# What do you believe are qualities of a great chef?



## Master-chef (Oct 8, 2015)

Dear forum

i am interested in knowing what qualities would a chef have to be considered great, list 5 of your own opinion

Best wishes,

Mal


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## peachcreek (Sep 21, 2001)

I am not a chef.

But 5 things I've seen in my experience of working with great chefs?

1. A great sense of humor.

2. An ability to make me feel my work counts

3. An ability to convey information to me in a way I understand but that honors what I already know

4. Has respect for the staff as the group that make his/her goals and visions possible.

5. Is always interested in learning and expanding their experience and knowlege base.

And the list goes on and on and on.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Integrity, Character, Fairness, Passion and Compassion


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Mal Tensai said:


> Dear forum
> 
> i am interested in knowing what qualities would a chef have to be considered great, list 5 of your own opinion
> 
> ...


First,

Lets define what your definition of "Chef" involves...


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## Master-chef (Oct 8, 2015)

In my opinion a chef would be someone whose job is cooking food and planning menus at a restaurant while leading his staff at the same time. I know most would graduate from cooking schools, while others by long years of experiences either through apprentice or job-in training learn cooking techniques by observing and working with other experienced chefs.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

I see.

From an employers point of view, there are only two positions available in the kitchen.

The first is the one who follows orders. This person is judged by what /how they put on the plate. The qualities in this person are: Punctuality, team player, ability to follow orders, ability to think on their feet, cleanliness, and a sense of humor. Pretty much in that oder.

The second position is the person who is responsible for the kitchen. If they loose money, they get the boot, if thir labour cost is too high, they get the boot. If food goes out looking like crap on their day off, they get the boot. The qualities in this person are: Great HR skills, great management skills, excellent cooking skills, patience, ability to think on their feet, cleanliness, and a sense of humor. Again, pretty much in that order.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Mal Tensai said:


> In my opinion a chef would be someone whose job is cooking food and planning menus at a restaurant while leading his staff at the same time. I know most would graduate from cooking schools, while others by long years of experiences either through apprentice or job-in training learn cooking techniques by observing and working with other experienced chefs.


Assuming you are still young (under 30 ;-).

At this stage of your game you are still focused on the food.

If you come back to this thread in 10-15 years I suspect your answer to be more along the lines of the previous posters.

Nothing wrong with that...it's just the world view that is gained with experience and maturity.

IME.

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

mimi


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## phaedrus (Dec 23, 2004)

ChefBillyB said:


> Integrity, Character, Fairness, Passion and Compassion


I think this is pretty close to the mark. FoodPump makes great points as well, especially about the technical stuff. But after 30+ years doing this I think the most important ability is the ability to deal with people problems. And nearly all problems, if you did deep enough, are people problems. So I think character is pretty important. You need integrity, self control, intelligence, empathy and mental fortitude to hang in there in this business.


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

1. excellent mediator

2. great communicator

3. natural leadership

4. solid base of knowledge (people, business, culinary)

5. organized

#? unflappable "A good chef should be like a duck. Calm on the surface...paddling like hell down below" Chef Leo Koellner


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