said instead of flowers let’s ask people to donate blood.”
They began asking friends and family members to donate one pint of blood in his father’s name. Through support and word of mouth the count went from 65 to 91 pints, from Sept.19 to 29.
“The amount of people in my family who got turned away is ridiculous,” Lutwick said.
Lutwick suffers from epilepsy and is therefore restricted from donating blood, as were his brother, aunt and a handful of uncles who also suffer from medical illnesses.
While washing dishes at 360 restaurants, a co-worker lent him a copy of the book Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain. After immersing himself in the book full of ‘tales of the kitchen,’ he decided this was the career path for him.
Currently Lutwick apprentices under Moxies restaurant, but has dreams of opening his own fine dining restaurant one day.
“I’d like to open a restaurant in Calgary or Vancouver, somewhere the cuisine will be appreciated.”
Lutwick would like to serve an assortment of international dishes, ranging from pastas and chicken parms to stir-fry’s and steak. No franchises or family businesses need apply to this chef-to-be either.
As a second-year, Lutwick has class once a week, allocating all other time to read up on theory, practice techniques and apply them at work.
Lutwick is given one assignment per month, which is based on theory learned in class. There are also practical exams that take place throughout the year, marking students on everything from cleanliness of workspace to time management skills.
When asked who his biggest inspiration was, Lutwick answered, “Probably my dad, especially now. He has always supported everything I did. Even if it was stupid.”