Chef Thomas Keller: Bouncing Back from Setbacks
Stanford Graduate School of Business2013-04-15
Entrepreneurship#Leadership & Management#Marketing#Operations#consumer#family business#competition
157K views|11 years ago
💫 Short Summary
Chef Thomas Keller's journey into cooking began with washing dishes in his mother's restaurant, shaping his approach to becoming a successful chef. He emphasizes feedback, organization, and teamwork in the kitchen, ultimately leading him to pursue a career in the culinary arts. Despite setbacks, Keller persevered, opening successful restaurants like The French Laundry and expanding to different locations. He highlights the importance of desire over passion in hiring talent and the significance of mentorship and training in the culinary industry. Keller also stresses the value of sourcing local ingredients and supporting communities for a sustainable food system, showcasing dedication, knowledge, and innovation in culinary operations.
✨ Highlights
📊 Transcript
✦
Chef Keller's journey into cooking began with washing dishes in his mother's restaurant.
01:06He learned valuable skills in organization and efficiency through this experience.
Chef Keller emphasizes the importance of feedback and teamwork in the kitchen.
He highlights the significance of attention to detail and quality control.
This early experience shaped his approach to becoming a successful chef and honing his culinary skills.
✦
Highlights from the Journey from Dishwasher to Chef
02:37Working as a dishwasher emphasized teamwork and the significance of rituals and repetition in restaurants.
Feedback and organization were stressed as essential qualities for success in cooking.
Starting as a dishwasher and moving up to chef solidified a commitment to culinary arts.
Having a mentor and starting to cook at a young age were crucial in developing culinary skills.
✦
Speaker's journey to becoming a chef.
05:58The French chef was impressed by the speaker's dedication and skills.
The speaker found inspiration in nurturing others through cooking.
The speaker pursued a career in cooking in 1977 without formal training.
The discussion explored the balance between innate talent and learned skills in the culinary industry.
✦
Speaker's reflection on upbringing and work ethic.
08:20Single parent, his mother, taught him the value of hard work and attention to detail.
Shared childhood experience of dismantling and cleaning a plastic tree to emphasize dedication.
Career setback with the closing of his first restaurant during a stock market downturn in the 1980s.
Challenges of realizing a dream that was out of his control, leading to the need to adapt and make choices for future success.
✦
Reflections on the speaker's journey in the restaurant industry.
11:23The speaker initially struggled with financial management and running a dining room while focusing on fine dining.
This led to prioritizing expertise in the kitchen and seeking help in other areas to form a successful specialized roles structure.
The speaker learned the importance of humility, continuous learning, and leveraging individual strengths within a team.
✦
Chef Thomas Keller reflects on the challenges and successes of raising money to purchase the French Laundry restaurant.
14:25Keller faced overwhelming obstacles and had no initial resources, but was motivated by small successes and the support of others.
Perseverance, determination, and the element of the unknown ultimately led to the accomplishment of his goal.
Keller emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with individuals who compensate for weaknesses and contribute to success.
Collaboration and mutual respect are highlighted as key factors in achieving significant milestones.
✦
Importance of reinforcing ideals and goals for building self-belief and achieving success.
16:25Challenges faced by a white middle-class male when dealing with banks and obtaining loans.
Speaker's journey in opening restaurants, starting with the French Laundry and expanding to other locations like Bushan.
Decision to open Bushan driven by the need for a place to eat after work in Napa Valley, known for its hospitality industry.
✦
Expansion of business to New York City and Las Vegas.
20:05Decision influenced by familiarity with New York and ease of control.
Returning to New York driven by existing connections, suppliers, and media presence in the city.
✦
Thomas Keller's journey from New York to California and success at The French Laundry.
21:54Despite being born in California, Keller experienced a sense of going back and forth between the two states.
The process of opening The French Laundry faced challenges, including setbacks like 9/11 and a devastating fire.
Keller emphasizes the importance of collaboration and listening to others' ideas.
Keller fosters a supportive environment where everyone can freely express their thoughts and contribute to the team.
✦
Opening a New Restaurant in New York
24:18A successful restaurant, French Laundry, was closed to open a new one in New York for a unique cultural exchange.
Staff was relocated temporarily to train the new team, resulting in the new restaurant quickly becoming one of the best in New York and the country.
Initial skepticism was faced about spreading oneself too thin as a chef, but the decision ultimately proved successful.
The move laid a strong foundation for the new establishment's success.
✦
Benefits of exchanging staff between restaurants.
26:50Sharing knowledge and expertise strengthens the business.
Exchange program creates a bond between restaurants.
Young chefs gain experience in different locations.
Fosters growth and evolution within the culinary team.
✦
Importance of Desire Over Passion in Hiring Talent
28:52Emphasizes the need to think generationally and train staff to become franchise players.
Criticizes the fleeting nature of passion and compares it to relationships, noting that passion can subside over time.
Uses the example of the first asparagus of spring to illustrate how passion can diminish with familiarity.
Goal is to push employees to start their own successful businesses.
✦
Importance of Desire in Success
32:26Passion is necessary but not sufficient for success, as strong desire must be accompanied by skills.
The speaker expresses sympathy for individuals with strong desire but lacking skills, aiming to provide them with suitable opportunities.
Observing candidates in a kitchen environment is crucial for assessing their suitability.
Touch and interaction are significant in the kitchen, and basic skill-building tasks are offered as a test for candidates.
✦
Importance of hiring the right person for the right job and providing proper training.
33:32Success stories of individuals excelling in the culinary industry without formal education.
Unpredictability of hiring based on resumes versus actual performance.
Significance of identifying individuals suited for intense and demanding work environments.
Evolution of hiring practices from hiring based on timing to focusing on skills and training.
✦
Importance of commitment and dedication in training individuals.
36:31Mentorship is a lifelong process that goes beyond work.
The goal is to hire, train, and mentor individuals to surpass the mentor's abilities.
Providing a better environment, skills, tools, education, and opportunities is crucial.
Success is achieved when individuals raise the standards of the profession.
✦
Importance of preparing employees in the restaurant industry for higher positions.
38:15Starting employees at lower levels to understand the foundation of kitchen operations.
Progressing employees through different roles, such as from Commi to Chef de Partie, to instill ownership mentality and reduce turnover.
Creating a team environment and involving employees in menu and task planning to motivate and empower staff.
Empowering employees to take on more responsibility and leadership roles.
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Progression of chefs to executive roles.
40:54Understanding of management, supervision, human resources, public relations, and finances is crucial for chefs.
Chefs learn to handle budgets and prepare for business ownership as they advance in their careers.
Developing a well-rounded skill set beyond culinary expertise is essential for success as restaurant owners.
Transitional period chefs experience when considering opening their own restaurant is discussed.
✦
Importance of understanding seasonality in ingredient selection for restaurants.
44:43Focus on vegetables due to defined seasons.
Forecasting proteins weekly for menu planning.
Impact of ingredient quality on menu planning.
Example of high-quality white asparagus sourced from Germany.
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Importance of relationships in local food sourcing.
46:37Local does not necessarily mean within a certain distance, but should focus on quality and impact.
Hypocrisy in claiming to support local while consuming non-local items like coffee or sugar.
True support for suppliers goes beyond geographical proximity, emphasizing quality and relationships.
✦
Importance of sourcing ingredients locally and supporting communities.
49:24Culinary heritage based on transportation of ingredients over centuries.
Emphasis on sustainability through community support rather than just ingredients.
Example of buying lobsters from a specific individual in Stonington, Maine to support the local community.
Value of prioritizing local ingredients and communities for a sustainable food system.
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Emphasis on local ingredients and sustainability in Stonington, Maine.
50:45Local community supports fishermen and prioritizes monitoring harvesting quality.
Organic certification may not accurately reflect ingredient quality, discouraging traditional farmers.
Education is key for success, with a focus on understanding the reasons behind actions in different professions.
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Importance of knowledge in the culinary field and the impact of Harold McGee's book 'On Food and Cooking'.
54:21Sharing knowledge to enrich lives and improve culinary practices is emphasized.
Growth of culinary culture in America attributed to dedication and knowledge over the past 30 years.
Story shared about the use of green tape in a restaurant to avoid residue on containers, showcasing attention to detail and innovation in culinary operations.
✦
Impact of a simple act in a restaurant tradition.
56:57A chef cutting the green tape on the pass sparks a chain reaction.
