Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > DiningBuzz
Reload this Page >

What makes a great chef?

Community
Wiki Posts
Search

What makes a great chef?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Dec 1, 2010 | 12:43 pm
  #16  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 16
Creativity and imagination

I think that creativity makes a great chef - being able to use all the knowledge they get in cooking schools and turn it into something magical with the help of their imagination.
flyer81 is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2010 | 12:51 pm
  #17  
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: CLT
Posts: 7,249
I think a lot of it is also just knowing your audience. Would Paula Deen be as successful if she opened the same restaurant in San Francisco? Maybe, but I doubt it. I'm not sure if she is a Chef or just a cook, but she is one of my favorites.
gj83 is offline  
Old Dec 25, 2010 | 6:43 am
  #18  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: One Pass Silver, UA Premier
Posts: 152
Originally Posted by obscure2k
Passion
+1
c1ue1ess88 is offline  
Old Dec 25, 2010 | 8:26 am
  #19  
10 Countries Visited
20 Countries Visited
30 Countries Visited
15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: Hilton-Diamond Lifetime Platinum AA UA, WN-CP, SPG Gold.
Posts: 7,385
Most Artist think they are the best, and in theri own circle they are...

Money is just about keeping score, at the end of the day we all work to make a profit, that is what keeps us going...

No profit, no door to open...no gas for oven...

Ancient Chinese cook fact...
satman40 is offline  
Old Jan 3, 2011 | 7:36 pm
  #20  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 494
Ability to create great taste & presentation
uaflr is offline  
Old Jan 5, 2011 | 3:46 pm
  #21  
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,856
I have a plus-sized friend and chef who once told me "Never trust a skinny chef" and that motto has served me quite well so far
CMK10 is offline  
Old Jan 8, 2011 | 11:51 pm
  #22  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
30 Countries Visited
2M
Conversation Starter
25 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: PHX and LIH
Programs: AA: 2 MM, HA, VS
Posts: 91,925
Originally Posted by Eastbay1K
And thank goodness!
ILuvParis is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2011 | 7:41 am
  #23  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: NYC (formerly BOS/DCA)
Programs: UA 1K, IC RA
Posts: 60,745
Having a tv show.
magiciansampras is offline  
Old Jan 15, 2011 | 8:32 am
  #24  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 334
What do you think makes a great chef? From the 3-star Michelin chefs such as Thomas Keller and Pierre Gagnaire to equally talented chefs such as Mario Batali and Dean Fearing, what exactly is "it" that makes them the take such ingredients and turn them into such extraordinary dishes on a regular basis in successful, well-run restaurants?
It greatly depends on what you mean by chef. I've been forced to go to one of Emerill's restaurants. I'm pretty sure he wasn't in the kitchen. I didn't hear any stupid bams. Plenty of the big chefs have more than one restaurant and they really are more business managers than chefs.

It's rather impossible to answer your question without more definition around what you mean by great chef. Best chef on the line? Best business manager? Best menu maker?
new2japan is offline  
Old Jan 16, 2011 | 8:07 pm
  #25  
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 5
Being a great chef is a lot about management. You have to be a great cook, great leader, great manager all at the same time. When chefs go to the top of their professional success, a lot of them rarely work the line. They mainly become overseers, but with a firm hand on the menu.
julietrevino is offline  
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 10:43 am
  #26  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Central Texas
Programs: Many, slipping beneath the horizon
Posts: 9,859
Originally Posted by Fornebufox
Training, technique, palate, sensory (taste) memory, passion, imagination, drive, obsessiveness, stamina, managerial skills....
(not necessarily in that order)
Not a bad list of qualities, but I would add...

A commitment to maximizing the dining pleasure and feeling of perceived value of the patrons (well, at least the relatively discerning diners among them).
TMOliver is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.