Program: Culinary Arts
As a child, Tim Meyers was constantly helping out his mother and grandmothers, who cooked “a ton.” As he grew older, Meyers had more opportunities to cook for them.
Today, the same enthusiasm he had toward cooking during his youth is on display toward his students in his culinary and foodservices classrooms at College of DuPage.
“Teaching has to be one of the most rewarding careers that a person can choose,” Meyers said. “What I truly love about teaching is giving the knowledge/skills to a person who knows little or nothing about a subject and watching them grow to become successful.”
Before coming to COD, Meyers was the coordinator of the Technology Center of DuPage Culinary Arts program and coordinator of the Lake County High Schools Technology Campus Culinary Arts program. Both are vocational schools serving their respective counties.
During his own education, Meyers was influenced by several teachers.
“Chef Jill Russell was my instructor when I was in high school,” he said. “She now teaches at Elgin Community College. I was the first teaching assistant for the hospitality program at College of DuPage. One of the first chefs I met was David Russell (yes, they are married), and he gave me several positive culinary experiences/opportunities through the American Culinary Federation.
“To see what George Macht did in his 33 years as coordinator of the Hospitality program at College of DuPage and how many students he has impacted is remarkable. And David Dodd taught me to be the baker I am today.”
Now Meyers is in the role of inspiring students.
“What I hope my students take away from my classes are several different things: First is the knowledge/skill sets needed to become successful in the industry,” he explained. “The work ethic is also important. Students need to understand what they put into class, their career or life is what they are going to get out of it.
“Finally, they need to be humble and not forget where they came from.”