What is the recipe to become a great executive chef?!
What is the recipe to become a great executive chef?
Answers:
Not many people know this, but the key is being able to cook.
Hope this helps! =)
The perfect egg omelet. No muss, no fuss. If you do it right you are in!
Love food.
Cook because you enjoy it.
Learn how and why things cook the way they do.
An Executive Chef needs knowledge of food first and a lot of patience second. If you know enough to explain to someone how something should be done then they'll try to follow your instructions. If you're patient enough to explain why something should be done a certain way then they'll understand it more completely and give you a better end product. Teaching your help the reasons behind your instruction makes them part of the process and able to judge their own work without you wasting time watching over their shoulder.
You can't be everywhere, get your assistants to care about the quality of their work by giving them your knowledge and guidance.
Take two pinches of arrogance, a level teaspoon of conceit and a good handful of swear words.
Truthfully? You have to know people. I've been in the restaurant business for close to 2 decades, and I have met very few exec chefs that I would trust with toast. Most of them have their position because they know people. They have interpersonal skills, they have contacts, they have no ability to cook food people want to eat. Sure it's pretty, but it tastes like nasty mush and costs way too much...
I'm serious. You have to play the game, and if you can, no matter how bad you are, you will always have a job. The TV guys? I've worked with some of them...what they don't show you is the small army of people in the background doing 90% of the work for them, the "back up" dishes pre made of each step that already look pretty, the editing...
I knew one chef that was fired for incompitance, but he was friends with the higherups and was brought back with a pay raise...despite not even knowing how to write a recipe.
You want the real power and money? Learn the business side. Keep a leash on the chefs, know where the money goes and why.
To be a great Executive Chef you need several things....you have to know how to cook (that's kind of a given)..you need to know the buisness side of it (purchasing, inventory, P&L statements, food cost) and you have to be a leader...you need to be in the kitchen with the people working for you...too many exec. chefs stay in the office and really dont do anything directly with food....and you need to love what you do...ok that about covers it
Keep food cost low, treat yer sous chefs and cooks like ignorant dogs and just be a cowardly dick in general.
Like Gordo, who is not an extreme example, I'm sorry to say.