Joe Baker

It just gets in your blood. Growing up around a restaurant will either instill a passion for the field, or enable one to find out that it’s not for them. For Joe Baker, who during his youth spent a lot of time at his family’s restaurant, La Paz, the world of hospitality is definitely a passion.

Joe graduated from Frederick High School in 1999 and then attended Cornell University, earning a degree in hotel and restaurant management with the help of his Frederick High School Centennial Scholarship award. After graduation, he returned to Frederick and worked as a Banquet Manager for Ceresville Mansion. Craving new experiences, Joe decided to move to one of the hospitality capitals of the world – New York City.

Joe’s career has been one of steady “layering” as he has used each experience to lead him to the next. His first job in the “Big Apple” with Restaurant Associates, who contracted staff to Time Warner, Inc., taught him about all aspects of event management, including collaboration with chefs to plan menus, and also exposed him to the media and publishing industry. His interest in food was piqued, and in 2007, Joe attended the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Manhattan and earned a certificate in culinary arts. His on-the-job training experiences at ICE made him realize that being in the kitchen full-time wasn’t the right direction, so he combined his event experience and his exposure to the media world with his newly-earned food knowledge and landed a job at Martha Stewart Living Magazine in the food editorial department. Now, with a variety of experience under his belt, Joe has come full circle and is again employed by Restaurant Associates, in the corporate office as a Project Manager for Catering and Sales. Joe oversees staff that is contracted out to corporate clients just as he once was, and is responsible for training and quality control.

Joe received a scholarship from The Frederick High School Centennial Scholarship Fund, which is awarded based on the character and ability of the applicants. “Joe was selected for this scholarship because he not only possessed positive character traits, but he exhibited them,” said Denise Fargo-Devine, Principal. “Joe’s interactions with other students were those of a compassionate and caring person. He was a student leader, excelled in the rigorous courses, and never had a bad day. I am proud to say that Joe is a graduate of Frederick High School.” Joe says the scholarship was “motivating because I knew I had the support of my hometown as I left Frederick for the first time in my life, and that meant a lot.”

Did growing up around a restaurant environment influence his career choice? “Definitely, yes,” said Joe. “My family’s restaurant has a really strong community spirit behind it, and that was always inspiring.”

Joe’s advice for graduating high school seniors interested in the hospitality field is to always be engaged in their experiences. “Stay open, because everything leads to something else eventually. If you pursue what you are interested in, you’ll always be engaged and motivated to succeed.”