Question for all you sous and executive chefs ...

Careful, don't run into the fallacy of thinking we all have egos. Some of us are just proud of the food we serve and won't tolerate someone screwing it up in our kitchen, others do have egos either deserved or otherwise and some have very large egos...or are just small people.

Honestly, you single out execs and sous, but I've seen plenty of "line" cooks who act the same way.  It comes with the territory.  If you don't have some kind of chip on your shoulder you're somewhat limited.  As effed up as that sounds, I think it's the truth.  Also, you have yourself labeled as a 'sous' so if you're really down, you understand the pressures of food cost, labor cost, proper mise, keeping on eye on EVERYTHING in the kitchen and being responsible for stuff you might not even know you're responsible for. That's enough to make me high strung and "act like an ***hole at unnecessary times."

I kinda look at it in this way I'm an average guy in an average place in an average world. That takes care of the ego trip.  Also since I have grown older I have mellowed, Maybe I rememeber how it was for me..ALSO realizing you are only as good as your crew !

Hmmm.

Okay.

here's my thoughts, regarding my opinion of myself in my industry.

I pride myself in serving properly cooked food, with good ingredients.

I am a cook.

A cook.

A cook.

One of those members of a trade that requires a grade 8 education. I don't save lives. I don't employ 1000s. I'm a blue collar work-a-day shmoe. I do the best i can at my job, but I have no illusions about what I do.

To be honest, I've had more cooks work for me that think the sun shines outta their butts than I have had egotistical chefs and sous chefs.

Chefs are territorial Alfa Dogs/Bitches.. :D

so the Ego as peeps call is when things that are supposed to go and be done according to their EDICT are not followed they bring down fire and brimstone and a lot of grief to the lesser mortals ....

HAHAHAHAHAHA

well guys jokes apart, what I've written above is true to a great extent and I am also prone to it..... 

One thing I would like to add is YES WE CAN LEARN TO BE A BIT MORE UNDERSTANDING , I am trying but its not always possible... :D

the other thing is @ PrairieChef. the part where you say "One of those members of a trade that requires a grade 8 education. I don't save lives. I don't employ 1000s. I'm a blue collar work-a-day shmoe."

I dont agree with you there... being a chef and a cook who does it as a profession is not something any tom, dick, or harry can do with panache and success.

CHEFS ARE MORE THAN JUST SMUCKS WHO COOK FOOD AND DISH OUT STUFF TO BE GOBBLED BY DODO"S ...

you need to understand , physics, chemistry, balance of flavors, colors, textures, be path breaking in creating new products and so much more.

ITs an art and a skill that is inborn/learnt and not taken lightly. One thing people forget is that We create/cook food WHICH IS SOMETHING EVERY ONE HAS AN OPINION / or MANNER they prefer to impose upon..... to cook for another person is tougher than building a skyscraper/Surgery, cause every one thinks and knows what they like... and every one can dabble in food... but not all who dabble are CHEFS... like all can put paint on a canvas but not all are "Picasso & Michelangelo".

there in I rest my rabble 

Bust Chops and Make great Food Guys

I remember this"Leggo my Eggo" or Ego in this case. The problem with a big ego in a kitchen is, the Chef, Sous may always think their right. I always tell my cooks, prove me wrong, then will talk. I'm in charge of the kitchen, until I have  a cook, I can trust to have a good head and ability to make good decisions, it gets done my way. I don't call this Ego, I call it confidence, that being said, a Chef should be open to all suggestions to better the food operation....................ChefBillyB

You want ego?

try working with a 21 year old kid that just spent a year "working overseas".

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChefBillyB 

I always tell my cooks, prove me wrong, then will talk. I'm in charge of the kitchen, until I have  a cook, I can trust to have a good head and ability to make good decisions, it gets done my way. I don't call this Ego, I call it confidence,....................ChefBillyB

Well said! My sister used to tease me endlessly about the day I uttered "If you don't like it, then get the 'F' out of my kitchen! (I too have mellowed somewhat over the years) but down below it remains.

Not all chefs act like egomaniacs, but every good chef is acutely aware of who is in charge, who is responsible. Chef might not always be right, but chef is never wrong.

I totally agree with that, some "cooks" dont understand that it is your name on the menu and your reputation in their hands, if there not completly with you they dont care its just a job for them.

What PrairieChef said is right on.

There's a line on my resume-"devoid of ego."

Pretty much true. Or i'm really deluded.

My priority is creating awesome food that i'm proud to serve & keeping the customer satisfied. Both are closely interelated.

Not really too concerned with geting my name on stationary or things such as that.

My head guys still has some ego. It's pretty tolerable, though. It manifests itself in an inability for him to leave total control

to me. I understand why someone that was in a certain position of power would be loathe to let someone beneath them on the

food chain/pecking order(who makes less $$$$ & could be viewed as being more financially viable to employers...) but it's still

really annoying to have one's decisions constantly second guessed.

Bitchbitchbitch.

Anyways, yes. You'll probably face some sort of it forever.

Unless you go & work in a hippy kitchen. Then there will be incense & lots of hugs. ;)

LMAO!

Put 'im in the pit!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrairieChef 

You want ego?

 

try working with a 21 year old kid that just spent a year "working overseas".

im nothing without my crew.

Meh...........

I don't have an ego, but I have a food cost to keep up and a reputation to keep up with.

I'll let holy sh*t fly when it doesn't get done the way I instructed it to be.  This is not ego, if the customer had it prepared that way a month ago and orders it again, that is what he is paying for and what he is getting.

I'll let holy sh*t fly if you leave the walk in door open.  This isn't ego, it's the possibility of a thousand bucks of inventory and labour getting tossed out.

For the kid who worked "overseas" for a year, I have a special treat:

Get a hunk of puff pastry margerine, shape it into a cutlet, bread it twice, and tell the dude to pan fry it golden brown , "just like they do it in Europe"....

Should keep you grinning for a few days.