Chef Paul Sorgule of the Harvest America Ventures blog, a regular contributor to the site, has penned a fascinating open letter to young cooks, especially those fresh out of culinary school.
Essentially,
it’s 20 sage pieces of advice for how to kick on in your first kitchen role(s)
and safely ascend the steep learning curve you'll encounter. Take a look below
and head on over to Sorgule's blog for more insightful writing across kitchen
culture.
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1. Know What You
Don’t Know
True,
there was a tremendous amount of information thrown your way during the two to
four years of college. Some of it stuck and more than you can imagine simply
bounced off your shoulders and landed elsewhere. Trust me when I say that there
is much more to come. Only experience will allow the important things to stick,
sink in, and allow you to grow into the chef that you want to become.
2. Be Humble
No,
you are not the best thing that ever happened to the kitchen that hired you.
You might become that person, but right now please accept your role as a humble
cook and student of the trade. Keep an open mind and realise that the person
next to you is probably far more seasoned than you.
3. Accept Your Role
Today
You
are not the chef – you are a cook. Start with the intent of being the very best
cook that you can be. Take on this attitude with every position that is offered
to you during those early years: prep cook, grade manger, banquet cook, the
omelette station on a Sunday brunch, line cook, roundsman, etc. Being
exceptional at each of these positions will be your real resume leading to the
position of chef.
4. Have A Strategy
Don’t
leave things to chance – have a plan. Where do you want to be in five or ten
years? If you don’t know, stop and figure it out today! What kind of restaurant
or company, what position, what geographic location, what salary range, etc.
Have a plan and write your road map to get there.
5. Follow Your
Strategy
Once
you have built that strategy then try to stick with it. You can certainly
adjust along the way, but make sure that you are always working from a plan.
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6. Listen More Than
You Speak
Your
job, at least initially, is to make the chef look good. Learn to take
directives, follow the methods that he or she has spent a career developing,
accept and learn from critique, and learn when and how to offer your opinions
and observations in a respectful manner.
7. There’s More Than
One Way to Accomplish a Task
Your
instructors taught you the “right way” to work, to prepare certain dishes, to
hold a knife, to apply the foundational cooking methods, to set-up a station.
This was important, but guess what – the chef who just hired you may want
things done a different way. Your way is not better – it is just different.
There may be a time and a place to offer your way as an alternative, but keep
an open mind in the meantime.
8. Learn How to Fit
In
A
sure way to limit your success is to try and become a square peg in a round
hole. Fitting in doesn’t mean that you should accept bad habits or become part
of a group of antagonistic employees, it simply means that before you can help
an organisation improve, you must win the trust and confidence of those around
you. Once this becomes your persona, then you can gradually influence positive
change. This will serve you well even as a chef.
9. Share What You
Know and Keep an Open Mind
Yes,
there are things that you have gained in culinary school that others in the
restaurant may not be aware of. When the time is right, be willing to share
this knowledge with others without appearing to be better than them. At the
same time, realize that experience has made other employees very good at their
craft – you can learn a great deal from them – keep an open mind.
10. Be Patient
I
know you invested a boatload of money in that education. I understand that you
will be paying back your student loans for the next decade or so. Certainly
your diploma means something and should be recognised, but you are not a chef
yet. It will take time; you will need to pay your dues and work many positions
that might even seem like a step back. All of this “real life” training will
prepare you to be a chef – it is the experience of working that makes the title
of chef attainable. Be patient, if you work your strategy, the position will be
realised in the future.
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11. Look for
Opportunities to Grow
Take
the leap – work in restaurants or food operations that challenge you. Seek out
those opportunities that make you uncomfortable with your current skills.
Always take on the positions that make you look in a mirror and tremble a bit
with doubt. Ask for opportunities that are beyond you in an effort to learn
through “trial by fire”. It is this battle experience that will make you
exceptional at your job.
12. Dedicate Yourself
to The Restaurant
Be
an ambassador for the operation where you work. Show your pride and seek out
any possible way that you can help the operation be successful. Become an
advocate for cost control, work to make each task you are given – the most
important task in your mind. Accomplish each job with passion and dedication to
excellence. Become extremely valuable to the restaurant where you work.
13. Be The Exception to
The Rule
Aside
from your need to “fit in” make sure that you hold true to your principles. If
others in the kitchen are less concerned with how they present themselves in
terms of grooming or uniform care – be the exception and present yourself as a
professional. If others spend too much time putting down others and finding
their cup half empty – be the one that always sees your cup as half full.
14. Don’t Ignore the
Rules
At
the same time, when the operation does have standards that are core to their
brand, do not ignore them or fight to push them aside. Becoming the exception
to well-established rules is a sure-fire way to relinquish your ability to “fit
in” and make a difference.
15. Work Harder Than
Everyone Else
I
do not propose that you attempt to show everyone else up, but rather to be that
person that everyone admires for your work ethic. It doesn’t get easier as you
move up the career ladder. The Executive Chef should also be the person who
works harder than everyone else. This is how he or she got to that position. At
the same time, make sure that you work smart. Working harder doesn’t always
mean that you need to work more hours than everyone else.
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16. Be The Example
Be
the one, from the first day on the job that others look to as the standard
bearer of excellence. Apply this to everything – how you set your station, your
commitment to sanitation, the way you treat others, your respect for
ingredients, your understanding of cost control, your dedication to proper
cooking technique, and your desire to always improve should become your
signature.
17. Help Others to Be
Successful
No
cook is an island. You will learn this on your way to becoming a chef – you
must depend on others if you and the restaurant are to succeed. The first step
is to always commit to helping others in the same fashion.
18. Choose Your
Friends Wisely
There
are loads of temptations that cook’s face. The intense hard work and
non-traditional hours will often lead to after work indulgence. Keep moderation
as a rule of thumb and do your best to avoid the temptations that you know will
lead down a rocky road. Connect with others in your field that share this same
approach rather than those who seem to always live on the edge.
19. Ask Yourself “Is
What I Am Doing Right Now Bringing Me Any Closer to Achieving My Goals”
This
should be a great sign to print and hang over your apartment door. This is a
simple reminder to work your strategy. Straying too far from the plan will only
delay your objectives.
20. Take Care of
Yourself and Look for That Balance Early On
It
seems contradictory to point to a life of balance after reading the previous 19
points, but it is possible. Always find time to live a healthy life. Eat well,
see a doctor routinely, exercise, and find some time to relax on your own and
with friends. Build this into your schedule as tasks that are just as important
as preparing your mise en place for tonight’s service.
By FDL