Too much idle time leads to reflection and analysis. “What am I doing” is a question that some will ask: “What am I capable of”, is of equal concern. If you have been cooking at a professional level, if you have always been driven towards doing things right and have shunned mediocrity, and if you…
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OUR DAILY BREATH: WHAT RESTAURANTS MEAN TO SOCIETY
Cooking for others is one of the oldest professions known to humanity. Since fire was first discovered – we have enjoyed and developed the skills to cook, eventually season, and finally plate prepared food to please other people. Cooking is one of the most admired and appreciated skill that allows the cook to express his…
OUR DAILY BREATH: CHEFS ROUTINES – HOW IMPORTANT ARE THEY
We never really understand how much we depend on our routines until we are forced to break them. People are creatures of habit and it is those habits that give us comfort, provide us with direction, and help us to function as we are programmed to function. Are routines beneficial? Is there value in breaking…
OUR DAILY BREATH: IDEATION AND SCENARIO PLANNING
Part of ideation is dealing with the challenges faced today as well as those to come. We may not be able to predict the future, but effective managers are always sifting through the “what if” scenarios and building a strategy for dealing with them. As we are seeing so vividly right now – when we…
OUR DAILY BREATH: AFTER COVID-19 RESTAURANT CONCEPT IDEATION
If you are a chef or restaurant owner I would like you to begin today with a significant question: “If I had to build this restaurant concept all over again, knowing what I know now, what would it look like – how would it be different? You may never have a better chance to ask…
OUR DAILY BREATH: CHEFS AND RESTAURATEURS – DON’T WASTE THIS TIME
Desperation has sunk in for those of us in the restaurant business. We know that closure is a reality for at least 30 more days and likely longer than that. The only adjustment that can be made is the heartbreaking decision to furlough employees or consider permanent closure of operations. Some try and paint a…
OUR DAILY BREATH: CHEFS AND RESTAURATEURS – IT’S A NEW DAY TOMORROW
The restaurant industry has been plagued with problems for decades – this international crisis has brought everything to a head. How many times have restaurateurs and chefs proclaimed that they couldn’t simply stop their current model and re-invent themselves? The challenges of today would always put a halt to significant movement towards long-term problem solving.…
OUR DAILY BREATH: A CHEF’S WINDOW TO THE WORLD
It’s day 14 of a Covid-19 voluntary lockdown. Aside from a trip to the grocery store and an isolated morning walk now and again, I have been a prisoner of my home. The same is true for my family in different parts of the Northeast. We communicate daily either by text or FaceTime – once…
OUR DAILY BREATH: LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
There has never been a more important time for leadership – not the job title – the act of leadership and the positive actions of those who rise to the occasion. It is human nature for the vast majority of people to look to a person or persons to show the way, to set the…
OUR DAILY BREATH: AS OUR KITCHENS SLEEP
There is no one to turn on the lights, fire up the ovens, start the groan of hood exhausts, and no one to fill the dish machine tank and three bay sink. Vendor deliveries have ceased, floors remain clean and untouched, and the clock on the wall suddenly sounds off with the ticking of time.…
