Out of the classroom and into the kitchen

By Catie Kean ‘20

Have you ever wondered if faculty have talents outside of teaching? Well, it turns out some of them are pretty good home cooks. Below you can enjoy short profiles and signature recipes from Rick White, Kenny Nguyen, Bill Ouellette, and Blythe Butler. It is worth noting that many in our community have culinary talents (not just math teachers and college counselors). I chose to interview Rick and Kenny because I have been lucky enough to experience their cooking first hand. Rick hosted a pizza day for my calculus class and mentions his passion for pizza quite often. Kenny frequently brings our statistics class food whether it be brown butter cookies, waffles, or cheesecake. I led last year’s “America’s Next Top Better Than Satisfactory Chef” Winterim with Kenny and Blythe and numerous people referred me to Bill. I had a lot of fun learning from Rick, Kenny, Bill, and Blythe and hope you do the same. 

Rick

Rick White first earned the title “Ricasso” for his sandwich-making abilities while working at Subway. Now, White still produces culinary works of art, just on a different canvas. 

Rick White and his family making pizza. Photo courtesy of Rick White.

His newest passion is gourmet woodfired pizza. White has been interested in pizza-making since attending a colleague’s outdoor pizza party in Munich in 2009. 

“I watched them pump out 70 pizzas for the party,” said White. “Every two minutes, another pizza went in and it was a super fun party to have because everyone was making their own.” 

When White moved back to Portland in 2014, he immediately purchased his own pizza oven. However, his talent had not yet developed. 

“I just wasn't very good at it. People complimented me, but I knew the truth,” he said.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2019 that White truly hit his stride. Persistence, repetition, and attention to detail elevated him to the next level. 

“I made dough every or every other day and I took notes on ingredient proportions,” said White. “I then went around the city to pizza places and I asked them what flour they use. I also switched to sourdough which was the final frontier to some degree.” 

According to himself and his students, White now crafts a product on par with some of the best pizza producers in the city. Some of his favorite topping combinations include a tomato base with chorizo, goat cheese, mozzarella, dried cherries, and honey. In addition, his most unique creation is a cream base with salmon and a Dijon mustard maple syrup glaze.

Though White is moving to Laos next year, he plans to continue with his passion. 

“I'm going to order an Ooni 3 oven. It's pretty new, it fits in a bag, and it does get up to 900 degrees on the inside. So, I will still be cooking pizza” said White. 

Community members looking to sample White’s creations before his departure should either sneak into his calculus class’s next pizza day or attempt his tried and true recipe at home.

Kenny

There is nothing like walking into first-period Statistics to the smell of fresh-made waffles or a container of homemade cookies. Many students consistently find themselves grateful for math teacher Kenny Nguyen’s culinary prowess. 

Nguyen has a vast degree of culinary experience beyond cooking for his students. He has led numerous cooking Winterims and has created several recipes. 

Nguyen’s interest first piqued in fifth grade. From watching his grandmother, he learned about family recipes as well as the power of observation. His skill stems from both knowing how to follow directions and when to deviate from the plan. 

Nguyen admits that although he doesn’t have much formal training, his mix of first-hand cooking experience and theoretical knowledge gives him what he calls the “best of both worlds.”

“I have been in the kitchen before and gone through the curriculum of cookbooks so I know when I have to be very precise,” said Nguyen. “However, I also know from my grandmother that you should always be watching and looking.”

Nguyen constantly searches for ways to better his recipes and as a statistics teacher, particularly enjoys observing the results of manipulating individual variables. His recipe for phở best exemplifies this. 

Kenny Nguyen guides a student through zucchini preparation during Winterim. Photo courtesy of Kenny Nguyen.

“My mom and I been have tinkering with our phở recipe since the 1980s,” said Nguyen. 

Nguyen acknowledges that the phở will never be perfect. More than the final product, he enjoys the process of reiteration and derives satisfaction from the many changes, such as additions of cinnamon and star anise, that have made his phở better and better over time. 

Whether it be with his family, friends, or students, Nguyen greatly enjoys building community through cooking and passing knowledge along to others. 

“Sharing food is very important; it makes me really happy when people enjoy my cooking,” said Nguyen. 

Bill

College counselor Bill Ouellette first became interested in cooking through watching his father. He was fascinated by his father’s cooking and two dishes in particular: coffee and scrambled eggs. 

“I watched his technique and I studied that, and when I got more interested in cooking later in life, I thought about that a lot and tried to recreate it,” said Ouellette. “I'm at the point right now, for example, where I feel like I can actually recreate his scrambled eggs.” 

Though scrambled eggs may seem like a simple dish, Ouellette advises not to get overconfident. 

“I've got this sort of lifetime connection with [scrambled eggs] and it's such a simple thing, but it's so easy to mess it up,” said Ouellette. 

According to Ouellette, the worst thing that can happen to eggs is overcooking them. He has a special strategy to avoid this.

Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by Bill Ouellette. Photo courtesy of Bill Ouelette.

“Take the eggs off of the heat and actually out of the pan before they look finished. The eggs will continue to cook outside of the pan. As soon as the base has changed into a semi-solid, take them out,” he said.

Ouellette’s interest in cooking continued to develop when he became a waiter. Here, he also cherished the power of observation. 

“I ate some really good food and I would watch the chef’s cook. I've always been super curious about that,” said Ouellete.

Now, Ouellette cooks from home. He values the sense of community cooking offers and often hosts dinner parties where he finds himself doing the vast majority of the cooking. 

“This past Thanksgiving, I made dinner. There were 19 people and I was cooking literally for three and a half days. Each day was 12 hours on my feet. I was in pain by Thanksgiving night,” said Ouellette.

Though the process might have been painful, Ouellete was proud of what he had accomplished. 

“I felt like I had had the biggest workout ever. The result was kind of astounding.”

Blythe

College counselor Blythe Butler started cooking when she was four years old. In her Home Economics classes, she learned she was not good at sewing, but she could cook. 

Sugar cookies by Blythe Butler. Photo courtesy of Blythe Butler.

“I did a lot of baking with my cousins and my babysitters. I find that I'm good at following directions and baking is all about following directions,” said Butler.

Because baking is such a precise science, Butler often follows recipes instead of producing her own. However, she knows how to improvise and make adjustments.

“I have become more confident that for example, if I don't have this particular oil that [the recipe] is calling for, I know that if I use this other oil, that's gonna work out okay. Or it will add a different flavor, but it's not going to screw up my recipe,” said Butler. “Whereas, when you're first starting out, you don't feel confident in making a judgment call like that.” 

Butler’s favorite dish to make is pavlova. A masterpiece of fruit, meringue, and whipped cream, pavlova is a dessert Butler has enjoyed making and eating since she was a child. 

“They're not super sweet if you don't want them to be sweet. They're very impressive looking,” said Butler. “They're just beautiful and they look like a big cloud.”

Finally, Butler offers some advice to everyone, the master chefs and the beginners among us.

“Baking especially, and even cooking, is truly just about following instructions. Don't be intimidated. You can make pretty much anything if you break it down and follow the instructions really well. If you have a good recipe, anyone can cook.”

For community members who did not get to share their culinary interests in this piece, feel free to share your favorite dish and/or recipe in the comments below.