Hiring the Best Chef for Your Restaurant (According to Tenured Chefs)

       As a former recruiter of a high-volume restaurant group, I can tell you first hand that hiring great management is a serious challenge, not to mention chefs.  Of course, experience managing a kitchen, efficient in execution, budget consciousness, and training staff are all no brainers in hiring a top notch BOH talent, but once someone takes the reins in your kitchen things can change- fast!  A green chef can sometimes switch it up for better, but more often than not for the worst.  Since it’s too damn hot in the kitchen to just let anyone manage your BOH Team, Harri turned to our vibrant hospitality network to see what some hiring managers / owners might miss in their chef search.

Chef Franklin Becker

Chef Corey Cash

Chef Mike Landas

1)   Transparency & Trust

    Like prep before every service, lay out your mise en place …or in this case your honest expectations of the job at hand.  Have a written description ready and make sure that duties of the position actually fit the title.  A “full disclosure of expectations, [and] making sure you are advertising for the right title”, will prevent any confusion during an interview and post hire.  You should not expect an Executive Chef to run food or Kitchen Managers to interact with guests.  This also keeps your interests at heart, as anyone can say a duty is not his/hers but if there is a paper trail, then no one can deny it.

     According to Chef Cash you should also be as upfront as possible with any obstacles your restaurant has faced in its past – high food costs, line-level staffing, inconsistent plates, varied ticket times, paying invoices on time, etc.  Having “transparency in the challenges the restaurant is facing "could be a deal breaker for some, but if a candidate has come across these problems before and solved them, it could [be] true game changer for your overall business.  Since hiring is a two-way street, “be prepared to trust who you hire”. Try your best to throw in questions about integrity (ie. Tell me about a time when your morale was compromised, what did you do? etc).  If this person is taking on a leadership role in your business, having faith in his/her abilities is crucial.  Be sure to not let prior issues cloud your judgment, and lead to micromanagement.  The last thing a great chef wants is someone breathing down his or her neck.    

2)   Belief in Concept

     The best chef in the world has absolutely no value to your restaurant if they have zero interest in the concept.  Chef Landas urges that viable candidates, “at the very least, [should have] a strong interest in the cuisine style of the restaurant”.  Hiring a chef with 5 years experience at a farm-to-table, Italian restaurant will most likely not benefit a Chinese restaurant specializing in Dim Sum.  If your concept’s brand relies heavily on a set menu, make that fact crystal clear to your prospective chef.  Otherwise you could end up with,“ managers and chefs who will try and make the place ‘their own’, deviating from your restaurant’s theme.  A nice way to approach this is keeping the set menu through a certain period of time (maybe a season or quarter) and allowing the new chef to explore creativity through specials. Seeing how well the specials sell can be a good indicator on whether or not to let him/her tweak the menu, before changing it all together.

3)   Ego

     This is a notoriously “touchy” subject, especially with chefs.  Always remember that no one is special enough to treat others with disrespect in your business, most importantly your BOH Team.  Leading a great team in any field requires a certain level of humility, great chefs “should be confident, but not cocky”, and still maintain a “willingness to learn” per Franklin Becker, even at a high level in their careers.  There’s nothing worse than a tenured chef, who comes into a kitchen with no room for compromise.  This attitude is counter-productive and drives kitchens into the ground.  Chef Landas recalls, “I’ve seen many instances where highly qualified chefs scare off good quality staff because they were a**holes”.  The my-way-or-the-highway days are over, even in the best restaurants, look at Noma and Alinea.  They dedicate nights when cooks of all levels can present different dishes to the team and brainstorm menu ideas.

Collaborative mindsets with staff make a huge difference in service, and gaining line-level staff trust is key.  According to Mike Landas, “It’s important to design your interview [process] to see if the candidates will have chemistry with the staff”.  This is where trailing is important, choose your busiest shift and throw them in the mix – brunch and Thurs – Sat @ 7-9 PM dinner service are highly recommended.  After he or she leaves, ask the line-level staff/ cooks, what they think and if they would listen to this person.  If this seems counterintuitive think of it this way: you want to put the best captain at the helm of your ship, it’s best that your kitchen does not become the Titanic, and that all the lifeboats are onboard.

