Jan. 2, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Whether you’re recovering in a hospital, undergoing executive leadership training or keeping up with college classes, you’re going to get hungry.
Andy Schultz has fed all kinds of people in all kinds of places since graduating from the Secchia Institute of Culinary Education in 2009.
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“GRCC is a fantastic school to start out your career,” he said. “It was a community college where I could start out taking my basic general education classes as well as taking my culinary classes at the same time.”
A GRCC internship in Hawaii provided Schultz with his first professional opportunities.
“After my internship was completed, I came back to GRCC to finish my degree,” he said. “After I finished my degree, one week later I was back in Hawaii starting my career.”
When the company that owned Hula Grill, where Schultz was working, opened Duke’s Beach House in Maui, he was hired as its dining room chef.
“After Hawaii, I moved out to Colorado Springs to be the executive chef and food service director at the Center for Creative Leadership,” he said. “It is one of the top leadership programs in the world.”
Three years later, Schultz returned home to Grand Rapids and a job feeding hungry Aquinas College students. He worked to bring fresh, local ingredients to the cafeteria.
“We went to the student body, and that was one of the things they wanted to see,” he said in a 2013 Aquinas profile. “So we provided it, and it’s been well-received, which is great! We’re trying to introduce new products and ingredients to the students than they’re used to growing up with – so one could see this as a bit of education they can take with them for the rest of their lives.”
Schultz also took the opportunity to return to college himself, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Ferris State University through GRCC’s 3+1 program.
He next prepared meals for patients and events at Pine Rest as its executive chef. During this time, he teamed up with his father, GRCC culinary professor Roberth Schultz, chef Marla Poterack and Poterack’s daughter Alyvia to cater a wedding.
That was the start of Four Chefs, a Caledonia-based catering business.
“Four Chefs started out as a part-time job for me,” Andy Schultz said. “Over the years during COVID, the business started to grow, and I decided to turn Four Chefs into my dream job.”
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