Over 600 employees follow suit, symbolizing the impact of one person's courageous action.
Widespread use of green tape and scissors in the restaurant.
Significance of individual actions in creating change and the importance of confidence and courage in leadership.
00:00[Music]
00:05as soon as I got on campus I said to uh
00:08one of my um my traveling companions
00:11here is to make sure that I got a hat
00:12and sure enough there was one in the
00:14Green Room in the back so it's lovely to
00:16be here and thank you all very much of
00:19course well I want to thank you for
00:21joining us tonight Chef Keller it's
00:23truly an honor to have you on campus
00:24thank you and I think that's probably
00:26safe to say that you have a very
00:27welcoming audience everyone here has
00:29either dined in one of your restaurants
00:32fantasized about dining in one of your
00:33restaurants or heard their significant
00:36other fantasize about dining in one of
00:38your restaurants and it's actually quite
00:40fitting for me because my fiance Ben is
00:42in the audience and he has heard me
00:45fantasized about dining at The French
00:47Laundry for years Ben where is Ben okay
00:52I think you just got your traveling or
00:53or is there
00:54is I'm hoping that this helps build my
00:57case for actually getting to the French
00:59Laundry one day good I hope so too we'll
01:01do everything we
01:02can so it all started with dishwashing
01:06your first exposure to restaurants was
01:08washing dishes in one of your mom's
01:09restaurants y can you talk about how
01:12that first sparked your interest in
01:13cooking and then also what later drove
01:15you to commit your life's work to
01:17cooking well it it's interesting because
01:19as a youngster my mother ran restaurants
01:20so uh being the youngest of of of five
01:23boys I find my I found myself in the
01:26restaurant uh after school um doing odd
01:29odd things and certainly at a young age
01:31you know you weren't allowed to hold a
01:33knife or be anywhere near the fire so
01:36the most obvious and safe place to put
01:37me was in front of a dishwashing machine
01:39where you know looking back at that time
01:41I really learned so many skills that
01:45benefited uh me becoming a really really
01:48good cook and and just to explain a few
01:49of those when you think about you know
01:51being a Dish Dish machine you have to be
01:54you have to be organized you know so
01:56setting out all these sample plates on
01:58the dirty dis drain board so that as the
02:00waiters came back they put the dishes in
02:02the right spots they put the glasses in
02:04the right spot the silver in the right
02:06spot uh you had to be efficient in the
02:08way you stacked the plates and and and
02:10wash the dishes and got the uh the
02:12glasses done and putting them in the
02:14racks correctly uh so that when you put
02:16them in the machine the machine would
02:17wash them and of course by that 45
02:20seconds later you knew uh through the
02:22feedback whether the the the job that
02:24you had done was going to be
02:26satisfactory in other words the dishes
02:27would either came out clean or they came
02:29out dirty so if they came out dirty you
02:31know you didn't do your job correctly so
02:32the feedback was very important and then
02:35the idea that you really had to be part
02:37of a team you know a a as a dishwasher
02:39most of us you know think think of that
02:42as a as a really lowly position but
02:44everybody in the entire restaurant
02:47relies on you you have to give the
02:49dishes back to the cooks they they need
02:51their dishes in order to Plate the food
02:53uh the weight staff or the bartenders
02:55needed their their glasses and of course
02:57the weight staff needed the silverware
02:59so you really have had to be a team
03:00player uh and that was really important
03:02so you learned how to be part of a team
03:05that relied on you to do your job
03:06correctly and of course there was this
03:08idea of some some some some rituals and
03:11the rituals were also important you had
03:12to empty the dish machine you know every
03:153 hours and fill it up with clean water
03:16you had to sweep the floor at certain
03:18times uh throughout the night you had to
03:20empty the garbage at certain specific
03:22times you had to do these things so
03:23rituals played a big important part of
03:25that and over the overarching that was
03:28repetition you did it over and over and
03:32over and over and over and over again so
03:35you really got very good at it and and
03:38when you translate that to what a cook
03:40does it's basically the same thing we're
03:43we're we have to be organized uh we have
03:45to be efficient feedback is really
03:47really important for us I mean when when
03:50we're heating up oil in a sauté pan to
03:52to to cook a piece of fish and you put
03:54the fish in there you know right away if
03:56the if the pan was too hot if the pan
03:58wasn't hot enough it has enough oil or
03:59doesn't have enough oil right away you
04:01get the feedback on how on how that
04:04ingredient is reacting in that pan and
04:06of course rituals were important you
04:08have to do things at specific times of
04:09the day to get set up for service which
04:10begins at 5:30 and and repetition I mean
04:13repetition was such an integral part of
04:15becoming a good cook you know learning
04:17how to slice an onion you've all seen
04:19chefs on TV do the onion thing really
04:20really quick and you go how do they do
04:22that we do it because we've done it
04:2410,000 times that's how we do it and you
04:26can do the same thing it's not hard uh
04:28so when you think about washing dishes
04:29it really set the tone for me becoming a
04:33really good cook interesting and then
04:36what was the later experience that
04:37ultimately convinced you that you wanted
04:39to commit yourself to cooking well for
04:42the for for the first several years of
04:43cooking my mother came to me one day and
04:45said you know the chef is leaving you're
04:46going to be the chef and I thought wow
04:48this is
04:50interesting I was a dishwasher yesterday
04:52and and and I'm going to watch this guy
04:54who's in this small private yacht club
04:55in Palm Beach and I'm going to do what
04:57he does well fortunately I had an older
04:58brother who who really embraced cooking
05:00at a young age and he was already a
05:03professional cook so he became my first
05:05Mentor but it wasn't until 1977 when I
05:07met a French uh Chef in narag at Rhode
05:10Island where I was working at a private
05:11club and and the job that I had at that
05:14time was cooking for the staff which was
05:16kind of a lowly job right you weren't
05:18you weren't doing the elegant food for
05:20the guests who were paying you know high
05:22prices to come to dinner uh I was
05:24cooking for for the team there and it's
05:25a summer job so you have all these young
05:27people who are on summer break and they
05:29in nans and because they can go to the
05:31beach in the afternoon and they can work
05:32at night and they have places to live
05:34and uh and and so but the interesting
05:37about it was you again the feedback
05:39feedback was really important because
05:41when I would cook something for them
05:43believe me they they were very vocal
05:47about whether they liked it or not right
05:49I mean right away this was good or this
05:51was bad and and fortunately I was I was
05:54a pretty good cook by then so most of
05:55the things I made for them were were
05:57really good and and the chef came to me
05:58and he was very he was very happy
06:01because typically his staff cook wasn't
06:02somebody who had the dedication and the
06:05skills that I have and and and the other
06:07staff was always unhappy and and he made
06:10the connection for me on why why Cooks
06:13cook why any cook cooks and it's it's to
06:16nurture people and and and when he said
06:19that to me I thought that is that's
06:23that's what I want to do that was
06:25something that resonated with me the
06:26idea that I could do something that
06:29would nurture others and give them give
06:32them not only sustance but give them
06:34pleasure was the reason I became a chef
06:36so July
06:371977 I said this is my job this is what
06:40I'm going to do and from that point on
06:42um I was dedicated to to Really learning
06:45my CRA my learning my craft and uh and
06:49it takes a long time uh you know it
06:51wasn't until much later in life so that
06:53was when I was you know 21 years old and
06:55was wasn't until I was really 39 that I
06:58start started to see any
07:00kind of financial success or or rewards
07:03from from the work that i' had been
07:05doing all those years I like how often
07:08you're referencing feedback because here
07:10at the gsv we say that feedback is a
07:12gift it it is and all of us receive a
07:14lot of it so we can certainly emphasize
07:15with you it's a good thing so that you
07:19moved on with no formal training and
07:21that you didn't go to culinary school
07:23and basically had different jobs and
07:25apprenticeships looking back and
07:27recognizing the success that you've had
07:28how much that do you think is innate
07:30verse learned ah good point I think that
07:33you know we look at our our early child
07:36life and I think that we have a a lot of
07:37things and and certainly I think all of
07:39you've got had gotten great advice from
07:43your parents or somebody that was
07:44meaningful for you because you're all
07:45you're all here at Stanford I mean you
07:47know you just don't don't show up
07:48without having some guidance on that and
07:51I think at at early in my life um again
07:54my my parents were divorced so I grew up
07:56with a with with a single parent that
07:57was my mother and I was very thankful
07:59ful uh that I grew up with my mother
08:01because she had uh an attention to
