Bruce Schafer

BRUCE SCHAFER
BUFFETS, INC., EAGAN, MN
PROJECT MANAGER, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
CHEF MEMBER

I’ve always been a bit of a tech-head. I enjoy tinkering with old motorcycles as a hobby and like to find out why things work.

Although I do not have a food science degree, I’m constantly researching (thanks to the Internet) different foods and why different cooking procedures work. I don’t watch a lot of cooking shows except for Alton Brown’s “Good Eats.” He does a good job of explaining “the whys” and science behind cooking.

The science behind food also helps me with identifying which cuts of meat will work best in a certain cooking application. It is interesting how meat is currently being cut, giving us some new cuts to work with. I also enjoy working with food scientists and engineers and the procedures and equipment used to process foods, ranging from the fabrication floor of a meat plant to a full-scale bakery.

The future of Culinology® is very promising. I believe we will be working with new procedures and food supplies that will be nutritional, less prone to foodborne illness, cost effective and, of course, flavorful. Blending chefs and their passion for food and food technology can only be positive.

Remember: “Food is life, but flavor makes it fun.”

SCHOOL DAZE: B.S., Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Wisconsin, Stout (1983);

CAREER MOVES: Marriott Hotels, executive chef; Macalester College (ARAMARK), executive chef; Methodist Hospital, executive chef; Buffets, Inc., research and development;

CAREER HIGH POINT: Bringing steak into the Buffets concept—it’s gratifying to see an idea roll out nationwide;

FAVORITE INGREDIENT: Montreal Steak Seasoning—on everything from meat to vegetables, even pizza;

FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOL: A small 8-in. chef’s knife I named “Sting” (from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy) ... Sting isn’t happy unless he’s cutting meat;

FAVORITE DISH TO PREPARE: Beef brisket;

BEST PARTS OF MY JOB: Spending time in our restaurants with the cooks and the managers to see what works operationally, and talking to our guests—many of our new items come from talking to our guests;

MOST-MEMORABLE MEALS: Making pizzas with my sons when they were small (and covered in flour from head to toe...);

EARLIEST FOOD MEMORY: Growing up on a farm, when the harvesting crew came to our farm to harvest the crops, my mother and grandmother would cook all day, making meals for the hungry workers;

FAVORITE JUNK FOOD: Ice cream at out-of-the-way shops;

FANTASY SPLURGE: To take a month off to motorcycle around the United States and try different regional food items, perhaps with Alton Brown on his series “Feasting on Asphalt”;

FAVORITE RESTAURANTS: I’m a mood eater: For a burger, I’ll drive up to Cloquet, MN, to Gordy’s Hi-Hat; for fish fry, I go to the Steinhaus in Vermillion ... certain restaurants for certain things—most have been around for a while and haven’t changed much;

FAMOUS PERSON I’D MOST LIKE TO COOK A MEAL FOR: Jesus served many—I would like to serve him;

FAVORITE FOOD CITY: You can find almost anything in Chicago;

IF I WEREN’T A CHEF, I’D BE: A woodworker;

PETS: Two cats, Dusty and Mac, and a Schipperke named Shadow who rides in my sidecar when I go motorcycling;

CURRENTLY READING: The Bible.