Learning, Growing & Building a Culinary Future
Rooted Stories shares the people, places, and passions behind our regional food community. In this edition, Blue Ridge Community and Technical College culinary student Grace shares how her internship with Chef Clem Tamasang at the Bavarian Inn has expanded her skills, strengthened her confidence, and deepened her appreciation for teamwork, local ingredients, and professional kitchens.
What inspired you to pursue a culinary internship at the Bavarian Inn?
I think it’s really important to learn hands-on because being in the kitchen and actually doing the work is the best way to challenge yourself and really understand how everything runs. An internship is a great way to get into a real kitchen and learn while you’re in it. Growing up, I would go to the C&O Canal and always remember seeing the Bavarian Inn there, so it was already a place I had always kind of noticed. When Chef Miriam talked about the opportunity to intern there, especially since she had done it herself, I thought I shouldn’t pass it up, and she also spoke really highly of Chef Clem, which helped me feel more comfortable going into it. I had also looked at their work on Instagram and liked what they were doing, so by that point, I was genuinely excited to be part of it and learn there.
What surprised you most about working in a professional kitchen?
What surprised me most about working in a professional kitchen was how much planning and teamwork are happening at the same time behind the scenes, because I expected it to be busy but didn’t realize how many different things are going on all at once. While we’re serving guests in the restaurant, there might also be a wedding or banquet being prepared, and everyone has to coordinate and work together so nothing falls behind and everything stays on track. Sometimes you’ll be in the middle of prepping something, and a rush will come in, and you just have to stop what you’re doing, jump onto the line, and then come back to it when things settle, which really shows how quickly you have to adjust. Seeing how everyone handles those moments has really shown me how much communication and teamwork matter in a fine dining kitchen.
Have you discovered any local ingredients or food traditions that changed your perspective?
Through this internship, I’ve seen how much the restaurant values fresh, high-quality ingredients. We’ll occasionally get local strawberries, and right now we’re working with local blueberries, and they always have beautiful heirloom tomatoes. Chef Clem also works with a butcher, so all of the meats are always cut and prepared with care. One thing that really stood out to me is that Chef also cuts microgreens fresh. Seeing this has shown me the level of sourcing and preparation that goes into each dish. For the tradition aspect, the Bavarian Inn is a German restaurant, so it caters to that. There are many pickled items as well as sauerkraut and such, so that is always something that is kept in mind.
How do you hope this internship shapes your future career?
This internship has helped me better understand the standards and dedication that go into working in the culinary industry, especially when you see how much is expected at every step. Going forward, I want to keep building my skills and learning from experienced chefs while developing my own style along the way, because there’s always something new to improve on. I’ve also realized how much detail goes into both cooking and presentation, especially after seeing it firsthand at the Bavarian Inn and watching how consistent everything has to be. In the future, I’d like to bring something creative and unique to what I do, while also being a reliable team member people can count on.
