It often starts in the home – that interest in food and cooking. It may have been a mother, grandmother, or aunt, maybe a father or grandfather; it could have been a particular event or maybe a specific signature dish that represented family, but in any case, a cook’s interest in the craft probably began in the home. Somewhere, tucked away on a bookshelf you would also likely find a couple time-worn cookbooks with hand scribbled reminders of family traditional recipes and notes in the margins of family favorite resources – one of which is likely The Joy of Cooking by, Irma Rombauer. First printed in 1936, this compendium of home recipes and foundational techniques has sold more than 20 million copies making it one of the best-selling cookbooks of all time. But why would a chef of more than 50 years talk about a home style cookbook? My shelves are filled with cookbooks from a wide variety of authors and genres, most today are from the pen of prominent chefs and restaurants from around the world whose names are familiar to anyone in the industry, but in our home kitchen you will always find a copy of Joy. Why is this so?

I can’t remember the last time I opened this book and used it as a reference, but it is the title that drives me to keep it prominently displayed. The title represents my feeling about the craft that I have spent more than five decades engaged in. Joy represents everything that is good and important about what serious cook’s do and how they feel about their time in the kitchen. Sure, there are a number of terrible moments when we all questions what we do and the commitment required; there are ample times when we found ourselves in an emergency room waiting for a few stiches or treatment of a nasty burn; and of course there were mornings when we just didn’t feel like pushing our arms through the sleeves of a starched white jacket, but…serious cooks wouldn’t trade their career for anything else. There is Joy in what they(we) do.

Irma was not a professional chef, yet her proclamation of “Joy” has resonated with 20 million cooks – many whom went on to become cooks and restaurant chefs as a result.

I often wonder why more cooks and chefs don’t stand up and talk about the joy in what they do. The media went from bowing their heads when a chef walked into a room to seeking out the angry and disgruntled, the outliers and the pundits, the cooks who are unworthy of the uniform and the tattered and worn who are simply burned out from aligning with the wrong operations. I wonder why more chefs who love what they do fail to step forward and talk about the positive, the intangible rewards that come from wowing guests with delicious food, working with a team of like-minded professionals, wearing the uniform that represents proud traditions, and bringing people together to break bread and share the stories of their lives. I wonder, why?

Cooking with the ingredients that hard working farmers, fishermen, ranchers, cheesemakers, bakers, and millers have dedicated their lives to nurture and produce is a privilege and a joy. Cooking alongside dedicated technicians and artists who use their hands, hearts, and souls to make nutritious, tasty, beautiful food is a privilege and a joy. Giving guests a chance to gather with friends and family over a common plate that you produced is a privilege and a joy.

There will be some who shake their heads and promote their feelings that I am naïve and sheltered from the reality of the kitchen, but I can assure you that I am not. I too have worked relentless hours; sweat pounds off in the heat of service, cut and burned more places on my arms and hands than I can remember, invested too many hours working for unappreciative bosses, and done so for a pittance of what I felt I was worth, but those instances were growing pains that pale in comparison to the moments when I felt exhilarated, proud, fulfilled, and truly joyful about the work I did.

I am very fortunate to count hundreds of incredibly talented, totally dedicated, professional cooks and chefs, bakers and restaurateurs, servers, sommeliers and bartenders, as friends. I have always chosen to align myself with the proud and step away from the pundits. I choose not to waste my time or energy with those who seem to enjoy accentuating what is wrong while never contributing to making the wrong-right or enjoying what is rewarding, if they let it be so.

I implore professional, competent, joyful cooks and chefs to step forward and share your stories of a business and a career that can inspire and uplift. In our polarized world, it seems that the loudest voice is the one that draws the most attention, even if that voice is shallow in content and context. The voices of joy are the ones that must be heard so that we can continue to attract and inspire future generations of cooks and chefs who will carry on the traditions of the kitchen and the feelings that Irma expressed in her book. Take a few moments to walk through your dining rooms and exude the joy you feel for the work. Take the time to share your positive stories with the team in your kitchen. Visit a local VoTech high school program and talk about the feeling of accomplishment that professionals experience in a well-run kitchen. Write an article for your local newspaper or volunteer to talk about the work of a cook on a regional podcast or television show. We need to encourage the positive to drown out the naysayers.

This is a wonderful profession, and the business of restaurants is and should be a place where joy is present.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com  BLOG

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