The tasks of the chef are fairly universal: planning menus, putting your signature on each dish, hiring and training staff, ordering product and building vendor relationships, controlling costs and adhering to budgets, maintaining a clean and safe kitchen environment, etc. etc. So, wouldn’t it be safe to say that if you can manage a kitchen…
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CHEF’S: CONDITION YOUR TEAM AND CHANNEL THEIR ENERGY
CHEF-to-CHEF, So..you made it! As a property chef you have reached one of the pinnacles of your career – having paid your dues and likely worked very hard in a variety of properties until demonstrating the right mix of skill, knowledge, experience, and temperament to hold the lead position in a busy kitchen. Congratulations! So..now…
CHEFS: BUILD A TEAM – KEEP A TEAM
There is no issue more pressing, and no task more important than building a kitchen team and establishing a culture of retention. Yes, I do mean a culture of retention. A chef may be talented, have a great resume, be noted for his or her pronounced taste in food, and even be established as a…
CHEFS – IS IT WORTH IT?
We have all had those moments (some of us more frequently than others) when we question what we are doing, the level of commitment required, and the price to pay. As chefs we all are aware of the time, physical stress, and emotional trauma associated with running a busy kitchen. The labor pool is a…
COOKS – THE COMFORT OF HEAT, SWEAT, AND HARD-WORK
Staring at the POS printer, waiting for those orders to start their tap dance building to a crescendo in an hour or so, clicking a pair of tongs by your side, shifting weight from one foot to the other, and beads of sweat beginning to roll down your back and collect under that scull cap…
WHEN A COOK IS TRULY IN THE ZONE
In the zone is a phrase commonly used to describe a musician, athlete, or even a cook who experiences an “everything going right” situation, and when the person, or persons, involved are totally focused on the task at hand– but, being fully in the zone is really so much more. When a musician is in…
IT’S ONLY MY POINT OF VIEW
I always try to see things through other people’s eyes and not just my own. There are always multiple sides to every issue, and numerous factors that sway a person’s perspective one-way or the other. When it comes to work – there are some who view it as a necessary chore to earn a paycheck,…
A CHEF WHO GETS THE MESSAGE RIGHT
Two of the most significant issues facing businesses today are RETAINING good employees who are so difficult to find and MAXIMIZING the productivity and efficiency of those same employees. Ample research has been done pointing to the most significant culprit behind these issues – POOR COMMUNICATION! According to Big Picture Learning – “A 2014 survey…
STOP THE 100% TARIFF ON EUROPEAN GOODS
White tower decisions without a grasp on the systemic impact of those decisions is a common flaw of leaders who are out of touch with reality. It happens in business, it happens in education, and it happens most often in government. Those who are proponents of systemic thinking know that even the smallest decision, especially…
HERDING CATS – THE MAKEUP OF A KITCHEN LINE
Chemistry is by far, the most important ingredient in building a successful kitchen team. When a chef is able to bring a group of seemingly opposing forces together into a functional, well-orchestrated team then great things happen. This, however, is no easy task given the different dynamics that exist among the players. Kitchens tend to…
