Mr. Profetto is a well known and loved teacher at EHHS! But, he wasn’t always a part of the faculty… John Profetto kicked off his culinary journey with a 30-year career in the restaurant business, alongside his wife, Heather Profetto. They did, however, end up selling their restaurant, Rainbow Gardens, in October 2019, just before the COVID-19 outbreak. The couple decided it would be best since they were both experiencing medical issues at the time. Transitioning to EHHS was the perfect opportunity to still do what they love in a less physically demanding and stressful environment.
Their restaurant, Rainbow Gardens, located in the center of Milford Connecticut, was known for its salads and quiches, and was a favorite among women in the area, earning the nickname “old lady gardens.” Mr. Profetto stated, “We had a ton of bridal and baby showers. And, you know, that was our niche.” He mainly handled the business aspects, while Mrs. Profetto was the head chef, dealing with all the culinary elements. Bookkeeping, payroll, and finance were Mr. Profetto’s main jobs, along with bartending. He expressed how much he “absolutely loved” bartending during the restaurant’s duration. It’s safe to say that the Profettos maintained a successful and beloved business, which became a staple in the community for decades.
Prior to owning a restaurant, Mr. Profetto was a business major and had no prior experience with cooking or baking, so you’d be surprised to find out that he learned all his knowledge about culinary from his wife, Mrs. Profetto! He prefers and feels more comfortable teaching baking, and wants students to know that he’s “a big stickler on measurements, and those are skills that will carry over into anything.” He said, “I’m not trying to make people great bakers, I’m trying to make them people who know how to follow directions and are precise about things.” Mr. Profetto’s class, Production Bakeshop, is for students who have an interest in culinary, and are ready to learn some lifelong skills.
If you’ve ever watched the Food Network show, “Chopped,” you might’ve seen the Profetto’s family version episode, “Family Affair”, in which they competed against each other until the final round to reveal “the best chef” within the family. Mr. Profetto stated, “They put us up in New York City for two nights, and we had to be in the studio at 6:00AM, and we were there until like 8:30PM. Filming was around 14 hours.” A great effort was put into this production and is definitely worth checking out!
Aside from Mr. Profetto’s career in the culinary world and job at EHHS, he enjoys tinkering! He mentioned, “Anything that’s broken, I love to take apart and try and fix. That’s my passion.” He even built a chicken coop for his and Mrs. Profetto’s chickens! All in all, Mr. Profetto isn’t just a culinary instructor at our school, he’s a business man, husband, father, tinkerer, and an inspiration to many.
