North Georgia Technical College culinary arts instructor Chris Bladowski was recently named Atlanta Educator of the Year for the American Culinary Federation. The American Culinary Federation is a nation-wide professional organization for chefs and cooks across the U.S.
“It is a great honor to be recognized by the American Culinary Federation,” says Bladowski. “To be rewarded for the work that NGTC does for the local and state community is fantastic.”
Bladowski got his start in the culinary world as a dishwasher at age 13. He notes that it was there he received his first taste of “excitement, adrenaline, flames, chaos, and order of the kitchen.”
“Culinary arts is something I have always done.”
After graduating from both the University of Georgia and the Culinary Institute of America, he moved to France to continue his culinary training. When he returned to the United States, Bladowski became the chef at SWISSOTEL Buckhead, SWISSOTEL Drake New York City and the Grand Hyatt Buckhead.
Bladowski notes his greatest achievement and challenge was opening his restaurant, Fisherman’s Cove, on Lake Hartwell with his brother, Alex. Chris has been a culinary arts instructor at NGTC since 2006.
“Culinary arts is something I have always done. I would constantly train employees on new culinary techniques while I worked to stay current on food trends. It was natural to move from production to education when I came to teach students at NGTC,” he says.
