From washing dishes in the Netherlands to cooking in a Michelin three-star restaurant in New York to studying at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business toward a possible future in investment banking, Charles Verheggen’s career path has been a bit unconventional.
Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Verheggen chose a college in the Netherlands to learn more about his family’s Dutch roots. However, the economics major discovered passion and talent for cooking when he landed a job as a dishwasher at Calla’s, a one-star restaurant in The Hague.
Verheggen, right, studies another chef’s technique in the kitchen. He discovered a zest for cooking and rose from a dishwasher to a chef tournant, a mid-level chef who supports the other chefs. (Contributed photo)
“It’s a pretty low-level task, and I loved it,” he said.
Verheggen dove headfirst into kitchen culture, discovering a zest for challenges, and moved into the kitchen. He had to pick up Dutch quickly, and the kitchen camaraderie made the pressure of upholding Michelin standards worth the stress.
“They are aggressive workplaces,” said Verheggen, describing one instance when he was salting a dish with three fingers, and a senior chef smacked his hand and demanded that he use two fingers for salting perfection.
“It’s a consequence of the constant pressure,” Verheggen said. “There are a lot of things that are out of your control, so they try to control everything down to how their employee is salting this specific dish.”
The Michelin Guide, launched in 1900 by the Michelin Tire Company, originally aimed to boost car travel and tire sales in France, highlighting great places to stop for a meal. It evolved into a prestigious culinary guide, awarding coveted stars that are globally recognized as symbols of quality. Reflecting its road roots, the guide awards one star for a great restaurant worth stopping for, two stars for an excellent restaurant worth a detour, and three stars for an exceptional restaurant worth a special trip just for the dining experience.
Through his mentor chef at Calla’s, Verheggen had the opportunity to do unpaid internships at a handful of three-star Michelin restaurants, including Noma in Copenhagen, Le Bernardin in New York and eventually Eleven Madison Park in New York.
Verheggen relaxes as an undergraduate student in The Hague, Netherlands, a time when he first discovered his passion for cooking. (Contributed photo)
He came onboard Eleven Madison Park when the restaurant, which was awarded the No. 1 spot by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2017, was redefining itself as a vegan restaurant with the goal of being the only restaurant in the world to earn three Michelin stars without using animal products.
“The night we earned the stars ... we were elated. It was a great celebration. It was probably the most rewarding moment in my career,” he said.
In about 36 months, Verheggen rose through the ranks, working every station as “chef de partie,” managing a specific section of the kitchen, and ultimately training people at all stations as “chef tournant,” a mid-level chef who supports all of the other chefs. He found the tight bonds of the kitchen and the satisfaction of a job well done under pressure compelling.
After Eleven Madison Park, Verheggen struck out with some colleagues to open a restaurant in Brooklyn. As adept as he was at running a kitchen, he realized he didn’t know important aspects of the business side of things.
“There were a lot of things that were out of my depth,” he said. “I think that’s when I started applying to business school, when I realized, ‘Oh, I don’t know how to pitch to investors. I don’t really know how to apply for a small business loan, but this is what we have to do.’”
He came to the Darden School to bridge the gap.
“It was a great way to pivot,” said Verheggen. “They didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that I had worked what was effectively a blue-collar job. ... That was something that they saw as being unique and could add value in the classroom.”
Verheggen, who is slated to graduate in 2026 with an MBA, poses at the Darden School. He recently accepted an offer to work as a summer associate at JP Morgan Chase & Co.’s consumer and retail investment banking group. (Photo by Caroline Mackey)
Now Verheggen is looking to make the unconventional switch from chef to investment banker. He said the skills he is learning at the Darden School could have helped him in the past, but he is excited about how they will serve him in the future.
Communication is a big one. He realized in a case about managing a boss’s expectations he could have communicated more effectively in some of those situations.
