What They Don’t Tell You About Being a Head Chef….

So most of us put on the jacket and apron because we love to cook. We work hard, concentrate and put our heart, soul and body into what we do. Alongside that passion come promotions and sometimes (!) more money, but really what excites us is more responsibility and more freedom to cook our food, make a mark on the menu, develop our own style and become a culinary expert. After all, when you finally become a head chef, it feels like you’ve arrived. You have YOUR OWN KITCHEN and YOUR OWN TEAM! The world is your oyster! You can cook whatever you want! Until --- you sit down in the office and realise so much of your training didn’t prepare you for this.

If you went to a traditional culinary school as I did, it didn’t cover P&L sheets, HR issues and supplier negotiations and relationships. If you are lucky and had a great mentor(s), you learn some of this through them - I was lucky enough to have Davide ‘Tip Top’ Di Croce guide and teach me at the beginning when I first started going up the ladder - but there is still a huge learning curve with huge consequences if you get it wrong! Sadly I have first-hand experience with this one. I was too young and naive when I took my first head chef role - I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I lost some very good chefs. Mainly because I thought I had earned the title and acted accordingly - when I had years still ahead of me in my ability and maturity to manage others. After that disaster, I was lucky enough to work things out, build a great team and work with some great chefs.

I learned, after spending 16+ hour days with them, that you won’t automatically make a great head chef just because you cook well. You have to be in the trenches with your kitchen - leading alongside them and teaching them what they need to be successful. And most of the time, it isn’t the basics of molecular gastronomy. It’s business. How to manage people, how to run a profit and loss report, how to watch your margins, and control your costs.

So for the young chef - learn from my mistakes. Here’s how to be a great head chef - starting today.

At the start of your career, you want to listen, watch and write everything down, and take pictures or make drawings! Having access to everything in the future is not only a great knowledge asset but a great historical reference, I love flipping back through my old books reminiscing and re-learning, and finding influence for dishes from dishes past - especially those really tricky ones, the ones that would always put you in the weeds!

The wealth of knowledge surrounding you in the kitchen is enormous, and not just from the senior chefs - the KPs, junior chefs and even the front of house team can teach some great things and share years of combined experience with you!

Taste everything, learn flavours and textures and understand how they complement other foods and how they work together. Don’t rush your development or push for promotions too early; these come with time and experience. Focus on knowledge and skills and your development will happen naturally.

And most importantly, keep your knives clean and sharp! Spend some extra time every night sharpening and looking after them, they are your second most important tool after your brain.

Last thing: once you learn something useful, share it with another chef. Passing on knowledge is the greatest thing any of us can offer - and by paying it forward, you’re helping another generation of chefs prepare for their next big challenge. Just as, I’m sure, someone has done for you.