Television has this idea that it would be fun to re-create the tyrant chef. One show in particular has come up often; I am asked if I act this way towards my students or in the kitchens? You know the tirade of cursing at the cook, owner, and chef of a particular operation! Another show is a competition and the contestants are treated so poorly one would have to wonder why anyone would allow themselves to be treated in such a manner. Good Chefs know that to get respect you have to have earned respect. Respect is not something earned because you are an over-egoistical maniac who happens to be a celebrity on television. There are times in a kitchen where we may have to exhort some pressure on our staff because timing and quality require it but for the most part, if your staff is well trained they understand the immediate sense of urgency. A lose cannon in the kitchen spells disaster and creates an environment of distrust and anger. I have stated for years that the foremost and best way to run your kitchen is the same as a classroom. Educate your staff constantly and feed them knowledge that will prove to be useful to you and your operation. If an employee is not working to their potential ask yourself why before you go into made for television tirade.

 

I have worked for chefs who yelled and screamed and in one case through a dishwasher into the garbage can! Looking back over the years it is not the chef that acted this way, that I can honestly say I have respect for their skills and knowledge. The chefs that I have the most respect for are the ones who always bestowed on me the importance of “you are only as good as your last plate of food.” They knew that to achieve quality day in and day out they had to be constant overseers of their product and the best way to ensure all were working diligently and quickly was to educate their employees.

So the next time, you watch one of those “made for television experiences” know that most of us chefs are laughing at the fool acting like the fool!