Harvest America CUES BLOG

Most of us have been there at some point. You know the feeling and you shake your head thinking back to those moments. You thought you were good, a solid line cook or prep cook, a couple years of experience under your belt working in a busy restaurant. You were on fire and felt confident that you would be a star in any operation. So, you applied for a job at one of the best restaurants in town, a place admired by all. You thought – this is where people will notice me and jumpstart the next phase of my career. Look out chef – I’m coming for your job!

Day one, you walk through those kitchen doors with a bit of swagger. Your uniform is right, knives sharp, and the skills you developed over the past two years were second nature. The sous chef takes you around and introduces you to the team – a team of very serious cooks with blazing fast and accurate knife skills, immaculate workstations, impeccable organization, and a look of complete control. The smells in the kitchen were intoxicating as were the sounds a cool, calm, and efficient operation. The rat-a-tat cadence of knives on cutting boards was not evident; in fact, these cooks were slicing more than chopping – using the edge of the blade rather than forcing the cut. They stopped, shook your hand, said welcome to the team, and then promptly went to a sink to wash their hands before returning to work. The stainless steel of the kitchen glistened, and the floors were spotless even though the activity level was high.

As you walked through coolers and storerooms it was hard to miss how everything was so organized, labeled, dated, and rotated. Fresh fish packed in crushed ice with ample drainage, produce removed from shipping containers, washed, and stored in labeled Lexan containers, jar and can labels pointed forward, and everything in its labeled home.

The chef showed you the ropes and then shocked you by assigning you for the first week to washing dishes and pots.

“We start every new team member in the dish area. This is one of the most important parts of our kitchen and we want everyone to know that. This is where new cooks win the support of the entire team and learn to take care of the people who keep the operation clean and organized. Are you okay with that?”

You knew there was only one answer here. To act shocked or infer that you were above washing dishes after two years as a cook would likely end this opportunity. To show anything less than enthusiasm for the chance to prove your worthiness to the team would send the wrong message on day one. So, your answer was quick and positive:

“Yes, Chef. Whatever you need me to do.”

This was a different kind of kitchen. You knew it after less than a minute on site. There was a level of seriousness, a level of professionalism, and a sense of purpose you hadn’t seen before. Suddenly, you felt inadequate and very unsure of yourself. You wondered: am I anywhere as good as I thought I was?

You made it through the first week as a dishwasher. During that time, you learned how the kitchen team interacted, where everything was stored, the level of commitment to handling ingredients when they arrived from vendors, and the pace of the operation. Soon enough, the cooks accepted you, acknowledged your presence, thanked you for respecting the job that each had in the operation, and made you feel part of something special. This week was time well spent – next week you were moving up to prep.

Everything you thought you knew was scrutinized: how you set-up your workstation, how you organized your prep, and the way you held a knife and used the blade properly. You were introduced to ingredients that were foreign to you, discovered ways to become more efficient, waste less, and use parts of vegetables and proteins that you had previously considered “waste”. Co-workers and the chef helped you to build your palate and discriminate when flavors were right and if not – what a product needed.

Slowly but surely, your skills improved, speed and efficiency increased, and confidence built until three months later you were able to walk through those kitchen doors, holding your head high, smile on your face, and confidence not just returned but higher than ever. You were on the road to competence that was far more pronounced than it was a few months back.

Your lack of confidence on day one was eclipsed by your commitment to competence. Here you were, a cook who understood, who could stand tall and know that there was always more to learn but you were on your way.

Now, it was time to move up to the line where your efficiency, speed, problem solving skills, finesse, palate, and team dynamics would be put to the test. Another chance to build from a lack of confidence to competence if you kept that ego in check, were willing to learn and accept critique, and invest the time it takes to learn and grow.

Such is, or will be, the years spent in kitchens and the path to the important position of chef. You will get there. It will take time, an open mind, commitment, the desire to remain humble, and an understanding that there is so much to learn.

We marveled at the majestic passing of the moon between the sun and earth this week, and if you are like me, felt a change in your outlook on life as a result. We will all experience those eclipse moments in our personal and professional lives – a time when what “was” transitions into what “can be”, when a lack of confidence in who we are or what we are able to do transitions into a level of understanding and competence that results from hard work and a willingness to learn and change.

Embrace it.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

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