The most influential voices in the culinary world share what they've learned in their years of working in the kitchen
In conjunction with the World's Best Restaurants held in Singapore on June 25, the awarding body conducted its #50BestTalks which touched on the topic of evolving kitchen culture and how it's changing the way chefs work in the kitchen.
And who better to share their two cents than five of the world's best chefs who've built stellar careers running top restaurants: Éric Ripert (Le Bernardin, New York), Ana Roš (Hiša Franko, Slovenia), Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana, Italy), Daniela Soto-Innes (Cosme and Atla, New York) and Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya’s in Sydney and Waku Ghin in Singapore).
Ripert admitted to Anita Kapoor, the host that evening, that the restaurant industry is definitely moving in the right direction. Soto-Innes (Best Female Chef 2019) and Roš (Best Female Chef 2017) couldn't agree more, saying that this change starts with chefs who aim to promote a better kitchen culture or karma.
Here are 10 lessons we learned from the world’s best chefs:
(Related: How Chefs Ana Roš, Éric Ripert And Tetsuya Wakuda Keep Their Cool)
1. Fear is a weakness, not a strength
“Fear was the norm in the kitchen and a way for us to train chefs by breaking them down physically and mentally, before making them champions. But along the way, we lost a lot of talent.”
-Éric Ripert
2. It’s important to have a work-life balance
“As chefs who work long hours in the kitchen, we should try to 'catch happiness' in our lives and encourage others to do the same—it makes your team do better. This doesn’t only apply to the restaurant business but in other industries, too.”
-Ana Roš
(Related: Jessica Prealpato, Inventor Of Guilt-Free Desserts, Is World's Top Pastry Chef)