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The 3 Best Ways to Find Cooks

      Finding excellent cooks is one of the most challenging of the restaurant industry.  Cooks are the backbone of every restaurant, they are usually the ones executing the food that brings in revenue. Good cooks are essential to any thriving restaurant.  The best cooks are able to follow instructions accordingly to their respective chefs’ recipes, have some experience (but no ego), know that creativity is reserved for after they prove themselves in the kitchen - all for hourly wages and low pay.  Some of the usual obstacles of recruiting for these difficult positions include: no shows for interviews and training, candidates not looking to stay for a long period of time.  With all of these challenges turnover is high and all chefs need competent cooks - fast! There are better ways than posting on every individual job board and waiting for candidates to come to you.

1. Referrals

    When a position is open, referrals are usually the first route chefs and managers take to get someone through the door, especially for finding skilled cooks.  If your guy on grill is killing it every night and has never called out once, chances are he might know other hard working people like him.  You get his friend through the door from his old job, and she happens to be a beast in prep - problem solved!  However, referrals can be risky just as they are successful.  Be wary of hiring just anyone your employees ask to hire.  Set some parameters and restrictions on who can be referred.  The last thing you want is a husband and wife working in the same space arguing about the kids, while you’re waiting at expo for a steak on the fly because table 12 ordered steak tartare and didn’t know it was supposed to be “raw”.  Referrals are a pretty safe bet for filling a few positions, but if you hire referrals only because you need a “body on the floor” it could be a disaster.   

2. Proper Job Promotion

    Posting on job boards is very effective but posting to multiple job boards is a painstaking process.  If your job happens to be posted on the wrong board then great candidates can miss an opportunity to work for you.  Cooks have hectic schedules and a limited amount of time to apply for new jobs, so more exposure is always better. Harri’s Job Distributor takes all of the strengths of Craigslist, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, CareerJet, Jooble and more, then posts them all at once. You will be able to see your jobs (host, waiter, and chef jobs) right away. You receive the volume and quality of all of the job boards in one place, and it saves you time from posting on each one.  As an extra plus, candidates can use their smartphones to apply through the application, so they can come through your restaurant doors quickly!

Courtesy of @lupulonyc Instagram 

3. Social Media

    Much like referrals this could be a hit or miss.  Being aware of peak times to post is key for having job ads on social media.  This takes a little more preparation than posting an ad on a job board or asking a cook if he has any friend or past co-workers for referrals.  A good job post on social media must be very image driven.  Usually restaurants collaborate with their marketing or PR Teams to get this completed, then they can use the same ads whenever there are positions to be filled.  For example Chipotle went all out by dedicating an entire Facebook page to gain more candidates, while Lupulo kept it simple with an Instagram post with the positions available.  When posting on Facebook remember to do so with with images and video.  Studies have shown that have 39% more post engagement, than just posting text alone.  If you go the Instagram route then note the most successful times to post are Mon-Thurs from 6AM -12PM. One of the largest drawbacks can be that expense if you don’t have internal resources to create these posts.  Overall, posting positions on social media is effective because almost everyone has a cell phone and the reach is not only instantaneous but shareable.   

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Chef Essentials: Knife Roll

One of the first skills aspiring chefs need to learn and master is knife skills. Knife skills are all-important when working in a professional kitchen and can take your art of cooking to a greater level. To do proper knife work, you need to be have a professional set of tools. A chef without his/her knife roll is like a business person without their briefcase.

These are the essential tools for any well-equipped chef:

#1: Chef’s Knife

The chef’s knife is one of the most versatile knives in the knife roll. It can be used for nearly almost any type of food, from chopping vegetables for service to slicing fruit for pastries. The large blade of the chef’s knife allows for balanced cutting, which helps in cutting ingredients into uniform sizes and even cooking.

Steal: Victorinox Fibrox Straight Edge Chef's Knife, 8-Inch
Splurge: Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Cook's Knife

#2: Paring Knife

For more precise knife work, a paring knife is essential. It is known to be the smaller form of the chef’s knife, ranging from 2.5 inches to 4 inches in length. It can be used for various tasks, such as mincing small food items like shallots and garlic to segmenting oranges for plating.

