'Top Chef' contestant Dan Jacobs inspires culinary students
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's own "Top Chef" contestant Dan Jacobs made it through the second episode on the Bravo show and on Thursday, March 28, sat down with some of those who will be the future of Milwaukee's culinary scene.
19-year-old Jonathan Harmeyer is a culinary student at Milwaukee Area Technical College, and has been working in restaurants for several years now.
"I started working in restaurants when I was 14," Harmeyer said. "Every day, you get to make someone’s day. And that’s really cool."
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And that's when he fell in love and wanted to make it a career.
Jonathan Harmeyer
Harmeyer juggles several restaurant jobs, in addition to school. He'll head out to California in two weeks for a week-long apprenticeship at a 2-star Michelin restaurant.
But Thursday, he and other classmates got to grill one of Milwaukee’s top chefs.
Dan Jacobs, co-owner of Dandan and EsterEv, was joined by fellow Milwaukee chef and "Top Chef" guest judge Paul Bartolotta, as around 50 culinary students and staff picked their brains about the show and the industry.
"Top Chef" contestant Dan Jacobs
"Learn from your failures. your failures are your opportunity to learn, to get better, to be better," Jacobs said. "Finding what makes you happy is really what’s going to keep you going the whole time."
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As for Harmeyer, all he can do now is sharpen his skills and be prepared for what comes next.
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"Being able to learn from them is a great stepping stone to be able to go off from," Harmeyer said.
"Top Chef" airs every Wednesday on Bravo.