Mr. Kikosicki boasts of many skills, including making a perfect Margherita pizza.
Amidst the familiar aroma of burger patties sizzling on the grill, students have noticed a new smiling face in Hill House Dining Hall: Mr. Paul Kikosicki, the new SAGE Onsite Food Service Director. He is ready to contribute fresh ideas to Choate’s dining experience with his 27-year career in the food and hospitality industry.
Hailing from Branson, Connecticut, Mr. Kikosicki earned a Bachelor Degree in Business Management Sciences from Western New England College. The journey through his food management career has taken him to diverse places, including: Yale New Haven Hospital, Pine Orchard Country Club in Branford, Conn., Yale University Dining, and Southern Connecticut State University. Mr. Kikosicki began his venture in the food business at age fifteen, washing pots and pans in a tiny pizzeria. He recounts that his first boss at the pizzeria, Mr. Darrel Janis, was an important mentor in his career and the first person to teach him how to perfect a Margherita pizza. He also worked as a server at the restaurant, during which he learned that being part of house staff was no easier than being a chef. He later worked at country clubs, where the level of creativity and talent the chefs displayed in their cuisines there always blew him away. For the past couple of years, Mr. Kikosicki worked at Yale and has been involved with college dining. He also had the pleasure of working again with his former boss at the pizzeria at Yale. Through these job changes, one thing has remained constant: his passion to provide the highest level of food and dining experience for his clients.
When discussing obstacles in his career, he says he has encountered everything from rude customers at a restaurant to a menu mishap, and people in the industry must be prepared at all times to come up with solutions. His biggest hurdle in his career was managing a group of unionized workers. “When people don’t share the same passion or vision as you do when working towards a common goal, it becomes a very challenging situation,” he commented. He is especially excited to join the SAGE family and start a new chapter in his career, as he loves the tight-knit relationship between colleagues and the common passion they share for food.
Mr. Kikosicki first fell in love with food as a young boy. A favorite memory of his childhood is skipping around his backyard garden, picking fresh homegrown thyme. When the holiday season rolled around, he was the first to sniff his way through the kitchen, carefully examining his mother kneading pasta dough or his grandmother adding a pinch of basil to a rich Marinara sauce. The joy food brought to his family made him realize how good, honest cooking can unite people.
As for his ultimate goal working at Choate, he wants to build upon the strong foundation SAGE Dining Services has established for the dining hall and elevate Choate’s dining experience to the next level. He also wishes to be an inspiration for his colleagues to come to work everyday not only to fulfill a responsibility, but also to have love and passion for serving and creating quality meals on a daily basis.