Steal: Victorinox Swiss Classic 4-Inch Paring Knife, Spear Tip
Splurge: Wusthof Classic 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife

#3: Boning Knife

A boning knife is a must for a chef that handles poultry, meat or fish on daily basis. The narrow, long blade allows for easy and precise removal of bones during prep. When choosing a boning knife, flexibility is key; it can be either flexible or stiff. A more flexible boning knife allows for better control, while a stiffer blade is extra handy for thicker cuts of meat.

Steal: Victorinox 6-Inch Flex Boning Knife with Fibrox Handle
Splurge: Wusthof Classic 6-Inch Flexible Boning Knife

#4: Serrated Knife

The go-to knife for a culinary professional that works with pastries is the serrated knife. It is also known as a bread knife, dentated, sawtooth or toothed blade. The jagged blade is ideal for gliding through delicate goods, with hard exteriors but soft interiors, without crushing and ruining them.

Steal: OXO Good Grips 8 Inch Bread Knife
Splurge: Wusthof Classic 10-Inch Bread Knife

#5: Santoku Knife

The santoku knife and the chef’s knife are pretty similar in that they are all-around workhorses in the kitchen. However, a santoku knife is better designed for rougher cuts and scooping ingredients into bowls. It is especially useful when preparing large volumes of food. What makes a Santoku knife special is the Granton edge; the unique pattern allows for easy slicing of sticky foods.

Steal: OXO Good Grips Professional 6-1/2-Inch Santoku Knife
Splurge: Wusthof 4183-7 Wusthof Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife, Hollow Edge

#6: Knife Sharpener

Remember, a dull knife is a dangerous knife, and a sharp knife is a safe knife. To ensure a chef’s safety, a knife sharpener needs to be in their knife kit. There are several types of knife sharpeners out there: grinding stone, sharpening steel rod and electric. Most chefs prefer the sharpening steel rod-style knife sharpeners since they can be easily stored in their roll up. 

Steal: Winware 12" Stainless Steel Sharpening Steel
Splurge: Wusthof 10-Inch Sharpening Steel

#7: Roll Up Knife Bag

A chef’s knives are precious (and expensive!) investment pieces. They need to be cleaned properly and placed in a roll up knife bag. The bag makes it easy for chefs to transport their knives to and from work.

Steal: Messermeister 5-Pocket Padded Knife Roll, Black
Splurge: The Ultimate Edge 2001-12BN 12-Piece Knife Roll, Black

Watch and learn basic knife techniques of cutting, chopping and slicing from Chef Jacques Pépin:

Women's History Month: 5 Pioneering Female Chefs

In celebration for Women's History Month, we will be spotlighting key female figures of the hospitality industry. These female chefs have not only changed how people see food, but also the way women are viewed in the industry that is dominated by men.

#1: Julia Child

A name that should never be left out of the discussion is none other than the legendary Julia Child. The world-famous chef attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where she developed her love and talent for French cuisine. She went on to write over a handful of cookbooks and star in TV cooking shows, including the highly successful, The French Chef. Child, one of the first females chefs to be appear on television, paved the way for other women to create and produce their own cooking programs. In 1993, Child was inducted in the Culinary Institute of America's Hall of Fame, being the first woman to receive the honor.

#2: Lidia Bastianich

Another female chef that needs to be acknowledged for her culinary prowess is Lidia Bastianich. Young Lidia and her family immigrated to the United States, and opened up their own Italian restaurant in 1971 called Buonovia. It was a huge hit, so soon after they opened a second called Villa Secondo. Ten years later in 1981, Bastianich opened her own restaurant called Felidia, which earned a three star review from the New York Times. Bastianich was the first woman chef to gain such recognition. Like Child, Bastianich has been active in TV cooking shows throughout her career. She continues to run multiple NYC dining establishments with her son, Joe, and Mario Batali, under Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group.

#3: Alice Waters

Alice Waters is famously known for pioneering  and founding California cuisine. Waters started her culinary journey with a trip to France in 1964. There she fell in love with cooking with fresh, local and organic ingredients. She then returned back to the States and opened Chez Panisse in 1971. In 1992, Waters received two awards, the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef (a first for a female) and the Best Restaurant Award for Chez Panisse. 

