You probably became a chef because you have been a foodie for as long as you can remember.
When you were growing up, you may have developed an ardent interest in food. You didn’t eat out of hunger, nor did you view food as a source of comfort. Instead, you viewed food with curiosity and interest.
Perhaps you’ve even traveled to a few different countries and got to sample a world of intriguing flavors.
Although your family may have come to love your early experiments in the kitchen, you wanted to take your passion for creating exquisite meals to a new level. So, when it was time to choose a career, you became a chef.
Now you are ready to take your knowledge and skills in making delicious food to an even higher level.
If you’ve already graduated from an excellent school of culinary arts and worked in some of the finest restaurants in the country, then it might be difficult to envision what you can do to become even better at something you do amazingly well.
Here are two suggestions on how you can continue to reinvent yourself.
1. Explore Different Type of Foods and Drinks
If you study the biographies of some of the top chefs in the world, you’ll notice that despite the enormous differences in their background and experiences, they all have one thing in common: an insatiable curiosity to sample different foods.
Famous chefs are on an infinite quest to understand how different flavors and textures work together. They often obsess about how they can combine what they’ve discovered in novel ways.
Try this approach, but do it in a light-hearted way. When you don’t take yourself seriously, perhaps even behaving childishly, you’ll find yourself more open to different experiences.
For instance, as a sophisticated adult, you’ve probably lost all interest in ice popsicles. This might be a good place to free your inner child again. Sample a few hard ice popsicles to get back into the fun of doing unusual things.
Another thing you could do is go on a vacation, traveling to countries famous for their cuisine. India, for example, has a long history of learning how to combine delicate spices into new flavors.
If you decide to go to India, don’t restrict yourself to just dining at the most prestigious restaurants. Also, eat food supplied by local food vendors. Mumbai has a reputation for amazing food trucks. If you’re ever in that city, order some interesting-sounding meals from a Mumbai food truck.
You may have picked up a theme here: famous chefs often take the road less traveled to expand their perception about the world of taste and flavors.
2. Learn Something New About Business Every Single Day
Besides broadening your experience with food, also consider learning more about the business side of becoming a chef. You will need to become good at business if you aspire to build your personal brand.
So how do you begin? How do you learn a little about business every single day?
Here are five suggestions:
- You will learn many fascinating things from culinary memoirs. Read a few pages a day. Learn about how famous chefs made the shift from being great to extraordinary.
- Subscribe to a business newsletter. If possible, one that teaches business principles applicable to the hospitality industry.
- Find out more about online hospitality industry resources.
- Seek a mentor who will help you get better at business.
- Deepen your self-awareness through regular journaling. Write about the many things you learned during the day. Your entries could be about food-related insights and experiences or about your study of business concepts.
Think of your journey of becoming a renowned chef as more than an outer journey, one where you invent amazing dishes or connect with the right business people to build your brand. Instead, think of it as an inner journey, a quest to awaken your inner genius as a chef.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
