Flipping Forward
When a 14-year-old Bryce Lindholm clocked into his first job as a line cook at Flakey Jakes, a now-defunct American restaurant in Bellevue, he unknowingly began a decades-long career in the culinary world.
Since those days flipping burgers in a 1980s diner, Lindholm has worked all across North America as a restaurant owner, a traveling chef and manager, and a restaurant consultant. His endeavors have landed him in New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Turks and Caicos, Antigua, Hawaii, Miami, Orlando, Key West, Boston, LA, San Diego, Madison, Seattle, and a number of other locations.
Starting in June, Lindholm began spending more time on the UPrep campus working for FB LLC, the catering service that he jointly owns with Felicia Lindholm, who is also a familiar face on campus.
A Long Time Cooking
Lindholm knew he wanted to be a chef from age six. While he jests that he would have advised his fourteen year old self to avoid ever stepping foot into the culinary world, Lindholm has “no regrets” in his career choices.
“I do this because I love it. And it’s the reason I’ve been able to do it. You should never do something that you are unhappy doing. Period,” Lindholm said. “Life’s too short…and there’s no reason to do anything that makes you miserable.”
That being said, his career has not been an easy one.
“There is a lot of hard work and effort that goes into this. And sometimes I have wondered if that same effort applied to other industries–I have always wondered what that result may have been,” Lindholm said.
From Kitchen to Consultant to the Commons Cafe
In 1996, when Lindholm was in his twenties, he moved to Alabama with Felicia Lindholm to operate an Italian restaurant. The move would be the first of many; after a short stay in Alabama, Lindholm began a career as a traveling chef and manager, filling roles as a chef or manager, helping to troubleshoot logistical issues and solving other problems in restaurants. During this time, Lindholm lived all over the United States, working for restaurant chains such as Mortin’s the Steakhouse and with chefs such as Tim Kelley of The Painted Table. Lindholm also spent some time in Seattle during this phase of his career, working in Seattle locations such as the Columbia Tower Club, the Bellevue club and the Painted Table at the Alexis Hotel.
It was during this time that Lindholm was able to “learn more about the industry and get a real handle on it,” encountering the different styles and techniques of the many chefs he worked with.
A couple of years later, Lindholm got into general operations and development, and then entered the field of regional development, overseeing several restaurant locations in their operations. Lindholm then began managing hotel and resort restaurants, which eventually gave way to his career in restaurant consulting. Lindholm enjoyed this phase of his career, but his managerial positions meant that he would no longer be working in kitchens. He would miss “[t]he energy, the activity” of the kitchen, where “things are always moving–always different.”
Since around 2000, Lindholm has primarily worked as a restaurant consultant, working with resorts, hotels and entertainment facilities to maximize the profitability of their food and beverage divisions. This involved working with chefs to refine menus and recipes, analyzing sale trends, revising logistical plans and ingredient sourcing and working with financing and banqueting departments.
Among the many acclaimed companies Lindholm worked with are the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, the Sea Island Resort on St. Simon Island, Amanyara in the Turks and Caicos, the Bohlsen Restaurant Group and the Four Seasons. Lindholm also collaborated with several notable chefs such as Terrance Brennan and Jose Andreas. During this time, Lindholm would live rent-free in the resorts he worked for. Not a bad gig, he noted.
But those twenty long, and mostly enjoyable, years on the road came to an end when Lindholm decided he wanted to “wind down a little bit.” Since last June, Lindholm has spent more time operating FB LLC, which serves not only the UPrep community, but also does outside catering and donates to several charities.
At UPrep, Lindholm has been able to return to the kitchen and also work at the cashier. The latter position has allowed Lindholm to get to know many students, who have come to know Lindholm as a familiar and cordial face in the commons.
Homecoming
After a two decade long voyage across North America, Lindholm is back in his hometown. Through all the places he’s lived, Seattle is his favorite–high praise for the Emerald City from a man who has lived in over twenty places.
Through all of his moving, Lindholm hasn’t lost his allegiance to Seattle sports teams, which he is happy to discuss with students trickling through the commons. Additionally, Lindholm is, as one might expect, quite the foody and is happy to impart his 20 years worth of knowledge on the UPrep community. So, if you ever need a recipe, Lindholm is your man.
