Marcel Riemer's Blog, page 6

The great thing of being a chef is that you
have the opportunity to travel. You can basically work all over the world.
People need to eat and there always need to be someone to cook that food for
them. It is as simple as that. Our profession will never die out, not in a
million years.

I have been travelling, since I was 21 years
old. I have met tons of people from all walks of life, from all kind of
different backgrounds, from different cultures and continents. It just has been
an amazing journey so far for the past 26 years.

When you work and travel that much you are
constantly building up a huge network. If you want you can make as many friends
as you like.

I always stayed in touch with some of my
previous colleagues. Over the years these colleagues turned into some really
good friends. We know where we are and what the other person is up to.

Now I have visited one of these good friends. His name is Benny. Benny is a chef from Malaysia. I worked with him twice over the past 10 years. Benny was placed in Singapore, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, and Myanmar and now in Vietnam. He as well traveled a lot.

Chef Benny was employed for companies such as Wyndham Grand, Raffles Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels and Pan Pacific. His extensive experience and great personality make him an absolute asset to any company who values professionalism as highlighted in this teammate.

Benny invited me to visit him here in Cam Ranh
near Nha Trang in Vietnam, a fabulous beach city at the South China Sea. Since
I wanted to travel to Vietnam anyway I thought it would be a great opportunity
to catch up with him.

And so I did. I booked my flight and hopped
onto the next plane. When I arrived I was amazed about this place. Everything
is clean and organized. The infrastructure is fantastic. There are proper
roads. Huge resort hotels are being built here as I write this. This place is
booming. The city is untypical for Vietnam, everything is new.

Chef Benny invited me to stay at Duyan Ha
Resort, the place where he works. Duyen Ha Resort Cam Ranh, a non-smoking resort with a premier
location on one of the most gorgeous beaches in the area and stunning views of
Cam Ranh, this lifestyle 5 star beach resort offers a feast for the senses.

I really appreciate Benny’s care. I enjoyed a lot with him. What are friends for right?!

This is one of the great benefits when you have friends all over the world. You can travel and they take care of you. I would do the same in return and have done so. This is when all this hard work suddenly starts to pay off. These are the great moments of our career.

Yesterday, Benny showed me around Nha Trang.
This city is stunning. Again, it is very clean and hotels and high risers are
popping up all over the place. Many tourists are coming from Russia, China and
Korea.

People are more and more discovering Vietnam
for their travel. It was definitely the right decision to come here from what I
have seen so far. Nha Trang is very affordable and it has lots of beaches and
mountains. This city is a beautiful place. My expectations have been exceeded.

Well, as for me, I decided to stick around for a while and keep catching up with Benny…

When are you guys travelling to Vietnam?

Do you want to know how travel on a pay
cheque?

Then check out my new book “Slamming It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

In this book I share with
you my story how I became an expatriate chef. This book is not about celebrity
chefs.

My book is about the
normal “Every-Day-Chef”. I’ll show you what the kitchen life really is about.

Look behind the scenes
into professional kitchens, something you have never seen before!

You will learn about the
ups and downs. I share my realizations and wisdom which I have gained in over
26 years in the world wide kitchens.

I unveil the secrets and
will tell you what TV chefs never would!

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for more great
content!

I am happy to announce that I am currently producing my online course “Leadership
in the Kitchen.”

This course is scheduled to be released by end of this year on Udemy,
the world’s largest online learning platform.

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

The post What Are Friends For? appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.

“Chef,
was it always your ambition to travel the world and become an executive chef
when you were a teenager? Did you have any big goals at all?” I get these kind
of questions a lot.

Here
is my honest and straightforward answer:

No,
it was not my intention to travel the world. Neither did I have any big goals. If
only I’d known where I would end up twenty-six years later!

There
is nothing to regret for me. How can you ever know what is going to happen
anyway? The result of life’s unfolding is that you don’t know what is next.
Sure, we try to plan as much as we can, but should we?

Yes,
we should! Yes, have a plan, set yourself a goal, and find your mission and
purpose. You can achieve what you pursue, even if things don’t always go
according to plan. That’s life!

There are obstacles. You might have to take detours. But the initial goal doesn’t change, though your path might. That’s important to know. Do not confuse goal and path.

When
I started my apprenticeship, I just knew I wanted to become a chef. That was
it. I did not have any other goals. I was never really into goal setting and I
am being very honest. The only goal I had at the time was to figure out what I
and my buddies would be up to the next weekend.

“Where
is the next party guys?”

So
far for my goals.

