After 33 years of cooking up education at Blackhawk Technical College, Program Coordinator/Faculty Lead for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Mark Olson will retire on May 29.
Olson, known as Chef Mark to most people at Blackhawk, began his career at Blackhawk in August 1993. He served 11 years as an adjunct instructor and 22 years as a full-time instructor. For the last six years, he has been the faculty lead for the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management programs.
From dishes to degree
“Cooking and Culinary Arts has literally been my only job/career,” Olson said. “My first paying job, at 15 years old, was washing dishes at a local supper club in Hartland, Wisconsin. It was there that I worked my way up to a cook’s position and eventually to lead daytime cook.”
HIs path was not linear, however. He shared how he “hopped around a bit” after high school, working in Las Vegas and then Lake Tahoe, California, where he discovered how much he didn’t know about cooking. After that, he switched coasts.
“I moved to Hyde Park, New York, in 1984 to attend the C.I.A. (Culinary Institute of America) where I completed my degree in Culinary Arts. In 1987, I returned to Wisconsin and worked at various chef positions in Kohler, Sheboygan, Sturgeon Bay, Milwaukee, Lake Geneva and, eventually, Janesville,” he explained.
Blackhawk calls
“I was doing a food demonstration at the Wisconsin Restaurant Show in 1993 when Chef Joe Wollinger approached me and asked if I had ever considered teaching. That fall, I became an adjunct here at Blackhawk. I continued on to attain my bachelor’s degree in business management and my master’s degree in adult education and assessment,” he said. Wollinger taught at Blackhawk from 1988 until he retired in 2020.
Much has changed since Olson started in 1993, such as kitchen technology, the evolution and local introduction of ethnic cuisines, and food allergy considerations in the dining public, he said.
Some things, however, have not changed. Olson has maintained his focus on students and commitment to innovation. He taught every class the Culinary Arts program ever offered–even some that no longer exist. And when he saw how Rock County lacked skilled, educated hospitality employees, he stepped up to teach that, too.
Under Olson’s leadership, Blackhawk’s Culinary Arts program became the first in Wisconsin to earn national accreditation through the American Culinary Federation. The program has retained its status through three cycles so far.
He said he’s most proud of the Culinary Arts department’s reputation in the community and its “considerable” endowment fund. Olson established the Culinary Scholarship and Endowment, which has grown to more than $250,000. The fund has awarded more than $300,000 to students so far.
Recipe for retirement
What is Olson’s recipe for retirement? His list of ingredients is long. He said he will add in some renovations on his retirement home plus a dash of travel; then, he will mix in more time for hunting and additional opportunities for curling.
While that is happening, he will prepare more time for his kids and grandkids. The ingredients for that component include Olson and his wife, Darla, their two daughters, two sons-in-law and four grandkids, ages 11, 13, 15 and 16. For added spice, he will also include his family’s two labrador retrievers, Bella and Roxi.
Looking back on his long career, Olson said he wouldn’t change a thing. He has enjoyed the students, fellow faculty members and “the satisfaction of educating so many future chefs,” he said.
Congratulations, Chef Mark! Now, it’s time to plate up a big helping of that retirement and dig in!