The Financial Menu: A Chef's Companion to Cost Control

Klaus, a Canadian Certified Chef de Cuisine, was raised in Vienna, Austria. Klaus started his cook apprenticeship at 14 years of age after completing eight years of elementary and high school. He started his career as a chef working in well known Viennese restaurants and hotels, Principality Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Germany, and came to Montreal, Canada for EXPO67 to cook in the Austrian Pavilion.

After Expo67 he returned to Germany to open the “Atrium”, the largest restaurant in the Olympic tower in Munich. Klaus returned to Montreal, Canada in 1968 to work again in the Austrian Pavilion at “Man and his World”. In 1969 Klaus moved to Toronto, and following short stints at the Café de la Paix and the Primrose Club he started as Sous chef at “Gasthaus Schrader”, which became the leading German restaurant in Toronto. In 1970 he was promoted to Chef and subsequently became accountable to management for the foodservice production.

In 1972, an opportunity to build a commissary supplying 32 food-outlets within Dominion (Metro) as well as Bittner’s stores with ready-to-eat products and to establishing an on-location catering company was an opportunity he could not resist. It was during that time in his career that Klaus was introduced to large corporate business management principles and reporting methods. In 1981, while working at a joint catering contract with Tony Thomas, a teaching master at Humber College, Tony mentioned that Humber College was looking for instructors for the new “Chef de partie” program at Humber College, one of the largest community colleges in Canada. Hesitant at first, since he had never done training in an institutional setting, Klaus agreed to an interview.

It did not take long for Klaus to discover his love for teaching. Stimulated by the students unlimited energy and their desire “to know as much as possible in as little time as possible” Klaus started to successfully incorporate graphics and computer programs to explain the intricacy and complexity of not only being a good cook, but also to understand the terminology used by management, the necessity of communication with potential and existing customers and the expected financial knowledge from management.

For a chef and catering person the first line of communication usually revolves around food and beverage offerings presented through menu selections. A clearly written, self-explanatory menu is not only essential; it may even be your best sales-tool. At times, during the initial meeting the menu may have not been accurately recited verbally, also the individual making the final decision may have not been present.

Since 1981 Klaus has taught applied menu planning and writing to thousands of Humber College students and to his industry colleagues for the certified chef de cuisine program, which earned him respect and appreciation from his students and his colleagues.