HISTORY
A Tale of Passion and Involvement
“My goal was to share my knowledge and
dreams with my colleagues, and I found
that by joining these professional groups
as an active member, I was fertilizing my
own career and mentoring others,” he says.
Then the family bakery, Buzzeo’s, expanded
to two locations and also opened a catering
facility. So Masi, who turns 72 this month,
attended Food & Maritime Trades High
School in New York, where he took culinary
and butchery classes to support the catering
business. He went on to do additional
training at several New York culinary schools
and restaurants before entering the job
market, and would spend the next several
years working summers as an executive chef
in Lake George, N. Y., and winters as a baker
and pastry chef in Florida.
The 1965 ACF National Convention was
held in conjunction with the National
Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant
Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago, and in his
role as ACF Education Director, Masi
represented the organization at a banquet.
There, he met CIA President Jacob
Rosenthal, who invited him to visit the school.
That summer, while working in Lake George,
he met Paul Spitler, chairman of the board.
retail bakeries that have been replaced by
large chains. That trend, he says, could well
challenge today’s students. “The stronger the
chains get, the harder it will be to get training
by working. It means you have to get your
training at a school or in an apprenticeship
program. It means you have to work
extremely hard to take your education and
convert it to a professional level.”
Masi
“He convinced me to leave the high school
and start a career at the CIA,” Masi says.
“I continue to enjoy a relationship with the
CIA that has lasted 45 years— 36 years in
teaching and administration and the balance
as an Ambassador, a Heritage Professor
and, now, as an Emissary. These positions
have allowed me to support ACF, RBA,
SkillsUSA and NRA educational programs.”
Masi advises young culinarians to get
involved in their chosen profession. “Start
work as early as possible in foodservice,
read trade magazines and books, visit
supermarkets and evaluate the quality of
produce, and study the meat, poultry and
fish area. Cook at home as often as possible
and visit restaurants as your budget allows.
And when you enroll for postsecondary
education, check out the dollars spent on the
educational market basket and the number
of educators and their years of experience.
The guiding principal for success is a solid
foundation of fundamentals.”
As idyllic as that sounds, a different kind
of culinary career beckoned. “After several
years of working at resorts, I was ready to
stay in New York, so I went back to Food &
Maritime Trades High School and applied
for a teaching position,” Masi says. “I passed
the license exam and was hired in 1963.”
And, he wants to see young people get
involved in professional organizations. “ACF
offers networking, education, camaraderie
and mentorship,” Masi says. “Young
culinarians must be active participants
and make a long-term commitment to the
organization. ACF is the moisture, fertilizer
and sunshine to grow their dreams and goals.”
The National Culinary Review | June 2010
The move to education was right for
Masi, and it would allow him to contribute
in meaningful ways to the professional
organizations to which he belonged. He
joined ACF unofficially while attending high
school, and in 1960, he joined the New
York City ACF chapter, and in 1962, ACF
Long Island Chapter. He later founded the
Mid Hudson Culinary Association, where
he is still a member. He is a member of
Retail Bakers Association (RBA) and the
Honorable Order of the Golden Toque.
Remaining involved is important to Masi.
“I have gained a network of professional
colleagues, educators and apprentices from
all 50 states and 36 countries who have
shared their knowledge, skills, dreams and
hospitality with me,” he says. In return, Masi
has participated in a slew of professional
activities, including as administrator of the
first five certified master chef exams at the
CIA. He has served on ACF’s accreditation
and apprenticeship committees and acted
as a liaison between ACF and the RBA.
He is the author of Baking Fundamentals
(Prentice Hall, 2006). Masi also served two
terms as ACF national treasurer.
He has seen profound changes during his
more than a half-century in the business, but
closest to his heart is the fate of many small
As for Masi’s dreams and goals, many of
them have been realized, but that doesn’t
mean he’s easing up on his involvement
in foodservice. Today, while he enjoys
retirement in Plymouth, Mass., he’s still at the
forefront of culinary matters. “My passion,”
he says, “is to take the farmer’s bounty to
the table for nourishment and enjoyment by
families, friends and colleagues, and, by the
proper application of a cooking or baking
principal, create wholesome natural foods
enjoyed with good bread and wine.”
