Harvest America CUES BLOG

A young cook once said to me: “Why are you so caught up in this ingredient, it’s just a tomato.” I was dumbfounded, it was hard to form the words that should be easy to say so instead, I just stared at him until he finally turned away and went back to work coring and quartering – just a tomato. I remember returning to my office, closing the door, and taking the time to collect my thoughts before calling him in.

“Sit down, I want to have a serious chat with you. I want to address something that is so important that it took me a few minutes alone to organize my thoughts before calling you into the office. Now, I want you to listen closely, I want you to take this in and store it in a place that can be easily accessed in the future. This is as important, maybe even more so, than any other skill you will learn while in the kitchen. Even if you choose to not pursue cooking as your career, I know that this information will serve you well throughout life.”

I could sense his uncomfortableness. Maybe he thought that I was going to fire him, yell at him, or demean him as some chefs do. It is possible that because of his age he may have thought he was about to get a long-winded lecture from an adult, a person who, like his parents, was just going to recite some self-important diatribe that he really had no interest in hearing. In any case, I felt it was important to make my case.

“A few minutes ago, you referred to that ingredient I held in my hand as “just a tomato” and honestly, I wasn’t sure how to respond. I thought about a short burst of rage, or at the very least – exasperation, but instead I walked away because I knew that this was an important moment in your life education. I didn’t want to trivialize it with reaction, but rather collect my thoughts and use it as a teaching moment.”

I reached into my desk drawer and pulled out a package of High Mowing organic tomato seeds – Black Cherokee. Opening the pack, I used a tweezers to pick one tiny seed and asked the cook to hold out his hand. As he did, I dropped the tiny seed into his palm.

“This seed will be planted in the rich soil in my garden plot at home. With proper watering and sun exposure, the seed sprouts and the plant begins to grow. It is quite amazing that inside every seed is a plant ready to sprout. Over a few weeks, the plant continues to grow and will develop flowers. Each flower is comprised of four parts: the SEPAL, the green part that protects the flower before it opens up; the PETAL usually yellow, is a flag that attracts bees; the STAMEN that holds the pollen (the male genetic info), the powerful ingredient that bees collect and take back to the hive; and the PISTILL that is the female part of the plant containing the ovary where the seeds in a tomato are formed. It is an amazing story of life, interdependence of species and protection for survival of the fittest.”

I wasn’t sure if I had lost this young cook yet, but I continued:

“Bees play an important role in transferring pollen from one plant to another both protecting the process of a type of tomato and helping to create new varieties. That pollen, much of which is brought back to the hive is the essential ingredient used in the production of honey and critical to the survival of these important workers who help farmers do what they do.

As the sun continues to shine on the flowers, the tomato is formed, and the fruit begins to ripen. With adequate watering, and care from the gardener or farmer to minimize the impact of insects, the tomato will mature. Pulled from the vine, this perfect, still warm fruit can be enjoyed like any other fruit – rich, sweet, luscious, and satisfying. There are few foods more comforting than a ripe tomato from the vine. Furthermore, this fruit can be used in our restaurant as a complement to salads, as an appetizer, in making rich tomato sauce for dozens of applications, or as is the case in a few restaurants – poached in sugar or honey and served as a unique dessert.

So, to call this fruit – just a tomato is to disregard everything that went into its growth and the work and passion of those who invest in it and benefit from the end product.”

The young cook seemed to have a look of awareness, or at least the start of understanding.

“Now, this can be applied to just about everything in life. A potato is not just a potato, a carrot never just a carrot, a salmon not simply a fish, or a steak simply a piece of meat. There is a lifecycle to each and an investment from all who are involved including the plant or animal. If you ever have a desire to be a chef, and owner, a manager, or a leader you can apply this to people as well. A chef should never consider the person who maintains the most expensive piece of equipment and the canvas on which every cook paints as simply a dishwasher, a service professional who sets the stage for the guest experience is never just a waiter, and the driver who takes care of your ingredients in route to the restaurant loading dock should never be viewed as just a truck driver. There is a lifecycle and important story behind each person and the role they play in your success and the success of a business; as important as anyone else’s.

Do you understand why a tomato is not just a tomato and how this realization applies to everything; why you need to understand the story behind what you work with, who you do it with, and how you approach both?”

He looked at me, first dipped his head and then looked me squarely in the eyes and said:

“Yes, chef.”

In that moment I realized my job as a chef was more than operating a restaurant kitchen, more than ensuring consistently great food on every plate, and much more than training cooks about technique. My job was to help others understand interdependence, respect, appreciation, and their place in this world. I wondered if I could live up to that.

Reference: Tomatosphere

                    Let’s Talk Science

                    The Lifecycle of a Tomato Plant

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