Feb. 4, 2022 – In her role as Bailli of Pittsburgh, Jill Kummer draws upon a lifetime of experience in the hospitality industry, the entrepreneurial world, and as a Chaîne des Rôtisseurs member and leader since 1988. “I still think the best job in the Chaîne is being a Bailli. It’s been awesome,” Jill said to Chaîne during an Aug. 13, 2021 telephone interview.
Ashley Bowman inducted her as a Chaîne professional in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1988. Jill vividly recalls arriving at the induction ceremony with apprehension yet an enthusiastic mindset for the gastronomic organization’s recognition of hospitality professionals. She took to the Chaîne like duck confit to wine. “It was cool,” Jill said.
Life brought her many moves around the country after her induction. One of her first tasks in a new city was finding a local Bailliage. Without the advantage of smartphone search, she quickly connected in person. From Tampa to Houston to St. Louis, Jill immediately forged bonds with people who shared her interest in food and wine.
Shortly after she arrived in St. Louis in 1996, the St. Louis Bailli suddenly quit. Jill filled the position with youthful energy and a tad – well, more than a tad – of trepidation. “It was trial by fire. I had no idea what I was doing, absolutely no idea,” Jill said.
Anchored by professional success and confidence, Jill embraced the responsibility to both innovate and carry on traditions there. She became very involved in nurturing young chefs, a passion she continues to this day.
Pittsburgh
In 2003, she moved to Pittsburgh where she became a member of the local Bailliage and began her journey as an entrepreneur. In 2004, she started her own event planning company, featuring software for event planning and non-profit management that was one of the first to offer online event ticketing to nonprofit organizations.
In 2014 when the local Bailli passed away, Jill took on that responsibility, embracing her leadership role once again as well as serving two terms as Bailli Provincial. By 2016, the pace of her event planning business that had her at events six nights per week took its toll. She decided she was done with that phase of her career. Since then, she has written two books to help others plan events. When asked what mistake many event planners make as she attends events as a guest, Jill said: “Not walking their event – properly.” It seems so obvious, but planners must look at the event through the eyes of their guests to be successful, she added. Tasks can be tedious but there are no shortcuts.
“You have to put the time, the energy and the effort into planning it out and making sure everything is running like clockwork,” Jill said.
A little rest and two years recharged her entrepreneurial batteries. In 2018, she founded Eventsburgh, an online event resource business for nonprofit organizations. The pandemic idled her for 12 months. Typical of so many small businesses navigating the unknown during the pandemic, she is just beginning to get back to some sort of normal.
In a recent update, Jill said, “There is a tremendous desire to return to exciting events. We used the last year to research and build more features into the business. It is easy to become mired in the same event pattern every year. We are encouraging our clients to break out of that pattern.”
Teaching
Nurturing young culinary students remains a passion. Jill is now an adjunct instructor at Westmoreland County Community College and the American Academy of Culinary Arts at Pittsburgh Technical College. She teaches courses covering both the front of the house (management) and the back of the house (purchasing and cost control).
Jill guides students across a continuum from those who want to open a food truck to those who want to ascend to executive chef positions at large entities and even to those who are on the cutting edge of industry innovation, such as Chef Christopher Galarza, a 2021 Cuvée Spotlight. “Jill is amazing and is worth all the praise! She’s one of the best humans alive,” Chef Galarza said to Chaîne.
“My job is to figure out where they want to go and then be able to direct them and put them in touch with people who can actually help them get there. That’s a big thing,” Jill said. “In my experience, no one gets anywhere in this business without mentors.”
But in all positions, students must master the fundamentals and the business side, or they will not survive as culinarians and hospitality professionals. “If you don’t know the fundamentals and you don’t know your numbers, you don’t know your business,” Jill said emphatically. “It’s absolutely critical they understand this.”
Fortunately, most students today recognize the importance of costing out recipes and learning the fundamentals. During the pandemic, Jill conducted classes virtually, which she said was challenging since hospitality is a relationship business. She began every virtual class by asking how her students were doing, giving them an outlet to share their successes and challenges. Thank goodness humor can be shared virtually. During one class, she noticed long lines of funny characters in the chat box when a student quickly apologized for his cat walking across the keyboard! Jill turned that humorous moment into an opportunity to learn more about her students. She invited everyone to turn on their cameras to introduce their pets to the class. “We’re human before everything else,” she said.
Pittsburgh Bailliage
Now well into the 21st century with its dizzying pace of technology and take-out, Jill has held on tightly to 20th century hospitality and Chaîne traditions. Even though casual events are becoming more common, Pittsburgh still plans to host two annual black-tie dinners and one white-tie dinner when able to do so.
She is not worried about younger generations taking the traditional reins into the future. The Pittsburgh Bailliage has made a concerted effort to recruit new members who are 35 years and younger. When young prospective members come to one of their black-tie events, it’s the first time many have ever been to a formal dinner. From the moment the door opens to a beautifully decorated room with scenes that could easily be featured in gourmet magazines, young men and women are impressed.
They are impressed with a new reality, not virtual reality or a reality show but a personal experience where they share their passion for food and wine with strangers who quickly become their friends. It’s old-fashioned but what is old often becomes new again. Jill said it hasn’t come full circle yet but it’s getting there.
A dinner that lasts three hours is a new dining experience for many young people. For table assignments, Jill will purposely seat young members and prospective young members with older members so that vibrant conversations can flow about travel, food and wine. “I think there is a huge amount of interest in learning about wine and how things go together,” Jill said.
To keep a lively vibe, Jill requests members tuck their phones away unless they are taking pictures of food. “It’s all about the food, the wine, the camaraderie wherever we are. We’re looking for that great experience. For three hours, put your phone someplace else and enjoy the environment and the chance to be treated really special by an operation. That’s what it’s all about,” Jill said.
Jeunes Chefs Rotisseurs (JCR) Competition
In 2017, the Pittsburgh Bailliage hosted the Midwest Provincial JCR Competition. In 2019, they hosted the National JCR Competition, both held at the American Academy of Culinary Arts at Pittsburgh Technical College.
Winning a JCR Competition is wonderful but the experience of competing makes everyone who participates an automatic winner, Jill said. She explained that the culinary profession is unique in that securing a job as a top chef frequently requires the candidate to perform a “cook test.” This is similar to young chefs being given a mystery basket of ingredients to turn into an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert in three-and-a-half hours. “Winning is cool but at the 50,000-foot level, you’re looking at helping them build their career.”
She’s ecstatic women are rising to the top in JCR Competitions and will be representing the United States at international competitions in 2022. “I think for women in this business, the sky is the limit,” she said. She is also quick to point out that women chefs excelling at that level are paving the way for both male and female chefs. “It’s really exciting,” she added.
There is no getting around current challenges with large numbers of restaurants closing and labor shortages, yet Jill remains optimistic. She encourages Chaîne members to keep supporting their local restaurants, hotels, clubs, catering companies and chefs.
“Don’t ever lose faith in this industry. I think it’s going to come roaring back. We are going to be better than ever but understand right now, it’s under a lot of pressure. Please be patient,” Jill said.
LINKS
“Not Your Ordinary Picnic” event
Great article on a great lady, philanthropist and bailli!!! One of Chaine’s best!!!