Culinary
Kristina Olson
Executive Chef | Latitude 105 Alehouse
Experience
2017 - Present
Sous Chef, Executive Chef
The Holiday Inn Estes Park - Latitude 105 AlehouseEstes Park, CO
2016 - 2017
Chef de Cuisine
The Majestic Yosemite Hotel Yosemite, CA
2015 - 2016
Sous Chef
Salute Trattoria ItalianaLas Vegas, NV
2014 - 2015
Sous Chef
Hearthstone Kitchen & CellarLas Vegas, NV
2013 - 2014
Chef de Partie
Joel RobuchonLas Vegas, NV
2005 - 2013
Intern, Lead Line Cook, Garde Manger, Chef de Partie
Yosemite National Park Yosemite, CA
Education
2005 - 2005
Associate’s Degree in Occupational Studies - Culinary Arts
Western Culinary InstitutePortland, OR
Advice from Kristina Olson
Quotes about career path, skills, and teamwork from an industry leader.
My time at each establishment I’ve worked at has helped me grow into a more professional chef and further up my career.
Every step that I have taken has gotten me to where I am now.
Food should be sexy.
You eat with your eyes first, so you should put all your love and energy into a dish.
“It’s just food and you gotta keep cooking”, Chef Percy Whatley would keep telling me.
Another mantra I stand by is, “More butter is more better.”
Basic kitchen knowledge is obviously needed to join a kitchen.
If you have time during an interview, give the candidate a knife to test their knife skills. Most importantly, make sure that you get down to the right vibe, if that person fits well into your establishment, then you can work on building a team.
Communication is your #1 tool needed to work in a kitchen, along with knife skills, speed and accountability.
If you mess something up, you have to take ownership of it.
I initially went to culinary school because I wanted to be one of the cool moms.
At some point, I realized that this was what I wanted to keep doing and that all the things that you needed to survive in the kitchen fueled my passion to keep going.
I have learned so much from my current chef, Jacob Tew.
From a managerial standpoint, he taught me how to be more relaxed. He’s able to step back and be calm when managing. He has also given me the tools to run our kitchen as a well oiled machine. We work very hard on culture as our restaurant is brand new.
I always have the Flavor Bible with me, whether in my house or on my phone.
I love to follow chefs on social media to stay inspired.
I like to involve my team by inspiring them to develop future specials.
We post all of our specials on social media and make sure we tag whomever is responsible to get them energized!
Roles in Culinary
Check out the newest job opportunities in your area and level up your career.
