By Lindsey Soet
Amirali Moghadam has always been interested in cooking, but he wasn’t able to pursue his dream until he came to America. Before immigrating from Iran, Moghadam was studying to become an architect. Upon finishing up English Second Language (ESL) courses in 2018, he learned that none of his credits would transfer, meaning he’d have to start over.
“I felt as if it was a sign to start something new for my career,” Moghadam stated via email.
Moghadam chose to attend the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College because of its strong reputation and affordability.
“I always wanted to go (to) culinary school,” Moghadam stated. “but in my country it was expensive.”
Moghadam took advantage of scholarships, financial aid and Michigan Reconnect to finance his education at GRCC.
After completing his culinary arts courses, he was referred to the personal chef program by one of his professors because it fit his interest in owning his own business.
The Personal Chef certification at Secchia is designed for students who hope to open their own business, as its main objective is to teach students how to start and run their own business as a personal chef. The coursework consists of creating personalized menus for clients, creating pricing structures and service agreements, developing a business strategy and much more.
Moghadam found the course based on menu planning to be especially advantageous, stating, “(Secchia’s) teaching of Menu Planning had major advantages for culinary students with individual clients to plan menus based on their dietary preferences, restrictions, and requirements.”
The Personal Chef certification is commonly taken alongside the Culinary Arts Associate’s degree program, providing personal chef students with a strong foundation in culinary arts.
“Secchia teaches students fundamental culinary skills such as knife techniques, food safety, cooking methods, and recipe development,” Moghadam stated. “These skills are essential for any chef, including personal chefs.”
Secchia also offers a course allowing students to take internships, both locally and internationally. Moghadam traveled to Spain last summer to expand his cultural cuisine knowledge. “I was working for a 5-star hotel in Barcelona for eight weeks,” Moghadam stated, adding that the trip “…really helped me expand my knowledge, skills, and experience of different cultures’ cuisine practices.”
Upon completing the Personal Chef certification program, graduates have the potential to meet the educational requirements to obtain the American Personal and Private Chef Association Certificate of Completion. The certificate gives students more credibility in the culinary industry, helping them open their own business as a personal chef.
Moghadam will graduate from GRCC this week, and plans on finding a job in the culinary arts industry while hoping to open his own business in the future. He plans on starting his own business as a personal chef and hopes to continue traveling to learn more about global cuisine. Moghadam wants his business to “…provide wholesome meals for people who are seeking to have homemade food.”
