Pursuit of Knowledge
John Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was a French lawyer, leader, visionary, gastronome, who lived from 1755-1826. His education spanned law, medicine chemistry, and he even played the violin, for which he gave lessons. He published a book in 1825 called, The Physiology of Taste. In his book, Brillat-Savarin defines gastronomy scientifically as all that relates to man as a feeding animal. The objective is, to watch over the preservation of man, by using its best possible resources. This is achieved by directing, according to principles, all those who secure, look for, or prepare what may be transformed into food.'
As a chef I too see that, politics and our economy are bound by a common thread which ties people together with exchanges of items needed for daily consumption.
Trade ships carry supplies from one end of the globe to the other. The quality of the products set the price, whether they are derived or produced from nature. This is the drive and motivation of the workers from the ships or the farms, which deliver a product to the table of each and every one of us. The small business owners of such operations employ workers of all kinds, which with perpetual motion; put their paychecks back into circulation.
The Carousell at the Danbury Fair Mall, a tribute to the once iconic attraction at the Danbury Fair which was operational from 1869-1982. The Fair ran yearly for 10 days in October from 1821 untill 1981. It started as an agricultural fair but in 1869 added manufacturing products and exhibits.
Being that the economy is global and most products are available no matter the season, there is still the question of quality and the process of how the product reaches your kitchen. More and more attention is being paid in this regard, seeing even some of the smaller independent restaurants are re-thinking their practices and returning to “the farm to table” mentality. Mostly because it is the right thing to do.
My first job out of cooking school was at the Hotel Meridien in Boston MA. It was my entrance into the real world. Not that my life had been a cake walk so far, but my eyes were opened to a world where all the values I had grown up were prevalent: hard work, responsibility, accountability, thriftiness, teamwork, service, family, and faith. I have faith that by following these principles will help me learn and better myself, for my family, career and society. In doing so, bring me closer to realizing my dreams. No human is infallible, myself included. But I will hope never to justify my past and will strive to better myself in the future.
Among others, one of the ways I have pursued further knowledge was enrolling in a BA program for hospitality management. In that program was a course that had a great influence on the way that I look at the world; it was called Organizational Behavior and Business Ethics. This class had given me insight as to where my moral compass lies. In business, as in life, not all questionable acts are unlawful, but that is not to say you should engage in these types of behavior. In my career as a chef, understanding and articulating a core set of values has allowed me to bring my team together.
It does not matter if you feel focusing on the client first and foremost, that cannot come to fruition without laying the ground rules for everybody to follow. In those ground rules should be the framework of a plan to help you achieve that goal. Strategic planning, from the type of work ethic you expect from your employees and where they should be focused, to how you establish a communication path that everybody understands, all play a role. Starting here you will be able to leverage your team’s attributes adding or taking away responsibilities as needed to keep your team innovative and motivated. Then for the few who find it more difficult to latch on to the culture of the team, they will most likely seek a new environment that is more comfortable for them.
