Chef Cody and Chef Carroll back in the day!

Chef Carroll and Chef Cody in the kitchen.

Chef Carroll and Chef Cody present culinary creations.

There are people we work for…and then there are people who inspire us.  Three’s Chef/Co-owner Cody Christopher takes a look back at one such mentor who remains important in his life to this day.  They worked together for six years at a place called River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas.

“Working at a country club or resort is a very unique thing.  You have everything under one roof:  fine dining, fast casual dining; from small upscale 20-person wine dinners to banquets that feed 700 to 1,000 people.  Poolside, restaurants, room service, bake shop, the list just goes on,” he explains.  “I got lucky working at a place like this, River Oaks Country Club, under Chef Carroll.  I had the chance to work every one of these positions and not just for a couple of days. I worked and mastered them before moving on.”

Cody feels fortunate to have learned from such a leader and has great respect for Chef Charles Carroll, who’s been a chef for more than 30 years, travelled to at least 20 countries and received countless honors, including Culinary Olympic Gold Medalist.  Cody says he admires Chef Carroll for so many reasons, he could practically write his own book about it!

“He takes the time not only show you how to do and operate, but why you should do and operate,” he recalls.  “Meaning, if you have a certain goal:  open a five-star restaurant, be on the culinary Olympic team, be a master chef or have a taco stand on the beach, whatever it may be, you must position and surround yourself with the things that will help you achieve your goal.  And the awesome thing about Chef Carroll is when your apprenticeship is done and it’s time to move on, he is so well-connected all over the country, he can help find you a job!”

Cody’s mentor is continuing to influence him AND the culinary world at large.  First of all, Chef Carroll has written three books.

–Leadership Lessons from a Chef: Finding Time to Be Great
–Tasting Success: Your Guide to Becoming a Professional Chef
–The Recipe: A Story of Loss, Love and the Ingredients of Greatness

Secondly, Chef Carroll recently launched a podcast, called The Recipe Podcast, Secrets to a Successful Life.  He’s included Chef Cody in the third podcast, titled “The Chef’s Apprentice.”  Chef Carroll interviews Chef Cody starting around 27-minute mark of the podcast about the story of his success here on Maui.  He tout Cody as a shining example of someone willing to “jump off the cliff” with risking some big business and life decisions, praises him for his persistence along the way, and asks what advice he’d have for other young entrepreneurs.   Listen to the “The Chef’s Apprentice” featuring Cody here, and enjoy the rest of The Recipe Podcast episodes here.

“Focus on your goal; if it’s not helping you achieve your goal, you don’t need it in your life,” Cody advises, as he describes traits that define successful entrepreneurs.  “Persistence; you’re not just going to wake up one day and be the best.  It takes time, winning small battles one day at time with crazy amounts of hard work.  Don’t take yourself too seriously; you have to be able to laugh at yourself. Admit when you’re wrong, ask for help. You’d be surprised how comfortable you can make people with just a smile, giggle or joke.”

Cody says the greatest lesson he’s had as an entrepreneur is learning to evolve, be willing to change and try different things.  Whether you’re a young entrepreneur like he was or a seasoned businessperson, such a large responsibility comes with its share of big benefits to enjoy and daunting obstacles to overcome.

“Best parts would be working for yourself and getting to take on challenges that are passionate to you,” Cody says.  “The biggest challenge is that you are solely responsible for everything. You need to be able to oversee everything.  Now this is a challenge; however, it is also an awesome opportunity every day to bring your staff and company to heights that you know they are capable of.  It’s not always about strengthening your weaknesses, but elevating your strengths.  I’ve learned this from simply working with my two business partners. What I am weak at, they are strong at and what they are weak at, I am strong at.”

Cody says all he learned from Chef Carroll prepped him to team up with his best friends and business partners Chefs Jaron Blosser and Travis Morrin to launch Three’s Catering and Three’s Bar & Grill seven years ago.

“When we started Three’s, I think this is where my background helped:  I knew a little about a lot — at the time though, I thought I knew it all,” he laughs.  “However, my background got me to where I met my two partners. Truth be told, these two guys are some of the most talented and sophisticated Chefs and business operators I’ve ever had the honor to work with. We have all three come from different backgrounds and have grown together to become what we need to be for our businesses.  Lots of blood, sweat and tears but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t want to do anything without these two boneheads by my side!”

As Cody gives props to his business partners and praises his mentor, he’s become a mentor in his own right after so many years, and helps lead the charge forward as Three’s and Fork & Salad continue to grow to epic new heights!