Donna Kopmar
Staff Writer

David Lewis has been a cook here for about five months.

Before working here, David worked for a company called Airmark as the executive chef at The Gorge Amphitheater.

He has wanted to be a cook since he was little.

What made you want to be a cook?

I just like working for people. And that’s what a chef does.

Is there an artistic side of cooking?

There is definitely an artistic side to it. When you cook, you have to make sure your plate looks nice or the customers won’t purchase it. Looks are 99% of it.

What are your goals for the future?

Become an executive chef and open my own restaurant

What do you do during your free time?

I take care of my grandson and my wife and I cook.

What would you do if you retire?

Probably cook.

What would be your dream vacation?

To go to Belgium and the reason why is I’d like to learn how to make the Belgium pastries and chocolates.

What do students do that bug you the most?

When they reach over the counter and grab stuff without asking. We have a sanitation respect that we need and when they grab something else then we have to throw it away because it’s dirty. They should just let us grab it.

What do you like most about working at Pierce?

Everybody that comes in. The students, the faculty, everyone’s very nice.

How has cooking affected your life?

It has kept me out of trouble. Cooking has taken me from being a convict to being a sous- chef at another restaurant.

If you were to open your own restaurant, what food would you serve?

Whatever comes to my head. One of my specialties would be called “Whatever’s in the cupboard” because it would be made from whatever’s left in the cupboard. The name of the restaurant would be called “Loaded” because the people that worked there would have cooking knowledge loaded in their head.

What is your favorite dish to cook and why?

Le Cordon Bleu, because it’s handmade. The reason why is because that was the first real recipe I got to make on my own.