08:04detail uh a work ethic uh that um became
08:09part of who I was because she
08:11exemplified that every day and it was
08:13through those example those examples
08:16that again I I I find myself looking
08:18back to and saying you know there is the
08:20foundation of of My Success is is on in
08:24that early age of understanding what
08:27what expectations were how to reach them
08:30or how to exceed them in many ways and
08:33and and the amount of dedication and
08:35work that you had to contribute to
08:38actually do that um was was for me it
08:42was it was a pleasure uh I would get
08:44excited by it and to the point where I
08:46remember one time and and and it was
08:48back when when when people had um kind
08:52of fake um foliage fake trees in their
08:54house so my mother had this wonderful
08:56kind of Japanese maple tree that was
08:59plastic and I thought one day I'm going
09:01to take it apart and I'm going to really
09:02clean the whole thing really good so I
09:04pulled the whole thing apart and I
09:05cleaned every leaf and every branch and
09:07I had it all over the floor and and then
09:09I thought man I'm going to get this back
09:12together
09:14again she was happy that I cleaned it
09:16but she was very upset that we weren't
09:18able to put it back together
09:20again so often times at school we
09:22discuss how to respond to setbacks and
09:25the first restaurant that you opened
09:26verel in New York closed when the stock
09:28market bottomed out in the um end of the
09:311980s what was the hardest part of that
09:33experience for you I think the hardest
09:35part of that experience is realized that
09:36your your ultimate dream and and your
09:39ultimate goal which was so so close and
09:42in many ways was in your grasp was was
09:45something that could could just
09:47disappear um
09:49without without something that you you
09:52had no control over it as hard as as
09:54hard as you worked as dedicated as you
09:56were as great a job as you did uh at
09:59that point there there was nothing that
10:01I could do um outside of changing the
10:05the format of the restaurant um to to to
10:08make myself happier to make the
10:10restaurant successful yeah um so it was
10:13a choice and and I I had a great partner
10:15uh Serge Raul um and he had a very
10:18successful restaurant not too far away
10:21across town in SoHo and we had the
10:23choice to either to to to to
10:28um um establish a more of a casual
10:31restaurant because yeah like a beast was
10:34like this was when you know fine dining
10:36became something that was uh
10:38unapproachable anymore people weren't
10:39willing to pay for it and so everything
10:41was becoming casual and so we could
10:44casualized rockel um I could stay there
10:47as partner and as the chef or I could
10:49give it up and and pursue my goals and I
10:52was I was so determined uh that fine
10:55dining was was going to be my venue that
10:59I I I separated myself from the
11:02restaurant that believe me I mean when
11:03we were building the restaurant the
11:05contractors would come in in the morning
11:07and and they would they would do their
11:08work and the place would be a mess and
11:10every night I would clean the restaurant
11:13knowing that the contractors would come
11:14back the next morning and make it a mess
11:16again I there were nights I would sleep
11:17in the restaurant this was this was this
11:19was this was my life this was going to
11:21be my restaurant this was this was my
11:23future and and to to five years later
11:25realized that it wasn't going to be
11:27anymore and that New York City which was
11:29which again was my life in the center of
11:30the UN Universe for me wasn't going to
11:33wasn't going to be the place that I was
11:35going to be was was devastating but what
11:37are your choices I mean at the end of
11:39the day you're faced with a choice you
11:41know e either you can do something you
11:43can compromise on what your goals are
11:47you know I could have casualized the
11:48restaurant and been there and and been
11:50miserable um or I could have I could
11:53have left and and and pursued my true
11:55goals of of fine dining and and and
11:58hopefully
11:59finding that that Avenue that would lead
12:02me to to success and it that was in
12:0619 90 when I when I when I left rockel
12:10uh and moved to Southern California and
12:12did you take any lessons from that
12:13experience maybe that would help you
12:15preserve fine dining big lessons big
12:17lessons I knew that you know I realized
12:19that that I didn't know everything I
12:21mean you know at some point in my life I
12:23thought I knew everything I thought I
12:24knew how to run a restaurant um but I
12:27realized that I was a really good chef I
12:28was a really good cook uh I had no idea
12:31about finances I I knew nothing about I
12:35couldn't read a p&l and I I didn't know
12:37how to run a dining room and and those
12:39are big part of a restaurant you know
12:41certainly a big part of any business you
12:42know terms of financial uh so when I
12:45when I when I was able to buy Raquel I
12:47was able to buy French Laundry I
12:49realized that I needed somebody in the
12:50dining room that could focus on the
12:52dining room that was an expert on the
12:53dining room and I needed somebody you
12:54know who could take care of our
12:56financial and so it became a tripod
12:58there it was me in the kitchen focused
12:59on the food which was really my
13:01expertise I realized that was my
13:03expertise that was my strength and I
13:05need to play with my strength and and
13:06find those individuals who could
13:09compensate for my weaknesses and so
13:11Laura Cunningham became the general
13:13manager of the restaurant uh we had a a
13:15young bookkeeper named Pat McCarthy and
13:17she took care of all of our financials
13:19and that's what the basis and the
13:21foundation of the success of French H
13:22was and it sounds like you all kind of
13:24respected each other's boundaries and we
13:27were so busy that there was there was no
13:29real choice you know we had to stay
13:31focused on on our different
13:33departments okay so after 1994 when you
13:37opened the French Laundry your presence
13:39on The Culinary scene just has exploded
13:41in terms of opening up buan and ban
13:43Bakery per ad hoc Etc um all of those
13:48restaurants include different locations
13:50different Cuisine different clientele
13:53what have been some of the driving
13:54factors behind each decision to open a
13:56new restaurant okay good good question
13:59but I just I just want to just if I can
14:01just seg way back to to to French
14:03Laundry because you know it's something
14:04that's very important for me to to to to
14:07tell you is
14:09that as as we was pointed out it was 19
14:12months I was raising money for the
14:13French
14:14laundry now you know looking back at
14:17that time I realized that my biggest
14:21asset was my ignorance had I known what
14:25it was going to take to actually raise
14:28the money and buy that restaurant when I
14:30began the process it would have been
14:32overwhelming for me I would have never
14:34done it what really drove me forward and
14:37and and and kept me motivated were small
14:40successes every so often um I was in a
14:44position where I'd closed Raquel um I
14:47was labeled you know somewh of an
14:49emotional Chef U which can be
14:51interpreted in a lot of different
14:53ways um and and I I had I was unemployed
14:58living in Los Angeles and I found this
15:00restaurant that I fell in love with and
15:02I said there there's my my dream there's
15:05where I should be there was an instant
15:07connection for me and I decided that I
15:11was going to try to purchase the
15:13restaurant but I I had no resources I I
15:16had no money I had no job and it was
15:19really through through perseverance and
15:21through so many other individuals around
15:23me that were supportive of that process
15:26that we we were able to accomplish it
15:28but it was really the unknown that
15:31protected me uh so well in in in that in
15:35raising that money and um every day I
15:38would wake up and I would make make
15:39phone calls or try to fill out forms and
15:42and to think about that time in my life
15:44and you know talking to over 400 people
15:47that I didn't know and asking them for
15:49money I don't know how many of you have
15:50actually called people you don't know
15:51and ask them to write you a check it's
15:53it's it's a very difficult thing but in
15:56the same time it reinforces is it it re
16:00it
16:01reinforces
16:03your your ideals and and really what you
16:06want to do because you say it over and
16:08over and over again what you're trying
16:10to accomplish and to the point where if
16:12you didn't believe it when you started
16:14you certainly believe in yourself at
16:16some point along the road and then to
16:18deal with with banks and and and I'm
16:21sure all of you have dealt with banks
16:22before um but it's it's a very it's a
16:25very difficult process um is to try to
16:28get people a bank to to write you a
16:30check and then the federal government uh
16:32an SBA loan a small business
16:34administration loan was also somewhat of
16:36a challenge knowing that a a white
16:38middle class uh male was applying for a
16:42small business loan when they would give
16:43it to to to more or less minorities um
16:46was also an accomplishment so the the
16:49ignorance Factor played a very important
16:51part in in My Success getting to your
16:54question about the the different the
16:56different restaurants around around the
16:57country and and what drove drove me to
17:00open more restaurants oh in the
17:02beginning it was it was it was always
17:03about the French Laundry and and how to
17:05make the French Laundry better was
17:07always our goal now our first restaurant
