Work Stew Podcast

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Many amateur chefs dream of leaving their office jobs, enrolling at cooking school, and then going to work at one of the world’s best restaurants. But only a few follow through. After all, cooking school is expensive, and restaurant jobs are known for their grueling hours and low pay.

But Anette Kreipke did follow through: two years ago, she left her marketing job to study at the French Culinary Institute. She now works at Daniel, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in New York City. What I loved about my conversation with Anette was that she was so forthcoming: I came away knowing what cooking school costs and what jobs like hers pay. Best of all, Anette described what she actually does for twelve hours a day, six days a week (spoiler alert: it involves 400 pounds of chicken bones).

About Anette Kreipke: Before turning to cooking, Anette Kreipke worked in client services for Sapient Interactive, Razorfish, and Ogilvy Action Digital—all marketing agencies focused on developing digital advertising campaigns. Anette also has start-up experience, and, in earlier days, she put her Columbia MBA to use as an investment banker focused on privatization projects in developing markets including Mongolia, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Balkans.

Photo credit: Eileen Miller

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Listen to the interview by clicking the arrow on the audio player below.

A lot of new graduates, hoping that their work will contribute in some meaningful way to society at large, consider a career in the non-profit world. Similarly, many career switchers, tired of laboring long and hard in pursuit of narrow corporate goals, wonder if they might not feel more fulfilled taking their business skills to the non-profit sector.

I was interested in speaking with Jennifer Peters because her career path has gone in exactly the opposite direction: after working in the development sector for over 15 years, she decided to enter the business world. Savane Organic Skincare, the company that Jennifer co-founded with business partner Stephan Helary in South Africa, made its American debut earlier this year.

About Jennifer Peters: Jennifer Peters is an American citizen living in Johannesburg. For 16 years, she worked in the public health sector and focused primarily on programs concerning women’s reproductive health, malaria, safe water, and HIV/AIDS. She has worked in over 20 countries with a range of organizations including UNICEF, UNAIDS, and PSI. She continues to do public health consulting projects while working to expand Savane.

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