Career
Pathways
Identifying yourself
Have you ever wondered what the difference between you and your mother is when it comes to cooking? Why is it that you would like to be considered a professional chef whereas your mother cooks for your family and you daily and yet is tagged a housewife or cook at a stretch?
This is where realization, identification and recognition come into play. To be successful at anything, you need to identify your strengths, limitations and ambition. The same rule applies here as well. Therefore, to introduce you to different categories prevalent in the culinary business and assist you in identifying your own potential, we have listed below three broad categories for your perusal:
Cooks: they know how to follow directions and instructions well. They provide immaculate and practiced kitchen labor but won’t go an extra mile. It could either be lack of capabilities or motivation but they are not inclined towards taking additional responsibilities. But it would be a grave mistake to undermine their importance-they form the backbone of any kitchen and might successfully lead for a short period as well. They need stimulation constantly so that they don’t burn out due to monotony.
Artists: these are the people responsible for innovation in tastes, textures, aromas and flavors. They don’t treat food as energy supplement but a visual delight that stimulates your senses along with providing nutrition. They are in minority and despite their exclusive input, it is rather difficult to afford and manage them within a business. Their creativity usually costs logic as they refuse to follow the straight path; they are also known to be temperamental and bad leaders. They insist on using exclusive and pricey ingredients which might not be feasible for many businesses. They are likely to be myopic, lack discipline and disaster with budgets.
Managers: numbers, people, words, problems, commercial reality-they can accept and deal with everything. They are better mimics than innovators and can lead any number of people while keeping them happy. They are rare and valuable for any kitchen. Only area where they need to pay close attention is their illusion that they can do everything exceptionally well.
