Georg
Krohn, certified chef and pastry chef, is a living demonstration
of that passion. In
his
career spanning 47 years, he’s cooked for many famous
people among them, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry
Belafonte,
Ray Charles, and Aristotle Onassis. And the appreciation they
expressed to him, personally, has been a unique highlight. He is
also a valuable volunteer in Hampton! Georg has also traveled the world. His competence
in his trade has taken him to Switzerland, Italy, Toronto, and
the islands of Corfu and Rhodes, in Greece.
Tough work! Interestingly, that was one of the draws for Georg
in choosing the trade of cook/baker as a young man of 15. He loved
preparing food, and he wanted to ensure that he could travel. He
also desired a career that was exciting.
He’s gotten it all! Working at the only 5 star resort listed
in Canada’s Michelin Guide, at a large hotel in London (boasting
3000 rooms, with 200 cooks) and at a world famous night club among
other locales, has ensured him a life with excitement. “I
was always scared of boredom,” he admits.
The many galas he cooked for are special memories as well. There
were many high level occasions with the finest foods. “I
always had special leaders who could get a team together. We all
gave 110%.” And that brings us to another topic — leadership.
How has that concept impacted him?
His master’s words regarding a larger responsibility as a
skilled tradesperson struck a chord in him from the outset. “Remember
Georg, to train the next generation —
it’s not a choice. It’s a duty.” It’s become
a deep seated philosophy in him that embodies gratitude for all
that his work has given him. “You can’t just expect
to be trained, get the gravy,
and leave the earth without giving the knowledge to someone else.”
What has it cost him to train apprentices? Not just time teaching
skills, but “time in helping them make job connections, in
phone calls for them.” And, when training, he always stresses
to teachers he mentors now, “There has to be an outcome.
If all your students go off to every other field but what you’ve
trained them in, you’ve failed.”
Georg enjoys the results - The outstanding appreciation of his former
students still comes regularly to him, and touches his heart. One
of his former students is a petty officer on one of the Canadian
submarines
and keeps in touch, writing him from exotic places. Another student
is a sous chef at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. “It’s
something to influence people who reach a higher goal in life,” he
asserts.
Currently, Georg is coaching a Durham Team that is going to cook
in a competition October 22 in Toronto. His young students are
on schedule to cook the entire menu for the eleventh time, in practice,
to achieve the results they covet.
The passion of his current students? It’s no different now
than before. And neither is the importance of passing on the acquired
skills of the trade.
Check out www.tradeability.ca if you're interesting in acquiring
apprenticeship skills.
Georg is also an active volunteer in the community;
including acting as vice-chair at Hampton Citizens Association,
you can find Georg volunteering almost in every event in Hampton,
especially preparing some of the delicious food items to our
community events,
editing our community newsletter, painting our town hall, he
is a valuable citizen of this community. Georg is also involved
with
Orono
Big Band festival, which is held during the summer. There is
so much that can be said about Georg but I could just keep on
typing...Keep up the good work Georg.
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