I spent my vacation with a chef friend, and he asked me if I thought that cooking for all of those years affected the way I work in the studio. His question was a good observant one, deserving of a quality answer.
I worked in the restaurant industry for a little shy of 15 years. Here is what I learned.
1. Make Lists, and start thinking about a plan of action ahead of time.
Organization is a must, especially when faced with only 3 hours to prepare for dinner in a tiny kitchen with 5 other people.
2. Work Clean.
In the restaurant business, this can keep the food pure for the customer, you don't want to contaminate the public, either with your own personal filth, or that of a raw chicken. It also just helps to be able to clearly see what is going on.
3. Ergonomics.
This is an important one. In a kitchen, there is a station for everything. In the best kitchens, there is an undeniable flow to how the work stations are positioned. The worst planned kitchen I worked in , the grill was about 50 feet from the grade manger who had to call for grilled bread every few seconds, and the bakery was the size of a thimble.
My studio is constantly evolving, but what I strive for is a flow to my work day. Running too far, or in circles is inefficient.
4. Time on Task.
This is something I learned while cooking, that was put into words by a professor of mine.
It is my personal mantra. You cannot be good at something you don't spend any time doing. When I was cooking, that meant that I spent time studying my cookbooks, brainstorming, and cooking. I was dependent upon my skills for my living, just as I am now.
I spend at least 10-12 hours per day on my business and in the studio, and I firmly believe that the work ethic instilled in me through 15 years of restaurant work is what has made me so successful. I am determined to do my best, and my studio practice is the number one priority.
5. Work well under pressure.
When I was working at Salsa's( my dream job by the way.) I was challenged everyday, and thrived. The line outside usually started well before we were open, and sometimes we had to stop taking names just an hour or two into service. At 5:30, the ticket machine would overflow onto the floor, and our heads would not come up for air until 10. I LOVED IT!
That job took a lot of concentration, the ability to multitask, work well as a team, and challenged all of us to keep our cool no matter what. Now, I have a giant dry erase board that fills up, and orders take weeks instead of seconds. If I have to work 16 hour days for a month, I just keep my head down and go at it until its done!
