20 Life Lessons That Stick With You After Working In A Professional Kitchen
Whether It's A Career Path Or A Summer Job, It'll Change You For The Better
Anyone who has spent any time working in a professional kitchen can tell you that it's at once the most challenging and rewarding work environment out there. The hard work is offset by an incredible sense of camaraderie, passion, and fun that you don't see in other work environments. You develop a family-like bond with your co-workers, and best of all, you develop skills that you can take with you anywhere in life. Here are 20 life lessons that stick with you after working in a professional kitchen.
1. Don't Throw People Under The Bus
When you become part of a back-of-house team, you quickly learn that under no circumstance do you let a teammate take the fall for something. If a mistake is made, the onus is on the entire staff, a valuable lesson that you can carry over to other aspects of life to become a great leader.
2. Don't Take Criticism Personally
Communication in kitchens is not sugar-coated. Your chef and colleagues will need to get their message across quickly and clearly and you'll quickly learn not to let it affect you personally.
3. How To Work Well Under Pressure
A professional kitchen is one of the most fast-paced environments. Spending even just a little bit of time working as a line cook will instill in you a sense of calm in the face of pressure, a useful skill for all aspects of life.
4. Teamwork Is Everything
There's a mantra repeated across kitchens worldwide: "Teamwork makes the dream work." It's cheesy, but it's true, especially when you consider all the verbal communication and coordination that had to go into creating a perfectly timed 10-course tasting menu with wine pairings.
5. The Importance Of Cleanliness
No professional cook would ever have a messy workstation or even a splotched apron. The concept of working cleanly translates into other aspects of life, namely completing tasks with pride and precision.
6. How To Be Organized
"Mis en place" translates to "everything in its place." In kitchen terms, it means organizing all your ingredients ahead of time so your service goes as streamlined as possible. It's the key to having a successful night and a concept that carries over into other aspects of life.
7. Don't Over-Apologize
It's very common in North American society to over-apologize, even when someone else runs into you. In a professional kitchen, this does not fly and is more of a waste of words and precious seconds than anything. Apologizing excessively is only something you do when you're really green.
8. Pick Your Battles
Unfortunately, the stereotypical ego-centric power-tripping chef is far from dead and you're guaranteed to work with at least one in your career. You'll find more often than not it's best to opt for a "oui, chef" and move on. Only if something has gone too far will you choose to push back, and you'll likely have a whole team to back you.
9. There's Always Something Productive To Do
When you work in a kitchen, you never really have downtime. There's literally always something you can be doing. Whether it's prep for tomorrow or next week, you'll thank yourself later when you're in the weeds and don't have a moment to spare.
10. Communication Is Key
Clear communication is important to so many aspects of life and is a skill you certainly master when working as part of a back-of-house team. Every dish that makes its way onto the pass goes through many well-coordinated sets of hands. A successful dish wouldn't be possible without effective communication.
11. How To Be Adaptable
Working in a kitchen, you'll inevitably be doing things on the fly sometimes as service often ends up not going according to plan. You'll need to embrace the unexpected and problem-solve fast.
12. The Importance Of Self-Care
Working in kitchens, burnout is real. Especially as many restaurants expect line cooks to devote six days a week, 10-12 hours a day to their jobs. The work is also physically strenuous, and as such, you'll quickly learn the importance of self-care like getting adequate rest and staying in good physical shape, habits that stay with you long after you leave the chef life behind.
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13. Never Stop Learning
As a green and eager young cook entering the ranks, you're quickly humbled by all that you don't know. You also quickly learn to embrace each lesson and soak up new information with vehement curiosity.
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14. Whatever You Do, Do It With Passion
Looking at your colleagues and your superiors spending endless hours toiling in a kitchen for a smaller salary than the average office clerk is at once humbling and inspiring. You know they're doing it for no other reason other than their red-hot passion for the craft and this will inspire you to pursue the things that ignite a flame in you.
15. The Devil Is In The Detail
Whether it's a sprinkle of tajin or a minuscule squirt of balsamic reduction on the plate rim, it's the small details that elevate a dish from good to exceptional. Always thinking about the small details can help you elevate other things in your life too.
16. Always Come Prepared
It only takes one horrible service after forgetting your chef's knife at home to learn the importance of preparation. After working in a kitchen, you'll never be late for anything for the rest of your life.
17. There's No Shortcut To Success
Working in a kitchen will instill in you a work ethic that you won't find in other professions except for maybe the military. Carry this with you through all you do in life and you're bound to find success.
18. Every Second Counts
There are few work environments more fast-paced than a kitchen during a busy dinner service. Working as part of a back-of-house team will instill in you an incredible ability to hustle. It will make any seemingly impossible deadline in life feel like a cinch.
19. Pride In Craftsmanship
Working in kitchens, you never cut corners. The bar is high and everyone takes pride in what they do. It's an attitude that you can take forward with you in life no matter what you're doing.
20. Your Reputation is Your Currency
No matter what career path you end up taking, working in kitchens will help you realize the importance of reputation. You build a good reputation by being reliable, trustworthy, and consistent.
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