#4: Cat Cora

Coming from a family of restauranteurs, Cat Cora had a lot to live up to. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America to refine her culinary skills. In 2005, she made history for becoming the first female and only, Iron Chef champion. In addition to TV appearances, Cora has opened several high-profile restaurants, such as Ocean by Cat Cora in Singapore and Cora's Kitchen at airport terminals in Houston, Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Cora continues to be involved with Chefs of Humanity, which raises money for causes like nutrition education, hunger relief and humanitarian aid to reduce hunger worldwide.

#5: Cristeta Comerford

Filipino-born Cristeta Comerford achieved the American Dream, much like Bastianich and her family. At 23, she moved to United States for better opportunities. Her first job was at the Sheraton Hotel near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. She also held positions at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and as a chef in two Washington, D.C. restaurants. In 1995, Comerford was recruited by Walter Scheib, the White House executive chef, to work under Bill Clinton's presidency. He left in 2005, and she went on to assume his role, becoming the first female executive chef of the White House, and the first of Asian descent.

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Institute of Culinary Education Celebrates Exceptional Growth in 2015

 

NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 2015 has proven to be a milestone year of growth and achievement for the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). New York City's oldest culinary school became its newest, with the school's move to Brookfield Place on the Hudson River in Manhattan's rapidly growing "downtown."

ICE's new home is the largest culinary education facility built in a major American city in more than 10 years. The new 74,000-square-foot space (increasing in size from ICE's prior 45,000-square-foot Flatiron location) was designed with both creativity and community in mind. The school's layout is like "culinary village" with 12 teaching kitchens, six classrooms and various new features that will enrich students' daily educational experiences and support new, diverse course offerings. Special features include a Culinary Technology Lab, indoor hydroponic farm, a Chocolate Lab featuring "bean-to-bar" education and iPad-enabled teaching kitchens. As for ICE'sBrookfield Place neighbors, the complex is also home to headquarters for Time Inc. and Food & Wine Magazine, American Express, Bank of New York and more.

Regarding the move and new facility, ICE President Rick Smilow notes, "We think the learning environment we have built stands out among all of the worlds' urban-based culinary schools." He added, "Today there is a well documented shortage of cooks, chefs and restaurant managers in America. With this new school, we are doing our part to help address the sector's staffing needs."

ICE also had more than the move to celebrate in 2015. In the spring, the school won two awards granted by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP): the 2015 Award of Excellence for "Culinary School of the Year," and additionally, Chef Instructor Chris Gesualdi was named 2015 "Culinary Educator of the Year" by the organization.

Both the move and the awards coincide with school's 40^th anniversary and follow record high career student enrollment in 2014. Nearing year end, in 2015, ICE once again reports very strong student achievement metrics to the US Department of Education, including an 89% graduation rate* and 86% employment rate**.

To celebrate the school's new location, awards and anniversaries (ICE's 40^th and Rick Smilow's 20^th year as the school's President), onNovember 16, ICE opened its doors to culinary giants including chefs Daniel Boulud and Marc Murphy, restaurateurs Danny Meyer andDrew Nieporent, alumnus Gail Simmons and more. Commenting on ICE's growth, Chef Boulud says "I can see this school being here for 50 years from now—and being very relevant."

About the Institute of Culinary Education The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is one of the largest and most diverse culinary schools in the world. Established in 1975, ICE offers award-winning six to 13-month career training programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Culinary Management and Hospitality Management – with more than 12,000 successful alumni, many of whom are leaders in the industry. ICE also offers continuing education for culinary professionals, hosts more than 500 special events each year, and is home to one of the world's largest recreational cooking, baking and wine programs with more than 26,000 students annually. In 2015, marking the school's 40^thanniversary, ICE moved to a new, transformative 74,000-square-foot facility at Brookfield Place in downtown Manhattan, designed for inspiration, creativity and community. Visit us at ice.edu or join us on Twitter and Facebook @iceculinary to find your culinary voice™.

(via PR Newswire)