Well, it’s here (or almost here) – the end of another school year. Time to breathe in and out and relish 10 weeks of great weather, no late nights preparing lesson plans, grading reports, or mentally preparing for demos and training restaurant operations. Ahh…I can feel your relief. Enjoy a few days or a week of early summer bliss and then let’s get down to business.

Don’t allow yourself to get stale. Summer is a perfect time to reboot your brain. Remember what we do for a living, why we do it, and the challenges that stand before us. Let’s prepare ourselves for positive change in September and not let it shock us without any attempt at preparation. Mise en place, Chef! You can handle nearly anything successfully if you take the time to prepare.

If I sound like a broken record, if I am killing your summer break buzz, if I am going where no person should after a long academic year, then I say: GOOD! I am not suggesting you set aside your time to refresh, enjoy the weather, and spend quality time with family, but rather to read a few books and take some time to reflect on what the future might bring and how you can have a positive impact on culinary education. So, if you haven’t read these yet, here are my suggestions:

“The Agile College” by Nathan Grawe A macro view of demographic changes in the U.S. and how colleges can prepare for it and learn to adapt. This might seem far removed from your job as a teacher or even curriculum administrator, but we can only exist if our admissions efforts are successful at attracting enough quality students. Thus, admissions efforts become EVERYONE’s responsibility.

“Start With Why” by Simon Sinek Asking “why?” is a first step in pushing aside pre-conceived ideas, breaking away from traditions that no longer make sense, and opening your mind to the possibilities change can bring.

“’Start with Why’ fanned the flames inside me. This book can lead you to levels of excellence you never considered attainable.” – General Chuck Horner

“Unstuck” by Keith Yamashita & Sandra Spataro Have you found yourself in a situation where the answers to challenges seem out of reach? Are you running in circles or unable to move from a way of thinking, a process, or any chance at moving in a different direction?

“Unstuck” is a radical and deceptively simple one-stop resource to help you move forward when everything seems to be headed in reverse.

“The Go-Giver” by John David Mann Doing the right thing, addressing your stakes in the ground, tossing in a bit of altruism to your method of operation – this may be the balance we all need. This may be the way great leaders make a dent in the universe.

“This terrific book (parable) wonderfully illuminates the principles of contribution, abundance, service and success.” – Stephen Covey

“The Third Plate” by Chef Dan Barber Many may have read this book when it first appeared in 2014. It is even more relevant today. What is our place in the food ecosystem? What should a chef’s relationship be with the source? How might this wonderful book impact what and how we teach? From the chef at Blue Hill and Stone Barns, this is a must read for everyone and an important resource in any kitchen.

“Dan Barber is as fine a thinker and writer as he is a chef – which is saying a great deal. This book uses ingredients-the insights of some of the finest farmers on the planet – to fashion something entirely new: a recipe for the future.” – Bill McKibben

Buy the books, invest in yourself, enjoy the great weather, relax and refresh, plant the seeds in your garden, but at the same time – plant seeds in your mind.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER 

Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC, president of Harvest America Ventures, a mobile restaurant incubator based in Saranac Lake, N.Y., is the former vice president of New England Culinary Institute and a former dean at Paul Smith’s College. Contact him atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..