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What culinary language do you speak? Are you fluent? Do you use the language properly? Do you show your place of origin through the language you speak? Do you feel connected to your language or is your language dictated by environment?

These are serious questions whether talking about your heritage and situational spoken language or if you are expressing language through the plate of food you slid into the kitchen pass. Your culinary voice may well be the most important part of your career resume – it is what sets you apart from others, your differentiated attribute that defines the kind of chef you are and want to be. So, what is your culinary language?

Some may feel that the most sought-after chef is one who speaks all languages, who can re-create dishes and culinary experiences to please whatever audience seeks his or her services. I suppose this makes sense – a chef should be able to make a killer Bolognese, incredible sushi rolls, and a perfect Louisiana gumbo, but how possible is this?  Of course, a chef must be able to respond to the needs of a guest, but is it realistic that the chef would be able to excel in all areas of preparation? An accomplished musician is expected to be able to dabble in several musical styles. If they know music and can read musical notes then The Beatles, Chick Corea, John Legend, Bach, Mozart, and Bessie Smith should be part of his or her repertoire. But can the musician play each of these styles with the same passion, meticulous interpretation, and energy as someone who is focused on one genre or another? Every musician has their voice. It may be a style of play or a reflection of a specific composer or player, but there is something in music that aligns best with who they are. The same is, or should be true, with every professional chef. So, what is your culinary language?

So, where does your language some from? How do you find your voice? Let’s look at some common ways that this voice becomes apparent:

[]       CULTURAL HERITAGE:

Sometimes your voice is genetic. Maybe your language is built in and right in front of you. It may be, that you should embrace your ethnic background and the style of cooking that is part of your DNA. So many chefs have rediscovered the food behind their name and found a level of excitement and purpose in doing so. Know your heritage first and see if it sparks your interest.

[]       ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS:

It could be that living in a particular geographic area or within a community of people who have a food centric passion will rub off. As an example, it would be difficult to not feel connected to the food culture of New Orleans and its melting pot of Acadian French, Southern Black, Haitian, and even German influences. Living in the Southwest would certainly inspire a chef to adopt the influence of Southwestern style cooking or being part of the Vermont, or California food culture and not finding home with farmer connections. Look around you – inspiration is there.

[]       WORK EXPERIENCES:

Of course, your mentors, the chefs with whom you work throughout your career will rub off on your style. Oftentimes your culinary voice will be a composite of all those influences from early days as an apprentice to your first role as a sous chef.

[]       TRAVEL:

One of the best ways to find your culinary language is to travel. Inspiration will come from other restaurants, but even more importantly from immersion with the people of rural and urban communities. You will learn the “why” of their style as much as the “what”. I always reflect on Chef Rick Bayless who spent years with his wife – living in Mexico, learning about their culture, seeing how they use their indigenous ingredients, speaking with them about traditions, and embracing their methods before they decided to open Frontera Grill and Topolabampo in Chicago. Authentic Mexican food is his calling card, his voice, even though his heritage is not Mexican.

[]       STUDY INTEREST:

Occasionally a chef will find interest in a style of cooking or culinary expression through study. It might begin with an interest in an individual or geographic area, an ingredient, or a poetic writer who speaks of a culture of food. Immersion in the study of this can lead to a base of knowledge that feeds interest in expression and eventually, a voice.

[]       THAT A’HA MOMENT:

Even more interesting are those chefs who move, with great enthusiasm, in a direction that is totally driven by a single “aha” moment. It might be through consumption of a new dish, or experiencing a unique restaurant, a smell, a texture, a flavor, or a discussion that can spark a lifetime of passion for a style of cooking. That first fresh raw oyster, the deep-seated history of a perfectly prepared cassoulet, the first pairing of pan seared foie gras with a perfect Sauternes, a rich and complex gumbo on the streets of New Orleans, or a fish taco in a small taqueria on the border of California and Mexico can move a chef to a life of dedication.

[]       DRIVEN BY OPPORTUNITY:

Finally, sometimes a cook may not find his or her voice – sometimes it finds them. Accepting a position in a Memphis bar-b-que restaurant may be a means to an end, financially. But, once immersed in the bar-b-que culture of the south a “doing it for the paycheck” cook may suddenly find that the history, aromas, flavor building methods, and sheer joy of eating authentic slathered ribs, brisket, and chicken over smoking embers of hard wood is a calling worth answering.

These are parts of your story, and your story determines your culinary voice. The more unique the story, the more unique the voice. It is this voice or language that sets the stage for a true culinary impression that can define a restaurant, but even more importantly, define a career cook.

In all likelihood, Chef Sean Brock can cook most anything required, but his voice is authentic Southern cuisine. I would feel safe betting on Chef Daniel Boulud’s ability to prepare an outstanding Pasta Alfredo, but his special voice is through contemporary interpretations of classical French food. There is no doubt that David Chang could make an outstanding Louisiana style gumbo, but his focus on Korean style noodle shops, and other Asian cuisines is, by far, his true voice. Versatility must always be a foundation of the chef profession, but a chef without a unique language, without discovery of his or her true voice, will rarely make a real dent in the food universe.

Find your voice and define the kind of chef you want to be and are.

*PHOTO: Chef Joseph Bonaparte of the Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach

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