List of 18 Good habits of successful chefs

Success often comes with habits. The stronger the habits, the more successful you are in your work. There is always room for learning and who can know this better than a chef who is devoted to learning something new and extraordinary every day. A successful chef imbibes many good habits, a few of them are given below:

list of Good habits of successful chefs

Always have a plan:

Chefs always have to be forward thinker, for today and plan for tomorrow. Planning is a necessary skill that every chef has to have in the kitchen.

Professional chefs know what ingredients to use and in what quantity, how to manage time during a crunch, and how to effectively utilize their skills and embrace change and that makes the restaurant in which they are working a successful one. They are good anticipators and always think ahead of competitors and customers.

Know to lead as well as to manage:

Successful chefs know how to manage people and things properly to get the maximum out of them. Leadership is a quality that is imbibed by all the chefs who want to be at the top of their career.

They create an environment where people strive hard for perfection and work with zeal, feel that they are an important part of the team and hence work exceptionally well with responsibility and share a common goal.

Never stop learning:

Good chefs never stop learning and are abreast with the latest food trend that follows. They learn from everyone and everywhere they go. They keep on learning new cooking hacks and are always into innovation without letting go of the authenticity of the cuisine.

This helps them to learn more about different cuisine and incorporate the same in their food. Experimenting with dishes is what makes up a new dish and adds to their learning. They are committed to learning something new every day.

Great listener:

Chefs looking for a successful career are skilled at keeping their eyes focused on everything that is around them and their ears focused on the ground.

Chefs with proficiency in their careers listen to everyone who is around them and pay attention to the perspective of their subordinates and colleagues. They listen to their guests and organizations that personify excellence and gather all the motivation they need to keep going.

Show gratitude:

Chefs who have overcome all the hardships and come a long way always show gratitude to all those who have helped them reach a scale in their career. They always keep their support system close and are thankful for everything around them.

They always welcome criticism with a smile and work on their shortfalls. They do not long for recognition but always try to maintain a brand image of their own.

Know when to say a ‘yes’ and a ‘no’:

Chefs are open to change and welcome everything that comes on their way. But they also imbibe the skill of saying a ‘no’ when it comes to their career and anything that may have long term negative implications on their work and the organization.

‘yes ‘ is always not a correct answer when it can question someone’s ability and skills.

Keeping it simple:

A professional chef can never accept mediocrity. Quality over quantity is the basic formula that all chefs follow. A successful chef may spend hours in the kitchen trying to improve a course rather than develop or prepare more dishes for the mediocre menu.

Keeping things simple yet amazing is what is followed by a maximum of Michelin star restaurants. The focus is always on serving the best to the customers no matter not offering a great variety of food.

Keeping the kitchen organized:

Chefs always have the exact idea of where the ingredients and utensils are located. They know the exact time of preparation of each dish that is available on the menu, the proper techniques to serve the food in and out of the kitchen.

They keep themselves updated with the latest food trend and diner trend and make sure that they are catering to the needs of the customers and are providing them with the best dining experiences.

Focus on the task at hand:

Running a successful kitchen requires a lot of discipline focussing on the task at hand takes a lot of time but it is worth it as it makes one a good chef.

A chefs’ work is full of people, knives, fire and so a little distraction here and there can lead to huge causalities like a ruined meal, a kitchen disaster or even more. Hence, a good chef always focuses on the task at hand.

Always in control of time:

Diners should always be full and satisfied and it can be accomplished only when there is proper time management and every ounce of a second is utilized right from the time when the order is placed.

Food that is ordered must be prepared and served within minutes and everything should happen with proper planning so that no pressure is built on the crew members and everything happens perfectly as it ought to happen. This makes the kitchen highly effective.

Invest in staffs:

Successful chefs always keep their staffs with them when it comes to opportunities and skill enhancement. When a friendly environment of training and personal investment is created, it brings the best out of employees which leads to the betterment of both the employer and the employee.

Chefs go for in-service training which is based on their own experiences that they have gained over time. They also send their staffs to peers restaurant to showcase their talents. This helps in the growth process of staff members.

Chefs always help others in need and share all that they know. They believe that sharing is a part of growing up and relish this opportunity. They help and encourage others to follow a path and be successful. They often site their failures and how they overcame them.

They are happy to see how success paves the way of the receiving end with generosity. No matter how successful they are, they are always ready to help their peers and subordinates.

Able to take criticism:

No matter how old or new or how much experience one holds, everyone will have an opinion about the food you prepare and not every time the opinion would be in your favour. Even the greatest chefs have room to learn and correct their wrong.

They accomplish it while taking the criticism they receive positively. It helps them to improve and be a better version of themselves in the future. Chefs always look for constructive criticism and pave their way to be a better version.

Stamina and endurance:

Chefs always need to cope with long hours as they need to spend most of their time on their feet, be it late hours at night or the middle of the morning. At times, it proves to be a challenge for even the most physically fit chefs but they need to be prepared for all of it.

Spending almost twelve hours or more in the kitchen out of the twenty-four hours is not an easy task and requires a lot of stamina and endurance.

Giving the best shot:

Quality is always the king and when it comes to chefs, they leave no stone unturned to give their best on the platter using the finest ingredients and the best techniques. They tend to create a high grade of exception they cook to give their best shot.

They utilize all the skills and creativity and try to present the dishes in the best way possible every time so that they can give their customers a great dining experience.

Detail-oriented:

When it comes to cooking, a detailed orientation is required in all the stages, starting from creating a dish to plating. Perfection is what is required when it comes to plating and presentation.

A wrong garnish or a single rogue of hair can destroy well-cooked food and so focus is what is required the most. The importance of paying very close attention to all the details is undeniable.

Passion:

Success is always accompanied by passion and hence it takes a lot of determination and hard work to be a successful chef. Passion paves the way for improvement and motivates one to learn new skills and enhanced techniques daily. Passion always plays an intrinsic role in chefs life matter how mundane a task is.

Creativity:

A dish becomes successful when a chef allows both his personality and creativity to shine through. Chefs often need to come out of their comfort zone and try creating something out of the box. The most important challenge for any chef is to be creative in every way possible.

As we all know, when it comes to cooking, both science and arts go together and that makes an impressive dish that looks amazing and tastes heavenly.