Why I’m Renouncing The Title of Chef
Presented by Society Insurance
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By Todd Buffington
I look back on the past, watching the chaos unfold in front of me. Then, for a brief moment, I close my eyes and listen to the cacophony of the restaurant and take it all in. The sharp tones of dropped silverware, plates scraping against each other, guests chatting away without a care in the world. The organizational dance that the FOH and BOH perform night after night in pursuit of a singular goal. I can feel the heat lamps beating on my hands and face, filling them with a radiant warmth unlike anything else in the world. It’s perfect.
Then, I’m snapped back to reality with a shrill “Where’s my fucking ranch?!”
And it’s right at this moment I know I’m done. Done with the word ‘chef’. Done with bad owners, bad customers, bad pay, bounced pay checks, short staffing, short tempers, late nights, early mornings, no weekends, no holidays. No more of the promises made but unkept. No more ranch.
Then March 16th, 2020 happened. After the public, local and federal governments, your grandmother even placed a large part of the Covid-19 spreadability on an industry that I loved, that I lived inside for 25 years. It decimated our ranks, crushed young entrepreneurs dreams by closing over 100,000 eateries, losing 3 million jobs, and wiping out more than 350 billion dollars. The idea of never being a chef again was more than a possibility. It was here.
The Bourdain’s, the Chang’s, Bottura, Pépin, Redzepi, Ripert, and Ducasse’s of the world, built us into cultural icons that stretched across all borders, and yet, gone are the halcyon days of “rockstar chefs” in 2021.
And yet, you may think me bitter or consider this a bootstrapping manifesto; I’m not and it’s not - this industry, and even the title, has given me everything I have in life. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the rewards that came because of the hard work that I’ve put into the title of ‘chef’, and the hard work those who came before me did.
But it’s time to evolve beyond it.
It’s time to take a more active role in the future of our industry. We can fight the unequal pay, the poor response to our calls for proper mental and physical health care, a work/balance that means something by embracing a new title: owner/operator.
I realize that not everyone has the means, but if there’s anything this industry knows is that it has the will power. It’s time to turn that considerable willpower inward and start checking local and state grants, small business loan opportunities, corralling family or private investors, teaming up with like minded industry workers. Find a niche, find your passion again, revisit an idea in the back of your mind (don’t tell me you don’t have one), and start embracing your new title. Owner. Operator. Rebuild this industry they way you think it should be… through a food truck, a nano-deli, branded consumer ready products; whatever you think you can embrace. Don’t just think it, be it. It’s your opportunity right now.
As for myself? After I’ve made my table touches, chatted with guests, checked in on my people… I’ll return to the pass, stare through the window, and right before the next order hits my ticket rail - I’ll close my eyes and know, for the first time in 25 years, that this industry is back in the hands of those it truly belongs to.
Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wis., Society Insurance has been a leading niche insurance carrier since 1915. As a mutual insurance company, Society focuses on the small details that make a big difference to its policyholders while offering top-notch insurance coverage, service and competitive pricing to businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Georgia and soon Texas.
Todd Buffington is the owner and operator of Five Minutes Til Midnight Food Co.
Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Best Served. To achieve our mission of bringing more voices to the table, we are committed to sharing a variety of viewpoints across the industry.