I was young and just living from day to day. 16 years old, I was happy to finally earn my own money. I did not know what to do after my apprenticeship. I guessed I would work as a chef, but I had no plans to go abroad or anything like that. I didn’t have any plans about becoming a TV chef. I didn’t even have plans to become an executive chef. In my early twenties I could imagine becoming a sous chef at the age of 27 or 28. And that really happened! When I was 27, I received my first contract as a sous chef, at the Hyatt Regency Auckland in New Zealand.

I
think that many people go through the same kind of process. They just drift
around. Yes, they have a job. Yes, they pay their rent and yes, they put some
money aside for a vacation. But that has nothing to do with having a life
purpose, a vision, dreams and goals.

Would
it have been better if I’d had more clarity about my path and goals at that
time and age? Today I would say yes. Life is something that progresses, it’s a
constant flow of things changing. We grow and adapt ourselves. Some people know
very early what they want in life, most don’t. Many don’t even figure that out
until the end of their days. They think they have lived their lives to their
fullest potential. That’s a sad illusion.

How
would I have responded to someone who wanted to coach me about life’s purpose
and goal setting? To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have given a damn about it.
“What are you talking about? A life purpose? Goal setting? What do you mean
by that? Leave me alone and don’t bother me with your nonsense. I want to go
party on Saturday. That’s much more important.”

That was how I was thinking at the time. Ok, so be it — I
learned my lessons.

And as mentioned already: No regrets!

Do you want to know how I found my path? Are you curious to know how I set my goals?

Then check out my new book “Slamming It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

In this book I share with you my
story how I became an expatriate chef. This book is not about celebrity chefs.

My book is about the normal
“Every-Day-Chef”. I’ll show you what the kitchen life really is about.

Look behind the scenes into
professional kitchens, something you have never seen before!

You will learn about the ups and
downs. I share my realizations and wisdom which I have gained in over 26 years
in the world wide kitchens.

I unveil the secrets and will tell
you what TV chefs never would!

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for more great
content!

I am happy to announce that I am currently producing my online course “Leadership
in the Kitchen.”

This course is scheduled to be released by end of this year on Udemy,
the world’s largest online learning platform.

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

The post ” Where Is The Next Party Guys? appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.

The other
day someone asked me, “Chef, why is it so important that we change jobs? Why do
we have to keep moving from work place to work place?”

“Is
this a serious question?” I thought to myself. I was not sure and dismissed it
at the first moment. Later I started to think about it and found that it
actually is a legitimate question. I personally have been moving around places,
countries and even continents for decades now. So it feels totally normal to
me.

Why have I been moving around? Changing places does not necessarily mean that you have to travel the whole world. The important point is a different one. It is all about getting exposure to different environments and therefore gaining experience. Isn’t this what it is all about in our jobs eventually?

Yes it is.

It is about collecting experiences, getting involved with different people and building up our Know-How. It is all about learning new skills and improving existing ones. We are constantly learning.

Our
knowledge, our skills and our experience are our assets. So more experienced we
are so more valuable we make ourselves on the job market. Highly skilled and
greatly experienced people also earn more money. We make ourselves more
valuable and indispensable by constantly upgrading our expertise.

When we
move jobs we do exactly that, we are upgrading our skills. We are not only
increasing our work related skills. We are also enhancing other skills like our
relationship skills as well as our competence in leadership for example.

My
advice is to change jobs probably every 1 to 2 years in the beginning of your
career. I am talking about chefs here but it can also applied to other fields.

I did exactly the same thing when I started out as a young cook. I spent one year in Berlin, then 18 months in Zurich, another year in Stuttgart and so on. Later I moved to California. A couple of years after that I found myself living in Asia.

Here is another important thing: I have always promoted myself. What does this mean you might ask? By promoting myself I mean that I never waited for someone to boost me to a higher position. I always applied for the next higher position by myself.

I took the initiative.

I never waited for anyone. If I would have waited for someone to recognize my talents and support me then I would have waited for a long time. Who knows, maybe I still would be a line cook today.

Nothing wrong with line cooks. I want to make this clear. I was a line cook myself for many years. It was fun but not enough for me anymore at some point. I promoted myself. I got the jobs also because I had the experience I had collected over the years at different locations, hotels and restaurant.

I built up momentum early in my career and you have to do the same.

Certainly,
not everyone is made for this. Not everyone wants to make career. There are
people who are happy with what they are doing. They are happy staying in the
same position their entire life. I respect that. But if you want to grow faster
and develop quicker, you need to be open to new things. New things simply mean
new locations and new employers.

You need to be ready for a change. You need to be ready for new opportunities. Do you want to know the unknown? You need to be willing to open a big door where you don’t know what is behind it. You need to be curious and excited about learning new stuff and meeting new people. You even need to be ready to move to different countries and cultures.

