UH Hilo sociology professor’s upcoming book investigates the worth of culinary schools
Despite the current buzz about culinary school being a waste of time and money, Assistant Professor Ellen Meiser’s research shows many graduates from these institutions feel their experience was worth it.
By Susan Enright.
Based on her doctoral dissertation, Ellen Meiser, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, has an upcoming book, Making It: Success in the Commercial Kitchen (Rutgers Press, Oct. 2024), where she discusses that despite the current buzz about culinary school being a waste of time and money, many graduates from these institutions feel their experience was worth it.
Starting with the premise that the restaurant industry is one of the few places in America where workers from lower-class backgrounds can rise to positions of power and prestige, the author notes that with over 4,000,000 cooks and food-preparation workers employed in America’s restaurants, not everyone makes it to the high-status position of chef. The book investigates the factors that determine who rises in the ranks in this fiercely competitive environment.
Meiser posits that the career path of restaurant workers depends on their accumulation of “kitchen capital,” a cultural asset based not only on their ability to cook but also on how well they can fit into the workplace culture and negotiate its hierarchical structures.
She came to this discovery by immersing herself in the topic, spending 120 hours working in a restaurant kitchen and interviewing 50 chefs and cooks from fine-dining establishments and greasy-spoon diners across the country. She discovers that for some workers their clout comes from education and the resulting expertise, but for others it’s all about climbing the ranks, controlling their emotions, or exerting control over coworkers. The book takes a look at the interplay of knowledge, power, and interpersonal skills that determine who succeeds and who fails in the industry.
Podcast: The Social Breakdown
In 2017, Meiser co-created a podcast, The Social Breakdown (taglined “The sociology podcast nobody wants, but everybody needs”), still going strong with UH Mānoa sociology colleagues Penn Pantumsinchai and Omar Bird. The podcast has an average monthly listenership of more than 7,800 fans.
“We’ve been lucky to have a positive response from the podcast,” says Meiser. “Many professors around the states have picked it up and use it in their classrooms, which is cool!”
Meiser’s duties are to create, write copy, record, and edit the educational podcast that covers a variety of field-related topics. She also organizes the guest interviews, and promotes and markets the show to expand the audience base.
More about Ellen Meiser
Meiser received her bachelor of arts in hospitality business management (2011) from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and her master of arts in Asian studies (2016) and doctor of philosophy in sociology (2021) from UH Mānoa. She arrived at UH Hilo in August of 2022.
Read full story about Meiser’s research and scholarly activity at Keaohou.
Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
