This is the second of three chef/ownership scenarios drawn from the initial article on that “OWNERSHIP THING”. Sabrina’s Scones and Crust: Sabrina has worked in various pastry shops throughout the Pacific Northwest and has built a strong reputation for her creativity and exemplary work ethic. Wherever she works, business improves due to the magic touch…
Tag: cook
CHEFS CHASING THE OWNERSHIP THING
I don’t believe that I know a single professional chef who doesn’t have a deep seeded desire to own a restaurant. Some are more obvious about the desire then others, some hide it pretty well, but underneath the façade of contentment with their current situation – every chef craves the chance to put their name…
LINE COOKS WHO TAKE THE LEAP
At some point, fairly early on, restaurant cooks make a decision to either view what they do as a transitional job while they look for something that they really want to do, or decide that cooking is their life calling and they intend to become exceptional at the craft. This is true for nearly any…
BECOMING A GREAT LINE COOK
Whether you are a product of a formal culinary education or working your way up through the school of hard knocks, it is likely that all roads leading to the position of chef will move through the line cook position. Line cooks are the backbone of the kitchen and the sought after position by all…
BECOMING A MASTER OF YOUR CRAFT
I just finished watching a YouTube video clip of Jeff Beck and Stanley Clarke performing their incredible music at a jazz festival. I watched the clip four times in a row until I knew that I had to get back to work. These musicians are masters of their craft. There was something truly magical about…
IN THE KITCHEN – SKILLS ARE THE DRUG, CONFIDENCE IS THE HIGH
Many have pointed to the abuse of drugs and alcohol that seems far too commonplace among restaurant employees. It may be part of the culture, possibly a release from the accentuated stress that exists in kitchens, and it may simply be more visible yet just as prevalent in other careers. This does not take away…
LIFE IN THE KITCHEN – WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN
Quite often I have read posts from individual cooks who express a high level of dissatisfaction with their choice to work in kitchens. In some cases this dissatisfaction leans towards contempt – loads of anger pointed at the job and those who employ cooks in service of the guest. While many of the concerns expressed…
THAT KITCHEN SENSE OF URGENCY
There are some things in life that can’t be taught. Only the experience of impending doom can push a person to dig deep and find solutions that they never thought were possible, discover skills that were never present before the challenge occurred, and either sink or swim under the pressure of creating order out of…
BEING A CHEF – THE PASSION AND THE COST
Let’s first separate those three types of cooks who stand tall behind a range: Those who consider cooking to be their purpose in life, the career choice that inspires them, and the choice that let’s them jump out of bed in the morning to face the opportunities that cooking will provide today Those who view…
A LINE COOK’S LEGAL VICES
The dictionary may define a “vice” as a bad habit or fault, but sometimes those habits cause less harm than the definition may imply and far more joy than one might assume. We all have a vice or two, some are related to our personal lives and occasionally they are connected to what we do…
