Ryder's Story
Ryder · Burlington Tech Center
“I wasn't a good student, but BTC made me realize there were other paths to take with learning.”
What did you do after graduating Burlington Tech Center’s culinary arts program?
I stuck with cooking. I emailed a chef I really wanted to work for who was opening a new restaurant in Montana, and I got the job. I drove cross-country and lived there for two years doing whole animal butchery and live fire cooking. We even made our own charcoal—it was sick. We took care of our own cows, then slaughtered and butchered them ourselves before eventually serving them at the restaurant. It was all American Wagyu.
The whole time I was working with a videographer doing social media as well, which ended up blowing up and led to me having a decent following on my own page. After two years, I came back to Vermont to work at Hen of the Wood in Burlington. I worked my way up the hotline there, and I just left about a week ago. Now I’m doing catering with a company called The Hindquarter.
What made you want to move to Montana?
It was a chef I had followed for a while. He worked at multiple top 5–10 restaurants in the world, and he happened to be moving to Montana. It’s the best state in the country for beef and wheat without a question—there are like two cows for every one person in the state.
Why did you decide to move back to Vermont?
I wanted to move back because I hadn’t seen my family for over two years, and I just felt myself getting burnt out at the restaurant and not giving it my all anymore. I figured it was time to move on.
Did culinary arts help prepare you for working in restaurants?
I think it definitely helped me prepare. I had an ego when I was in culinary arts, and working in an actual restaurant humbled me. Maybe that’s not being “prepared,” but it definitely helped.
How is your catering work different from restaurant work?
The restaurant I worked at in Montana and this catering company are similar because they are both focused on live fire cooking. The difference with Hindquarter is that it is very focused on local produce, while still having similarities like raising cows and lambs and then slaughtering and butchering them ourselves.
The catering environment is different because you are prepping four to five days a week and cooking on-site only one to two times a week, so the environment feels different. It was harder for me to stay in that sense-of-urgency mindset when I started catering because you’re not racing the clock to be ready for service.
What was the biggest impact BTC had on you?
I think the biggest impact with BTC for me was the community. Our class was awesome. I feel like I made a friend with you and just became really comfortable in that group.
Also, I struggled to find things I was interested in. I wasn’t a good student, but BTC made me realize there were other paths to take with learning.