Lake Charles native Chef Don Gillett began his career as a prep cook 36 years ago at Chez Oca, named for its owner, Chef Fernando Oca, a French Basque. Gillett has worked as the chef at the Hyatt Regency of New Orleans, Regatta of Falmouth in Falmouth, Mass., Hillsboro Club in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and the City Club, Harrah’s Casino and L’Auberge Casino in Lake Charles. He owned two local restaurants here, Chateau Nouveau and The Vineyard and Free Style Munchies Food Truck.

Chateau Nouveau and The Vineyard was a fine dining restaurant located where La Truffe Sauvage is now. From 1991 to 2000, it served European Continental with Southern Flair.

“The cuisine’s roots were in the classical French style,” Gillett said. “It was a white tablecloth and waiters in a tuxedo type of restaurant.”

The Chez Oca, City Club, Harrah’s dining and Chateau Nouveau are no more. Gillett’s food truck was damaged by the hurricanes and recently sold. But, he’s here. And he’s still in the kitchen training up the next generation of chefs at College Street Vocational Center. His own formal culinary education began at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, one of the top schools of its kind in the US.

“I attended NECI because it was all hands-on learning in actual restaurants open to the public and had a low student-teacher ratio,” Gillett said. “It was like boot camp.”

He admitted there were some things he learned at that time – he was 21 – that he hasn’t used until now teaching high school culinary.

“Cooking is all about theory, algebra, physics and chemistry,” he said. “That’s all a recipe is, an algebraic word problem. The measurement of the ingredients is math and the procedure is chemistry and physics.”

He loves teaching almost as much as he loves cooking.

“Cooking has always been my passion and I enjoy seeing the students get excited with the finished dishes that they prepare. In addition to teaching them the techniques, I try to make it fun for them,” he said.

He sees potential in every student, but the creative ones stand out.

“The students that are artistic are easily recognized. They are creative and think outside the box. They ask, what if we add this to a dish? Will it work? This shows they have what it takes to succeed, to take food to the next level.”

Gillett outlined what it takes to become a great chef: First of all, a chef must be at ease in the kitchen and be able to follow a recipe without getting stressed. He makes sure they’re prepared to go out into the world and work in a commercial kitchen by throwing them a curve every now and then.

“Above all, a great chef must be willing to learn,” Gillett said. “The culinary world changes every day. A chef must be able to change and evolve with it. Improve on the old and create something new. That’s what offers your guests the wow factor.”