Harrison Hill is a New York-based Google strategic partnerships development manager and culinary student.
Courtesy of Alan Barnett
Harrison Hill, a strategic partnerships development manager at Google shared his daily routine.
In 2022, Hill enrolled in culinary school and Google paid a portion of his school fee.
Hill said he's energized by both his tech career and cooking journey.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Harrison Hill, a strategic partnerships development manager at Google and culinary student, based in New York City, about his daily work routine. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
After returning to the office in August 2022, I decided to apply to the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE) to foster my passion for food while keeping the job I love at Google.
Hill works during the day and attends culinary school at night.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
I feel fortunate that Google supports employees pursuing interests beyond the workplace. In my case, Google even contributed funding for cooking school.
Hill has cooking class three days a week.
Courtesy of Harrison Hill
I start my day around 7 a.m. with a whole milk iced latte from Solid State, my favorite coffee shop on the Upper West Side.
Hill grabbing a drink from Solid State.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
Then I return home and have Greek yogurt for breakfast. I check my calendar to assess the day ahead and answer urgent emails.
Hill responds to a few urgent emails early in the morning.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
My home office includes a stainless steel prep counter that doubles as a standing desk. I recently got into TikTok, so I have a ring light to shoot cooking videos as well.
Hill has a food and workstation just outside his kitchen.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
The bottom shelf of my prep counter houses my cooking essentials: KitchenAid mixer, Vitamix, spice grinder, Cuisinart, and an Anova chamber vacuum sealer for sous vide cooking.
Hill perfects his culinary skills at home with proper cooking tools.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
In the mornings, I speak to clients in Poland, before heading to the gym. In the evenings I chat with clients in LA.
Hill connects with clients located in later time zones, earlier in the day.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
At 7:30 a.m., I head to a nearby gym to workout with my trainer, Julia Derek. Early workouts can be tough, but I try to exercise at least twice a week — on days when I work from home.
Google offers a hybrid remote and in-person work schedule.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
After working out, I head home to shower and pack up my chef's whites (uniform). Then I go to the office.
Hill checking his fridge before leaving for work.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
I've worked full-time at Google for four years and I'm currently a strategic partnerships development manager, which is basically relationship management. I use my commute to check my inbox and read up on industry news.
Hill checks his phone during his commute to work.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
The Google office in Hudson Square — a neighborhood on the West Side of Manhattan between TriBeCa, Greenwich Village, and Soho — is just a 25-minute subway ride from my apartment.
New York City houses Google's second largest office.
After arriving to the office around 9:15 a.m., I greet coworkers and drop off my bag and cooking-school gear at my desk.
Hill's work desk.
Courtesy of Harrison Hill
Next, I like to seek out a quiet spot to get started on my work. I like to tackle the day's most difficult tasks first. In my role, I work primarily on programmatic integrations.
Hill working in a small Google meeting room.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
My job focuses on Google's authorized buyers, which allows advertisers and agencies — using a demand-side platform — to buy ad space on apps and websites through automated real-time auctions.
Hill can take client calls from this Google phone room.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
By 10:30 a.m., I join a colleague for a much needed matcha break. My coworker Megan catches me up on her vacation and we talk deal strategies for the coming quarter.
Hill meets with his coworker in a Google cafe.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
A typical day at the office includes a combination of bi-weekly client calls and one-on-ones with solutions architects. By mid-day I pause to refuel in one of Google's cafés.
Solutions architects implement technical solutions for Google clients.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
After lunch, I head back to my desk to log feature requests in real time as I get feedback from customers for a quarterly business review.
Google offers employees free food, beverages, and snacks.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
I like to stay engaged by moving around the office. One of my favorite spots is this roof deck. I love that I can be outside during the day, weather permitting.
Google's Hudson office has a roof area.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
Sometimes if I need a pick-me-up, I'll grab a Snickers from the micro-kitchen.
Google's micro-kitchen has a variety of snacks.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
My workday usually ends around 5:30 p.m. I check my inbox and answer urgent emails in the evenings, especially from clients.
After work, Hill heads to his culinary class.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
I hop on the subway and take a stroll through the Oculus on my way to Brookfield Place for cooking school. The Google office is 11 minutes from the Oculus.
The Oculus is a transportation hub located at the World Trade Center.
Courtesy of Harrison Hill
Class starts promptly at 7 p.m. Each day, Chef Jason Hawk teaches us how to tackle a new fundamental cooking skill.
Hill poses for a photo with his instructor.
Courtesy of Harrison Hill
A dream of mine is to meet Chef Thomas Keller and dine at The French Laundry.
Keller is a renowned American chef who owns many bakeries and restaurants across the US.
Today we're learning how to butcher veal as part of our unit on protein fabrication. Chef Jason shows us how to take the loin and belly off the bones (we'll save these to make stock).
During each class, Hill learns or perfects a new cooking skill.
Courtesy of Harrison Hill
I make sure to document the process to upload to TikTok after class. I post daily about what I learn in cooking school.
Hill's TikTok handle is @cookingwithharrison.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
Culinary school, like my work at Google, is all about teamwork. It also gives me a chance to exercise muscles I don't use at the office, like working directly with my hands.
Hill prepares a dish with his classmates.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
After class, I swap my clogs and chef whites back for my work clothes. I was surprised to learn that chefs don't wear their whites to commute, as doing so would pose a sanitation risk.
Class runs for four hours and ends at 11 p.m.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
As I head uptown for a hot shower and bed, I edit footage from class to upload to TikTok.
Hill works on his TikTok page during his commute home.
Courtesy of Vic Walcott
Manhattan street noise makes recording voice overs tricky, so I usually wait to record them once home.
One of Hill's early TikTok videos.
Courtesy of Harrison Hill
After posting my daily video, I head straight to bed. On the three days a week when I have cooking school, I don't fall asleep until midnight or 1 a.m.
Hill headed to bed.
Courtesy of Harrison Hill
But in spite of my jam-packed schedule, I've never felt more energized both by my career and cooking school.
After Hill's classes end on August 1, he looks forward to continuing his growth at Google.
