Harvest America Cues Blog is back! I hope you enjoy this first article after a two-month respite.

As a cook or chef, what is your promise to yourself? This may seem like a strange question unworthy of investing time, but I can state unequivocally that it is one of the most important questions of your career. What is so important to you that it defines how and why you will invest tens of thousands of hours of physically, mentally, and emotionally hard work over the course of a career? Why would you expend the energy, the sometimes-emotional anguish, and the headache pounding anxiety unless there was something much bigger at stake? What will be your legacy and how will people remember you in relation to this promise?

If you believe that we all have a purpose and that making a dent in the universe is something to aspire to, then spending time on this question is imperative. WHY are you doing this work of a cook? Let’s face it, those of us who have been here understand that no matter what your salary package looks like it will never do justice to the time you invest and the effort you exude. So, again I ask: WHY are you doing this? What is the big picture? What is your promise to yourself?

I trust that there is a reason beyond the paycheck. I hope that although you may not have written your promise down that it still takes up real estate in your subconscious mind. So, this being the case – let’s give it a little prod.

Check all that apply and feel free to add others that are important to you:

My promise is:

[]       To be the conduit for celebration of the work of farmers, fishermen, ranchers, cheesemakers, bakers, and all the behind-the-scenes artisans who contribute to the plate in the pass.

[]       To offer a glimmer of joy and respite to guests who enter your restaurant in search of a moment of happiness and fulfillment.

[]       To share what you know, train and mentor, encourage and teach young cooks who may very well become the next generation of chefs.

[]       To pay respect to the professional, dedicated, talented chefs who came before and set the stage for a very important job.

[]       To build on the respected craft of cooking through innovation and the creation of exciting flavor combinations and inspiring dishes.

[]       To contribute to and carry on a family tradition of breaking bread and finding avenues for agreement through food in a world that seems to thrive on disagreement.

[]       To work with a diverse team of like-minded professionals who view their work as important, thrive on collaboration, and feed off the different backgrounds that contribute to a kitchen crew.

Now, it is likely that some of you may not have thought in these terms. To some the work may be a means to an end, a way to earn a living and support a family. I want you to stop for a moment and think on a different level. I don’t know of any other profession that shares in as much influential history as cooking. It is one of the oldest professions known to man and at the domestic level it is even more substantial. I am not familiar with any other professions than those involved in food, that are so vividly connected to major changes in the human existence. As Julia Child once stated: “Every major change in human existence has a parallel to how we grow, process, prepare, and consume food.” I don’t know of any other profession that represents resilience and rebirth as vividly as the culinary arts. After any disaster in history (war, natural disasters, political strife, economic collapse) one of the first businesses to rise from the ashes is a restaurant. And I can’t think of another business that is more important to the soul of a community than a neighborhood restaurant where people can gather, reflect, join in common purpose, raise a glass, break bread and give thanks through community laughter and momentary joy.

Now, the question remains – where do you fit into all of this? What is your purpose? Why are you doing what you do and what is your promise to yourself? Is it a desire to connect to all this wonderful history and common purpose, or is it to simply earn a paycheck? The business of food certainly needs both types of individuals, but for you, the question that will define how you approach the work and where it can take you begins with “WHY”.

Think about it.

PLAN BETTER – WORK HARDER – FIND YOUR PURPOSE

Harvest America Cues

www.harvestamericacues.com

Want an interesting, engaging read? Try my latest novel:

A Cook on the Run

Available through www.iuniverse.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, or ordered through your local bookstore