17:10we opened was bushan which is just two
17:12blocks south of the restaurant and the
17:14reason we opened bushan was so that we
17:16could have a place to eat I mean and it
17:19honestly I mean we there was a very
17:22small group of individuals at the French
17:23R when we opened most of us came from
17:25Urban environments where we could go out
17:26after work and get something to eat by
17:28was in San Francisco LA or or or New
17:30York we were used to that finishing work
17:32at midnight and then going going for
17:34dinner and in Napa Valley at that time
17:36everything closed at 9:30 so what do you
17:39do you open a restaurant that stays open
17:41late and fortunately we had already G
17:43garnered a certain amount of of respect
17:45and admiration from from not only the
17:47press and from the public but also from
17:49the partners that we had so when I
17:51proposed opening a French beastro in
17:53yanil um you know it took me 18 months
17:56to raise 1.2 million it took me 18 18
17:58days to raise 1.5 million so it just
18:00goes to show you success breeds you know
18:04success and interest in in what you're
18:05doing um and we opened bushong but we
18:07opened bushong because it gave us an
18:09opportunity to have a place to eat now I
18:11knew at the same time that if my little
18:15restaurant needed a place to go to eat
18:18after work and Napa Valley being a
18:20center for
18:22hospitality and what that means is there
18:24there are so many restaurants in Napa
18:25Valley as well as hotels everything is
18:27based on Hospital ital so if we need a
18:30place to eat then then there are
18:31obviously dozens of others or hundreds
18:33of other people who would let to have a
18:34place to eat as well and so that was
18:37speculation but obviously it paid off
18:39because the restaurant stayed open to
18:401:00 in the morning and it was packed
18:42every night uh with with who with
18:44hospitality workers um the next thing we
18:47opened was bushan Bakery and we opened
18:49bushan Bakery because really again
18:51because of the French Laundry uh and in
18:54in Northern California as you know we
18:56have probably the the the the largest
18:59population of the most amazing artists
19:02and Bakers in America we just do they
19:05all they all travel to Northern
19:06California and so we had we certainly
19:08had our pick of great bread but none of
19:11them would bake bread specifically to
19:16not necessarily the standard we wanted
19:17but the size the shape or the variety so
19:20what choice did we have but to open our
19:22own Bakery so we open a bakery to supply
19:24bread for the French Laundry and
19:26obviously the byproduct that would be
19:27Supply bread for Bush
19:28and if you're going to open a bakery why
19:29don't you open a little retail area so
19:31people can come and and get morning
19:34breakfast so we built a little a little
19:36a little retail area and there's a
19:38little Courtyard there where today it is
19:41it's a community center I mean it's a
19:43wonderful thing to go down there in the
19:44morning time and see people sitting
19:46around in the morning having their
19:48coffee their Quant and engaging with
19:51other people uh you know it it's really
19:53created this this this community of of
19:55of individuals whether they're our
19:56neighbors whether they our friends or
19:57the visitors that come to Napa Valley
19:58it's it's a wonderful experience but it
20:01was really it was really the Genesis for
20:02for French AR so the first expansion
20:04that I would really cons classify as
20:05expansion happened in 2004 it's 10 years
20:08after uh we opened the French Laundry I
20:10opened a restaurant in New York City
20:12called per and a restaurant in Las Vegas
20:14called or a second bushon in Las Vegas
20:17and so that's where I really really we
20:19thought about expansion because it was
20:21outside of that that immediate geography
20:23the immediate geography of the French
20:25aor what what was right there what I can
20:27control very easily because they were
20:28right down the street and why per se
20:31though well it's a very it's a very you
20:33know it's a very easy question to answer
20:35I mean if I asked that question to all
20:37of you if you lived in New York if you
20:38began your career in New York if you've
20:40gotten some notoriety in New York and
20:41you knew you had friends in New York you
20:43knew the media in New York and you had
20:44suppliers in New York where would you go
20:46to open your your next restaurant you'd
20:48go to place where you they knew you so
20:50going back to New York for me was an
20:52obvious choice but but also you have to
20:54understand my my life has been been very
20:56interesting and I kind of separate
20:58myself from from from from Thomas Keller
21:00many times so I can kind of look at it
21:03um but when I moved to California and I
21:05became became successful you know at in
21:08at The French Laundry you know all my my
21:11my previous guests you know and friends
21:14in New York said when are you coming
21:15home it's like coming home what does
21:18that mean I was born in California so
21:20when I came to California in 1990 you
21:23know everybody thought I was coming home
21:25to California so kind this idea of me
21:26being back and forth and you know how LA
21:28and California have this kind of uh comp
21:31Competitive Edge with each other so when
21:33I moved to California from New York to
21:35California people thought well I'm
21:37California so it's okay although I never
21:39really lived in California when I when I
21:41got the French H they said New Yorkers
21:43said when are you coming home so it
21:45really again gave me more confidence to
21:47go back to New York because yeah New
21:49Yorkers thought I was from New
21:51York so per was per was born and it was
21:54a very interesting process as well it
21:56was it was a three and a half year
21:59uh um uh project which began in in mid
22:032000 and and open in in in 2004 um and
22:07saw a lot of a lot of difficulty
22:09obviously one of the big setbacks was
22:11911 and and realizing that um you know
22:14New York had changed dramatically after
22:16after that catastrophe and uh and and
22:20and persevering through that process
22:22finally opening the restaurant and then
22:24we had a devastating fire in the
22:25restaurant which closed the restaurant
22:27um and it was a it was a very as much as
22:30we had
22:33spent uh a lot of time organizing the
22:36restaurant designing the restaurant
22:37building the restaurant Staffing the
22:39restaurant we closed the French Laundry
22:40this was this was a business decision
22:42that I
22:43made late in the process and and it was
22:46interesting
22:47because
22:49um I I didn't think of it and and and
22:52and you realize that that those
22:54individuals that are around you and I
22:56always listen to people and and I always
22:58like the idea of team and I like the
23:00idea of collaboration and many of the
23:02ideas that I have aren't necessarily my
23:05ideas um they're other people's ideas
23:07and I think one of the thing that that
23:09I'm able to do is give others the
23:11confidence and courage to express ideas
23:13I think we've all been in those
23:14environments where where where we've
23:17we've been either prevented or we're
23:19afraid to to express our ideas to to to
23:22our supervisors I I I try to give the
23:24opportunity for anybody to say whatever
23:26they want as I want them to have impact
23:29and there was there was a woman at the
23:30time when I was building per se and that
23:33was with us that was actually doing a
23:36her her doctorate uh thesis for the
23:39other school in in California we won't
23:41name it um and she spent two years with
23:44us studying the um the the the the our
23:49our business um and uh at French Laundry
23:53and she she actually published a book on
23:56it um
23:58and and she became a close friend and I
24:00didn't know what I was going to do when
24:02I was opening per as it relates to how I
24:04was going to open per and maintain and
24:06continue to operate the French Laundry
24:08and she got to know me so well we would
24:10sit and talk and we were sitting in the
24:12garden one day and she said Thomas you
24:13know I know you've been struggling with
24:14this but it's very obvious to me what
24:16you should do I said Rebecca what is
24:18that she said just close the French
24:20Laundry I thought wow what an idea just
24:23close the French
24:25laundry now from a business point of
24:27view you're going to close CL a
24:28restaurant that's doing you know over a
24:30million dollars a month in business and
24:31you're you're going to close it for 5
24:33months to go open another restaurant
24:34which has nothing to do with the
24:36partners of the original restaurant
24:38right I mean so you're a partner of the
24:39French a you're going wait a minute why
24:42would you why why would you do that well
24:44we're going to do that for a number of
24:45different reasons we're going to do that
24:46because if we do this successfully in
24:48New York City it's going to have a very
24:50positive impact on on the French Laundry
24:53it's going to give us the opportunity to
24:54really have this this cultural exchange
24:57between two restaurants that has never
25:00been done before so we did that we
25:03closed the French Laundry we moved 30
25:06individuals like Noah's Arc we moved 30
25:09staff members from The French Laundry
25:11from different departments that were
25:13intended to go to New York temporarily
25:15to help inoculate this team in New York
25:18and then they' come back and open with
25:19the French Laundry and that's exactly
25:21what we did and and to this day it it
25:25established such a strong Foundation
25:28for for that
25:30restaurant uh that almost immediately it
