Do You Want Your Son To Be A Chef?
By Joshua Walbolt
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If you are a chef, you might have been asked this question if you have a kid, “Do you want your kid to be a chef?”
Being a chef isn’t a terrible thing. It is a hard job but what job worth doing is easy? When I think of the traits of a chef and what it takes to achieve the title I can simply say, Yes. Yes, I do want my kid to be a chef.
Learning to be a cook is a valuable life skill, because what is it that you are actually learning when you learn to cook? Here are 9 skills and characteristics I have developed from working in some of the best kitchens across the U.S.
1. Humility: As a cook, we are often humbled by ingredients and our peers. With a meek attitude we can make room in our minds to absorb new information and transform it as we please. We must respect each other and our ingredients. With this behavior we can transform yet showcase the simplest ingredients and let them shine as nature's beautiful creations.
2. Arrogance: Sometimes we just need to acknowledge that we are good. Acquiring skill and training arrogance can breed both toxic and healthy competition. Being egotistic is off putting while being confident can be admirable.
3. Persistence: There are many things that will get in your way of achieving your dreams or in getting your work done on time. Pretty much, no matter what, the show must go on, service must go on and you will do whatever you can to make it possible.
4. Resourcefulness: sometimes we run out of ingredients and we have to improvise. Sometimes tools break and we must improvise. We are not short on resources. We are just not being resourceful. A great cook can turn around the struggles or inconveniences and create something beautiful.
5. Creativity: A trained cook is an artist. We look at something so simple and not only see it for its mere beauty but also for its potential. A cook is a culinary artist and we can carry that creativity through many outlets.
6. Leadership: As a cook rises levels in the brigade, they become a leader to their peers. To be successful in a kitchen you must be able to work well with your team. A great leader will be there to support the team and the team in turn will work towards the common goal.
7. Organization: Mise en place is everything in a kitchen. A cook must organize their stations to be most efficient and must sharpen their knives before they cut.
8. Sense of urgency: Working fast and messy is not professional, working fast and clean is professional. A young cook is trained to work fast and get their list or prep work done by a certain time. The list is usually more than they think is possible but with persistence that list becomes doable. Working with a sense of urgency is programming your mind to be efficient and always working with intent.
9. Intention: Everything for a reason. We work quietly for a reason, each step, pot or pan has a purpose. I’ve learned to narrow down the amount of steps I take or the amount of tools I need because everything has a purpose. If we work with intention, we are working with a purpose and with efficiency.
In my life I’ve learned the most and developed my character in kitchens. We can learn a lot throughout our life and although there are many different ways to learn, I chose to learn in the kitchen.
It’s never too early to learn, and never too late to grow. As I’ll teach my son the valuable life skills of cooking, I will continue to learn my place in the kitchen, in our home, and in our world. As chefs, we are never too good for the jobs we built that title on. We sweep the floors, do the dishes, clean the toilets and this sense of ownership creates a sense of responsibility and a sense of pride. No matter what I choose to do in my life I will always be learning and adapting. I will always be a cook.
I am Joshua Walbolt, chef owner of Lovefoodmore and founder of Baby Daddy’s hot sauce in New Jersey. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America and have been working in restaurants since. I was nominated top 10 young chefs by San Pellegrino in 2016. I’ve worked for many great chefs, and I work to contribute to the next generation of chefs. I took my first job as CDC at 24 years old where I received recognition and was awarded rising star chef by the Charlie awards. When the pandemic hit, I pivoted to an online platform where I create content and sell condiments.
