Harvest America CUES BLOG

I admit that sometimes I look around at the state of the world and wonder “what is the possible meaning to what I did for a living as a chef”? With all the pain and suffering, mistrust, and angst, and hate and fighting – is there a real benefit to what cooks do daily in restaurants around the world? Reading the newspaper or watching the endless hours of television talking heads and “breaking news” can be exhausting and demoralizing. The volume of despair can weigh heavy when one asks whether they are doing anything to make a difference. Ah, but then I look a bit deeper into the human spirit, return to reflection on the proud history of cooking, and witness every day, that glimmer of hope and joy that a well-prepared meal provides, and I know the answer. Yes, what we do is important, it is necessary, it is healing, and it may just be an answer to the world’s tragic state.

There is a reason why people associate comforting thoughts, silent communication of support, and kindness with a plate of food. There is a reason why we bring a prepared meal to the home of a friend or neighbor when they are suffering. There is a reason why after the worst devastation to a neighborhood, a town, or a country – one of the first businesses to re-open and resume service is a restaurant. People need to gather around a plate of food to not just nourish their bodies but more importantly to feed their souls and start the process of renewal. It is the family table, after all, that was the most important part of the day and the kitchen the most significant room. This is where families, and friends gathered to share, to problem solve, and to celebrate. It is also the place to remember, to support each other, and to think about what comes next.

Restaurants extend the healing nature of food as a gathering place for the larger family – the community. A place where safety and possibility seem far more abundant than in the daily newspapers or opinionated newscast. This is the place where comfort in numbers is fed through the hands of the cook and chef. This is our most important role; a role that goes way beyond taste; this is the real connection to the concept of flavor.

Now, to our purpose – the expanded purpose that focuses on the full meaning of flavor. We all know that the physical aspect of flavor evolves around the appearance, smell, texture, taste, and even sound of food – this is something that all cooks concentrate on. But the “full meaning”, the meaning that gives every cook real purpose is in context and soul. Context refers to the environment where people are welcome, where friends gather, where troubles are put aside, where memories are born, where remembering brings joy, and where people can smile and laugh while they break bread together. This is at the core of a great restaurant, it is what separates the great from the mediocre, and the important restaurant from one that is utilitarian. When we discuss the importance of the neighborhood restaurant, THIS is what is being referenced. Soul, on the other hand, is what the cook brings to the table. This is how the cook, through food, speaks directly to the guest. This is how cooks express their support, their history, their own comfortable connections to the food served, the need to find strength in knowing that there is hope and opportunity. This is where the cook shares his or her most personal self without speaking a word. The cook is sharing an important part of their own experiences, their own lives with each guest – one-on-one. This is where the cook wraps their arms around the guest and says: ‘I’ve got your back”.

“When someone cooks for you, they are saying something. They are telling you about themselves: where they come from, who they are, what makes them happy.”

– Anthony Bourdain

Think about the power of the act of cooking. Each time you look at what may seem the hopelessness of the human condition know that what you do as a cook is important – really important! Whether you are preparing food for the top one percent who can afford the most obscure ingredients and most expensive bottle of wine or helping World Central Kitchen prepare a hot meal for refugees fleeing oppression or war – there is a need that you are helping to fulfill; a need that may seem invisible but trust me when I say it is profoundly crucial. You are providing hope for the hopeless, support for those who are confused and unsure, and connections for those who need to gather and feel the comfort of many. It has been this way for generations, for centuries, forever. This is our role as cooks and chefs.

Around the world there are those who are desperate – not knowing where to turn or how they will put one foot in front of the other and at the same time those who have so much to be grateful for. A plate of food is a common denominator that can give hope to so many and feed the celebration of others. It is this breadth of significance that makes cooking such an important profession. We are all just a moment away from hope or despair and food will always be there to pull people through and help us see the light of opportunity.

Through the act of cooking each of us is saying:

“I can’t rebuild your home or bring back a loved one; I can’t solve your financial challenges or right the wrongs of others -but I can do this. I can feed you today and show you a bit of light, I can do this from my heart and soul. I am a cook.”

What we do as cooks is important and worthwhile; it’s more than pushing out a couple hundred meals on a Saturday night or Instagram worthy plates to fifty lucky guests at another wine dinner – we are sharing something of ourselves and doing what we can to make the lives of others a little bit better in the moment. Your life experiences, your memories, your skills, and your heritage manifest on the plate.

I feel pride in the act of cooks who understand this purpose. The compassion that is demonstrated by those cooks who come to the aid of others after hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, political unrest, devastating wars, and conflicts, and whatever the disaster of the month might be is humbling. They know, maybe unconsciously, that what they do is important. I feel pride in those cooks who also give their all, embrace their heritage and cooking experience, and pay respect to their profession by viewing each plate that leaves a restaurant kitchen as a symbol of pride and a gesture of caring. Cooking is what we do, and a cook is who we are. We can make a difference.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

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