INSTRUCTOR FOCUS
Mark Maynard Parisi
CMD Instructor
Marc Maynard-Parisi began teaching in ICE's the Culinary Management program in spring 2004. His first foray into CMD classes was as a guest speaker — a role for which he more than qualified, as general manager of the acclaimed Blue Smoke, which he launched with Danny Meyer in March 2002. By that time, he had been working at Union Square Café for nine years, initially part time while he was also working as a freelance landscape architect. He fell in love with Union Square Hospitality Group and changed his career.
"I got on-the-job training," Maynard-Parisi said. "My mother was a chef so I had spent a lot of time in restaurants." He uses much of this extensive experience to conduct his classes, since he is able to give his students very practical and current examples of the theories he teaches. He defines culinary management as an essential field — and an advantage that ICE offers over other schools — as it "breaks down the law between front of the house and back of the house." He likes when students are "skeptical," as it makes them ask better questions.
Working for a large company like Danny Meyer's has advantages, Maynard-Parisi said, because the systems in place make the employees' lives easier and provide them with a great support network. As a result, he has no desire to own his own restaurant. "If you're satisfied and challenged there's no need to move," he added. Teaching offers him new challenges, well complemented by constantly working to improve Blue Smoke and its bar, Jazz Standard, where musicians perform nightly. "I love teaching about company culture, hiring and training," he said. "I always wanted to teach."
2005
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