A great cook may not compromise, as some may say in a kitchen that supplies them with ingredients that doesn't allow or give them an oppurtunity to compromise. I say those cooks are narcissistic brats!!
A great cook can look through your cupboards and make a great meal out of nothing. A great cook can look at almost impossible odds and somehow forge an unforgettable meal. A great cook has an intimate knowledge of FLAVOR. Whether it comes in a pinch of salt or reducing a stock to its final and ultimate rich expression across your palate. A Chef in my opinion needs to be a great cook FIRST before being a Chef.
Techniques are important to a professional but my Mother never had any use for them yet she made some of my most memorable meals that I had in my lifetime. Knife & people skills?? My mother assigned me my station, no argument or questioning, just do it!! I learned knife skills years later. People skills?? Just do more dishes and try to learn from a demanding Chef. He isn't your friend and doesn't want to be. That is your lesson in people skills.
Great listening skills. Now there is the crux of the matter here. Without listening and comprehending you are nothing more then a machine to be programmed on a daily basis. (I call this being "reborn")
I learned a lot from my Mother and Grandmother just by observation and listening. I was able to use this adapted skill and learn from Chefs that I worked or apprenticed under.
Initiative is another loaded word. This is what it takes to be where you want to be. Without it you would be on welfare and bitching about life.
Vision is important but not the most crucial matter. Knowledge of Classical cuisine only gets you as far as the Chinese Restaurant that you are now working for so although it is important you can't say that all food revolves around Classical cuisine. These days there are far too many facets in the culinary scene. To sum it up a great Chinese cook does not a French Chef make and vice versa.
Confidence is good but does not prove that you can cook.
Attention to detail??? Okay so I put the parsley garnish on the plate, now I am a great cook???
Look folks and fellow culinarians. Remember one of the oldest culinary stories around?? It was called "STONE SOUP".
To summarize, three starving Soldiers walked into a town and tried to convince the townsfolk to feed them to no avail. One Soldier offered to make stone soup with a stone and some hot water. The townsfolk were eventually curious and offered to help out. It turned out to be a great feast by the end of the day because everybody chipped in and made it happen.
The point to this story is that the Soldier was able to create an atmosphere of TEAMWORK by his VISION and INITIATIVE of getting fed and not succumbing to starvation. He also CREATED a great time for all to enjoy by his INTERACTION with the townsfolk. He was also FLEXIBLE enough to adapt to his situation and use what was at his disposal and not demand the best of ingredients, so on and so forth. Remember ingredients were not at his disposal he just had a stone to start with. Everybody else provided the INGREDIENTS.
SO what is the moral to our search of what is a great cook? IMHO:
One who knows how to, or to create,
COOK
FLAVOR
TEAMWORK
VISION
INITIATIVE
CREATIVITY
INTERACTION (whether listening to guests, cooks, waitstaff or just Mom)
FLEXIBILITY (Hey, sometimes you just don't have the best stuff and you have to use what you have and make a GREAT MEAL)
and last but not least
INGREDIENTS
Without the above you will go nowhere in this business.
Your humble cook
David
