June 14, 2024 – The phrase “on the job training” implies a skills-based approach to foster competency among novice employees in a wide array of industries, both service and commercial. To Chef Eric Leterc, Bailli of the Kauai/Oahu Bailliage since July 2023 and Executive Chef of The Pacific Club in Honolulu, helping his employees reach their potential at work inherently includes helping them identify their dreams and goals for life. “We have to inspire the younger generation,” Chef Leterc said to Chaîne during an April 24, 2024 telephone interview.
With 22 years as The Pacific Club’s Executive Chef managing a staff of 30 employees, Eric has read his fair share of resumes and interviewed hundreds of candidates seeking employment.
As a keen student of human behavior with formal training in a curriculum developed by Dr. John Demartini, Eric recalled a recent interview he conducted with a young woman. He begins his interviews with a simple question for the candidate: “What is your dream?” When he asked her that question, she began crying. She replied: “Oh, you’re the first one who ever asked me that question, who cared about me.” Eric hired her, giving her the opportunity to chart a fulfilling life.
Born and Raised in Annecy, France
Eric was born in Annecy, France, about 85 miles southeast of Lyon, the third largest city in France. About 60 miles east of Annecy is Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in the Alps near Italy and Switzerland. And just a few miles north of Annecy is Geneva, located at the western end of Lake Geneva. Eric explained that one side of Lake Geneva is in France (southern shore) and the other side in Switzerland (northern shore). Restaurants reflect their respective cuisines with classical French cooking in the French area and a more Americanized cuisine in Switzerland, he added.
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When Eric was eight years old, he would bake cakes for his older sisters for their basketball and volleyball games. “For whatever reason, I was interested in cooking and baking,” he said.
In France at age 14, students must decide on a career path. His original goal was to be a cook in France’s Navy but when that did not work out, in 1978 at age 16, he secured a two-year apprenticeship to study Culinary Arts and Classical Cooking at Hôtel du Commerce in Thones, France, about 13 miles east of Annecy. “It was a very nice, small hotel/restaurant. I had a great chef who taught me the basics of cooking,” he said.
There Eric forged the firm foundation upon which he built his career. Following his apprenticeship, he had the opportunity to work at a 5-star hotel and other famous resorts such as Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the French Riviera.
Move to Hawaii
Open to opportunities near and far, in 1990, Eric accepted a position as a chef in Hawaii, thousands of miles and oceans away. Throughout the 1990s he worked at restaurants on different Hawaiian islands establishing deeper roots each year. In 2002, the President and upper management at The Pacific Club, the oldest private social club in Hawaii that was founded in 1851 in Honolulu, recruited him aggressively.
The Club was losing membership because of poor food quality at their restaurant so they chose Eric as the chef who could reverse the decline. He agreed to their offer and has been the Executive Chef there for 22 years and counting. He not only reversed the decline but also opened a new steakhouse in a previously underutilized back bar that has been very popular. “It’s packed almost every night,” Eric said. In addition to multiple restaurants, Eric oversees a large number of banquets, weddings, cocktail receptions and wine dinners held at the Club.
Similar to many chefs trained in France who move to the United States, he came to Hawaii thinking French cuisine was the best in the world so what was popular in France would be popular in Hawaii. But once in Hawaii, he experienced many different types of food from chefs trained around the world in Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines to name a few. “Their food is very good,” Eric said. So he adapted his French cuisine to what customers wanted, seamlessly becoming part of the fusion cuisine trend that is no longer trendy but standard fare at many restaurants in all 50 states.
Asked why he made Hawaii his home after a few years living in the Aloha State, he said, “It was so comfortable, the culture, the food, the people, the opportunities. Everything was great so I stayed.”
In 2003, Eric joined the Chaîne as Chef Rôtisseur in the Kauai-Oahu Bailliage and in 2006, was named Vice Conseiller Culinaire. In 2019, Eric was elevated to Conseiller Culinaire Provincial and in July 2023, took the helm as Bailli of the Kauai-Oahu Bailliage.
Fourteen years ago, Eric became a Signature Chef for Sterling Silver Meat after working with them to ensure high quality meat at The Club. He and other Signature Chefs attend summits to exchange ideas and learn from each other. “It’s good camaraderie, good quality food,” Eric said. In addition, Eric is a member of Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of Hawaii, the Navy League, and the Elks Club Waikiki.
