Harvest America CUES BLOG

It’s not easy being a chef. There are ample opportunities to cut corners for the sake of the bottom line, there are loads of ways to take advantage of your employees, there is always a temptation to overcharge to control food cost, and avoiding change because it is disruptive is always whispering in your ear. Don’t do it! Be strong, be true to your profession, honor those who came before, think of the hard-working cooks in your brigade and the trusting patrons who spend their hard-earned money in your dining room. And don’t forget your own pride in living up to a standard of excellence. Do it right!

Some may feel this is altruistic and maybe not realistic, but I hope you find a way to protect our profession, service those who supply kitchens with fabulous ingredients, honor those young cooks who want to learn, and respect guests who trust your integrity. Do it right!

We may all differ on our list for the righteous approach, but for what it’s worth – here are twenty-one to consider:

[]       CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN

A clean kitchen truly is a happy kitchen. It is a place where people want to work and a kitchen that guests can trust to keep them healthy and safe. Build cleanliness into your operation until it becomes a habit that you need not manage – everyone does their part automatically.

[]       HIRE THOSE WHO “FIT” EVEN IF THEY STILL HAVE MUCH TO LEARN

It’s all about team and team works well when the chemistry is right. You can always build and refine skills, but the right attitude must accompany the new employee when they walk through the door every day. Hire attitude.

[]       TEACH AND TRAIN

This is the chef’s primary job. Everything else falls into place if your staff are properly trained and as a result – confident in their abilities.

[]       EFFICIENCY WANES AFTER 10 HOUR SHIFTS

It’s easy to abuse the most competent employees. It seems logical to keep them in place to ensure the proper product and thus easy to over schedule them. Even the best employees have a physical and mental breaking point. Kitchen work may never fall into the category of “normal”, but every employee is best under 50 hours a week and deserve two days off. Let this be your method of operation.

[]       HAVE EMPATHY

People have a life outside of work. Your employees will occasionally face challenges at home that pull attention away from the job. Have an empathetic ear and whenever possible help them navigate through their challenges. This is what a good employer does.

[]       SET THE STANDARDS OF EXPECTATION WITH VENDORS

Don’t complain about your vendors unless you have set strict standards of expectation first. Be clear with them, write product specifications, send product back that fails to meet those standards, and thank them when they hit the mark. Be strong, fair, and professional and they will usually do the same.

[]       MAKE STOCKS

This is so important. First, the smell of a stock wafting through the kitchen is intoxicating and it sets the tone for proper cooking through the operation. Second, a stock is a viable way of using vegetable, meat, and fish bones and scraps. Third, your soups, broths, and sauces will be so much better with a well-made stock as the base.

[]       USE RECIPES AS A GUIDE

Every chef MUST have detailed recipes prepared for everything used in the kitchen. They are there for a variety of reasons: first, they are an effective means of communication between the chef and the cook; second, they are instrumental in setting the stage for consistency in quality; and third, they are the basis for accurate costing and selling price determination. That being said – there are many reasons why a cook may need to drift away from strict recipe adherence: inconsistent quality of raw materials, pressures of time, or variance in the number of portions needed. In this case, the recipe remains an important guide. Competent cooks know how to zig and zag.

[]       ALWAYS FRESH, ALWAYS FROM SCRATCH

The expectation of guests is that you are making menu items from fresh ingredients and building an item from scratch. This is one of the reasons why they choose to dine out. Your cooks are there to learn and improve and when shortcuts are implemented then you steal their opportunity to do so. Fresh is almost always better for everyone.

[]       NEVER SACRIFICE QUALITY FOR CONVENIENCE

There is a place in every kitchen for the use of some convenience items. If the same quality is maintained and efficiency is improved, then by all means – consider incorporating what convenience makes sense. However, never sacrifice the quality that everyone expects from you just for the advantage of convenience.

[]       NEVER SACRIFICE QUALITY FOR SPEED

Ah, get it done fast! The pressure of time is always there for cooks and chefs. In almost every case when a cook allows speed to trump quality – everyone suffers: the restaurant reputation, the guest experience, and the pride of the cook. Planning is more often the answer to a need to take shortcuts.

[]       VARIETY SHOWS COMMITMENT AND PASSION

It’s easy to plan a menu, find what seems to work, train to that expectation of flavor and presentation, and then never vary. There are thousands of restaurants that function well with this formula. However, the great restaurants are rarely satisfied with too much predictability. They change with the seasonality of ingredients, they change when the “feel” of a season is different, they change for special occasions, and sometimes they change to keep everyone excited and interested.

[]       RESPECT THE SEASONS

Summer is the time for lighter, fun, vibrant flavors, and respect for the early bounty from the garden, the sea, and the ranch. Fall is dedicated to a robust harvest. Winter is a time to hunker down and enjoy hearty, warming, comfort meals. Spring is the time of renewal, of fresh starts, and early crops – the transition from cold to warm.

[]       BUY SUSTAINABLE

Chefs have an obligation to protect the food supply for tomorrow. We have an obligation to make sure the cost to planet earth is no less a concern than the quality of the plate in the pass. Take this seriously.

[]       RESPECT TRADITION EVEN IF YOU DON’T ALWAYS FOLLOW IT

I read somewhere that there really are no new dishes to invent, just different approaches towards how they are presented. Much of what we claim as new in restaurants is simply a chef’s unique way of presenting something that came from tradition. Know them, respect them, and then put your twist on it.

[]       COOKING METHODS – FOLLOW THE STEPS

The classic cooking methods are time tested, proven through the hands of countless chefs. There is a reason behind the steps in methods – respect them and do it right.

[]       GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

The best chefs know that the battery of cooks who work with them are the reason for a restaurant’s accolades. The concept, organization, and many of the menu ideas may begin with the chef, but the chef is not always the one to prepare those ideas for the guest. Don’t lose an opportunity to thank those that make success possible.

[]       INVOLVE YOUR STAFF IN CREATIVITY

Everyone wants their finger painting to find a home on the parent’s refrigerator. Let you cooks put a signature on the menu. Give them a chance to create and add a new twist to a menu item. Give them a chance to feel good about their contributions.

[]       BE THE EXAMPLE OF PROFESSIONALISM

As the chef, you are looked up to, hopefully respected, and turned to when problems need to be solved. Be the role model they hope you will be. Look the part, act the part, be strong and sincere, but always show that you care. Maintain the calm by being calm yourself. They will follow your lead.

[]       NEVER SERVE MEDIOCRITY

Mediocrity is giving up. It should never be part of your vocabulary or that of your staff. From the smallest detail to the most complicated part of your job – let excellence shine.

[]       TAKE THE TIME TO SAY THANKS

Each day take the time to walk through the operation and thank those who make your job possible. A simple thank you, a shake of the hand, or a pat on the back costs you nothing but is invigorating to your staff. It shows that you notice and care.

DO THE RIGHT THING!

*Picture: Chef Herve Mahe – of Bistro de Margot – Burlington, Vermont – a chef who thrives on doing things right.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

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