By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Ask most chefs what influenced them to enter their career, and in many cases you will find their passion rooted in the family kitchen.

But commercial cooking is much more fast-paced, higher volume, and higher pressure than in a home. Add atypical hours and you begin to wonder: What makes a chef tick?

Russell Logan, executive chef at Oak Crest in Parkville, Md., has done both professionally, so the Tribune has turned to him for some culinary insights.

Culinary background
Before graduating with a culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., Logan joined the Marine Corps where he stayed in active duty for 22 years. While enlisted, he finished his degree and became the personal chef for the assistant commandant.

Now as an executive chef planning meals for hundreds of people, Logan says he finds little difference between his two positions. “Either way you have to plan and prepare the meals,” he says. “I love both.”

He counts on his team at Oak Crest to help him with all the tasks he did alone in his previous position. “When I was a personal chef I did everything from shopping to cooking to dishes. When I prepare meals for hundreds of people I have a full team and am able to rely on everybody’s talents and expertise,” he says.

Menu management
The team’s effort and Logan’s devotion to his job help make him a valuable employee, according to Oak Crest Executive Director Ann Walsh. “While he doesn’t personally make all the food, he works with all the chefs to plan menus. He supports us across the campus and is very dedicated to making people happy with quality and variety of food,” she says.

Walsh says Logan has gained appreciation and respect from the people who live at Oak Crest since joining the staff in March 2006. “Chef Russ spends a lot of time learning what the people at Oak Crest feel is important and adjusts the menus to meet their wishes,” she says.