It seems obvious but Eric points out that for food to taste good, whether it’s a steak or tomato soup, core ingredients have to be good. “It’s the quality of the products. It makes a difference,” he added. He can look at the color of produce to evaluate its freshness and determine whether it has been “manipulated.” Produce grown and sold locally is ideal, he advises. And for meat he recommends never cooking a steak well done because its nutrients will be destroyed. “If you have good quality of meat, you don’t need much seasoning.” Eric’s favorite meat seasoning is pepper. “I love pepper flavor.”
Challenges in the Present and Future
Eric is not alone in facing the many challenges wreaking havoc in the culinary industry today. For example, a fellow chef in Honolulu just had to close his restaurant two additional days each week because he could not find staff to operate it.
Reading resumes is a window into the problem. Eric recently received an application from a chef who stated on his resume his conditions for employment that included every Saturday and Sunday off as well as specific vacation parameters. “That doesn’t work in this business,” Eric said.
Even enrollment in culinary programs in Hawaii is declining, a surprising fact because Hawaii is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Without large culinary schools in Hawaii, students interested in pursuing a culinary career have programs at two community colleges in which to enroll. And quite bewildering, Eric said last year one college reported just one new student.
It’s a scary situation, he lamented. But that presents an opportunity for the Chaîne to have an influential impact on the future of the industry.
Restaurants are struggling trying to make sure the bottom line on financial statements is in black ink, not just week-to-week, but month-to-month and year-to-year. Restaurants must establish a loyal customer base to flourish but recruiting top chefs and nurturing top talent to become exquisite chefs are difficult tasks in the post pandemic world.
Eric would like to see the Chaîne grow its membership in the United States in the next few years. It’s not just words to him. In addition to his full time job, last year he accepted the Bailli position of the Kauai-Oahu Bailliage so he could do his part to expand membership. He is reaching out to his chef cohort in Honolulu to spread the message that Chaîne is here to support them while also asking them to spread the word within their network about the Chaîne with its mission to foster camaraderie through the pleasures of the table and to support culinary students. It’s a two-way street already paved to last well into the future. “For me, love what you do and do what you love. I’m trying to do my best to bring Chaîne to a different level,” Eric said.
Mentor
Eric has formed a close relationship with faculty and staff at Leeward Community College, part of the University of Hawaii system, where he recruits their culinary students. A couple of years ago he hired Maribeth Ganiron, a 2019 graduate who earned an associate of science degree in culinary arts. She had competed in Chaîne’s 2023 Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs competition in Hawaii, finishing second after making a mistake on one of her dishes.
Eric mentored her and urged her to enter the 2024 Hawaii Provincial competition. Five students competed in the spring. Well known Chef Jonathan Misukami, Executive Chef at The Kahala Hotel on Oahu who was born and raised in Maui, was one of the judges. Maribeth earned first place.
After winning the Provincial competition, Eric and Maribeth appeared on Good Morning Hawaii, a local television show.
As a Provincial winner this spring, Maribeth recently represented the Hawaii Province in Seattle where she competed for the national title. “Going to Seattle to compete in the nationals will hopefully allow me to work with ingredients that I am probably not familiar with and really push me to my limits,” Maribeth said in an April 15, 2024 University of Hawaii press release. “Not only can I showcase my talents in places other than Hawaiʻi, but I can use this experience to gain more knowledge that I can use in my career in the future.”
According to the press release, Maribeth credits the Contemporary Cuisine course she took at Leeward, taught by Chef and Assistant Professor Matt Egami, for helping prepare her for the competition.
In Seattle, although Maribeth did not finish in the top two, she won the Best Appetizer award highlighting her culinary talents – and her bright future.
“She is a great worker with a great attitude and a great student. I’m very proud of her,” Eric said before they left for Seattle. Maribeth continues to work for Eric as a Cook III at The Pacific Club.
Whether it’s at The Pacific Club where he motivates his staff to perform at their highest level and helps them identify their dream, or through the Chaîne where he is now leading the charge to guide the Kauai-Oahu Bailliage to a bright future, Chef Eric has earned his accolades through his actions, actions that definitely inspire young culinarians.
“You need to have passion. You need to empower people. That’s what I love to do,” he said.
Links
Good Morning Hawaii segment with Chef Leterc and Maribeth Ganiron
The Pacific Club (Honolulu)