帝王会所

Denis Flaschner came to 帝王会所 as a first-year English major in 2000. Seeking an intensive experience, he transferred to the Honors Tutorial College (HTC) as a sophomore, where he completed all his coursework with one exception: to graduate, he would need to complete a thesis project.

After leaving Athens, Flaschner moved around the country, building a career as a chef in commercial kitchens. He settled in San Francisco in 2014, but he hadn鈥檛 forgotten about that honor鈥檚 thesis.

鈥淚t was always somewhat hanging in the back of my mind,鈥� Flaschner said. 鈥淟ike, someday you're going to stop working in the kitchen and maybe you'll finish.鈥� 

Someday came in February 2020. After quitting his restaurant job, Flaschner decided to contact HTC to inquire about the possibility of completing his degree.  

鈥淚 reached out saying, 鈥楬i, remember me?鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淭he wheels started turning as far as getting in touch with the right people.鈥�

Of course, COVID-19 would throw a slight wrench in the plan 鈥� it took a few weeks to solidify his re-enrollment, but Flaschner made the most of the delay.

鈥淒uring all that time I was brainstorming,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat would your thesis be about? You're going to have to pitch something, you know. And it better be good because no one there knows you anymore. I went through a couple ideas but I really wanted to incorporate my personal experience.鈥�

Flaschner said his years in the restaurant industry had become a larger part of his identity than he had realized, and he wanted to use that experience to inform his thesis. 

The resulting 105-page work, 鈥淭he (Heart of) Darkness in Anthony Bourdain鈥檚 Kitchen Confidential,鈥� incorporates Flaschner鈥檚 personal narrative along with literary criticism and analysis. The writing process took just over a year, during which Flaschner re-acquainted himself with the terms and concepts he would use to create 鈥渂y far the biggest thing鈥� he had ever written.

鈥淚t was kind of scary. I needed to refresh the memory bank as far as how to use the vocabulary properly,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 made my own glossary of terms so I could make sure that when I did go to write, I would have the correct instincts and I wasn't constantly searching a thesaurus.鈥�

The English department connected Flaschner with Professor Thomas Scanlan, who served as his thesis advisor and asked for a few writing samples before the two began working together.

Scanlan said the samples revealed several things about Flaschner and the thesis he was planning.

鈥淔irst, I knew I was reading the work of a brilliant analytical mind,鈥� Scanlan said. 鈥淚 also knew that this guy could write! Finally, I knew that he had a story to tell and that he would tell it with a distinctive voice. The only thing that gave me pause or concern was the question of whether he would be able to finish an entire honors thesis in one semester.鈥�

Scanlan said his reservation came from the scope of Flaschner鈥檚 proposal.

鈥淚 told him that what he was envisioning was a book, not an honors thesis,鈥� Scanlan said.

When the two began work on the ambitious project in the spring of 2021, Scanlan set out ground rules that included a minimum weekly page count and a check-in at week seven. If the project was still too big at that point, Flaschner would have to 鈥渃ut everything but the most essential parts.鈥�

When week seven arrived, Scanlan found that his student had figured out how to narrow the scope of the project. 

鈥淭he result was a really wonderful piece of writing that hung together amazingly well,鈥� Scanlan said. 鈥淥ne of the things I liked best about the final product was that it told part of Denis鈥檚 story of his journey from student to chef and back to being a student again. And it did this while delivering a brilliant analysis of the work of Anthony Bourdain and his relationship to Joseph Conrad. Now that it鈥檚 all finished, I actually miss our weekly conversations.鈥�

Flaschner also appreciated the virtual meetings.

鈥淚 think the best part was just getting that time with Dr. Scanlan,鈥� Flaschner said. 鈥淚f you added it all up, we were probably on Zoom or on Teams for, like, 13 or 14 hours. To have him as my audience the whole time was unique and special and that was definitely the best part.鈥�

In addition to Scanlan, Flaschner said two people especially deserve the credit for supporting him through this process: his wife Malinda and his mom, Laura Dubek, who finished her doctorate while Flaschner was growing up. She knew this was an achievement worth celebrating.

鈥淢y mom did a Zoom meeting where she brought in different people from my life,鈥� Flaschner said. 鈥淢y little nieces were the hosts and they would make me guess who the guests were, like my high school English teacher and Dr. Scanlan both came on.鈥�

Flaschner said he could not have completed the thesis without his wife Malinda. 

鈥淣ot everybody has the chance to do this, to just stop and enter their own intellectual bubble,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 understand that that is quite a gift to get, for a year of your life to be able to do that, and I couldn't do it without the material comfort that being with my wife provided me, and then of course of all the [emotional] support.鈥�

Flaschner said the process of reconnecting with a program after so many years was a pleasant surprise.

鈥淚 honestly was not expecting to be welcomed back,鈥� he said. 鈥淸But HTC said], 鈥楬ere's somebody鈥檚 professional time to read your stuff,鈥� and, 鈥榊es we want you to finish.鈥� That's pretty special, I recognize that. It鈥檚 really valuable. What HTC does is definitely important.鈥�

Flaschner鈥檚 persistence and unique perspective stood out to HTC Dean Donal Skinner.

鈥淒enis is only the second student in my 30 years in academia who has stopped out for so long to come back and finish,鈥� Skinner said. 鈥淚 admire his drive and desire to return and then produce an exceptional thesis that was also able to draw on his rich experiences in the culinary world. We are extremely proud to welcome him into our community of HTC graduates.鈥�

Flaschner also said that his life experience was also a critical part of the endeavor.

鈥淭here's no way I would have had this take on Bourdain or even Heart of Darkness if I hadn't been on the front lines of the working class for this long. It definitely shaped my perspective and it's one that there's no way I would have had 20 years ago.鈥�

He has some advice for other former OHIO students who might be considering a return to academics.

鈥淎nyone who's walked away, and is working: you have a special point of view, and you can leverage that or lean into it, because it's going to be interesting,鈥� he said.

Flaschner鈥檚 thesis was accepted by the HTC committee. He has been approved for graduation in spring 2021.