Should we pause for a moment and contemplate what we are teaching?

Of course this is a very broad question that has an obvious answer. But, I am referring to a much deeper level of thought that stems from this increasing debate over the challenge of preparing young people for a very different industry. Just for a moment, I would like each of you to seriously think about this business, including: the nature of the work; the commitment level required from individuals to truly succeed; the reasons why successful chefs do what they do; and the over-riding challenge that restaurants face as they struggle with finding and retaining excellent staff.

The opportunities in the food business are incredibly diverse and as such we could easily rationalize that there is a place for people of every commitment level. More often than not, those young eager students who come our way are doing so because they are enthralled with the segment of the food industry with the most sizzle – the restaurant business. These students idolize many of the names that we elevate in our classes: Escoffier, Pointe, Careme, Bocuse, Boulud, Batali, Waters, Adria, Ripert, Bloomfield, Samuelsson, Izard, and Robuchon to name a few. We know of them and so do our students – these are the examples of excellence, the role models for our generation and the next generation of cooks and chefs. The question is – are we approaching the process of teaching and training with a realistic understanding of what made these chefs successful as professionals?

Of course, the foundations of cooking they personify are a part of our standard approach in the classroom. We talk about professionalism and emphasize the attributes of solid management and leadership. We take the time to stress the responsibility we all have for food safety. We discuss the basic process for managing the finances of a profitable restaurant. But, is this the core of what made these industry role models as successful as they are or were?

I question whether we have lost something in the translation of skill to success. Are we failing to set the stage for a student’s future success? Are we doing what the industry, particularly the restaurant segment, needs?

You might ask why I am posing these questions and where is this line of questioning headed? I have been wrestling with what I am hearing from chefs, restaurant owners, and managers as well as the changing attitudes of this next generation of cooks. I am, to be perfectly honest, unable to find a way to come up with a resolution to the sizeable gap that exists. I am constantly, and I do mean constantly, hearing from chefs that this new generation of cooks is lacking commitment, desire, flexibility, and drive that seemed to be present in previous generations. These chefs and restaurateurs are becoming disillusioned and very frustrated as they struggle to find and keep staff and wonder from where the chefs of the next generation will come.

At the same time, I hear graduates from culinary schools talk about the need to change an industry that has required full commitment to a point that disrupts any balance in life quality. This new generation of cooks, for the most part, doesn’t want to play in that sandbox anymore. Thus, there is a disconnect without resolution unless one side or the other gives in at some level.

With all of this challenge in mind I came across a quote that really brought about one of those "a'ha" moments: "Becoming a chef is not a career, it is a way of life."

Think about that for a moment and you may start to see where the gap might begin. So, I thought that investigating this statement might be a starting point for educators – a place to begin assessing what and how we teach and how we might help bring both sides to some point of agreement. In this first article of a two-part series I will look at the challenge through the eyes of the chef and restaurateur.

Why are the role model chefs successful in their field? These chefs ...

• Acceptance
  ..have accepted that being a chef is a life choice that carries with it an extraordinary commitment of time, energy, physical and mental effort. It’s a total focus on the how and why associated with cooking. He or she eats, drinks and sleeps the business and knows that like similar lifestyle careers (farmer, doctor, professional musician, etc.) other aspects of their existence will likely take a backseat.
• Buying into the Tradition
  ..are absolutely proud to wear the uniform of the chef and follow in the footsteps of countless others who blazed the culinary trails before them. They may put their signature on the food they prepare, but they do so with humble appreciation for the traditions that others developed.
• When the Career Becomes Your Identity
  ..identify with the position and the life of the kitchen creating little distinction between who they are and what they do. They prefer to simply be called "chef" by everyone.
• Join the Club
  ..know when this level of dedication is exhibited they and others like them become members of a club. This club, without structure, is where all committed chefs are automatically welcome and everyone shares a bond of understanding, sharing, and support that is unparalleled.
• No Pain, No Gain
  ..know the road to success is not easy and there will be bumps along the way. They know that the job is physically difficult, mentally demanding, and emotionally draining at times, but they are willing to pay the price to reach the goal.
• Would Rather be in the Kitchen
  ..feel that even with the challenges, the trials and tribulations, the relentless demands from owners, partners, managers, and patrons – there is no place they would rather be than in the kitchen with a team of professional cooks.
• 100 Percent Excellence
  ..know to be truly successful a chef must be passionate and focused on the constant pursuit of excellence. They will strive for perfection and accept nothing less. Mistakes will be made, but the same mistakes will not be made again. Every mistake is an opportunity to grow, learn, and improve as they seek 100 percent excellence.
• Choices
  ..know a career that is a lifestyle will require hard choices, which are not understood by others outside the kitchen. These choices will always factor in everything else in a chef’s life, but will most often lean toward what is needed in the kitchen at that moment. This is, and will always be the most difficult part of choosing the lifestyle of a chef.

You may or may not agree with some or all of these. But, it is how those who we emulate see the world of the kitchen. These are the foundations of belief that should factor in to how we prepare the next generation of chefs.

In the follow up article, I will look at the career choice through the eyes of this new generation of cooks with plans to become chefs.

Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC, president of Harvest America Ventures, a mobile restaurant incubator based in Saranac Lake, N.Y., is the former vice president of New England Culinary Institute and a former dean at Paul Smith’s College. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..