August 5, 2005

ORANGE, NJ -- Lakeside School Chef Bill Doring has always loved to cook. He discovered at an early age in a local deli the satisfaction of working with his hands to create a dish that will cause someone to pause and murmur, “Hmm, this is good.” Now, after a career as an executive chef at New Jersey’s top-rated country club restaurant, Bill is reveling in an even greater reward – giving students the confidence they need to create not only a sumptuous dish – but a career path as well.

“Many kids that come here are lacking the self-esteem they need to succeed,” said Bill of Lakeside School, a division of The First Occupational Center of New Jersey. A 27-year veteran of the food services business, the Maywood resident is a man completely at home in his kitchen as a captain is on a ship. “The Culinary Arts program at Lakeside School is designed to elevate them and give them real skills in food preparation. I want them to see what they can accomplish.”

Accomplishment is something that Bill knows a lot about. After graduating with honors from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked in the kitchens of the Vista International Hotel and the United Nations Plaza in New York City before landing a job as a sous chef (assistant to the chef) with the Hackensack Golf Club. Six months later he was promoted to chef, where he stayed for four years.

DESIRE TO EDUCATE
In 1989 he was lured by the desire to educate others and worked as a chef instructor at Passaic Community College, where he discovered a passion that transcended mixing ingredients in the kitchen. In fact, even after he moved on and became a successful executive chef at the acclaimed Ridgewood Country Club restaurant, he realized that he missed his experience in education.

“I wanted to go back into education,” Bill said. “It was the most rewarding thing I had done.” When he came to Lakeside School, he realized he had made the right career move. “I had forgotten how great it was to give someone the confidence they need to really make something of themselves in this business.,” he said. He fondly remembers a former student who wrote a cookbook and thanked him in the book’s preface.
“If you can help kids along and get them on a path, it’s rewarding,” Bill commented.

ENABLING INDEPENDENT LIVING
Even if his students don’t pursue the food business, Bill says that the program enables independent living and also reinforces academic skills. Students learn about nutrition, hygiene, safety in the kitchen and other valuable skills as well. “I want these kids to be independent and be able to cook for themselves and their families, and I try to instill a sense of work ethic. I’m really enjoying this,” he added.

The Lakeside School, a private school for the disabled, helps emotionally, physically and developmentally disabled students find success through vocational skills and training. Students from ages 14 to 21 are provided a unique opportunity to utilize a work-study curriculum that enables them to become contributing members of their communities. Training programs include Culinary Arts, Assembly and Production, Building Services, Building Trades, Printing Services and Micrographics.

The First Occupational Center of New Jersey is the state’s oldest and largest vocational and job placement agency, providing services to developmentally disabled, elderly and economically disadvantaged New Jersey residents and their families since 1954. OCNJ uses an entrepreneurial approach to training and securing jobs with the goal of helping workers move from dependence to independence. The Center provides jobs through its seven wholly-owned and operated companies, including Recycling, Building Services and Groundskeeping, Production Services, Micrographics, Abbry Security, Printing Services, and the OCNJ Driving School, as well as within the community.

For More information contact:
Mary-Lauri Bartola
973-672-5800, ext. 221
mary-lauri.bartola@ocnj.org