Roger Chylinski, 61, started the Baltimore International College in 1972 after developing a daytime food management program at the Community College of Baltimore, attending the Culinary Institute of America and working for Mermaid Tavern and Terrytown House in his native Connecticut. He earned his bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Baltimore, his master’s in marketing from Morgan State University and his doctorate in business management from La Salle University in Philadelphia.

Q What inspired you to start a culinary school?

A Growing up, every Saturday morning, I made breakfast, pancakes and eggs for my family, and I loved doing it. But what I loved the most was hearing them say, “This is good.” In high school, I worked at a diner, and I really liked the multi-tasking. I liked doing 10 different things at once. After I moved to Baltimore, I developed a proposal to set up a free standing culinary arts school. Then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer said this coincided with the economic development of the Inner Harbor.

Q Why did you start a branch campus in Ireland?

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A We had a joint program with Lavarenne Cooking School in Paris with syndicated food writer Ann Willan. I said I bet we could do something in Europe for cheaper. We found this perfect hotel in Ireland with a nine-hole golf course, horses, stables and cottages. We integrate the students, and then they get practical experience dealing with guests. We have this wonderful combination of an urban campus not two blocks from the Inner Harbor and a 100-acre country estate.

Q Why are you requiring students — starting next year — to visit the Ireland campus in order to graduate?

A In our world, because of transportation and technology, the distances are meaningless now. It helps people understand a global approach.

Q Are you more of a chef or a businessman or a teacher?

A All of the above [laughs]. I’m doing what I love to do. I don’t get bored and do the same thing day after day. I like taking on calculated risks and challenges.

Q Any advice for aspiring chefs?

A Don’t do it because of the money but because of the passion that you have. Don’t be inflexible, and don’t give up if it’s your passion. Every mistake is a lesson.

Q What’s your favorite dish to cook? Your favorite to eat?

A I did fresh dough pizza last night. I do a pork tenderloin with some green peppers from the garden. I like to eat prime rib. Growing up, my uncles were hunters, and my grandmother would cook their catches. We’d eat eels, rabbits, squirrels and lambs’ brains.

Q Do you watch cooking shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Iron Chef”?

A I can’t get enough of them. I love Paula Dean, Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Julia Child. They all own restaurants, and I’m amazed at their energy levels. They not only maintain full schedules but also run restaurant empires.

Q Do you think their shows inspire more people to attend culinary school?

A I can’t believe the awareness factor doesn’t play a part.

Q What’s next for your school?

A We have a 45,000-square-foot building in Little Italy, and we will renovate it in 2010 for classroom space. We have another facility in East Baltimore that we are just in the talking stages of renovating for educational purposes.

FAST FACTS

» Enrollment: 750.

» Degrees offered: associate’s and bachelor’s in cooking; bachelor’s in culinary management and hospitality management; master’s in hospitality management.

» Degree breakdown: 75 percent cooking, 25 percent hospitality management.

» Tuition: $8,131 per semester.

» Fees: $4,123 (includes buying lab equipment, Ireland trip).

» Average student age: 26.

» Median student age: 19.

» Student population: 51 percent female, 48 percent male.

» College restaurant: Bay Atlantic Club, 206 East Redwood St., Baltimore

Source: Baltimore International College

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

» David Hartung, personal chef of former Gov. Robert Ehrlich.

» Nancy Longo, owner of Pierpoint Restaurant, Fells Point.

» Ted Stelzenmuller, owner of Jack’s Bistro, Canton.

» Doug Anderson, executive chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington.

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com

The Examiner is taking a look at colleges and universities throughout the state. Click here to read the entire series.