Posted by Mark S on December 20, 1998 at 17:27:36:
In Reply to: Young chefs and the struggle for respect... posted by Glenn Messick on December 16, 1998 at 12:44:28:
: I also feel at times that I am seen as inferior purely from an age stand point.I make no attempts to even PRETEND to have mastered ANYTHING, I dont call myself a chef.I am a cook. I think a damn good one.I dont say that with any sort of attitude or pretension, but at the age of 23, I have 11 years in this business, from dishwasher all the way to "chef".I put in 90 hour work weeks, prepping from 9am, jumping on the line til 12:30 am.I went through probably the closest thing to a traditional European apprenticeship as I've ever seen in the States. I resent being seen as a know it all because I attended culinary school, because I had 7 years in the "biz" before I even set foot in a culinary lab.I also resent being looked down upon as a hotshot who isnt worth a righteous salary because of my age.I resent all these things, BUT, I don't walk around demanding respect from these people, because I won't get it.Respect is something that you command without verbally requesting it. I'm not harping about " Aw, man, these old guys don't know what theyre doin, man I went to culinary school so Im a chef", thats not my attitude at all, what I am saying is that for every idiot who graduates culinary school and thinks hes Fernand Point, without ever seeing a real restaurant, theres his/her counterpart who paid the dues , came up through the ranks, and busted their ass to get to where they are.I think respect should be given where it is deserved, not dictated by age or job title.There are men and women who I will call Chef until the day they die because of the tremendous respect I have for them, and their chosen craft.Enough blabbering, I gotta get to work.
"Oh to be young again"
This reminds me of my first exec.job.I was 26,fresh out of
school and ready to take on the world.Mind you I had 12 years
experiance pryor to going to school starting as a dishwasher at
12.I was a hell of a cook with experiance in all types of
kitchens exept for People Management.I was able to gain respect
from the kitchen staff at first because of my ability to
knock out mis en place at great speed and quality,apparently
better than the previous chef which in turn made the rest of the
cooks job a lot easier.However there was one old cook who thought
that he should of been made chef when the last one left and
was promised by the owner that if I did'nt work out he could be
the chef.AHHHH!! Do you think that he was the helpfull deticated
sous chef? (my first experiance with "micromanagement"...When
your boss goes behind your back and tells your subordanants
something other than what you told them.) Well the results of
my first months inventory came and the food cost went down
5 points and old Joe quit.My main problem was the front of the
house staff. They did not like me at all.The changes I made
there made there job a lot a lot harder. I kept the plates in
the oven(they were not used to hot plates),I made them run food
to other servers stations (unheard of)???,I would get frustrated
yell, screem and throw things.I was real cocky because the
restaurant was making money for the first time and I could do
no wrong..so I thought.The young weenie owner was afraid of me
and could'nt set me aside and talk to me so he would tell the
staff to just put up with me until the end of the season then
they would make Tami the chef (my sous chef that I hired)everybody
loves her. Needless to say after monthes of this going on behind
my back I lost respect from everybody.So.... What advice can I
give you..Recognize micromanagement and nip it in the bud.
There is one thing that I did'nt mention...As a manager you must
maintain a dignified distance from the employees.Two rules
#1 Dont screw the waitresses
#2 Dont party after work with your subordinants.
Keep on cooking Mark S