ALUMNI PROJECT
Steve Doyle | Class of 2003
For lifelong Stratford resident, Steve Doyle, the path to Stratford Chefs School wasn’t immediate. Having graduated high school and pondering next steps, Steve was invited by a friend to join him working with the kitchen team at Pazzo Pizzeria. “I remember tasting food there that wasn’t like anything I was brought up with. I liked the energy and the camaraderie, and it was gratifying to look out into the dining room and see people enjoying what I created.”
His stint at the pizzeria set Steve’s professional culinary journey in motion. After spending a winter in the pizzeria he was invited by then Head Chef, Dean Elieff (Class of 1993) to join him in the newly minted Pazzo Ristorante, where he gained valuable kitchen experience and further interest in becoming a chef. “Being from Stratford I was familiar with the school, and I had a number of friends who had become alumni. Through these connections and after researching other culinary institutions in the area I decided that SCS was where I wanted to study.”
Steve admired the model SCS was founded on: ”I thought that having chef instructors at the top of their game was a big draw. The chefs school had small classes with lots of one-on-one instruction, and was one of the only places offering this style of education.”
After graduation Steve had an opportunity to travel and cook in the Caribbean; but it was his return to Stratford a few years later that charted his present career as a Sommelier. Moving back to Stratford, Steve was unable to find a head chef position at any Stratford restaurant – a stark contrast with the job market in hospitality today. Friends Bronwyn and Aaron Linley (Class of 1996) asked him if he would consider working front of house at their celebrated restaurant Bijou. “Bronwyn was completing her CAPS sommelier program and I was exposed to a lot of really great wine and invited to taste many alongside her,” Steve says. “They were devoted to good wine and I developed my palate in the same way my experience tasting a sweet, ripe tomato sparked my interest in cooking.”
Steve was hired back to Pazzo, but this time as the manager of the Taverna. He completed his WSET Sommelier training and has been fortunate to travel and taste delicious wines throughout his career. “I like the academic side of wine and my passion has allowed me opportunities to travel and taste great wines. Sometimes I miss cooking, but I always enjoy pouring wine for my customers. I like to make people happy.”
Photo: Terry Manzo