Professional Chef Comments on the Ten Commandments of Being an NYC Chef
The kitchen of a New York City restaurant is a wilderness where only the strong survive. There are rules that separate the professional cooks from the amateur ones. These rules are forged in the sweat and tears of cooks who know the not-so-secret secret of professional cooking: that the kitchen can be an unfriendly place, and only the friendly with the unfriendly survive. Andrew Carmellini’s “Ten Commandments” infographic is full of hard truths. Let’s break it down.
1. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Line Cooks
Poaching another chef’s line cook is like stealing someone’s spouse technically legal, but morally questionable. Every great kitchen runs on trust, and nothing fractures it faster than swiping talent from the station next to you. Sure, Eduardo’s grill guy is a wizard with a sear, but if you lure him away with promises of better hours or a fancier apron, you’re burning a bridge that won’t be rebuilt. Instead of coveting, cultivate. Train your own team, build loyalty, and maybe you won’t have to suffer through another dinner service short-staffed and full of regret.
2. Thou Shalt Not Believe What Is Written in the Comments
This goes out to those who are obsessed with Yelp or who are Instagram warriors and think that culinary success is all about the likes. Understand this: A two-star review of your duck confit by Karen means nothing. In fact, it says more about her palate and inability to appreciate fine food than it does about your cooking skills. Let such comments roll off you like grease on a non-stick pan. Take real criticism only from those with real experience like the chef who taught you and makes you cry for joy when you try to julienne.
3. Thou Shalt Not Allow Interesting to Trump Delicious
Okay, marshmallows made with squid ink sound bold, but is there any real demand for that kind of daring food? No! That’s not what anyone thinks of when thinking about sustainable cuisine. Keep your menus and mouthfuls focused on food that tastes good and is good for the environment as flavor and balance are the first priorities in any sustainable given. A no-carve pumpkin that serves as a container for a soup may well be your most sustainable dish yet. But if it doesn’t taste way better than your average pumpkin soup, then the concept is just preposterous and not anything resembling a mandate for good food.
4. Thou Shalt Not Tweet Under Duress
This is simple: don’t post when your blood pressure is higher than the grill’s surface temperature. A bad review, an annoying customer, or a sous chef who thinks “medium rare” means “charred” but none of these justify an online meltdown. Ranting online is the culinary equivalent of over-salting your soup: satisfying in the moment, but regrettable later.
5. Thou Shalt Not Ever Judge
Your task as a chef is to create, not critique. You shouldn’t ignore bad food, but don’t morph into the kitchen’s Simon Cowell, either. Everyone in the kitchen is here to learn and grow, even when that means occasionally screwing up spectacularly. Remember the time you used sugar instead of salt? Exactly. Substitute judgment with guidance, and if you must vent, do it over post-shift beers where no one’s feelings can get hurt.
6. Thou Must Always Be Your Own Critic
If you’re unwilling to sample your culinary creations and confess when they’re not up to par, you’re in the wrong line of work. There’s no room for self-deception in the kitchen. Be unforgiving about quality, whether you’re devising a seven-course tasting menu or whipping up a bowl of mashed potatoes. Need to add more acid to the sauce? Do it. Are the fries coming out wet and sad? Toss and start again. Your standards should make me and Gordon Ramsay look lenient.
7. Thou Must Always, Always Meter Make It Nice
This commandment embodies the mantra of kitchen perfectionism. Be it plating a dish worthy of a Michelin star or ladling out soup with love and care to eat together as a family, all meals must look good both to and for the eyes of the beholders. A sloppy plate sends the message of indifference. Clean edges, consistent portions, and attention to detail (again, not just for the meals to be looked at but also for the meals to be more enjoyable and less messy when actually being eaten) is about respect: for oneself, for the diner, and especially for the craft of cooking.
8. Thou Must Always Eradicate the House of Bad Seats
The importance of this one is hard to overstate. If you’ve ever found yourself close to the bathroom, during any time that was not a relief, you know what I mean. And it’s not just about the food. You have to consider the entire experience of dining. So treat every place at your table as prime real estate. If a guest is seated near a drafty window or under the powerful beam of a misplaced light, there’s no way they’re coming back. That’s a hospitality fail as far as I’m concerned. And, as chefs, we bear the responsibility because it all falls within our domain.
9. Thou Must Always Take Care of the Plongeurs
The kitchen’s unsung heroes are the plongeurs. Without them, the entire operation falls apart more quickly than a failed soufflé. So respect them. Feed them. Offer kind words when the piled-up plates and again plugged drain are making life hell for them and the nearby sous-chefs. A chef who neglects and disrespects his plongeurs is like a pilot who neglects his mechanics: bound to crash.
10. Ladies First, Forever
This isn’t some obsolete chivalry; it’s about recognizing the historically male-dominated culture of kitchens and actively respecting and supporting our female colleagues. Kitchens ought to be meritocracies, not guys’ clubs. Everyone should be treated as an equal, but don’t hesitate to make a big deal about the women in kitchens making a whole lot of noise. This commandment isn’t optional; it’s necessary.
What you see before you is the Ten Commandments of an NYC Chef. Memorize them, live them, and don’t, for the love of the leading lady béchamel, break them. The kitchen may be chaos, but with these rules, you just might escape it and survive the fire.
