A Recipe for Success

By John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, WGMC, AAC

At our national convention, I witnessed innovative chefs and cooks working together to make the American Culinary Federation a better organization. We all seek success rather than failure, and I believe that every chef and cook is born with the formula for success in his or her mind. We think that way because we work hard, and we need a lot of simple formulas to make our lives easier. So what is this bond we share? It's the recipe for success, and here are the three parts.

Creativity

No other industry demands such creativity in the daily lives of its workers. Let's face it--raw inspiration creates your new dishes and new plate designs. We are always on the cutting edge of our craft, remembering the great skills we learned and pushing the envelope to make that dish more perfect than the day before. Often, it's a never-ending struggle, because we race against the clock three times a day. And our guests do not care about the problems we have in the kitchen; they only care about whether we can produce.

Discipline

One of the great weaknesses that I've seen in the industry during the 21st century is lack of discipline. Some graduating students seem to think that they should get chefs positions as soon as they leave their colleges. And I see some of them with no dress code, looking extremely unprofessional. When I wrote the article entitled, "Dress the Part," I emphasized that our dress was designed with safety in mind. I have been told horror stories of people being scalded, severely burned or injured because they were wearing the wrong coat in the kitchen.

The kitchen where I trained was one of the most disciplined areas I have ever worked in. Even after being in the military and obeying commands, I was grateful for the sort of training I received as an apprentice at a hotel in London. The greatest part of the whole learning process for an apprentice is simple: It's watching, practicing, demonstrating and executing each task under the direction of a professional chef.

In the military, the first basic rule I learned was, if it moves, you salute it, and if it's stationery, you paint it. As chefs we need to have strong discipline and leadership as part of our recipe for success. Again, we are required to turn up on time, be organized, be a good listener and execute the recipes in front of us. Part of that scenario includes reflex memory skills, which can be developed over a period of time, but not straight out of school.

Listening

I am amazed, even today, to see how many people have not learned to be listeners. It is a failing of a lot of young people in our industry and the nation. How can we work to line and listen to the expediter if we cannot even muster basic reflex memory?

Again, back to the military, where most of the leadership roles are performed by senior noncommissioned officers, not the officer corps. When a gunny sergeant or the regimental sergeant major barks out a command, he or she expects to be obeyed without question. In those situations, it could mean life or death.

Similarly, when the chef wants sautéed chicken chasseur, he expects it to be cooked to perfection, without mistakes and in a timely manner. Simply, if we do not have the properly cut chicken, the quartered mushrooms, the diced tomato concassé, the minced shallots, chopped tarragon, white wine and demi glace, the dish will never come to fruition. Some self-help organizations have a phrase that applies perfectly to listening: Take the cotton wool out of your ears, stick it in your mouth and learn to listen.

Finally, any recipe should be regarded as a plan, but success is a plan for life, and without good structure, self-discipline and creativity, a recipe for life will not work. Please remember that we are in the entertainment business, and we are onstage every day we work. With that in mind, let's get dressed, play the part and wow our audiences.

Good cooking to you all.