Harvest America CUES BLOG

How eager are you to reach that position of chef? Are you hungry enough to do what you need to do, to build a plan and stick with it? Are you serious about cooking, creating, coaching a team, and contributing to the success of a business? If the answers are, YES, then sit down – let’s talk.

First and foremost, if you did answer yes then I am confident you will reach that goal of chef. Now, let’s get down to the details. If you are ready then print this list, post a copy on your wall at home and keep another copy in your knife roll bag. This is your roadmap – don’t lose it and don’t question its validity. Those chefs whom you admire, the ones who seem to have it all together have followed this roadmap. It may not look the same and they may have never written it down, but this is their method of operation.

[]       LOOK THE PART

Take pride in your appearance and the sharpness of your uniform. Whether you like it or not – people judge a book by the cover. Besides when you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you perform well.

[]       ACT THE PART

You want to be treated as a professional, then act like it. Be the person that everyone else aspires to be. Treat the job as something enormously important and the uniform as a symbol of everything that is good about the profession. Treat everyone as you would want to be treated.

[]       LISTEN AND HEAR

Hear the chef, manager, your peer cooks, the dishwasher, service staff, vendors, and customers. Go beyond hearing and work at truly “listening” to what they have to say. Take it in, take it to heart, understand what is being offered and make it part of your decision-making.

[]       PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

You can become good at anything if you put the effort in. Becoming GREAT takes serious dedication and lots of repetition. Practice will make perfect so don’t accept good – make GREAT your goal.

[]       RESPECT THE CHAIN OF COMMAND

I’m not suggesting that respect a person who doesn’t deserve that privilege, but rather understand that every position has different demands and those who aspire to become chefs understand this and know how important it is to the flow of an operation to say, YES, CHEF in the moment. There will always be time after to step aside and ask why.

[]       RESPECT YOUR PEERS

The kitchen is not the competitive front lines. Nothing in the kitchen works with free agents. Leave that for professional sports. In the kitchen you MUST depend on others and the synergy that exists because of mutual respect and a helping hand.

[]       RESPECT THE INGREDIENTS

At its core, cooking is all about serving the ingredients we are given. The work that you invest in cooking a chicken, carrot, roast, fresh flatfish, or onion pales in comparison to the effort it takes to grow, raise, or catch the ingredients. The best cooks and chefs are fully in tune with this.

[]       BE THE MOST ORGANIZED PERSON IN THE ROOM

Mise en place – everything has a place, and everything is in its place. This is the Cardinal Rule of the kitchen. Organization is the key – you can handle nearly anything if your mise en place is tight. Organization equals confidence and confidence wins the game.

[]       WORK CLEAN

This is a cook’s obligation – work clean and handle food safely. This is the unwritten guarantee that every guest assumes when they walk through the door. Don’t disappoint them. The best chefs operate a very clean kitchen.

[]       BE CURIOUS

Know that you have so much to learn. Seek out every opportunity to learn something new every day. Be a sponge and attach yourself to anyone and everyone who can build your bag of tricks. Read, read, and read more; travel, volunteer, connect, network, and step outside of your comfort zone. As a chef – others will expect this of you.

[]       BE EXCELLENT

Don’t settle for good and never, ever let mediocrity slip into your routine. Always remember that excellence is not a goal but rather a way that you approach everything. Be excellent at every task no matter how large or small.

[]       TRACK YOUR EXPERIENCES

You experienced it – write it down. At some point in time, every experience will serve as a reminder or even a potential solution to a challenge. You learn from your experiences, don’t waste the lesson.

[]       PLAY NICE IN THE SANDBOX

The best chefs work well with others. The best chef is a pleasure to interact with. The best chef shows respect for everyone. Start today! Be the person others want to work with.

[]       BE YOUR OWN WORST CRITIC

Don’t rely on others to tell you to improve. Know that what you do can always be a little bit better. This is not a criticism; it is a fact of life. Constant improvement wins the challenges that come your way.

[]       DON’T GET LOST IN YOUR MISTAKES – GET BETTER

[]       BE HONEST AND TRUTHFUL

Guess what? Everyone screws up. There, now that that is out of the way, ask yourself, “What am I going to do about it?” Don’t self-destruct, tuck it away in that memory bank, shake it off, and learn how not to make the same mistake again. If you make a mistake – own, it! The best chefs always take responsibility even if they were not the one who dropped the ball. It’s their kitchen, they need to embrace it and fix it.

[]       KNOW THAT NO TASK IS BENEATH YOU

The best advice I can give a chef is to show, through example, that every job is important in the kitchen, and no one is beneath doing whatever needs to be done. Every chef should take 15 minutes every day to push a few racks of dishes through the machine and demonstrate the right way to swing a mop.

[]       LEARN ABOUT THE BUSINESS

Everything you want to do with food relies on your ability to run the business of a restaurant. We live in a business of pennies; a business of highly perishable ingredients; a business of many hands and many opportunities for mistakes; and a business where waste is always hiding around every corner. Chefs understand control and are married to the understanding that the top line (sales) determines the bottom line (profit). Learn how to EARN money in the kitchen.

[]       READ THIS LIST EVERY DAY

Ask yourself, “Am I living up to my promise? Am I following my roadmap?”

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

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