Sunday, September 11, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
True Legacy?
Legacy. This term, often attributed to leadership, is oft times viewed as a path set ablaze by a forerunner as a guide, for those who follow, to reach success. A trail of accomplishments that permanently serve as symbols of inspiration for countless generations to come. As a chef I have learned that the legacy you leave, your true legacy, lies not with your own accomplishments but rather with the accomplishments of those who come up under you that, in some part, have been influenced by you. When surrounded by fellow cooks who may not quite be on your level of skill, it profits the kitchen little for you to "show them up" and point out the breadth of their inadequacy while demonstrating the depth of your own skill. Some cooks see this as the sensible way to promotion, by displaying how qualified you are above your equals. However real chefs know that a cook that has true potential to lead a kitchen of their their own is not simply the best at what they do, but, more importantly, they also pull the best out of others. So competent cooks and young chefs take those less skilled and pour into them your culinary convictions; the reasons why you do what you do. Convictions that will lead way to inspiration and then on to passion. We know passion to be a flame easily ignited, quick to spread and almost impossible to suppress. When you are no longer present in that kitchen, you leave behind not the amazing dishes you created, those will be forgotten, but instead you will have living, breathing testaments of the passion you possessed and the convictions you cooked by. There lies your true legacy.
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