FORMER NCC CULINARY STUDENTS NOW SERVING UP FOOD ON COLLEGE CAMPUSAmien Perry knows the secret to his buffalo wings is in the sauce, but don’t count on him giving up the recipe anytime soon. “I’m very creative,” he says with a grin.
Perry graduated from New Community’s School of Culinary Arts this past June. He credits the seven month program with rescuing him from the street life and giving him direction.
“I always had a love for cooking. When you’re cooking, it’s like the sky’s the limit,” said Perry, who at 6-feet-4 has a commanding presence. One can find him today working in the Highlander Club (pub), located on the third floor of the campus center at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark. The club is a place for students, faculty, and the rest of the NJIT population to eat, watch the big screen television, have a beer, and enjoy each other’s company.
Perry is currently one of three former students from the NCC Culinary program working at NJIT. The other two are Samad Bell, who is assigned to the gourmet dining hall, where Perry would like to eventually land, and Derrick Starks, who just recently started in the Highlander Pub, joining Perry behind the grill.
“I like it and I think all my preparation at NCC (School of Culinary Arts) is paying off,” said Bell, as he took a pause while slicing some turkey for dinner on a recent evening.
“In this economy, I am thankful I was able to find a job in my field with the help of Mr. Collins from NCC,” said Starks, referring to Steve Collins, the placement coordinator at the School of Culinary Arts.
Peter Fischbach, director of food services, called the NCC-trained culinary workers some of the best prepared individuals he has ever had.
“You guys did a tremendous job. These are some of the best quality students I’ve ever received,” said Fischbach. “They all have a pretty good background in what they need to know and more importantly, the attitude and professionalism of the students are top notch,” he added.
Behind the grill, Perry serves up everything from buffalo and barbeque wings to cheese steaks and chicken sandwiches.
“My culinary training helped me a lot,” he said. “I know about keeping the food and oven on certain temperatures and can also work in a fast environment. “
Describing himself as a ‘people person,’ the 38-year-old Perry has gotten to personally know many of the students who come in and place orders. When a certain male junior shows up, for instance, Perry knows to get a cheese steak ready, heavy on the barbeque sauce.
“I know more than 50 students by name,” said Perry, who started the job on Sept. 1, 2009.
Perry says he is in the process of starting a catering business out of his Newark home. He has named it “Taste of My Life.” The fare will be soul food, Caribbean and even Italian, he says.
“I am asking the Lord what it is that he wants me to do,” he said. “I know I am a people person and can get people’s attention very quickly.”
But he is still not giving up the buffalo wing sauce recipe.
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