Ken Cobb has given up locales like the Playboy Mansion for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon frat at Southern Methodist University. Part of a growing number of highly trained chefs leaving upscale restaurants, country clubs, and even the high table of Hugh Hefner to cook for the college set, Cobb has sacrificed culinary glamor for manageable hours, thankful patrons, and, yes, the occasional living room lacrosse match, the Wall Street Journal reports.
For America's wealthiest fraternities and sororities, cafeteria food won't cut it and students with access to top-tier chefs leave behind cold pizza for duck roasted with cherry sauce and chocolate mousses. While dinner etiquette is sometimes reminiscent of a scene from Animal House and the pay is less, chefs appreciate being appreciated. "It's tough working for high-end people who want you to be their full-time slave," one chef explains. Another fondly remembers a student calling her a "goddess of awesomeness." (More top chefs stories.)