Trillis Rollins
Peach's Restaurant
Chicago, IL USA
"If you can stay just one step ahead of yourself, then you can catch all of your mistakes before they even happen."
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Trillis's work combines: Food, Art, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
No one comes into a restaurant and starts out at the top. Be willing to take a job at the bottom and just stay motivated to show everyone around you what you want. Take every step as it comes. If you stay motivated and work hard, the progression will follow.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Graphic Design
Robert Morris University Illinois
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I went to college for graphic design and graduated in 2008—this was right in the middle of a recession, so it was very difficult for me to find a job.
2.
I got a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant.
3.
I began to see that there were opportunities to utilize my artistic abilities in the restaurant industry—I made it my goal to find a way to merge those two interests as I worked my way up.
4.
I moved on from dishwashing to working in the kitchen as a prep cook, and then worked my way up to line cook.
5.
I was eventually promoted to sous chef—it was very unexpected, but one of the best moments of my life because I was being recognized as a leader within the company for all of my hard work.
6.
After another promotion, I currently work as the executive chef at Peach’s Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
What are you doing? I thought you were an artist. You're becoming a chef now? What does that even look like?
How I responded:
I went to school for graphic design. Everyone knew me as an artist. I was the person everyone called if they needed an art project completed. When I decided to stay in the restaurant industry and become a chef, everyone was confused. However, I had made it my goal to merge my artistic abilities with my interest in becoming a chef. People may not have understood that possibility at the beginning, but now it's apparent that working in this industry has really allowed me to showcase my abilities.