25:33became one of the best restaurants in
25:35New York City and ultimately one of
25:36considered one of the best restaurants
25:37in the country now you you could argue a
25:39lot of different things could we have
25:41done that without that well there's this
25:43idea certainly in the media it relates
25:44to chefs that we spread ourselves too
25:47thin has anybody heard that expression
25:49right oh that Chef's spreading himself
25:51too thin I know he's opening another
25:52restaurant that's not a good thing for
25:53him to do they don't say that about any
25:55other businesses do they I mean a can
25:58open as many shops as they want without
26:00somebody saying well Ares is spreading
26:02too thin right I mean you think about
26:05you think about retail or you think
26:07about General Commerce and most people
26:08think well you should just continue to
26:10grow but when it comes to restaurants
26:12and
26:13chefs it's a bad thing and I tried to
26:17explain that that is
26:22such I'm trying to it's it's it's it's
26:25so wrong when you think about it you
26:28could have said what you actually it's
26:29so wrong sorry it's so wrong because
26:31when you think about it if I have the
26:32French rund where there's 100 employees
26:34there's 100 staff members right they're
26:36all focused they have a they have the
26:37common Vision we have common goals we're
26:38achieving Great Expectations we're we're
26:40exceeding our standards we're doing all
26:42the things right we open per se and I've
26:44got 150 employees there who are doing
26:46the same thing so now I have 250 people
26:49that are working for me that are all
26:50folks how am I how have I become weaker
26:54how have I stretched myself too thin I
26:55mean we've become that much Stronger by
26:59opening another restaurant so it really
27:00it really you know this idea that you
27:03know there I I I must admit that some of
27:05my colleagues may be doing doing things
27:07other ways that don't really enhance or
27:10strengthen their their businesses but if
27:13you do it correctly if you really think
27:14about you do it for the right reasons I
27:16mean you we become so much
27:20stronger we were able to exchange you
27:23know I've always worked towards this
27:25exchange program we've always contined
27:26to exchange staff
27:28well last summer we exchanged our Chef
27:30to Cuisines right the heads of the
27:32kitchens from the French on and per they
27:34got an airplanes at the same time went
27:36to each other's restaurants right for 15
27:40days they walked into each other's
27:42restaurants and operated each other's
27:44restaurants without a problem now we we
27:48built up to that because as Eli came to
27:51yanille he was walking to a restaurant
27:53where Matthew was now Matthew had worked
27:55for Eli in New York and came to to Yan
27:57Phil right so he he's walking into an
28:00area Mike Wallace was there Mike Wallace
28:02worked for for for Eli in New York
28:04Timothy was walking into restaurant
28:06where Nick was there who had worked for
28:07Timothy in yonil so we have this
28:09wonderful Exchange program where we
28:12built this this culture of of knowledge
28:15and the ability for if you're a young
28:17Chef you can come to French Andre and
28:19work in this beautiful ideal IGN naapa
28:21Valley and when you get tired of that
28:23you know we'll send you off to New York
28:24City this vibrant and exciting you know
28:26place in New York and you can go go to
28:27work there so this idea of this exchange
28:30that we have has created a bond a bond
28:34between the restaurants that is that
28:36that exchanges knowledge so you think
28:38about Evolution we all talk about
28:40Evolution well we have a rapid rate of
28:42evolution because now no longer do we
28:43have just 100 people thinking about
28:45something we have 250 people thinking
28:46about something so our evolution is is
28:49is is just goes at such a pace it's hard
28:51to keep up sometimes with what's going
28:52on in our restaurants because there are
28:54everybody's exchanging ideas uh and then
28:57we become strong we be the strength of
28:58our restaurants is is is extraordinary
29:01when I look at when I look at this and
29:03and I've said you know it's almost like
29:04a I run a I run a sports franchise is
29:07the way I describe it um because we have
29:10to be thinking gener generationally
29:12about who is coming up who's going to be
29:14replacing who and how we're going to do
29:16that how we're me how we're hiring how
29:17we're mentoring how we're training our
29:19staff so that they can become sooner or
29:21later can become the franchise player uh
29:24and and ultimately then let them go and
29:26become
29:27become their own business you know
29:29that's that's the ultimate goal is to
29:30actually push them out so that they can
29:33start their own restaurants uh and be
29:35successful on their own so at the
29:37beginning of what you were just
29:38describing the hiring piece yes what are
29:41the top three qualities that you look
29:43for when hiring new talent for one of
29:45your
29:46restaurants
29:48desire desire and
29:52desire you were quoted saying that it's
29:55desire that really matters not passion
29:58because passion is fleing people talk
30:00about passion you know I I I sometimes
30:03it drives me crazy you know some of the
30:05some of the the vocabulary that we use
30:08in people a young Coco come say so why
30:10do you want to work here I'm so
30:12passionate about what I do you just
30:13don't believe the passion I have I mean
30:15every morning I wake up I'm so
30:16passionate about this I'm thinking okay
30:19whatever this kid just doesn't doesn't
30:21understand it's wonderful to think like
30:22that right think that you're going to be
30:23passionate about your job all the time
30:26but we all know I mean passion e and
30:28flows I mean if you've ever had a
30:29relationship with somebody I mean I mean
30:32there there in lies the perfect example
30:34of you know how how passion goes I mean
30:37we're passionate about somebody you know
30:39for a while and then then it kind of
30:40subsides and then you know reignites for
30:42some reason you know it's all over the
30:44place right um and and if you relate
30:47that to food I mean you know the the
30:49first asparagus of the spring which we
30:50saw three weeks ago he like wow it's
30:52amazing you haven't seen it all year
30:53long it's like I love it you know I'm
30:56passionate about doing something with
30:57asparagus what happens 3 weeks later
30:59when you've seen asparagus every day for
31:00the past 3 weeks it's like okay whatever
31:02you know it's just another bundle of
31:03asparagus I got to do something to with
31:04it so what what what keeps you going
31:07it's the desire it's the desire to do
31:09something with the asparagus it's the
31:11desire to be with that person that that
31:13that keeps you with that person because
31:14if it was all based on passion we'd have
31:16a different partner every other year
31:18right it's the desire to to do something
31:20that really drives us so that's what I
31:22look for is I look for that desire I
31:23know that there are levels of skill that
31:27some people are born with and and some
31:29people will be stars and some people
31:31won't and and it breaks my heart to to
31:33see those young individuals that are in
31:35our restaurants whether they're in the
31:36kitchen or in the dining room who have
31:38this strong desire to do a good job and
31:40they just don't have the skills to do it
31:42that that that's really heartbreaking
31:43and we try to find places for them where
31:45they're going to succeed maybe it's not
31:47at the French Laundry maybe it's at
31:48bushon maybe it's at a colleague's
31:50restaurant um and then and then those
31:52those ones who who have amazing skill
31:55and you know they could be a star but
31:57you know they're just they just don't
31:58have the desire and that breaks your
32:00heart because you you just want to you
32:02slap them in the face you know you are
32:03so good how come you don't you apply
32:05yourself more um it's about desire is
32:09there a question you ask in interviews
32:11to tease out whether someone has no we
32:14you know it's what we what we the way we
32:16interview is we have them in our kitchen
32:18you know if we're talking about a
32:19culinary person we want them to come
32:21into our kitchen for for two different
32:22reasons we want to watch the way they
32:24move it's a it's a dance you know I mean
32:26let's face it in a kitchen
32:27that is that is crowded with people um
32:30and you know everybody's moving at you
32:32know at at intense speeds everybody's
32:34focused um it's it's about how you move
32:37in a kitchen so we want to really see
32:38how how they're moving and and and and
32:40sometimes it's an innate thing as well
32:42understanding who's behind you how you
32:43feel about about being close with people
32:46because we touch every you know it's
32:47it's like a basketball game you're
32:49constantly touching somebody you know
32:51and if if people don't like to be
32:52touched that's a problem but making but
32:54having them in the kitchen gives gives
32:56us two opportunities gives us an
32:57opportunity to to see how they move
32:59through the kitchen to see how they
33:01react to others in in the kitchen and
33:03you know to give them some basic skills
33:05you know here here here's here's an egg
33:07scramble an egg or you know here's some
33:08vegetables chop an onion or things like
33:10that uh we can all we can teach almost
33:13anything if somebody has a strong desire
33:14to do it but the other important thing
33:17during that aspect is for them to
33:18actually see the kitchen themselves and
33:21we want them to answer the question do I
33:24think I can work in that environment mhm
33:26so they know they're getting themselves
