GHS grad Estacio finds his calling in the culinary field

GUSTINE – The path to a rewarding career is often filled with a few detours along the way, which is exactly what Gustine High graduate (2001) Michael Estacio discovered before finding his calling as a chef. 

Estacio has always liked cooking but didn’t realize it would be his career until a few years ago when he made the decision to go back to school and enter a culinary program at the Institute of Technology. “My best memories are cooking breakfast with my dad and brother,” Estacio shared as he reminisced about the path that lead him to his current position as a sous chef at the popular Bistro 234 in downtown Turlock.

When he graduated high school, Estacio thought working with computers made sense; it was the field that appeared to be where the money was. But within two weeks of class he knew computers weren’t a good career fit. Over the next several years he worked many jobs, trying new things in search of a career he could settle into.  He attended a semester of college, sold cars, worked as a butcher’s apprentice and did construction work.

Nothing seemed to totally fit until he saw a commercial for a trade school and the culinary program caught his eye.

“Cooking is a passion of mine,” Estacio reflected. He decided to give it a try and quickly discovered  he had found his career. “I looked forward to going to school every day,” he said, a new experience for a self-described average student who previously didn’t care much about school.

“I couldn’t wait to see what I was going to learn each day,” he recalled.

The seven and a half month program began with the basics -  like learning how to properly spread mayonnaise - before expanding to subjects such as creating mother sauces and plating.

He was the overzealous student who loved to experiment with new flavor combinations and pepper his instructors with questions, Estacio explained.

Not every culinary experiment turned out well, Estacio concedes, but he thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of trying new recipes and methods as he began to develop his own style.

And, for the first time in his educational career, Estacio found himself competing with his classmates for the top grades. “I had never succeeded before as I did in culinary school,” he proudly shared.

Estacio was one of only three students to graduate the school with honors since the culinary program opened three years previously. He is proud of that honor, and of being hired at his favorite Turlock restaurant, Bistro 234.

The last month of the culinary program students were required to work an externship at a restaurant to get “real world” experience. Estacio said he knew he wanted to apply at Bistro 234 in Turlock without hesitation, where executive chef Leroy Walker decided to offer him the position. He worked under Walker’s tutelage for free for a month and a half, progressing from prep cook to salad station to the broiler to sautee.

Following the hands-on training experience, Estacio was hired. He started as a part-timer but soon worked his way around the kitchen and into shifts which led to his current position as a sous chef.

“I am the kind of employee who is constantly wanting to learn and take on more responsibilities,” the enthusiastic young chef described. “There’s not a day that goes by that I haven’t learned something from (Walker).”

Estacio declared he has definitely found his niche, his passion. He loves his work in the fast-paced kitchen environment and enjoys creating familiar dishes as well as new ones.

The restaurant is described as Mediterranean fusion with a California flair, which gives Estacio plenty of opportunity to use his creative talents, especially when it comes to plating.

His favorite is working with mous bouche (one-bite creations) giving him the opportunity to experiment with many different flavors, colors and plating ideas.“When I go into Home Depot and see a marble tile, I don’t think of a floor like other people,” he shared. “I think about how great it would look if I put a scallop on it and a micro green salad with a citrus vinaigrette,” he described with a smile.

His skills were put to the test in March as he and Bistro 234 owner Jennifer Bethel assisted Walker as sous chefs in an “Iron Chef” style competition held in Modesto. The team was selected to compete against two other area restaurants in a fast-paced, high-pressure contest to see who would emerge as the winner of Culinary Clash II, sponsored by Doctors Medical Center Foundation for the second year. The Bistro 234 team took top honors winning over the judges with their selections for the four-course challenge. “That was a great experience!” Estacio exclaimed, adding that he is at his best under pressure.

The journey to finding his career was not easy, but is one he is grateful for. Everything he experienced along the way taught him something different and ultimately led him to where he is today. His advice to others who are undecided about their future paths, “if a two or four year college or the military is not for you, look into a trade school. If you have a passion for something go for it. You never know where it will lead you.”