CUMBERLAND — UPMC Western Maryland’s Michael “Mike” Fazenbaker is all business in a college classroom at Allegany College of Maryland. With a strong work ethic and a 4.0 GPA, he’s a role model for students of all ages and a model apprentice for the Maryland Department of Labor.
Fazenbaker is part of Maryland’s Hospitality Management Registered Apprenticeship program. As an apprentice, he is a part-time culinary arts student at ACM and a full-time Food and Nutrition Services supervisor at UPMC Western Maryland. His classroom instruction and on-the-job learning are eligible to be subsidized by Maryland Labor. In three years, Fazenbaker will earn an associate degree in culinary arts from ACM.
Fazenbaker is a Cumberland native who entered the hospitality industry after graduating from Fort Hill High School. He worked at the Corner Cafe and Boardwalk Fries before moving to Ocean City. After a year, he moved to Myrtle Beach to work as a cook and kitchen manager for 14 years. He returned to Cumberland and accepted a position as a retail supervisor at UPMC Western Maryland in 2009.
Fazenbaker struggled after losing a loved one, but a coworker, Skye Symons, helped him find his way. “I call her my angel, she changed my life,” said Fazenbaker.
The experience deepened Fazenbaker’s commitment to helping others. “You don’t realize the impact you can have,” he said. “I really like helping people, and people go through a lot here. When we cook, we offer comfort.”
Symons and Fazenbaker continue to work together but now in their home kitchen. The couple married in 2021, and Symons is now Peace Healthcare’s district manager of Food and Nutrition Services. She’s also a 2010 graduate of ACM’s culinary arts program. “She’s been encouraging me to enroll at ACM for years,” Fazenbaker said.
When Kristin Wilkins joined UPMC Western Maryland as the director of Food and Nutrition Services in 2019, she quickly recognized Fazenbaker’s work ethic and caring demeanor. She began discussing how to grow his career.
“He’s talented. We have worked in growing Mike in his supervisory role. He has gained more responsibilities and cross trained in other areas.” Wilkins said.
David “Dave” Sanford, who directs ACM’s culinary arts program, saw Fazenbaker’s talent on display when he visited him in the bustling kitchen at UPMC. “Mike has surrounded himself with good people. He knows how and where to use people’s strengths,” said Sanford.
That knowledge is critically important in a large health care setting, explained Sanford. According to Wilkins, her employees serve 1,600 people each day. In a year’s time, that’s 584,000 individuals.
Wilkins first learned about the Hospitality Management Registered Apprenticeship program in fall 2023 from ACM’s Sanford and Debra Swope, program director of the School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts. She instantly thought of Fazenbaker.
“It was the right program to build on Mike’s strengths,” said Wilkins. She planted the seed with her team and shared information about the program with the hospital’s executive leadership, who responded within minutes. With their blessing, Wilkins navigated the approval process and UPMC became a local business partner in the apprenticeship program.
As program business partners, companies are eligible to receive incentives from the state of Maryland, including the Maryland Apprenticeship Tax Credit, a Sponsor Apprentice Incentive Reimbursement and a Maryland Business Works grant. The incentives can offset the costs of tuition and subsidize on-the-job learning.
“The apprenticeship program builds a pathway to higher-paying positions and helps companies retain their employees,” said Courtney Love, who coordinates the Maryland Department of Labor’s apprenticeship program for ACM. “This is exactly what we expect to see for Mike at UPMC.”
Fazenbaker is taking two courses at Allegany College of Maryland this semester: Food and Beverage Cost Control and Beverage Management. With each course, he moves one step closer to achieving his goals.
To reach Love, email clovecooper@allegany.edu or call 301-784-5407. The college is a registered apprenticeship sponsor for the Maryland Hospitality Management Apprenticeship Program through the Maryland Department of Labor.