How to manage a kitchen team well – Cook, manager, team leader: the head chef wears many hats. He is also responsible for the restaurant’s reputation and smooth running. What expertise does he have to have to don the apron of this super conductor? What are the challenges to be overcome? In short, how to manage a kitchen team well? To find out, we talked to Jérôme Ferrer, owner of the Européa restaurant and a Relais & Chateaux Grand Chef.
What is the role of the head chef with the kitchen brigade?
We can compare him with that of an orchestra conductor: he has to know how to play all the instruments perfectly to gain respect. In the case of the head chef, he must know how to cook everything, from appetizers to fish, meat, sauces as well as baking and pastry. He must also be an energy catalyst to lead his team in the direction he wishes them to go in order to offer a signature unique to his kitchen.
What are the different positions in a kitchen?
Just like the army, there is a strong hierarchy with many sub-officers! There is the executive chef, the chefs de cuisine (there could be a day one and an evening one), the sub-chefs – often divided into several departments (catering, pastry, etc.), and finally the chefs de partie who manage the clerks. At Européa, our team has 32 people.
How do you motivate your team?
A head chef must set aside his personal concerns when he is with his team. A bad temper or frustrations must never be visible, at the risk of contaminating his team. It’s essential to generate energy and especially to show that you enjoy what you are doing. Because this is also contagious! I like to say that each prepared dish must be made as if it were being offered to the person you love the most in the world.
How do you avoid stress during peak times?
As with athletes, stress generates adrenalin which is needed to perform. In a restaurant, each member of the team must be responsible and even co-responsible. The biggest challenge is to communicate and help each other so that everything works well.
Do you keep your own hands in the dough?
Of course! A head chef must always continue to be on the ground. I am a business leader but my passion is still the kitchen above all.
What challenges do you face as a manager of a restaurant team?
The challenges are both psychological and human, since we only work with living matter: the products and human beings. A team leaders works with artisan producers, then, during processing, with his brigade and finally, at the time of serving, with the clientele. So it’s necessary to know how to compose each of these steps with the people before us, their personalities and their various situations. In this business, communication is extremely important.
To manage a kitchen team well, in your opinion, what temperament is required?
You have to have empathy and the ability to listen but above all you have to be passionate. A team leader must spread around him the pleasure he has of cooking. He must also be generous. When one possesses a great deal of expertise, you have to know how to share it with those around us. By sharing our secrets with our employees, we create a solidarity. And that is a great strength. In addition, in this business we are in continuous education because the agri-food environment is constantly evolving. If you want to stay in the race and be among the best, it’s necessary to enrich you knowledge every day. Finally, we must surround ourselves with people we love. This lets us grow faster.