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Earlier this year, Evan Hennessey, executive chef and owner of Stages at One Washington in Dover, launched his unique Staging at Stages program, offering up-and-coming chefs the opportunity to work alongside him in his fine-dining establishment. Staging — a term originating from the French word “stagiaire,” meaning trainee — is an unpaid apprenticeship program where a young chef works in a high-end restaurant to learn new techniques and cuisines. Often, the restaurant will consider the apprenticeship a trial period, offering the stage (pronounced “stahj” ) an employment opportunity at the end of the program.
Hennessey is no stranger to the world of staging, having staged in kitchens across the country and studied what staging looks like around the world. He knew, however, that he wanted to reinvent the experience in his own kitchen, making for a positive, hands-on experience that would inspire the next generation of chefs. “It was basically born out of our enjoyment and love for teaching,” Hennessey shared over the phone.
“And to move the industry forward. We’ve seen many changes in the past handful of years, and I’m thankful to be in a position where I can help with that change.” Hennessey is hosting four chefs with varying levels of culinary experience, one each quarter of the year.
At Stages, they learn how to run a fine-dining restaurant, develop and execute a multi-course tasting menu, and interact with guests, among other techniques. At the end of each apprenticeship, the stage will serve three dishes for a ticketed tasting-menu experience at the restaurant and will walk away with 50% of the profits made that evening. “The most rewarding thing for me is watching these cooks really enjoy and explore what they’re interested in,” he said.
“That self-pride is gigantic when developing as a cook.” Stages come from different areas of the country, bringing their own culinary experiences with them to Dover. “It’s a great chance for my staff to learn about their experience as much as it is a great opportunity for that stage to come work with us and learn from us.
It’s a beautiful trade-off, and that’s how we all grow from it.” Alex Lempka, the very first stage hailing from New York, applied to the program after viewing a post on social media. An executive chef at Saratoga Spring’s Hamlet & Ghost with over a decade in the industry, Lempka was eager for an opportunity to experience the elite level of cooking that Stages embodies.
“It’s pretty unique how Evan handles the whole experience,” Lempka said in a phone interview. “It’s rare that a stage is in the spotlight. So that’s where it was drifting into the unknown, if you will.
” Lempka spent half of his time preparing for the tasting event and the other half assisting the Stages team with dinner service. “It was cool in two aspects,” he said. “I got to cook food that I normally don’t cook, and I also got to see how other chefs are preparing menus and executing them front to back.
” During his apprenticeship, Lempka quickly noticed how unique Hennessey’s operations are. In most kitchens, employees work at a single station, but this wasn’t the case in Lempka’s experience. “They flip-flop around and help each other out whenever they can.
They’re all doing everything together,” he said. “So I did a lot of everything.” For Lempka, another big takeaway from the program was the partnerships that Hennessey fosters with local farmers, like Jim Czack of Loudonshire Farm in Loudon.
Essentially, Hennessey pays into the farm each month, like a CSA, which gives Czack money up front to raise the exact number of animals that Hennessey will need. “It’s totally unheard of,” Lempka said of this partnership. “It really shows how much Evan cares about food in general, but also the people that he works with too, because at the end of the day, it’s a personal relationship that he’s fostering.
” On March 9, Lempka presented his tasting menu to a sold-out crowd in The Living Room at Stages, an intimate space inside the restaurant. For Lempka, interacting with guests in this manner is what being a chef is all about. “Seeing the outburst of joy when people eat a really good dish and something that you’re really proud of is huge.
At the end of the day we really want to cook good food and make sure people are taken care of.” The application for the Staging at Stages program is free. The link to the application can be found by following Stages at One Washington on Instagram: @stagesdover.
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