It has been said that to be the best, you must learn from the best.
We often hear inspiring stories of success such as world-renowned chef Joel Robuchon, who began his career as an apprentice chef at 15 and later became head chef at Harmony-Lafayette in Paris by the age of 28. Just a year later, he earned his first Michelin star and eventually was hailed as chef of the century.
What does it take to be a culinary genius like Chef Robuchon? According to Chef Robuchon, it requires an incredible amount of hard work. He emphasised the importance of committing wholeheartedly to your passion and striving for excellence.
Here are five habits you can adopt to pave your way towards an outstanding career as a chef.
Habit 1: Planning
Good chefs are good planners.
Plan ahead to set yourself and your team up for success in the next day and the next week. You can’t come into work each day blind, it will only lead to chaos and guarantee a high turnover of staff.
Effective organisation starts with YOU, the leader. A skilled head chef understands what’s needed daily, the contents of the fridges, necessary orders and timings, required prep work, peak service times, and staffing requirements throughout the day.
By dedicating time to plan your days and weeks ahead, your kitchen operations will run smoother and be less stressful for everyone involved. This ultimately results in a higher quality final product!
Action steps: Create a weekly/monthly workflow and commit your create time in your own schedule to maintain it. Use a calendar to mark peak periods, upcoming holidays/events that require varying levels of planning, ordering, and rostering.
Habit 2: Time Management
Effective time management is crucial for success, but putting it into practice can be challenging. By actively managing your team’s time every day, you’ll be amazed at how quickly tasks get completed and how smoothly your kitchen operates.
Understanding the rhythm of your business and its impact on kitchen efficiency allows you to capitalise on downtime and ensure tasks are completed promptly. It’s essential to involve the entire team in achieving these goals.
Action steps: Implement a daily checklist for essential tasks and a weekly plan for tasks that can be tackled during quieter periods. Delegate responsibilities such as prepping, organising cool rooms and storage, ordering, rostering, and maintaining cleanliness. Regularly check in with your chefs to ensure readiness for service and task completion meets expectations.
Habit 3: Focus
During the rush of service, maintaining focus and control is paramount.
Distractions can lead to errors, which in turn increase pressure. Whether it’s a dish cooked incorrectly, food delivered to the wrong table, or even accidents affecting your team, staying disciplined is essential and rewarding.
Action steps: Practice maintaining composure in the kitchen. Despite your best efforts, mishaps can happen; it’s how you respond that influences the kitchen atmosphere and outcomes. Embrace reflection and openness to improvement. Plan for adjustments in your approach. Cultivating a professional, positive mindset, allows you and your team to grow.
Habit 4: Ready, set, service
Having a well-organised, clean kitchen with prepared sections is essential for success. You need to know where everything is located, each chef’s level of preparation, and have everything required for service at your fingertips. ‘Mise en place’ isn’t just about food prep; it encompasses ensuring the entire kitchen is set up and equipped with all necessary items, from ingredients in the fridge to utensils and pans.
Action steps: Before service begins, personally check in with each chef and section to ensure readiness. As their leader, it’s crucial to understand their needs and address any deficiencies proactively to thrive under pressure. Prior to starting service go and check in with each chef and section and check they are ready, as their leader you must know what they need or what they are missing, correct it before service to enable you to thrive during pressure times.
Habit 5: Communication
Your team is your greatest asset. Effective communication with them is key to making all of the above work and your restaurant a success. From your kitchen hands to your sous chef, you all need to be on the same page.
- Ask the right questions – Greet your chefs as they arrive, ask them how they are. Hold a brief morning meeting to review the day’s agenda. Discuss yesterday’s performance, identify areas for improvement, prioritise tasks, anticipate peak service times, and offer assistance with prep work.
- Listen: Value your team’s input; their ideas contribute to kitchen success. Express gratitude at the end of each day. Remember, kitchen work can be tough so making your staff feel appreciated will lead to a stronger team.
Action steps: Schedule regular in-person team meetings as often as possible. Spend time observing the kitchen during various shifts to connect with all team members and understand the workflow. Group messaging apps can be really helpful for whole team communication, notes and praise, but remember you set the tone!