Ten tips from star chef Thomas Keller: ‘Setbacks? Keep going!’
Are you completely worn out as a chef? Have you lost sight of why you wanted to work in hospitality in the first place because of the hospitality lockdown? Then read and watch this pep talk by American superchef Thomas Keller. What is success, according to him? ‘If someone tells me that a dinner at The French Laundry reminds them of a holiday in France, then I am successful. And later, their dinner with us will be another beautiful memory they recall somewhere else.’
He started as a dishwasher, but these days Thomas Keller is the brains behind The French Laundry in California and Per Se in New York, so he really does know what he is talking about. The video is a cut-and-paste job made up of different interviews with the chef, but the potpourri gives a good impression of his motivations and his view of the profession. Warning: if you watch the whole film, you will definitely crave roast chicken, so get a beautiful Bresse chicken in advance to slide into the oven later.
- Desire
Many people feel passionate about cooking and food, but according to Chef Keller that is something completely different from ‘desire’. ‘You know how it is with passion, for example in a relationship: it comes and it goes. When I hire people to work in my restaurant, I look for desire, a strong desire to do this work.’
Be consistent
Every day, every meal must be just as good as the last. According to Keller, that is the difference between a mediocre restaurant and a Michelin-worthy top restaurant. And that consistency does not depend solely on the chef, but on the entire kitchen team, the service staff, the suppliers and yes, also the customers, because they have to keep coming back to eat.
Take the next step
Keller would prefer to cook and bake in his kitchen, but unfortunately he is now the restaurant’s boss, so that is no longer possible. That is his lesson: take the next step when you are ready for it, and look for someone who can succeed you in the kitchen. If you do not, you cannot move forward yourself, and neither can your restaurant.
Do it differently
One of the chefs de partie said to Keller one evening: chef, tonight I am not using a cutting board. My mise en place is so well organised that I do not need one. Strange, Keller thought, because every chef de partie needs a cutting board, but fine, if you think it can be done, do it. And what do you think? Perfect service, and that excellent preparation by the chef de partie – Jonathan Benno, now the chef of his own restaurant, as it happens – is now the standard at The French Laundry. In short: dare to do things differently.
Use your talents
When Keller started out, he had no idea how to run a restaurant. He could cook, though. So when he had the opportunity to take over a restaurant, he focused on the kitchen and found an accountant for the numbers and someone to manage the service. That way he could focus on the menu while the rest was taken care of.
Keep going
A young Thomas Keller had decided that he wanted to become a chef and specialise in classic French cuisine. But then what? After three years of looking for a kind of work-experience placement in a top French restaurant, he ended up in a small restaurant in the Jura, where he was allowed to shovel coal into the stove. Not his dream, so after three days he left for Paris, where he completed two years of internships at various restaurants. But he did not give up; he persevered, and look what it has brought him now: seven Michelin stars, two top restaurants, star status – and two hands full of scars, but that is normal when you are a chef.
Surround yourself with very good people
Keller looks for people who are good at what they do, better than he is, and learns from them. That is how you learn, he explains.
Setbacks? Keep working towards your goal
The first restaurant Keller opened in New York had to close when the stock market there crashed, at the end of the 1980s. How do you deal with such a setback? ‘I had to decide: were we going to turn it into a bistro, or were we going to stop altogether? I knew for certain that I only wanted to do fine dining, and I did not let go of that. It was terrible, but I had no other choice. I knew that otherwise I would become unhappy.’ Fortunately, because if he had remained deeply unhappy working in an average restaurant in New York, The French Laundry would never have crossed his path.
Treasure beautiful experiences
What is success? Gathering beautiful experiences is important to Chef Keller. That is what he offers his guests too: wonderful memories they will still think back on years later.
Expertise matters
Two restaurants, seven Michelin stars, but Chef Keller knows his stuff: he makes the most delicious roast chicken. Expertise is important to him; chefs need to know what they are talking about.
Also read:
- Chef Mauro Colagreco from the best restaurant in the world is coming to the Netherlands
- 13 of the best responses from restaurants to bad reviews
- 9 cooking terms you need to know
