"Ingredients" of Good Chefs

[robert brown]

How critical is taste for a chef trying to make interesting food? Not taste in the sensory sense, but taste in the ways in which one lives his or her daily life-- in other words what we call “good taste” Certainly good taste plays a crucial part in the non-culinary parts of a restaurant; the structure or building, the furniture, the decoration, and what is called in retailing the “table top”. When it comes to creativity in the kitchen, however, do you think that esthetic taste or design taste can play a role in making dishes that are harmonious, well balanced or ingenious? Conversely, do you think that some good chefs are what very loosely might be called “idiot savants” much in the way certain musically gifted people are: barely articulate but are able to assemble dishes in the same way that a great musician skillfully strings together phrases

Feel free to expand the discussion to any facet or multi-facets that form the making of an accomplished chef. Perhaps you may want to argue that taste takes a back seat to native intelligence, God’s gifts (good hands, acute sense of taste, etc.) environment (many skilled chefs are the sons and daughters of chefs or restaurant owners) or starting to learn at a very young age as opposed to taking up the profession later in life.

(I realize I switched gears in the middle. My professional interest in esthetic taste makes me curious to hear what my e-gullet acquaintances think about the role in plays in cooking. Don't feel you have to address it in your reply, however.)

[Suzanne F]

Great question.

"Taste" is highly subjective; "good taste" infinitely more debatable. As I'm sure it will be debated, here. I dare not go further.

[SerenityH82]

I am going to a culinary program. And you have to balance everything. Between presentation , taste, and preparation. Three sides of a triangle eh? Ive learned that you want a pleasing dish to the eye but the overall flavor, "taste" of the food is important well. To be honest I believe that if you balance all 3 or 2 in your case then you will have a pleasing meal.

Hope that helped.

[Bux]

Suzanne F is quite correct and I wonder if this is isn't going to get out of hand quickly. Before it does, let me ask about the last time you saw credible art in a restaurant? Perhaps I should rephrase that as when was the last time you say art that wasn't offensive in a restaurant?

[Steve Plotnicki]

I'm stuck trying to figure out the difference between taste and good taste. I assume when Robert said taste that was code for "good taste." Because obviously bad taste isn't something he would think a chef should have.

[Suzanne F]

Let's see: the art on the walls of ADNY is not really in bad taste, but it's not in good taste either. Does that mean it's just "in taste"?

[Jinmyo]

Would you let Adria decorate your living room? Trotter design your office building? Keller sing Kindertotenleider? Mario do your wardrobe?

[awbrig]

I would do all that except Mario coordinate my clothes....Maybe have Todd English do that

[robert brown]

I think I made it clear from the start. "To have taste" means to be able to dismiss what it cheap, ugly, maladroite, and crass and to embrace what is refined, sophisticated, and meaningful. Rather than get into what taste is or is not, the question I asked is if having taste or being tasteful if one is a person who makes the food in a restaurant necessarily of significance or meaningless. I don't see where I limited it to works of art on display. If there is anything I need to clarify, it is that I am talking about restaurants that are chef-owned as opposed to investor, world-capital restaurants who hire David Rockwell types to design every aspect of the room and all the accoutrements. If I left anything else essential out of my original post, it was that I have experienced disconnects when walking into a restaurant that is run with poor taste. It makes me think that the owner-chef has no taste and maybe his or her food won't be of interest. I also wonder if it has a psychological impact on my expectations or enjoyment of the cuisine. Conversely, a chef who runs his restaurant in a tasteful way may raise expectatons as to the quality of the cuisine. Meanwhile, no one has responded to the other aspects of my original post;i.e. the most important attributes you think contributes the most to a person being a good chef.

[wingding]

In many retail businesses,there are people who "have an eye".They can go to flea markets,street markets in obscure places, greenmarkets,and anywhere else,and find find great stuff,and know how to use it with style.M*rtha St#wart is the foremost example-one of her best skills is spotting great stuff, buying it,recycling it,and remarketing it as a good thing...I wouldn't generalize about all chefs,but some have this same sort of talent,whether it be in choosing and using ingredients with a sense of balance and style,or in working out the physical design and tone of their restaurants.

[Jinmyo]

Robert, I do not think that an excellent, innovative chef would necessarily have "taste" in any other area.

edit:

An excellent, innovative restaurateur should, though.

[Blue Heron]

I would not expect an exceptional chef, with exceptional taste & creativity in food, to be exeptional in other areas, such as taste in decor, clothes, architecture, etc. But if they were to shift their focus from food, it could be possible.

An observation that I've made is that people who are particularly brilliant & successful at what they do are focused in their field to the point that what they do, they do exceptionally (and brilliantly) well...but have some short comings/problems in other areas. I'm not sure if this applies to brilliant creative chefs, but it could.

The exception to this observation might be the left brain/right brain argument, which would be that one who is gifted as an artist whether it be in painting, decor, creative cooking, etc... is creative in all aspects of their lives. The engineer, scientist, mathematician, etc. is gifted in those aspects of life. And occasionally one will meet someone who is gifted in all areas.

[Fat Guy]

There are many paths to greatness in the culinary world, so the answer isn't going to be the same for every chef. They're all over the map. For example, I think the idiot savant can be just as successful at providing a great meal as the chef who has great taste in all things, provided he knows when to delegate. A chef is the leader of a team and sometimes the people on the team have more influence than we generally admit; a highly effective maitre d' can make all the difference in a restaurant's development and success and that includes culinary decisions. Perhaps it would be more helpful to speak of concrete examples of chefs who we know well enough to analyze within the framework Robert has laid out.

[Blue Heron]

Perhaps it would be more helpful to speak of concrete examples of chefs who we know well enough to analyze within the framework Robert has laid out.

I don't think naming specific chefs or analyzing specific chefs is a good idea, as it could have the potential to become a critique of the chef as a person, rather than chef as the chef...especially when it gets to matters of taste that are outside food or outside of ideas/presentation on food (IMHO).

[Fat Guy]

Yeah but if it's someone like Ducasse who's under the microscope already there's no harm in summarizing the publicly available information. Don't rat out your friends, folks, but if a well known chef's life is already out there I think it's okay to talk about it.

[Suvir Saran]

In many retail businesses,there are people who "have an eye".They can go to flea markets,street markets in obscure places, greenmarkets,and anywhere else,and find find great stuff,and know how to use it with style.M*rtha St#wart is the foremost example-one of her best skills is spotting great stuff,  buying it,recycling it,and remarketing it as a good thing...I wouldn't generalize about all chefs,but some have this same sort of talent,whether it be in choosing and using ingredients with a sense of balance and style,or in working out the physical design and tone of their restaurants.

Very well said Wingding!

The key is in being able to balance the many elements that elevate something tasteful to becoming awe inspiring and enchanting. One has to be blessed with a keen eye and a sensitive sense for taste itself. And then, rest is like music, fluid and soothing. Some have it, others can provide great performances, many are memorable, but not more. And those few that have the talent you speak of make each act they indulge in become memorable and infinitely enriching to all of ones senses.