Harvest America CUES BLOG

Too often we fail to take a breath and really think about what we are doing as cooks. Some outside the profession may ask: “what’s it like to work in a kitchen and cook for a living?” When was the last time you thought about that or expressed your answer out loud? What is it like physically, mentally, emotionally, and yes – spiritually to cook for others and do so hours on end for more people than you care to count? Think about that for a minute or two. Here is my answer:

         Cooking is a form of expression more than simply a process with an end in mind. It is a way that we can communicate very effectively with family, friends, colleagues, and complete strangers. Cooking is a way to show the world who you are, where you came from, what is important to you, and how much you care. It is a way to pay respect for farmers, ranchers, fishermen, bakers, cheesemakers, distillers, wine makers, brewers, coffee bean pickers and coffee roasters; those who plant the seeds, and those who sow them, and everyone who passionately works to provide you, a cook, with the raw materials you need to be creative.

         When we cook, we give a nod to all those folks and present a signed journal of your life to anyone who receives a plate of food. “This is who I am, this is a snapshot of my ethnicity, background, experiences, skills, and understanding of process and outcomes.” When you take a moment to look at this plate of food you are looking into my soul and making a connection that only food can help to expedite. It is a unique bond between cook and consumer, a bond that is personal and sensual, a bond that is uniquely offered to each guest. The cook may never see the look in the guests’ eyes when the plate is presented, may never watch as the diner breathes in the intoxicating aromas of the Maillard reaction – that sweet caramelization that flips a switch of anticipation and makes the guest salivate. The cook may never hear the sigh of satisfaction when the diner bites and chews that perfectly cooked steak, masterfully sauteed piece of fish, crunchy pommes frites, or delicate poached Georgia peach and Bavarian cream, but the cook knows.

         When we cook, we are providing a transparent look at our inner most secrets, the secrets that tell a story of you and me. It is not a process it is a journal of our lives. When the cook is in tune, passionate, and “all in” then a plate of food is just like a diary without secrets.

         A cook holds a French knife, paring knife, or simitar – gripping the handle and protecting the edge so that these precious ingredients are properly addressed and not violated by uncared for tools. He or she relishes the chance to stand tall at their cutting board, caring for these components with the respect they deserve. Each carrot represents the painstaking work of a farmer, every tomato contains the energy of the sun and the nutrients of the earth, every fish was caught as it swam for survival or to spawn – setting the stage for a new generation, every egg had a destiny of becoming a chicken before it was cracked by the cook for an omelet or souffle, and every steer, lamb or pig gave its life so that we could lift it up in praise as only an accomplished cook can.

         When a plate leaves the kitchen in route to a guest’s table, it carries the signature of all those people, animals, plants, and fruit. It’s all there, on the plate. This is who we are, we have united to nourish you, to stimulate you, to please you, to make you think, to help you appreciate, to warm your heart and soul, and to give you pause. This is what we do, and this is what it’s like to cook in a professional kitchen.

         We sweat, our feet ache, we wear our battle scars, and feel drained at the end of a shift. We feel the stress of too many tickets, too many nuances, to many variables, too much that can go wrong, and more hours of high anxiety than most people would ever experience in their jobs – yet we do it, because it makes us whole, it is what we were meant to do. We cook so that you, the diner, might enjoy. We cook for the sheer joy of working with fellow cooks. We cook because despite all the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges that accompany the work, we love it, how it feels, and what it means to so many. This is how it feels to cook in a professional kitchen.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

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