Ep. 048 - From Chef to Recruiting Chefs with Mike Hewitt, CEO of One Haus

Feb 22, 2017

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

I had the opportunity to talk to the amazing Mike Hewitt who runs his own chef recruiting agency. They are Hospitality Recruiters specializing in dining room, culinary and corporate salaried positions.

Mike’s background is kind of cool. He’s worked in the family restaurant, went to culinary school in Switzerland, then moved to the United States for a restaurant job. He then started his own restaurant and then went over to… Human Resources?

He does this for a very valid reason, to take care of his growing family, and that’s something I hope you take away from this episode. Mike still loves food, you can definitely tell. But now he is helping the food industry in a different way by connecting talented people to each other.

His company One Haus is unique as he recruits recruiters that have a strong operational restaurant background so his employees used to work in restaurants. This allows his works to find quality people because they just know what it takes.

Other than this, you’ll leanr a couple of really cool recruiting technologies and the best festivals to go to for … recruiting

I really enjoyed this episode, Mike is an awesome guy and I loved the straightforward advice he gives on how to get a job.

If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com, like us on facebook, rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com.

About Mike Hewitt Principal & Headhunter Mike Hewitt has over twenty years of experience in the hospitality industry, ranging from operations, brand development, human resources, consulting and recruiting . With this extensive insight ranging from fine dining to fast casual, large restaurant groups to single mom & pop operations, Mike brings a deep understanding of operator needs, having been there once himself. Mike’s approach to recruiting focuses on assessing company culture and honing in on a particular candidates’ specific skill set to make the match. He has a post graduate degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. Key Takeaways

How Mike went from a family restaurant to being CEO of a recruiting company
The key moment on why Mike switched to the recruiting industries
Why Linkedin Rocks

Question Summary

How do you get clients?: Network, referrals, returning back Elevator Pitch: We are connectors, connectors for long term success Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today: Parents had a restaurant in Spain, Culinary School at Ecole hoteiere de Lausanne in Switzerland, hired into the United States, Started his own restaurant, then HR Director, then started his own company. Why did you target hospitality?: It’s what I know. We hire operators and turn them into recruiters. (Operators: Chefs, managers, etc) Moment Mike wanted to do recruiting: looking at his 4 month old baby and say “why haven’t I seen this baby in 4 months?” My Food Job Rocks: It’s the variety. I get to work with so many different industries Food Trends and Technologies: Embrace technology. Use technology to connect the dots! Spark hire - One-Way Video Technology Linkedin – a more passive way for communication Sometimes you have to track them for as long as 4 years to make a recruitment sale What makes a good candidate?: An honest candidate, knows exactly what they want, and can do a good job Listen first, then speak. It’ll be easier to find them a job Biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Commitment level. They are in it just for the fun and games Glamorization of Chefs: It’s good for my industry, But it’s all about how to do a job What’s one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about: What the new trends are. Best way is to go to educational sessions and talks Recommended Festivals and Conferences: Choose depending on your goal: Awareness is key. Biggest exposure. For example: Miami Wine and Food Festival, Charleston Asten, Palm Beach, people who would hire us as a recruiting agency Who inspired you to get into food?: My mother, culinary school. Favorite Kitchen item: My vitamix Favorite Food: Guacamole… Guamanian dish, ground lemon chicken dish How would you start your own business?: If you love food, you don’t have to be a chef What’s next?: Farm to Turn Table How does your company like to be contacted?: linkedin; one-haus.com