I have a passion for food and hospitality that stems from my Grecian heritage and a family full of chefs. My father came from a family of seven boys and two girls, six of which went on to become chefs; many operating their own restaurants. Even on my mother’s side of the family, my grandfather was a chef operator. There may be something to the adage that Greeks have restaurants in their blood. I believe Mediterranean people just love good food and being social. Honing basic skills, learning the business and passing knowledge on to others is the path I’ve taken through the culinary arts.
I am currently the Dean of Hospitality and Culinary Management at Daytona State College. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Management from Warner University and a Masters of Hospitality from the University of Las Vegas-Nevada. I am a member of the American Culinary Federation, the largest chef association in the US, where I am certified as a Certified Executive Chef, Certified Culinary Educator, Certified Culinary Administrator and a Fellow of the American Academy of Chefs. It has been my pleasure to spend the last 50 years in the hospitality/culinary profession. Twenty years of my profession was with Smith and Sons Foods, a top 400 company, where I was the Director of the corporate training school for culinary and management training. More recently, I spent fifteen years as the coordinator of culinary operations for the Volusia County School District. I began instructing at a college level in 2000 at Daytona State and have also taught at the Art Institute in Jacksonville, FL as part of the culinary arts program. My culinary career includes competing and medaling in over 40 culinary salons, and national winner of the Lamb Weston Potato Competition. I was honored nationally by the American Culinary Federation with the Presidents Medallion for outstanding contribution to the culinary profession. A few years back I was honored to be selected as Educator of the Year for the Southeast District of the American Culinary Federation.
My philosophy on teaching is a reflection of my life; use every circumstance that comes your way as an opportunity to help others achieve excellence. That is why I have the greatest job in the world. I teach students and pass on to them the knowledge that I have gained through formal education and work experience. As a chef I believe it is my job to prepare food that is safe, pleasing to both the eye and palate, spilling over into the soul and filling the heart and mind with joy and memories. It is my duty to pass this on to future generations of culinarians.
Always honor the food.🍴
Costa Magoulas, MHA, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC
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