We recently had the pleasure of sitting down for the degustation tasting at Joel Robuchon’s namesake restaurant in Las Vegas. It was an incredible experience, to say the least From the limousine pickup, to the hidden entrance through the back of the house, we were whisked away into a food & beverage fantasy. Joel Robuchon is considered by many to be the best restaurant in the city—not an easy feat in a city flooded with excellent food and endless options. Given this incredible achievement, we wanted to better understand how one stands out to earn the opportunity to run a restaurant of such stature, and what it means to have that kind of responsibility.
Named Director of Operations for the Las Vegas restaurants of Joël Robuchon at the tender age of 26, Sebastian Dumonet says that some of the first advice he received from food industry professionals was to "avoid talking about about my age." Now, however, he prides himself on being one of the youngest in such a sought-after position, working side-by-side with the only chef in history to have received 25 Michelin stars.
How did it happen? Oddly enough, Dumonet's Bachelor of Arts from Union College in Albany, NY, had nothing to do with food -- or business. Instead, his food industry education came directly from his family.
"The first years of my life in France were spent between the cities of Paris and Chateauroux, within one of my uncle's restaurants in the former and my parents' restaurant in the latter. Simply said, I was born into the business."
When Dumonet became disillusioned about politics and governance -- the subjects of his BA -- he turned back to his restaurant roots. Expecting to work in the food and beverage industry until he found another alternative, the former unexpectedly stuck. Working his way through food courts, stores and casual dining locations, the Director of Operations believes that his well-rounded, hands-on approach to the food industry has given him a finely tuned perspective on the job.
"By allowing myself to progress through these different situations, I grew not only my resume but my approach to varying conditions; I honestly believe experience is comparatively invaluable set alongside a literary education."
When hiring new employees for the Robuchon restaurants in Las Vegas, Dumonet says it's difficult to narrow the most important characteristics of a colleague. Simply put, he feels that the process is mostly about hiring people that will work with him, instead of for him.
"One of my first bosses in Las Vegas, then Director of Food and Beverage at ARIA CityCenter Jay Bluhm, told me once that the day you stop learning is the day you should leave."
This is a piece of advice Dumonet has held on to. To other men and women yearning to make a name for themselves in the food and beverage industry, the accomplished advises that leadership is about finding the right people for the job and creating camaraderie, just like his favorite meals, he said:
"It is the people you share experiences with that make those experiences special, and not necessarily the other way around."
The takeaway from Sebastien Dumonet's career is simple--don't let anyone tell you you're too young or that you haven't had the right education for the position that you want. Being hands-on helped this industry professional learn the ins and outs of the food business, and then tune those skills to a fine point. When a love of the food business is your motivation, learning happens naturally and success is inevitable.
Here at Hospitality Human Capital, we believe that learning is integral to every aspect of the hospitality industry. The insight and advice we glean from our conversations with industry professionals helps us to distribute and disseminate knowledge about the current status of the hospitality industry and its exciting future. Even while the space is disrupted by innovation, it is also grounded by adherence to tradition. We understand that certain core tenets of hard work mixed with a little bit of luck/timing are the ultimate ingredients to success and as we publish more in this series, we would love to hear more from industry professionals about your luck, your timing, and your hard work. If you are interested in imparting your knowledge and paving the way for the future of the industry by sitting for an interview or otherwise, please get in touch with Hospitality Human Capital at Mandeep@hhcsearch.com. #whoyouknow