New chef highlights old school standards

Fine dining experiences aren’t really the norm, with families and singles opting for fast-casual restaurants instead. But for John DeFlieze, executive chef at University of Delaware’s student-run Vita Nova Restaurant, the value of fine dining service still has its place.

“We will always have high-end clientele,” said DeFlieze, who joined the University in September after working for National Hockey League’s Max Domi of the Arizona Coyotes. “The millionaires and billionaires aren’t going anywhere. You’ll still have a demand for high-end.”

DeFlieze, raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York and taught at Le Cordon Bleu before working in a series of restaurants in Arizona. The UD role brings him back to his love of teaching.

“I love it when the students get that “˜a-ha’ moment and they figure it out. I love the energy – the school has a great energy and I love that environment,” said DeFlieze.

Students of the Department of Hospitality Business Management program aren’t training to be chefs, but event managers. Still, DeFlieze said they must understand every aspect of how of a professional kitchen is run – from the food ordering and preparation to the service details.

DeFlieze even took his skills on a goodwill mission to Afghanistan in 2011 where he cooked for troops behind enemy lines, an opportunity that he said he considers one of the top of his career. With years of experience under his belt, he said the restaurant industry is evolving.

“Management and chefs have evolved in how they treat people; they’ve gotten a lot more respectful, because a lot of times when you work in the kitchen, it’s hard work and it can be a thankless job.

What I’m seeing is chefs more caring, more respectful to their staff.

“The second thing we’re seeing is the use of molecular products,” said DeFlieze. “There is a lot of innovation in the kitchen with newer equipment and different food grade chemicals.”

One thing that hasn’t changed?

“A roast chicken is always going to be a roast chicken.”