This is a very serious question, I ask myself this all the time. There is a simple answer and a more complex one. It’s so easy to say that the chef is the one who runs the kitchen. He does the ordering, purchasing, scheduling,writes menus, blah… blah…blah. This is all true, what I have found in my experiences is that the most important person in any good restaurant is the chef who has worked in the best possible restaurants he could work in as a young cook. Good restaurants throughout the country are run by these chefs. Do you think I’m wrong? First, let me say that there are absolutely amazing front of the house managers in our country. Ladies and gentleman who are so good at what they do, they make it look effortless. It’s not!! They are passionate and highly trained professionals. There are just as many bad chefs out there as there are bad front of the house managers (captains, sommeliers, maitre ‘d etc.) Why does everyone think that the front of the house has all the answers, because they walk around wearing a suit? Hmm? Another topic or another day…
There are so many “chefs” out there that can’t cook! They basically rushed through the early part of their career trying to become the executive chef as soon as possible. Why do you think? Seriously why do you think? Is it because all they really want is to make more money? Wrong business to enter into if you wanna be a millionaire, stay in school and get your law degree. And trust me it’s not because all these young cooks are trying to help their mom and dad pay back their school loans faster. Most of them are blowing their money sitting in the bar after work, not running to Barnes & Noble reading about Thomas Keller or Daniel Boulud. Why do so many young guys and girls get out of culinary school and not work in the best possible restaurant? Cause it’s hard!!! It’s a place where they have to keep their mouth shut and work hard, fast and clean. Do they think that they earned something? The culinary degree that they have hanging in their parents foyer basically just got them an interview. The Food Network has been the best thing for culinary schools in this country. Every fresh-faced kid who wants to be the next Emeril is entering into school at an alarming rate. Wake up!! Emeril paid his dues working in the best restaurants in the world, he has busted his ass since a teenager working 18 hours a day. He has what most young cooks don’t. PASSION!!!! He lives, eats and breathes food. He is passionate as hell and he would rather be talking about food and wine than doing anything else. This is the secret, nothing else.
95% of young cooks have no idea what career they just entered into and it scares the living crap of them the first time they walk into a real kitchen. It is very intimidating when you walk into a four star restaurant for your first day of work, within seconds you know that your in a different world. Mom and dad arent there to protect you and these types of situations aren’t in the fancy brochures that the CIA hands out to prospective students. You will never work harder in your life, and there is tons of pressure and stress. After working a long day you would think that falling asleep would be easy, it’s not. Most young, passionate cooks are laying in bed for hours worrying about how they are going to finish prepping their station before service. If they are like me they are trying to figure out how they can carry all of their food prep, quart containers and ladles to their station in one step. Every single seconds counts. It’s a race every single day, you versus the clock. After six months of doing the same exact thing everyday you will be faster, this is where you learn how to cook. Now put in 5-7 years of doing this, it may break you but I guarantee 100% if you do this in the best possible restaurants you will one day be a great chef. It will also make you a bad ass line cook and this is where so many guys who are running around today calling themselves “chef” didn’t do. It’s hard but it is the only way. Ask any good chef how he got to where he did, and he will tell you the exact same thing I am telling you. I can sniff the guys who didn’t pay their dues from a mile away. They never spent the time asking questions, learning or tasting. They got out of some culinary school thinking that they were entitled to something because mommy and daddy spent 80k to get them through school.It is easy to see why there are so many “chefs” out there that can’t cook… they didn’t put in the hard work early in their career. Nice win GIANTS!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY (QOTD)
WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT? ANYTHING? WHAT DRIVES YOU TO GET UP EVERYDAY AND CRUSH IT?
THANKS! BILL
Im hearing you big time on the “chefs” of the world that think its a race to be a head chef. Only the really talented chefs get there quickly. For the rest of us its all about patience and persaverance.
I’m passionate about analytical chemistry and quantum mechanics…does that count?
i love my career and life and every morning i just get up and go!! giants!!!
Hey, I found you from Garyvee’s site.
Just a suggestion…. maybe you should register eatdrinkandroll.com and get it directed to this site.
Anyway, I agree with you about young chefs who can’t seem to cook or season all that well. I think all those reality cooking competition shows may be attracting the wrong types.
Good luck on your new blog!
Terri, Thank you so much for checking out the site and leaving a comment! I did just register http://www.eatdrinkandroll.com . I will get it up super fast, Gv has been a huge inspiration to me. I hope that you continue to check out this site and I can’t wait until tomorrows wltv viognier show. Thanks. Bill
I totally agree with what you are saying!!! I will adjust my format immediately, you will never see a QOTD again, and i will stop using the phrase crush it, I was just so pumped after seeing gv, and I was not trying to do anything else. i am a huge vayniac, and have been folling gv for years, I am far from a fly by night. I have even donated my time and food to do a cooking at wl. Sorry if i upset you, I hope that you continue to watch me. Please send me a message back, thanks, Bill
I write restaurant reviews for several major NJ publications. It’s amazing to me that many Chef’s still do “garbage pail” cookery…which is more magic than actual cooking.
How can I give a restaurant a great review if they still don’t know how to use good local ingredients intelligently and without covering up perfectly good ingredients with 18 different sauces?
Cook simply and with passion. Yes, many chefs go to culinary school and still can’t cook a hard boiled egg.