All in the Family

Saint Paul Culinary Arts student Nick Mancini Jr. is working hard to uphold his family's restaurant legacy.

Nick Mancini Jr. knew a thing or two about working in restaurants before he enrolled in Saint Paul College's Culinary Arts program. As a scion of the famous family that runs Mancini's Restaurant on West Seventh Street in St. Paul, Nick grew up in an environment where he spent many afternoons and evenings helping out in the kitchen, busing tables, or assisting chefs.

Despite Mancini's lengthy history as a St. Paul institution and as a place to see politicians and local celebrities (and the occasional nationally known ones), Nick is the first Mancini to pursue a culinary arts degree. His father, Pat, and his uncle, John, who together now run the restaurant, earned business degrees from the University of St. Thomas.

Like the rest of his family, Nick's DNA seems to possess a gene for the culinary arts. He's worked in the restaurant field all his life and loves it with the same passion his grandfather did. A stint at another educational institution led him to find Saint Paul College. "My parents wanted me to go to a four-year college, so I went to an out-of-state university for a year and a half, but I found it wasn't my thing; I wanted to go to culinary school" says Nick, the third Mancini to have that name. "I began taking classes a year ago at Saint Paul College, and when I graduate, I'll be the first person in the family who learned how to cook in a college."

He's certainly not alone in his desire to get professional training in the culinary arts these days. Chef Manfred Krug, an instructor at the College, says the College's highly regarded Culinary Arts program currently has more than 100 students, the highest number in years. Many come to the restaurant field attracted by shows on the Food Network and celebrities such as Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray, he adds.

Restaurant training has become so popular that at least two private schools teach classes locally, says Chef Krug. Those schools, however, charge students far more for tuition than Saint Paul College. "We offer what they offer—small classes, experienced instructors, an excellent kitchen facility—but at a very modest cost to students," he points out.

In fact, the low cost sold Mancini. "Saint Paul College is $35,000 to $40,000 cheaper than the private [culinary] institutes," he says. "With my current job, I can pay for tuition without even taking out a college loan—and still get a high-quality education."

Mixing it up

Mancini, age 21, carries the name of his grandfather, Nick, who died in late May 2007. What his grandfather and father learned after decades in the hospitality industry, Nick is now absorbing through a mixture of classroom and work experience. He often attends class in the morning before bartending in the afternoon and at night at the restaurant.

Mancini is committed to the profession and he particularly likes the instruction he's received on mastering the fundamentals, overseeing a kitchen, and prepping before the rush of lunch or dinner and baking. "The experience has exposed me to different kinds of food and their preparation," he says. "I hope I can bring some of what I've learned back to the restaurant and that we can use it."

Another advantage of attending the College has been access to online courses, which he can take during the day before working the afternoon or night shifts. When taking afternoon courses, he faces a time crunch and has to go straight from campus to the restaurant to prepare for its dinner crowd. "I can get ready for work much earlier by being able to take the online courses in the morning, when I don't work," he says.

At the restaurant, Mancini mixes cocktails, brings up beer from the basement, and pours for many private parties. He particularly enjoys working the afternoon shift when the old-timers who live in the neighborhood—"real characters," he calls them—sit around and tell stories about how his grandfather snuck into a Super Bowl game and a Final Four championship at the Metrodome. It's also not uncommon for him to see his grandmother stop by once a week to run payroll or see his sister helping seat patrons. His father is "my boss," he says with a laugh. "This is a real family business."

He's equally at home at the College. "I like it there—it's a great place because of the sense of community," he says. "It's not just our own program, it's all the students who give it a community feel."

Frank Jossi is a St. Paul-based freelance writer.

Learn more about our Culinary Arts program