Gregory M. Sever, CEC
Really, I began my Culinary Career in High School. Prior to that I had been encouraged by my eighth grade home economics teacher to get a job between eighth grade and freshman year. Burger King was my first cooking experience; crazy to think that was 28 years ago.
Anyway, during high school I was very fortunate to work for Chef Noel Cunningham at Ciao Baby which was in Tiffany Plaza. I was strictly front of the house; however it was my first exposure to a European Chef and all that entails. I knew then that I had really found something I could love, something I could get into every day.
Later in high school, I worked for the same ownership group that owned the Broker Restaurants at a place called Piccadilly’s which was located at Belleview and I-25 before being torn down. A more casual version of the Broker model, many of the Broncos frequented the bar and it was very exciting as a senior in high school. In those days I was able to work as a Bar Back and funded my own Senior Trip as well as many pairs of Air Jordans.
Fast forward, after about a year and a half at the University of Northern Colorado, I found myself back in the city and ready to work full time again. I actually was at No Frills Grill (which was right down the street from the home office) for a couple years. It was there where I really caught the kitchen bug and never really looked back.
The Hyatt Denver Tech Center is where I was introduced to my first fine dining, working for Chef Robert Meitzer in the Centennial Room. Again, many VIPs and some of Denver’s swankier folks. Many of the hotel’s chefs had completed culinary apprenticeships and I was able to begin my own in the fall of 1997. I actually was working two jobs at that time, the hotel at night and for Leo Goto at the Wellshire Inn by day.
The ACF Culinary Apprenticeship program is an intensive three-year hands-on training program that focuses on real life work, complimented by roughly 1000 hours of classroom theory. After a year and a half I withdrew from the program as my wife and I had moved to the mountains. We ran a small café in Fairplay.
Over the next ten years I worked for Vail resorts and spent time at Papillion in Cherry Creek working for Radek Cerny.
In 2007, I returned to complete my Apprenticeship and graduated in 2009. I tested for my CEC in 2010.
In the past 3 years I have received my Postsecondary CTE Certification allowing me to teach CTE courses at a college level, which I do for the same apprenticeship program I graduated from. I am in class one night a week working with the students in their second year. My current staff minus one employee are all current, graduate or former apprentices. It is something I am very passionate about.
Right now I am also working on my ACF Approved Culinary Evaluator certification which is something that will allow me to be a part of evaluating students and professionals when they are ready to take practical tests for certification. Chef DeGiovanni holds this certification currently.
In addition to my day job and teaching, I am as active as I can be in ACF competition and any events where volunteers are needed. In 2014, I was able to win two non-sanctioned competitions and place with a silver medal in a sanctioned mystery basket competition.
This is a basic nutshell of the last 18 years for me in the Kitchen. I would be happy to go into more detail as needed.