33:27into exactly and and and you'd be
33:29surprised how many people realize that
33:30they can't work in that environment it's
33:32too intense it's too quick it's too
33:34difficult uh it requires too much
33:36dedication the hours are too long I mean
33:38all these different things that come
33:39into into effect you can look at
33:41somebody's resume that come out of
33:42school they're they're they're
33:44recommended by by somebody and and yes I
33:46mean you know it's it's it's a gamble
33:49you know you flip a coin we've had we've
33:51had very successful chefs who come from
33:54I mean Timothy Hollingsworth who came
33:56from from basically nowhere uh 13 years
33:59ago began working at the French army and
34:01became the chef of Cuisine without any
34:03any formal education as well um his
34:05whole education was at the French
34:06Laundry uh as a young he came at 21
34:09years old he just he left last week he
34:12came in as a Comey which is the lowest
34:13level position in the kitchen and he
34:15left the highest level in the position
34:17with you know with the respect of of an
34:19industry um competed as the buku store
34:22Captain who placed higher for the US
34:24than any other team had ever done and
34:26his only experience in the kitchen was
34:29at the French Laundry and he got there
34:30by accident because my chef was at the
34:32time Eric zebold didn't want to hire him
34:35and and I didn't I didn't realize that
34:37he didn't want to hire him so I hired
34:39him and he gets in the kitchen and and
34:41and so you just never know um but but
34:44you have this you you have other people
34:47who have great resumés who come from
34:49great houses and and and they just they
34:52fall they they fail so it's it's hard to
34:55really
34:55tell it's it's a it's an important
34:58process in hiring we we we have to spend
35:00our time making sure that we're trying
35:02to identify the right person for the
35:05right job I mean that that's an
35:06important thing and and back when I was
35:09young in in in the business it was about
35:11being in the right place at the right
35:12time you know if you were there when
35:14they needed somebody you were hired
35:15doesn't necessarily mean that you were
35:17good at what you did or or or that you
35:18had a great background you were just the
35:20right place at the right time and and
35:22and they would beat you in submission or
35:24or or beat you to the point where you
35:26you you became you you you understood
35:28what they wanted and you did it um but
35:30the beating was always
35:31there um but today we want to make sure
35:34that we're hiring the right person for
35:35the right job uh and putting them in a
35:38position where we can we can train them
35:39because that that's really an important
35:41part is training and again training has
35:43has no time limits when you think about
35:45it I mean you you you related it to a
35:47child and and I don't know how many you
35:49have children but when you're teaching
35:50your child how to swim you got floaties
35:52on their arms you don't tell them they
35:54have two weeks to learn how to swim and
35:55then they're going to take the floaties
35:55off and the kid drowns you know say well
35:58it's your fault you know you didn't
35:59learn how to swim in two weeks I mean it
36:00could take it could take two months it
36:02could take three months the point is
36:04once you hire a person you have to be
36:05committed to that person 100% And that
36:07training can take a while and and but
36:09the commitment has to be there and the
36:11commitment from them has to be there and
36:13and the deciding factor in that is when
36:15they have a hard day and you go to them
36:17and say Walter you know you struggle
36:19today what do you think about tomorrow
36:21and the kids got a smile on his face and
36:22say Chef I'm gonna get it tomorrow I'll
36:23be back tomorrow and and and and that
36:25show shows a strong dedication strong
36:28will and an attitude that they know in
36:31their mind that one day they'll get it
36:32if you have the patience and persistence
36:35to to continue working with them they'll
36:37get it one day and believe me when they
36:39get it it's an extraordinary thing to
36:41watch because it's like turning a light
36:42on one day they'll come in and it's just
36:45it's like night and day and then that
36:47person that you've spent the time with
36:49that you've dedicated that training
36:50moment you've given him what he needs or
36:52she needs you know Walter was with us
36:55for for six and a half years
36:57an extraordinary young Chef who today
36:59now is a chef to cuisine in another
37:01restaurant um and then and then the
37:03point is so if you hired you trained and
37:05and and then you have to Mentor them and
37:07mentorship is something that goes beyond
37:09beyond work you know it's it's it's a
37:10it's a process it's a life process and
37:13the point is if you've hired correctly
37:15if you trained correctly and you
37:16mentored correctly then the result of
37:18that is it's that you have somebody who
37:21is better than you are and and that was
37:24that's a hard thing for a lot of chefs
37:25to say is that person is better than I
37:27am but if they're not then you really
37:29haven't done your job very well have you
37:32I mean they have to be better than you
37:34are you have to give them a better
37:35environment you have to give them better
37:36skills you have to give them better
37:38tools to work with you have to give them
37:39a better education and you have to give
37:41them better opportunity than you ever
37:42had and if you do all those things then
37:45then the the overarching goal that we
37:47talked about is raising the the
37:50standards of of our profession have been
37:52achieved yeah I know that there are some
37:54fantastic questions in the audience so I
37:56do want to open up for questions from
37:58the audience if you have a question
38:00please raise your hand and someone with
38:01a microphone will find you my question
38:03is about you you've been quoted to to
38:05speak about the importance of ownership
38:08in every person in the restaurant and
38:09you've said that you don't work for
38:11somebody your whole life and then
38:13suddenly wake up one morning and think
38:15like an owner right could you talk about
38:17what you've done to instill that um in
38:19people at your restaurant given that it
38:21is a high turnover industry yeah you
38:23know it's funny because we don't really
38:24have a high turnover as much as is you
38:26know is a higher turnover industry our
38:28turnover really occurs when when there's
38:31not the ability for somebody to be
38:34promoted and that's typically because
38:36you know as as as as it's a pyramid and
38:38as you get up towards the top those
38:40individuals are staying longer so you
38:42know as a Comey goes to a chef dep party
38:44Chef dep party goes to Demi suf Demi suf
38:46goes to suf suf goes to Executive suf
38:49and then goes to CDC there are fewer and
38:51fewer people so typically somebody will
38:53leave after two or two and a half years
38:55at the chef dep part level but to to
38:58answer your question we're preparing
38:59them to be a chef to Cuisine and we're
39:01preparing them to be a chef to Cuisine
39:03because we begin them as a comei so at
39:05that level at that beginning level
39:06they're understanding the foundation of
39:08the kitchen really understanding the
39:10true foundation uh of how to operate a
39:12kitchen open a kitchen what what what
39:14the what the fundamental practices are
39:16how to do how to do the fundamental work
39:19um and and at the same time they get to
39:22work with a chef dep party a chef dep
39:23party is somebody who actually is
39:25responsible for a you know fish meat
39:27vegetable um cheese whatever the
39:30different stations are in the restaurant
39:32so you've created this this team
39:33environment and the chef to partti is is
39:36now working with that with that comei or
39:38that group of Kies and and and and
39:41supervising them managing them in a way
39:44that they are actually understanding
39:46what it is to be a chef because now they
39:47have their own little small team that
39:49they Divi we Define the menus they
39:51Define their dishes and then they start
39:53to write out their list of of of tasks
39:55that have to be done and they have to
39:57then then motivate supervise their KES
40:00in order to get the the the task
40:01completed in in the appropriate amount
40:03of time so as a chef depar you're
40:05learning you and and back up a little
40:08bit as a come your next position would
40:10be a chef depart so you're learning as a
40:12comei what it's like to be managed by
40:15somebody at that found at that
40:16foundation and then you're promoted to
40:18the chef dep party position so now the
40:20roles are reversed you understand what
40:23you need to do at in those positions so
40:26as a Chef dep party you understand how
40:27to manage and supervise that position so
40:29we're teaching them how to be chefs
40:30little mini chefs in their stations
40:32before they ever become a sue chef and
40:34if you get you get to become a sue Chef
40:36then you're now responsible for a group
40:37of Chef dep pares not for all the chef
40:39dep parties but for a group to Chef dep
40:40pares so you're managing or supervising
40:42even even more people if you get to be
40:45an executive Sue Chef the executive suf
40:47is the same as a chef to cuisine in
40:49other words he's responsible for the
40:50entire kitchen and understanding how to
40:52how to supervise and manage that group
40:54and then as a chef to Cuisine obviously
40:56responsible for the entire kitchen now
40:58you start to revert to what what it is
40:59to operate a business it's not just
41:01about the kitchen I mean the kitchen is
