Chef Shubert Ho has made a name for himself when it comes to dining in the Pacific Northwest. A managing partner in the Feedme Hospitality and Restaurant Group, Ho oversees 8 restaurants. It’s a long way to come for the man who graduated Mission College in 2004 with the simple dream of becoming a chef.
“When I started at Mission College, my goal was really to be a chef,” said Ho. “I didn’t ever think it was possible to own a restaurant group with 8 full concepts and 450 employees.”
But it was the training he received during his year and a half at Mission College that helped Ho prepare for the role he has now.
“The foundation they gave me has been invaluable to this day. I still kind of remember the first time I saw Hayes Dennis filet a salmon and pin bone the filets,” said Ho.
He also learned the less glamorous side of the business, the back of house items like profit and loss statements and ordering, all the foundations for running a hospitality company.
More than that, though, Ho says the leaders of the program, Hayes Dennis and Scott Brunson, taught him how to lead.
“[They] really showed me that you can really get along in this industry with compassion while sharing all the knowledge possible,” said Ho. “I had great mentors and it all started through Mission College.”
The leadership shown by Brunson and Dennis helped Ho as he started his career and he’s happy to say both men have seen what he’s become.
“I’ve been proud to say that I’ve been visited by both professors and they’ve come to eat at the restaurants,” said Ho. “It was fun for me to see them see the fruits of their labor.”
After Mission College, Ho moved to the Seattle area to join his high school sweetheart, who he met when he was 15 at Lynbrook High School. The two now call the area home, though they make frequent trips back to Bay Area to visit their family.
What Ho has learned at Mission College has stuck with him to this day, and now, he tries to share that knowledge with the next generation of culinary artists at schools in the Puget Sound area of the Pacific Northwest.
“It was never my intention to become a mentor or teacher myself,” said Ho. “I’ve been able to give back to the community and the culinary world in that day to help keep culinary arts going. It is a dying art in my opinion.”
No matter where he goes from here, he will never forget the opportunity that Mission College offered him.
“When I started going to Mission College and their culinary program, it was $11 a unit…One of the biggest things that stood out to me was the affordability. I got out of there for less than $2,000,” said Ho. “My hope is that that program stays because I would hate to see it go.”
