From an early age, Odette Smith-Ransome of Tarentum had an interest in cooking. While other kids were watching cartoons, she was watching Julia Childs' cooking shows on PBS. "When I was 7, I started to watch Julia Childs about three or four times a week," Smith-Ransome said. "I used to sit and take notes and watch what she did." Smith-Ransome describes her mother as an excellent cook. Her family rarely, if ever, went out to eat when she was growing up. Her father would always say, "why go out to eat when you can cook a good meal at home?" Odette took her father's philosophy to heart. When she was 8, she asked her mother if she could help prepare the family dinner -- not just any dinner. It was to celebrate her parents' anniversary. Her mother let Odette prepare the salad and dessert. Odette recalls the excitement she felt to cook for the family. She made lobster salad and white chocolate Bavarian. "I didn't start out with the easy stuff," Smith-Ransome said. "From that day on, everybody in my family decided I was going to be a chef and I continued to help with family meals," Smith-Ransome said. On her next birthday, her parents bought her a 6-inch doll dressed in a chef's uniform. She still has the chef doll today, proudly displayed in the china closet in her dining room. She says the chef doll became somewhat of a motivator for her. She says since she was in grade school, she always knew she wanted to work in the culinary field. Her first job in a restaurant came when she was 15. She had a job as a dishwasher at Janes Restaurant in Allentown. During her teenage years, Odette Smith and her mother had a tumultuous relationship. As a result, she decided to leave home at 16. She dropped out of high school and she and some friends moved to Charleston, S.C. "I knew I was planning to leave home and saved the money I made as a dishwasher," Smith-Ransome said. "When I left, I packed intelligently, as I planned to get a job. I packed interview clothes and an iron." In South Carolina, she took a job as a waitress. She lived and worked there for 3 1/2 years. Around that time, she went to see a palm reader. The palm reader told her she would be going to school for the rest of her life, and she would see many, many graduations. "At the time, this did not make much sense to me, but today it is very clear," Smith-Ransome said. She returned to Pittsburgh at age 20 and took a job as a cook at Palmer's Restaurant in Pittsburgh. She said she "hated it." She described the job as "old-fashioned food service" and said it "lacked creativity." While working at Palmer's, she went back to school to get her GED. She then took a job at Louis Tambellini's Restaurant, which used to be across the street from the P&LE Railroad, now Station Square. She worked there as a cook and had some influence over the menu. She welcomed the opportunity to try new things and create her own recipes. At age 21, she took a job at Cafe Cappuccino in Pittsburgh. There she met Ferdinand Metz, who owned the restaurant. She describes him as "the person who was most influential in my culinary career." "I was lucky to have a lot of strong mentors along the way," Smith-Ransome said. "I think this is why it was important for me to go back to school and, ultimately, become a teacher." Metz was responsible for getting Smith-Ransome involved with the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Chef's Apprenticeship Program through the Community College of Allegheny County. She began her apprenticeship at the former Hyatt, now the Marriott, in Pittsburgh in 1980. This is where she met Bernard Ransome, whom she married in 2000. During her three-year apprenticeship, she had exposure to every aspect of the kitchen. She prepared meals for hotel guests, dignitaries and even royalty. Among those for whom she has prepared meals are TV personality Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Princess Grace of Monaco. "I learned how to prepare dinner for two or 202," Smith-Ransome said. "I learned the responsibilities for over 39 different positions." In 1982, two months before she graduated from the apprenticeship program with an associate's degree in culinary arts, she and Bernard celebrated the birth of their daughter, Lauren. Smith-Ransome continued to work at the Hyatt for another year. She then accepted a position as the private chef to the chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. "This was a tremendous experience," Smith-Ransome said. "I was in charge of preparing meals for the chancellor, his family and staff as well as any dignitaries that might visit. I needed to get an FBI clearance to work there." In addition to daily meals, Smith-Ransome prepared the food for all special events at the home of the chancellor. Some events were attended by as many as 350 guests. Smith-Ransome began studying vocational and special education at Pitt. In 1987, she was awarded a Chancellor's Fellowship to do a study on vocational education for students with special needs. She developed a slide presentation to be used by vocational educators to incorporate special-needs students into their classrooms. During her time at Pitt, she did her student teaching at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), where she taught home cooking to students with special needs. "I enjoyed the challenge at UCP," Smith-Ransome said. "It was a very rewarding experience." She graduated cum laude from Pitt in 1987 with a bachelor's of science in vocational education and a minor in special education. The next year, Smith-Ransome became a culinary arts instructor and placement officer at Bidwell Training Center Inc. There she trained displaced workers between the ages of 24 and 65 in culinary arts. She also established a placement program for the school. She worked there for six years. She spent the next 10 years working as a culinary arts instructor at the AFL-CIO Appalachian Council Pittsburgh Job Corps Center. There she taught vocational education in culinary arts and baking to disadvantaged youths ages 16-24. "People thought I was crazy when I took the job at Job Corps, but I truly loved the kids," Smith-Ransome said. "I had the opportunity to put the students in competition against other Job Corps and it was a lot of fun. We competed against 13 Job Corps from Maine to Puerto Rico and brought home the gold medal." In 2002, she accepted her current position with the culinary arts faculty of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. "I feel at home at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh," Smith-Ransome said. "It certainly keeps me busy." Smith-Ransome teaches both in the classroom and online at the Art Institute and is involved in curriculum development. She is active with student competitions and trips and is also involved with textbook publication and research. "I think I was destined to be an educator," Smith-Ransome said. "The evolution of my life began as a dishwasher, then a waitress, then a cook, and then a chef. I taught vocational education and then higher education and now I teach in cyberspace." Smith-Ransome, 51, is currently studying for her master's in education and curriculum development at Penn State. "I guess the palm reader really knew what she was talking about when she said I was going to be going to school for the rest of my life," Smith-Ransome said. "Who goes to more graduations than a teacher?" Odette says she didn't see the true value of her chef's doll when she first got it. "I thought, 'Cool, they got me a chef doll because I like to cook," Smith-Ransome said. "As I got older, everything started to make sense," Smith-Ransome said. "I evolved into the person I am today because I followed the path of the chef doll."

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---