Chef Rene Helit
Chef Rene Helit is Filipino who's born and raised from the beautiful island of Guam. He is a "chefpreneur" and runs his own solo, private chef service in Austin, TX. He is a product of both Guam ProStart and GCC's Culinary Arts program. He has been in the field for about nine years and is continually growing. He started his journey in the pastry and breads field until he took the leap to leave Guam to work for Norwegian Cruise Line. He learned all hot station he could there before moving to Austin, TX where his other half is from. Now as a private chef, he is continuing on advancing his skills with the joy of making his own food.
Certifications: ServSafe Managers Certification, ACF Certified Culinarian, A.A. in Culinary Arts.
​
​
Culinary Knowledge
Chef Rene started his journey through the ProStart program at Simon Sanchez High School. The main reason he joined was because he did not like cafeteria food. He then learned to admire foods with a different perspective.
​
He then had nothing to think about when it came to college. His dreams of cinematography was never going to happen, so he went off to Guam Community College and continued studying Culinary Arts, directed by Chef Paul Kerner. Graduated in 2016 with his Associate of Arts in Culinary Arts. These three years with the program has gave him a solid foundation that was well needed for his next step in life and throughout his career.
A Leap of Faith
Chef Rene has been in numerous jobs since from high school to the end of his college. From interning at Fiesta Resort, to cooking pizzas at a bowling alley, to making coffees, to doing pastries at the Sheraton, to crew leading for Cinnabon, to helping open a bakery, and to doing baker's work at the Hyatt.
​
Upon graduating, there were news about job fairs for Norwegian Cruise Line. He has been hearing about this since high school, and he figured that this happening was a sign! What perfect timing. He took the leap of faith and left his home island to work for Norwegian Cruise Line.
He worked on the Pride of America - Norwegian Cruise Line for two years before deciding to go back to land. Through out his journey there, he applied skills from college and learned how to be worked to the bone. 10-16 hour shifts, taught him how to work faster and be stronger in this field. In due time, he has worked around 20 different cook stations on this ship. This high work load on hot foods, created his new work foundation to carry out to the land.
​
​
Austin, TX
Chef Rene left the cruise ship life to start a new life on land. It was time for him to apply all his new skills and knowledge in a new setting. He relocated to Austin, TX for his other half, whom he met and worked with on the cruise ship. He tackled a new job at the Driskill Hotel then moved to an Italian restaurant where he got his first Sous Chef position. This has paved more doors for him.
​
However, due to some circumstances, he left the Italian restaurant to reevaluate himself and his skills. He then took his first step to being a private chef. He joined a company called, Dinner Elf, which was an affordable meal prep company. It was not long after that he took the next leap into starting his own business.
Chef Rene Helit runs his own solo private chef service. He does meal planning and prep, private dinners, and small-in home parties. He specializes in International cuisines and can help you create the perfect menu for you weekly meals or your special occasions.
Any Questions?
Here's your time to ask chef any questions you would like to ask him whether it is about his schooling, his career path, the cruise ship, or about his business. Don't be shy, we're just on camera!