Getting Asked to be Chef-de-Cuisine
Imagine: Thomas Keller puts his hand on your shoulder and asks, “would you like to be Chef-de-Cuisine?”
This is (arguably) the best chef in America, with seven Michelin stars (across two cities) asking you to run the culinary operations for one of his projects. What-the-actual-F do you say?
Few of us will ever even get the chance to consider that, and I was wildly curious to know the answer 👇
I had the pleasure of speaking with Corey Chow on the podcast. He’s actually experienced that moment when Chef Keller requested him to be Chef-de-Cuisine of Per Se.
For those that might not know, Chef Keller is rarely present during service at Per Se or French Laundry these days, and he’s cooking there even less. His visits usually include face time with the staff and spending time in the dining room with guests.
TK is both busy with other projects, and prioritizes in being hands-off with the day-to-day operations. Some might consider this phenomenal success: being able to have a high-functioning restaurant group without standing behind the stove every night.
He’s even gone so far as to showcase the person in that role for certain awards and accolades, versus being the face of the operation himself (check out this archived page I managed to find from World’s 50 Best in 2016):
Inside the interview, I was wildly curious: how does that conversation even happen? What’s it like to have Thomas Keller ask you to take the helm?
I was expecting Corey’s answer to include words & phrases like “back room”, “undisclosed location”, “private dinner/jet”, “came out of nowhere”, “surprised”, “shocked”…but his answer was packed with wisdom:
“You know it’s coming.”
The quality and caliber of how Corey was already working made it a natural outcome that he would be granted that opportunity. And when it happened, there was zero surprise. Of course he got asked to be chef-de-cuisine.
Remove “surprise” from your success
I loved this answer because it adds a slight proactive shift to the “just manifest it” or “think it into existence” advice you’ll hear out there.
Of course you should keep your goals top of mind, but what if you were to become the type of person who wouldn’t be shocked by your dream outcome happening? Your actions and behavior would outweigh the doubt.
It seems almost insultingly simple.
Play this out with your goals:
If you want to go from charging $50/person for your dinners to $250/person - what would the person who already charges that be doing?
Let’s say you’re pushing to go from grill station to sous chef. How might a great sous chef behave?
Maybe your goal is 10,000 followers. What does someone with that kind of audience do differently than you?
It might be an interview with your dream company. What would get them stoked to find you as a candidate?
This isn’t “fake it ‘til you make it” advice, either. I’m not suggesting you change your Instagram bio or your email signature right now - this is about stepping into those shoes and identifying the holes in your skillset that might exist.
It’s often painful to do this, not fun.
“Shoot, I guess I’m pretty unorganized”
“Huh, I could really be better at listening to my clients and expanding my service offerings”
“Man…I need to work on being more consistent”
But on the other side of that pain, you get tangible points to work on, instead of throwing up your hands and claiming that you’re just “unlucky” or “aren’t getting picked”.
You can take action on this as soon as tomorrow.
Sure, it might take time, but it’s much more in-your-control than crossing your fingers, holding your breath and just “hoping it’ll happen soon”.
Nearly every story of “overnight success” typically come with a 2-20 year runway that precedes it. And the remaining stories of “overnight success” are typically followed by stories of “overnight loss” - is that what you’re really looking for?
In Summary
Embrace the mindset of embodying your aspirations, whether it's becoming a chef-de-cuisine under a culinary titan like Thomas Keller or achieving any other professional milestone.
By aligning your actions, behaviors, and skillset with those of individuals already in your dream position, you pave the way for natural progression and success.
This proactive approach transcends mere hope, transforming ambition into actionable steps towards achieving your goals and surpassing expectations.
Go listen to the rest of my conversation with Corey - it was an honor to host him and it’s got several more gems inside 💎🎧
If you want a structured program on how to prepare, perform and problem-solve in professional kitchens, check out Total Station Domination for you (or, if you’re a chef-de-cuisine yourself, for your team!)