Alisa Swartz

Spring 2006
AS Culinary Arts
General Manager
Champagne French Bakery Cafe

When the restaurant director for Champagne French Bakery Café came to The Art Institute seeking a knowledgeable and professional restaurant manager, Alisa Swartz immediately fit the bill. 

Alisa soon found that the education she received in her Management and Supervision class served her just as well as the skills she learned inside the kitchen. “I was taught how to relate to people, how to sell myself and how to manage a restaurant.”

The advice Alisa learned from her chef instructors also proved invaluable in her current success. “They were constantly telling us not to settle, to be your best. If we settle for the level of quality that everyone else is producing, we’ll never stand out.” 

Alisa learned very fast that, in the culinary world, there is no such thing as a typical day at work. She finds herself constantly changing hats as the day’s demands and needs change.

Alisa encourages Culinary Arts students to volunteer for events whenever possible. “The best project I got a chance to work on was through The Art Institute, assisting Sara Moulton of ‘Sara’s Secrets’ at a food demonstration. It was an awesome experience.”