Hands-On Approach to Hospitality Degree Programs
Interview with Jeff Santicola
Dean of Hospitality and Restaurant Management at Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
27 years in the industry
Jeff Santicola's first job in the hospitality industry was as a bouncer. But it wasn't long before he realized that working inside as a bartender would be more comfortable, more fun and a lot safer.
It was in those safer confines as a bartender that Santicola first felt the "juice"—a term he uses to describe the intense passion for the restaurant management industry that many develop. From those early roots as bouncer and bartender, he followed his passion through many more jobs, all the way to his current prestigious position as the Dean of Hospitality and Restaurant Management at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute (PCI).
Now, with 27 years of experience in management and teaching, Santicola knows the ins and outs of this growing industry, and he shares his intimate knowledge of what it takes to succeed with students interested in a hospitality degree.
Selecting a Hospitality Degree Program
When selecting a culinary school, prospective students should consider several factors, according to Santicola. For instance, students should look for culinary schools that offer at least a 2-year hospitality degree and have a well-established externship program. In addition to an excellent reputation within the hospitality industry, a good culinary school should offer its students expansive facilities where they can practice their skills, and access to experienced teachers who take a hands-on approach in the classroom.
"A good culinary school will have the full range of facilities, including bars, kitchens, demo kitchens and other places where students can practice skills," states Santicola. "This is an extremely important component that students should look for in a school."
When it comes to the length of a hospitality degree program, longer is not necessarily better, Santicola explains. Although every prospective student should find a program that best fits his or her own lifestyle and career goals, Santicola urges students to seriously consider reputable 2-year programs, as opposed to 4-year programs. A good 2-year program, according to Santicola, provides students with the necessary foundation to start working right away. And because most employers will take on a student straight from a hospitality degree program with little or no experience, it doesn't make sense to incur the added expense of a 4-year program.
"If the graduate is successful in his or her first job, they'll have a chance to move up the ranks quickly," says Santicola, "and they'll always have the opportunity to return to school for more education."
Finally, while Santicola advises students to research a school's success rate with student career placement and to find a "student-focused" hospitality degree program, he stresses the importance of visiting the school in person before making a decision.
A Hands-On Approach to a Hospitality Degree
Santicola himself practices the hands-on approach that he preaches.
In addition to his duties as Dean at PCI, as a way both to relive his bartending days and to emphasize the importance he places on a hands-on approach to education, Santicola teaches mixology, a class in which students learn layering and pouring and how to write a bar menu and a fine-dining sipping menu.
Santicola's class is fast-paced and popular with students, and it offers students an engaging, kinesthetic experience that provides them with the skills they'll need to become successful bartenders and bar managers.
"Hands-on classes give students the opportunities to touch product, build ideas, use creativity and practice critical thinking," Santicola says. "At the same time, they are learning the proper techniques to take into the work place."
Many hospitality degree programs—including those at PCI—offer opportunities to gain real work experience through externships while attending school. Some externships give students an opportunity to live and work in exotic locations that offer plenty of temptations, but Santicola warns students to take the externship seriously.
"No matter where you go, you have to remember that the externship is a part of the educational process. You should take that opportunity to utilize various skill sets and experience different positions," he says.
None of this is to say that students should spend all their time in laboratory classes or in externships. Good hospitality and restaurant management programs typically provide a well-rounded education, which includes classes in accounting, marketing and business management.
At PCI, according to Santicola, students can research industry trends, create their own business plans and even develop marketing and promotional programs for their hypothetical businesses.
The Service Challenge: The Importance of People Skills
Santicola doesn't hesitate when asked what undergrads struggle with most in this program. "It's the service piece," he says, "just welcoming the guests, making them feel good to be there, thanking them, inviting them back."
High grades and great technique aren't the only tools a student needs to succeed in the hospitality industry. People skills are just as important.
"When a guest walks in our door, they've already decided to spend their money with us today, so we want them to feel good about the decision they've already made," Santicola says. "We should welcome them, thank them and make them feel good about being there."
With nearly three decades of managing and teaching under his belt, Santicola has had his share of students who never understood this concept. This is especially true for younger students who haven't experienced particularly good service themselves, according to Santicola.
"Even if the restaurant has the best chicken parmesan, guests won't come back if the service was unfriendly, rude or they weren't treated with courtesy," he says.
It's the students who don't understand the importance of service who ultimately have a difficult time succeeding in the industry, according to Santicola. Service is vital to any establishment's success.
Post-Hospitality Degree Challenges: Your First Job
Hospitality and restaurant management is a fast-paced industry that takes hard work and patience. Santicola says there's no such thing as a 40-hour week for managers. Managers can expect to work up to 55 hours a week. And because the manager's job is "guest-count driven," a manager has to react to the pace at which the guests expect them to work.
As a result, making the right decision about where to work early in your career is one of the biggest challenges a new graduate faces. Santicola encourages his students not to be price shoppers when seeking those first jobs. There are many other factors aside from salary that should be considered. A great salary is no good if the job where you've chosen to spend 55 hours a week doesn't fulfill you.
"As a manager, of course you can go to the highest bidder, but where will you be in a few years without building employer loyalty?" he asks, adding, "It's all about making good decisions early in your career. And being patient—with many employers it takes time to move up, even when there is good opportunity."
Ultimately, the test Santicola advises his students to apply as they consider their first job placement is a simple one: "Ask yourself, am I happy today? And can I get to where I want to be in five years?"
No program can provide each individual with the answers to those questions. However, a hospitality degree program with teachers and advisors who share Jeff Santicola's passion for teaching can help students acquire the experience, techniques and people skills to find their own way to the "juice" of working in the hospitality industry.
Food as a Gift to the Body
PCI Student Crystal Polintan on Her Culinary Passion
Crystal Polintan grew up in a home where meals were a celebration—something to savor rather than rush through. Her grandfather was the head cook on the USS Kitty Hawk, and the entire family often gathered to sample his delectable creations.
But it wasn't just her grandfather's cooking that inspired Polintan to enroll in the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. She started the hospitality degree program with the ambitious goal of one day opening her own restaurant to give patrons a relaxed dining experience.
"In our society, people are not experiencing the pleasure of sitting down and enjoying a meal together. Instead, they eat so quickly that they cannot taste the food. I want to change that," she says, adding, "I don't want food to be fuel, but a gift to the body."
Why PCI?
Once Polintan knew what she wanted to do for a living, she selected a hospitality degree program that fit her lifestyle and career goals. She chose PCI because of its kinesthetic teaching method, its reputation, and the individual attention students receive from faculty members.
PCI's kinesthetic approach to teaching was a major factor in Polintan's decision. "I liked the fact that there were many hands-on courses. And that they teach both how to cook as well as how to build and run a business."
Of course, PCI's excellent reputation also helped narrow down her options.
Plus, Polintan said, "The deans and instructors know my face and name, where at other schools they may not have."
But Polintan thinks success after graduation is ultimately up to the student, regardless of which hospitality degree program they attend. "The difficulty of getting into and becoming successful in the industry depends on the individual," she says. "There will always be competition for a job. It's up to the graduate to use their education and become the best candidate."
The Externship and Beyond
As students near the end of their hospitality degree program, they can put their newfound skills to good use in an externship position. The program at PCI requires all students to complete a 4-month externship after 12 months of in-school classes, according to Polintan. However, externships don't come easily. "Just like getting a job, getting an externship is competitive," she says.
With only two months of classroom education left, Polintan will need to apply for an externship as her next task. Her classroom and hands-on experience at PCI will definitely help her. "I can step into the industry with confidence. My education will make the transition from student to professional a smooth one."
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