Spending every weekend for two years in culinary degree program isn’t something you’d expect from a 50-year-old businessman.

But after his wife took him on a birthday trip to the Culinary Institute of America, Colby Rottler said, “I decided I wanted to go to culinary school. It was something fun to do. I always enjoyed cooking.”

Rottler, a Mattapoisett resident, enrolled in Johnson and Wales University in Providence and graduated with honors.

“My children came to see me graduate,” said Rottler, also a grandfather of nine.

“The most memorable moment came when someone said, ‘Hey Chef, I’ve got a question,’” said Rottler. “I looked around and realized he was talking to me.”

Although the new chef had no plans to shift his career path so near to retirement, he did begin teaching classes and is now a private chef under the company title Commanding Cuisine. “My wife’s the chairman of my company. I’m just her employee,” said Rottler.

Rottler enjoyed working at a restaurant during his degree program, but with the long hours on your feet he said, “That’s a young man’s job.”

The chef prefers to teach classes of eight to ten people and cook for groups.

“You meet a lot of nice people—mothers and daughters, boyfriends and girlfriends, all kind of people,” he said.

Among Rottler classes are cooking basics, appetizers, comfort foods, and ‘beyond chicken soup,’ some of which are coming to Mattapoisett in the winter.

Rottler’s classes have something for brownie-in-a-box bakers and gourmands.

“My recipes only have a few ingredients, but they’re not technically challenging,” he said.

Over the years, Rottler said he’s adjusted his cooking to be healthier.

“I took all my recipes and changed them around,” he said. “The flavor and quality are there but the calories are lower.”

Beyond frequent cooking classes, Rottler and his wife Marie are also avid ballroom dancers and won a competition through the Veteran’s Association.

“Somebody said after you retire you have to stay busy. I want to be able to cook, I want to be able to make things for people, I want to be able to have fun,” said Rottler.

“I want to be able to sit on the floor with my grandchildren and get back up again.”

Rottler will teach a cooking basics class and an appetizers class through Mattapoisett Recreation this winter.

Chef Colby Rottler will teach a cooking basics class and an appetizers class through Mattapoisett Recreation this winter. For more information, visit Mattapoisett Recreation's website here. For more information on Rottler and his private chef services, visit his website here.