41:02a very important part of any restaurant
41:05but it's it's not it's it it it's not
41:09the area where you're going to find
41:12success in being a business owner and
41:14and and that was evident as I spoke
41:16earlier me being a really good Chef
41:18didn't make didn't qualify me to run a
41:20business in fact it qualified me to run
41:22a business into the ground and be
41:24unsuccessful so so understand that you
41:26know at that point when they become the
41:28executive chef even when they become a
41:30sue Chef they start to understand human
41:32resources they they start to understand
41:34public relations they start to
41:35understand
41:37uh the finances so that they can start
41:40start to formulate what it is that they
41:42are impacting so as they as they begin
41:44to order food they understand you know
41:47how to keep inventories um how to price
41:49inventories uh understand how to not how
41:52to manage inventories um and then the
41:55more the further up they go as an
41:56executive suf and as executive SF and
41:59Che and Chef toine now are in the
42:01budgetary process so every year they are
42:04actually writing their budgets for for
42:07for their department so we're actually
42:08teaching them how to be these owners
42:10before their owners and that's that's
42:11really what I want to be able to do and
42:13and then as they start to to to
42:15understand that they they're working
42:17human resources and public relations as
42:18well so they have really the three
42:20criterias that they need in order to
42:22understand how to open their own
42:23restaurant and then and then
42:25understanding that there's a
42:26transitional period I know if I walk
42:29into my kitchen today and I said who
42:31wants to open their own restaurant 95%
42:34of those hands are going to go up so
42:36knowing immediately that everybody in my
42:38restaurant in my kitchen is going to
42:40leave someday prepares me for these
42:42transitions so understanding that as a
42:44chef to Cuisine that that Chef wants to
42:47open his own restaurant so we begin
42:49early in the process so that we have a a
42:51smooth transition process for him to be
42:54able to not only learn what he needs to
42:57learn about running a restaurant but now
43:00how to open a restaurant so we can offer
43:01that person uh not only the financial uh
43:04information needs but but also legal uh
43:07to help him understand how to write a
43:08business plan and preparing him for that
43:11so the ownership is it it becomes
43:13something that is very tangible for them
43:16at at a at a very early age in in in in
43:19their career at our restaurants because
43:21they are owning it even though they may
43:24not realize it so that when someone
43:26leaves our
43:27restaurant even at even at a young age
43:30even at a young position at a chef
43:32depart position they' they've already
43:34tasted and felt what it's like to be a
43:40chef right here hi uh my name is Candace
43:43corvetti I'm a first year MBA I was just
43:46curious what right now your favorite
43:48thing to cook
43:50is right right
43:52now um we have some beautiful white
43:55asparagus right now it's like right
43:59now I no you it's interesting we were
44:02talking about this a little earlier
44:03about you know about ingredients and how
44:06and I mean they are the most important
44:07part of what we do and and and the
44:10seasonality of them we we realize that
44:12the proteins are are are very easy right
44:14I mean we we forecast our proteins every
44:17week we we don't necessarily forecast
44:19our vegetables every week we know that
44:21you know our our our duck producers is
44:24going to produce ducks for us every week
44:25we know our lammer got lamb we know our
44:27you know our our Ranch in in Idaho has
44:30has beef for us we know you know that
44:32the fish we're going to get you know we
44:33know mostly we know what we're going to
44:35get if we can't get Cod this week we'll
44:38get another fish but we know we can get
44:39these different proteins it's really it
44:41really we really build our menus around
44:43the vegetables because vegetables have a
44:45defined season we all think of Seasons
44:47seasonality as you know spring summer
44:49winter fall but that that that has
44:51nothing to do with the seasonality that
44:53we deal with because a fava being for us
44:55may only have a season in a three and a
44:56half or 4 weeks we may see FAA beans in
44:58the market for 3 and a half months but
45:01we know that the the last 2 and a half
45:03months those FAA beans you know
45:05typically are overgrown and starchy and
45:07we don't really want to work with that
45:09so really understanding the seasonality
45:11of each ingredient and certainly in this
45:14aspect is relates to vegetables so right
45:16now you know the white asparagus that
45:17we're getting the white asparagus we're
45:20getting right now is from is from
45:22Germany which which arguably has some of
45:24the best white asparagus that available
45:26because they have they they're the
45:28northern north of Germany you think of
45:30the Scandinavian countries they have
45:31white asparagus as well but it's still a
45:32little too cold so they don't get as as
45:34median as big and then further south in
45:37France it's it's already getting too
45:38warm by the time their season hits
45:40Germany has that wonderful that
45:41wonderful season that Prime season when
45:44the temperatures are are just right for
45:46the growing of asparagus in the size
45:48that we like and the texture that we
45:49like so I hope that answered your
45:52question but they won't be around much
45:54longer
45:57one more question over there hi thanks
45:59for uh coming here it's really excited
46:01to have you um to jump off on that
46:03question uh could you talk a little bit
46:05about your supply chain is a lot of it
46:07coming from local organic farms or is it
46:09sort of worldwide um I'm I'm glad you
46:12asked that question
46:13um you know people talk about there
46:16there's all this this talk recently
46:18about local right everybody has anybody
46:20heard not heard that you know local has
46:23anybody not heard the word
46:24sustainability in the in the past three
46:26or four years um you know chefs have
46:29always been focused on on quality
46:31ingredients you know and and chefs have
46:33always been focused on on on our Farmers
46:35our suppliers so this whole idea that
46:37farm to table is something new is a bit
46:39absurd and insulting to me you know
46:41because you know it's something that
46:43we've that every Chef in every
46:44generation any chef that's that that's
46:47been worth anything has always been had
46:49relationships with with their Farmers
46:51their fishermen their foragers their
46:53gardeners I mean those those individuals
46:55are are who we rely on I mean we we
46:58truly support them uh in in what they do
47:02in every way um and and local has
47:05nothing to do with geography I mean
47:07where did where did this idea come from
47:09that we have to use products within 25
47:11miles what is what what defines local
47:14anyway is local you look at the D what
47:18is
47:18local can anybody Define it for
47:22me I was I was I was doing a lecture a
47:24couple weeks ago on someone said was 25
47:26miles and I'm okay so 25 miles right so
47:30that means if this farmer is growing a
47:32carrot within 25 miles I can buy it and
47:35if it's a shitty carrot that's okay it's
47:38local but if there's a guy 27 miles away
47:40that's growing the most amazing carrot
47:42that that you've ever tasted I can't buy
47:45that carrot and by the way what are you
47:47drinking coffee is there is is is is
47:50there a coffee plantation 25 miles from
47:52here like you know like what's that
47:54about I mean we have a we you know we we
47:56we live with a little bit of hypocrisy
47:59all of us do so if we believe we're
48:00truly buying local ingredients but we're
48:02drinking tea or coffee or sugar or using
48:05vanilla or oil or you know any of these
48:07things I mean you tell me you tell me
48:09where where these Farms are where these
48:11producers are that are producing all
48:13these things locally you know and what
48:15is local anyway is it 25 is it 50 is it
48:17100 is it 200 is it 300 miles you know
48:20around I have no idea what that would
48:22local means so local to me has to do
48:24with ingredients and we realize is that
48:26the culinary diversity of the world has
48:28been based on Transportation right do we
48:31agree on that I mean the most famous
48:34country in the world for chocolate is
48:35where Switzerland do they have any cocoa
48:38plantations in Switzerland I don't think
48:41so the Italians are known for What
48:43tomatoes Tomatoes came from the new
48:45world right they didn't come from Italy
48:47the Italians never potatoes the Irish
48:50Potato Famine in the 1600s right they
48:52got potatoes from from from Peru I mean
48:55it wasn't something that they had
48:56locally was brought there by by by
48:58somebody from a boat so the the the
49:01spice Roots you know of of of ancient
49:03times I mean this is this has been the
49:05makeup of our culinary Heritage for
49:09centuries for for and it's not going to
49:12stop so why would we say we're not going
49:14to support any longer the the the the
49:18the the Coffee Bean plantations in in
49:20South America or Sumatra or we're not
49:22going to we're not going to support the
49:24the vanilla bean plant
49:26in in in in Mexico or Tahiti I mean
49:28would we really do that would we put out
49:30would we put out of business these
49:33communities that have been thriving for
49:36decades or centuries on the idea of
49:39exporting their food and then how many
49:41of you drink wine and does anybody drink
49:43French wine you think that comes from
49:46local I you know all these different
