Testimonials

"I had the pleasure of working with Paul on the reopening of Casa del Sol, the legendary Mexican restaurant in Saranac Lake, NY.  Paul brings a number of skills and attributes to the table when he comes on the job.  He is an experienced operator in the true sense of the word, and if you are an operator you understand what I mean.  An operator understands that successfully implemented and managed systems drive a successful business.  Operators also understand that their world is not black and white, but is in constant and often erratic motion where improvisation and adjustment are essential ingredients of success.

 

Paul supported me with menu development, hiring, systems implementation, and both culinary and front of the house training.  He understands that systems make your business operate successfully, and he successfully set up ours.  He showed real creativity with our menu development, guiding us to accurate replications of the original Casa recipes while adding new items and ingredients that integrated with, and improved, our offerings.  Paul is a perceptive judge of character and was quite helpful in the hiring process, which I find is generally a fifty-fifty proposition at best.  His years of practical experience combined with his years in academia really are on display in the training process where Paul is a master.

 

In the restaurant business guests come in to your business intending to give you their money.  Successful visits end with the guest not only giving you their money but thanking you for letting them do so.  So it should be in other businesses as well, and I thank Paul sincerely for his help and consultation on my project."

"I have had the privilege of knowing Chef Paul Sorgule for nearly 25 years.  In that time I have met few hospitality professionals that consistently demonstrate his exacting standards, his commitment to the hospitality and education industries, and his push for advanced learning and knowledge of current and developing trends.  Chef Sorgule has the strongest work ethic and takes great pride in his service to his peers, clients and partners. Time and again, Chef Sorgule utilized his broad based industry and educational experiences to improve systems, create manageable work flows and deliver analytics and results geared towards targeted operational goals.

With Chef Sorgule at the helm of Harvest America Ventures there is no doubt your operation will learn from his direct feedback, plans to action and his attention to detail.  Paul's expertise is so unique, and my comfort level is so high with his deliverables, that I have directed my own consulting clients toward his company so that they would be best served for the outcomes sought."

Chef Curtiss S. Hemm
Founder
Pink Ribbon Cooking
Former Dean of Culinary Arts - New England Culinary Institute


I met Paul when I was the Director of Accreditation for the American Culinary Federation.  When we visited his program at Paul Smith's College, it was apparent that he had organized and led his fellow instructors in developing one of the premier programs in the U.S.  They had a well-developed curriculum, a hotel property for internships, a national presence with their graduates and within the industry, and a passion for what they offered.

Paul encouraged me to follow him in an Executive Leader Graduate Program at the Rochester Institute of Technology which specialized in service management.  We studied with some of the best minds in the country who were developing theories on not only team management and scenario planning, but also were helping experienced professionals in the class look at their own operations to critically assess and then develop solid strategic plans.

Later Paul took an extraordinary step of returning to industry when he worked at an acclaimed resort in the Adirondacks of New York as their Executive Chef.  By "stepping back" to get his hands in the industry, he had an opportunity to witness firsthand, what was expected of contemporary education in order to be successful in the field.

Both education and industry are now fortunate to have Paul available to share his years of experience in classrooms and restaurant operations.  I highly recommend Paul as someone who is thoughtful, experienced, far-thinking, and realistic as to what is needed in order to have a fulfilling career in hospitality.

Mary Petersen, MS
President, The Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFE')
Executive Editor: "The Gold Medal Classroom"
959 Melvin Road
Annapolis, MD  21403
marypetersen@prodigy.net
www.CafeMeetingPlace.com

Harvest America can provide hands on training of your cooks, in their own kitchen environment, with the tools that they are familiar with.

Curriculum Development is a critical first step in setting the stage for a solid culinary education - one that leads graduates to a rewarding career for life.  Let Harvest America help to navigate you through the process.