Staff Spotlight: Chef Erik

Staff+Spotlight%3A+Chef+Erik

This week’s spotlight goes to Chef Erik! On a normal day North Arlington High School’s favorite chef can be found in the kitchen preparing meals for various students and staff. He is well known for cooking the lunch specials, especially his delicious steaks and tacos. Lunch wouldn’t be complete without Chef Erik in the cafeteria, but where does he get his talent? Chef Erik grew up cooking with many members of his family, and he became interested in culinary arts while in high school. He attended the highly regarded Culinary Institute of America in New York after he discovered he wanted to pursue a career in the savory world of food. He started working in North Arlington High School in 2015 with the intentions of changing the school lunch program for the better.

When questioned about his suggestions for students thinking about going into culinary arts, Chef Erik’s advice was that they should really have a passion for it and expect to put a lot of time and devotion into developing their skills. Some of his favorite activities are coaching, working at summer camps, and overall getting to experience spending time with youngsters and watching them grow up. The chef even added, “If I wasn’t a chef, I’d be a teacher.” His long term goal in life is to open a restaurant, preferably specializing in barbeque and tacos. Lunch wouldn’t be as tasty and creative without Chef Erik. Everyone is grateful for his service here at the high school. After all, he does make a mean burger!