Kolbe Hoppa fell in love with cooking. It’s a love that developed later in his life, but once he started doing it, it was love at first bite.
“I didn’t really start cooking until I was on my own in college,” Hoppa said. “I started cooking and I was like, ‘Man, I really like this.’ And then I got a kitchen job and just fell in love.”
Hoppa, a line cook at Silver Fox Steakhouse, started his career working at Lovejoys in Laramie, Wyoming. He was the kitchen manager there, but in an effort to learn and grow, he applied to be a line cook at Silver Fox.
Now, as the line cook at Silver Fox, we wanted to get to know him a little bit so we asked him a series of questions to find out more about the man behind the apron.
Name: Kolbe Hoppa
Title: Line Cook
Tenure: 9 Months
Hobbies: Weightlifting, movies, and reading: “I love reading and have even started a little book club with another cook here at Silver Fox!”
Why Are You in Casper:
“To cook! I put in an application and then I had my interview with Bernard. That went pretty well. I told him everything that I could do, pretty much and then I started out here and I was kind of shocked. There’s a lot more adapting that I’ve had to do while working here, and that’s nice. That’s what I was looking for.”
Why Did You Want to be a Cook:
“I didn’t really start cooking until I was on my own in college,” Hoppa said. “I started cooking and I was like, ‘Man, I really like this.’ And then I got a kitchen job and just fell in love.”
First Station:
“Oven and Salads. I handled salads and anything that goes in the oven. Timing them, pulling them out, making sure they’re at the right temperature, that kind of thing. It’s very high volume, but it’s super easy.”
What was Your First Impression of Chef Bernard:
“I was definitely intimidated when I first met Chef. He’s an interesting kind of perfectionist. He can find something from across the room and be like, ‘Hey, you’re not doing that right.’ It makes sense though. This is his company and his brand and his restaurant and he wants everything to come out the way that he wants, and I respect that.
What is Your Relationship with the Rest of the Silver Fox Staff:
“It’s definitely a family feel. Everybody is here with their own unique stories and somehow we all manage to get along, even with our conflicting personalities and everything. We all still come together to get the job done and to try to have fun while doing it.
Favorite Part of the Job:
“Honestly, for me, it’s the challenge of it all. I’m just trying to get perfect, really. And this is one of the best places to go because we’re almost always busy. I always have something to do and I can always focus on improving my skills as we go on, day-by-day.
Biggest Inspiration:
Chef Roy Choy; I love his philosophies on food and how food and culture intertwine, and how important food is to everybody’s culture. I love that aspect of cooking.”
What Makes Silver Fox Stand Out:
“One thing about Silver Fox is that, when you come here, you’re getting a big piece of Bernard. Everything here is made with a lot of respect and a lot of love – as much as we, the line cooks, can put into it. We’re sharing a little bit of that Wyoming steakhouse culture any time somebody walks in to enjoy this home cooking. We’re sharing a little bit of ourselves.”