In every corner of the world, cooks and chefs wake to the smells, sounds, heat, and intensity of the kitchen. The baseline is the same regardless the cuisine, the concept, or the price point. We stand on our feet for 10 or more hours a day, face intense heat, steam, sharp knives, and the constant hum of exhaust fans while bouncing from foot to foot waiting for orders to arrive from the dining room point of sale. The methods of cooking vary to some degree but are generally universal. The ingredients depend on the season and their indigenous nature and the type of cooking and the traditions of the audience, but even then, due to the complexity of the supply chain – most ingredients can be found anywhere at any time. Cooks typically wear white uniforms and tie on their bib aprons in the same manner, the tools are quite universal, and the pace is intense.

What else is important about the kitchen environment is the universal, loosely defined, but aggressively supported, brother and sisterhood that exists. It is a club without monetary dues that connects every cook, in every country, working in every kitchen. We look at each other, smile, nod in approval and understanding, sometimes bow our heads or give high fives and fist bumps, laugh readily, and feel an instant connection even at first meeting. It is an unwritten rule that we are in this together.

One of the more fascinating aspects of the club of cooks is that anyone can be accepted. Membership depends on the factors of trust, a cook’s willingness to be part of the team and do what is necessary, and their commitment to skills that everyone can depend on. Although the unofficial entrance exam may seem to discriminate, as long as you measure up to the factors of trust, team, and skill, no one cares about age, gender, nationality, family history, or the mistakes a person may have made in the past.

Like in any strong order of connection there are positives and negatives. The positives align with that feeling of membership, that investing in what we do gives us the privilege of being part of something bigger than the individual. We are part of a proud history; a history of one of the oldest professions known to humankind – cooking. What we do is hard…really hard, physically, mentally, and emotionally. We are committed to process, methods, traditions, artistic integrity, hard work, service, and most importantly – team. Like few other professions there is a code of honor, an “all for one and one for all” attitude that allows us, in most cases, to trust the person standing next to us. We seek to know that they have our back. On the negative side – cooks have become accustomed to difficult environments that sometimes ask too much. We work more than is reasonable, exist in physical environments that are too hot, too loud, and too laced with anxiety. Too many cooks have become used to accepting these conditions as a badge of honor without solutions, or in some cases, solutions are viewed as weakness. This must change without losing what makes the brother and sisterhood so strong and rewarding.

There is also an earned benefit factor that is reminiscent of fraternal organizations and sporting teams. Trust is the driving force that keeps the connections alive and important, but trust, as we all know, must be earned. So, there is always a “test the waters” phase of relationship building. Can this new cook or chef be trusted? Will they have my back? Are they willing to share? Are they dependable and are their skills up to the task at hand? The grace period is short, those few weeks when the existing team may give a new cook the benefit of the doubt, but if that cautious “wait and see” trust is violated then the connections will never come to fruition. If trust can be validated, then the bonds are strong.

It’s a complicated entrance exam but one that is a primary reason why many are attracted to the kitchen and why so many continue to show up, looking for that electricity that can only come from doing something you love, working with people you admire and trust, and building the skills of a craftsperson. It’s a profession like no other; not without flaws, never without challenges, but a profession that rewards membership in ways that only team members can appreciate.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

All for one and one for all!

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