49:49things it it's it just fascinates me
49:50that local has been has has been defined
49:54as something that is within a certain
49:56proximity local is about the ingredients
49:59and the quality of the ingredients to me
50:01that's what it's all about it's about
50:03communities that are producing food for
50:05us and and we talk about sustainability
50:07and sustainability has nothing to do
50:08with ingredients sustainability has to
50:10do with communities communities are very
50:12important and so if I'm buying my
50:14ingredients from the right individuals
50:17they're they're the ones that are going
50:18to be concerned about the sustainability
50:21of their ingredients I buy buy lobsters
50:23from ingred benjes who lives in
50:24Stonington Maine does anybody Stonington
50:25main is has anybody been to Stonington M
50:27there you go if if if that community of
50:31fishermen had to rely on selling their
50:34fish and their lobsters within a certain
50:36proximity to that town that Community
50:39would not exist there would not be the
50:41the the the fishermen there there would
50:43not be the teachers there or the doctors
50:45there or the pharmacists there there
50:47would not be a community in Stonington
50:49Maine if they couldn't transport their
50:52local ingredients elsewhere and and then
50:55they're worried about the sustainability
50:58this is a community that's been there
50:59for Generations they're the ones that
51:01that that are that are monitoring the
51:03quality of their harvesting of the of
51:05the lobsters or the scallops because
51:07every year for 30 years I've been buying
51:09lobsters and scallops and cod things
51:11from from ingr Benes right and she buys
51:14them from her fishermen so there's a
51:16sustainability in the community and
51:18those fishermen are the ones that are
51:19worried about the sustainability of of
51:21what they're harvesting so I shouldn't
51:23really have to worry about the
51:24sustainability of those
51:26ingredients or or the locality of them
51:29other than we're supporting people who
51:30are who are doing who are doing work
51:33that have been going on for generations
51:35and supporting a community around them
51:37did I answer your
51:40question organic I'm sorry organic is
51:43doesn't matter I it doesn't matter to me
51:46because
51:48again we buy ingredients for for their
51:52for the flavor and for the quality of
51:54the ingredient and and and and sometimes
51:57our ingredients that aren't organic are
52:00much better than something that's
52:01labeled organic and if I'm going to tell
52:05my my Farmer in yanil that he has to get
52:09certified organic from the state of
52:11California so he's for five years he's
52:13going to have to monitor his have to
52:16send in every six months or every three
52:18months his test results which cost him
52:20money he's going to have to wait for the
52:22state to verify that and then and then
52:24give him a stamp on a piece of paper
52:25that says he's organic when he's been
52:27when he's been farming this his father
52:28farmed the farm and his grandfather
52:30farmed the farm and they've always been
52:31practicing organic you know what he's
52:33going to tell me right he's going to go
52:35tell me to stick it because you know he
52:37doesn't need to be involved in the
52:38bureaucracy of the state certifying his
52:40property organic when he's been farming
52:42organic for for
52:45Generations sorry great no it it's clear
52:48you've thought a lot about the topic
52:51yeah so I want to close with a question
52:54that's asked at many of you from the top
52:56engagements the current GSP application
52:59includes an essay that asks what matters
53:01most to you and why how would you
53:03respond to that question you know I
53:05think what matters most to me now is is
53:07is is really education um I think
53:09education is is um is is the tool for
53:13success in in anything we do in life and
53:16um you know our profession was one that
53:19we were told how to do something for so
53:21long and not necessarily why uh and and
53:25you know it's only been recently in in
53:27my career span the past 25 years that we
53:30we've actually learned why we' actually
53:31become more knowledgeable on on the
53:34science of food right you've all seen a
53:35lot of things Harold McGee wrote a book
53:3730 years ago called you know on on food
53:40and cooking which really opened up uh so
53:42much knowledge for for so many cooks who
53:45never understood you know why an
53:48emulsification worked you know what was
53:50it what was the property in the fat of
53:52an egg yolk and the oil that brought it
53:53together and how much could you do and
53:56and and and it was the knowledge that
53:57opened up a lot of doors for us and and
54:00I would say that what we want to be able
54:02to do to do is is is to share that
54:05knowledge uh with everybody to to help
54:08impact uh and enrich people's lives and
54:11and certainly in in my profession it's
54:14it's been an extraordinary rise in in
54:16knowledge and and understanding of what
54:18we do and why we do it that in America
54:21today we live with a culinary culture
54:23today that is only 30 years old and we
54:28have achieved enormous success notoriety
54:32and and reputation because of the
54:34knowledge that we have and the
54:36dedication we have to our craft and and
54:38and and to each other I think those are
54:40important things great thanks for
54:42sharing yeah so before we finish I
54:44understand that you have a surprise for
54:46people in the audience we do there
54:47there's a story about green green tape
54:49has anybody heard the green tape story
54:51no ah one person heard the green tape
54:53story so you know as I told when we were
54:55opening per we took 30 individuals from
54:57French army to per to help inoculate
54:59this this group of people in at in New
55:02York City with our culture and our
55:04philosophy and so I gave them all this
55:06this you know this big Rah speech about
55:08you know you're going to go there you're
55:09going to meet people it's New York City
55:10we want to make sure that we teach you
55:13know this new staff who we are give them
55:16the examples of who we are find
55:18something find a way to to to just make
55:21it better a little bit you know find
55:23something that's going to impact them
55:25find something that's going to say
55:26something to these individuals in New
55:27York and we had a young expeditor uh
55:30named Zion cruell I think he's probably
55:3223 24 four years old at the time who
55:34worked at the French laundry now the
55:36green tape was something that we use at
55:39our restaurant I began using 1994 it's
55:41painters tape right and and and we use
55:44it to label everything in the restaurant
55:47and the reason we use green tape is
55:50because masking tape which is typically
55:52used or labels which are typically used
55:54have such a strong adhesive that when
55:56you take them off it leaves a residue on
55:58the container I hated that I I you know
56:00it just drove me crazy green tape has
56:03has a very uh light adhesive so that we
56:06take it off nothing stays on the
56:09container so every container everything
56:12that's marked at the restaurant is
56:13marked with green tape every time we
56:15tape down the pass which means we put a
56:17tablecloth on the pass the table that we
56:20plate our food on it's taped down with
56:22green tape for 10 years an entire decade
56:25hundreds of people tore the green tape
56:28right we would just tear it Grant aets
56:31Jonathan Beno Sebastian Rell Eric zebold
56:34I mean dozens of chefs today dozens of
56:36people in our profession today Paul
56:38Roberts soier I mean you know man
56:41everybody nobody thought about doing
56:43anything else but tearing the GRE tape
56:45Zion cruel who taped down the P at the
56:47French Ry every day for two years shows
56:49up in New York City on February 16th
56:532004 the first day he taping down the
56:55pass for the first service that per se
56:57what does he
56:59do picks up a pair of scissors and cuts
57:02the green
57:04tape everybody in the entire restaurant
57:06was like
57:09what what just
57:11happened and and from that moment on 600
57:16other
57:18employees where there's a roll of green
57:20tape there's a pair of scissors it just
57:22goes to show you how big of an
57:25impact one person can have just with the
57:28idea that they're going to make a
57:29difference and it wasn't a big thing you
57:32know it wasn't it wasn't such when you
57:33think about it it's like okay whatever
57:34he picked up a pair of scissors to cut
57:36the green tape it's not it's not such a
57:37stretch is
57:38it but he did it he thought about it he
57:42made an impact he had the confidence and
57:44he had the courage to pick up a pair of
57:46scissors and cut the green tape and now
57:49I have over a thousand people that work
57:51at tkrg and everywhere there's a roll of
57:54green tape
57:55there's a pair of scissors and now they
57:57have actually dispensers so they don't
57:59have to get the pair of scissors I don't
58:01know where the dispenser came from but
58:02somebody thought about the dispenser so
58:04with that said there is three pieces I
58:08hope it's cut green
58:10tape thank you there's three pieces of
58:13green tape under your chair okay so
58:15there are three chairs with a piece of
58:16green tape under it and um we want to be
58:20able to give you something from us so
58:23whoever has a piece of green tape
58:25let me
58:33know do you remember where you put them
58:39yes did anybody find green tape anybody
58:41find green tape oh we've got one where
58:45right here we have and back there
58:47where's the third and we have three you
58:49have three yeah we okay come on thank
58:52you everybody I appreciate it
58:59[Music]
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