It is
all up to you where you want to go. It is all in your hands. It is therefore
also up to you to make up your mind early. Think and contemplate what decision
you want to make and then do it.

We
always end up at a destination which we were heading for. If we are heading nowhere
then we will never end up anywhere.

Now
tell me, have you found your door? If yes, take a deep breath and open it…………….

I hope
I could answer the question.

Do you want more answers on how to become a winning chef? Do you have more questions about a successful career in the hotel industry?

Then check out my new book “Slamming It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

In this book I share with you my
story how I became an expatriate chef. This book is not about celebrity chefs.

My book is about the normal
“Every-Day-Chef”. I’ll show you what the kitchen life really is about.

Look behind the scenes into
professional kitchens, something you have never seen before!

You will learn about the ups and
downs. I share my realizations and wisdom which I have gained in over 26 years
in the world wide kitchens.

I unveil the secrets and will tell
you what TV chefs never would!

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for more great
content!

I am happy to announce that I am currently producing my online course “Leadership
in the Kitchen.”

This course is scheduled to be released by end of this year on Udemy,
the world’s largest online learning platform.

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

The post ” You Need To Be Willing To Open A Big Door Where You Don’t Know What’s Behind It.” appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.

Mike was one of my young chefs working in the
cold kitchen many years back. I was not happy with his performance and so were
his co-workers. He did not seem to care. He was late many times, he did not
complete the tasks which were given to him and he almost never cleaned up his
station before shift ended. His colleagues were fed up with him. I needed to
take action.

My plan was to transfer Mike to another kitchen,
our vegetable kitchen. This kitchen was located remotely. Barely anybody worked
there. I wanted to separate Mike from the rest of the team. If I take this
rotten apple out of the basket then it will not spoil the other fresh ones
anymore, I thought. Was it a form of punishment? Maybe. Nevertheless, the job
in the vegetable kitchen needed to be done and someone had to do the job
anyway.

A few weeks later I was running short on staff in
the cold kitchen. People called in sick and some were on annual leave. I had no
other choice but to transfer Mike back from the vegetable kitchen to the cold
kitchen. The guys there needed help. I was amazed how hard Mike suddenly
worked. I thought I was dreaming. He even reported duty 10 minutes before the
start of shift. He was helpful, attentive and always giving a hand. I noticed
that he was creative too. For our club lounge menu he prepared fruit carvings
and many creatively decorated canapes. What had happened to Mike? I did not
know but I was surprised and kept monitoring him.

2 weeks later his performance appraisal was due.
I called Mike into my office to give him my evaluation. I mentioned his sudden
change in attitude and output at work. I thanked him and showed him my
appreciation. 

“Mike, what happened to you? You have changed,
you are so different know.” I asked him.

“You know chef,” Mike replied, “You have inspired
me.”

I had what? I was shocked!

“Wow, that’s great to hear. Tell me how I
inspired you?” I asked Mike. I really wanted to know because I was completely
caught by surprise. Nobody ever told me something like this before. These were
big words.

Mike continued, “Remember chef a few weeks ago,
when we had our daily briefing in the cold kitchen? You were talking about
discipline and teamwork. You said that everybody in the team is important. You
also said that the cold kitchen team has improved a lot and that the team work
is much better than before. You praised us for our hard work. You mentioned
that if we keep going like this, if we would keep our positive attitude, then
we will become even more successful.”

“Yes, I remember this meeting Mike.” I said.

“See chef, your speech triggered something
in me. It made total sense what you said. I also wanted to be part of this team
again. I know I could be if I only showed my teammates that I am serious about
it. I started to change my attitude, because you inspired me. I suddenly began
to see what was possible for me here in this kitchen and with this team.” Mike
explained.

I was surprised and happy to hear what he just
told me. That was great news for me and us.

The biggest thing for me personally is when someone says, “Chef, you have inspired me!” It did not happen often but it happened a few times during the past years. It always meant a lot to me. It is the greatest gift I can imagine receiving from one of my chefs, colleagues or anybody else.

Everything in life is about inspiration. For
example, I got inspired to write this book too.

There is one thing I learned about inspiration:
it has to come from inside yourself. What do I mean by that? In everyday
language we normally say that someone inspired us or we inspired someone.
Actually nobody can force inspiration to happen if you are not open minded to
it and ready. I you have a closed mind, nothing will work. You put up a barrier
around yourself. 

If you have an open mind and are curious then the
spark might leap over and creates inspiration and enthusiasm. This is my
experience. We all need inspiration and enthusiasm because it is the fuel we
need to propel forward. It is the energy which helps us to stay motivated.

I don’t know how many people were inspired by me
and my actions. I know about a handful only. These were the boys and girls who
shared it with me. I can tell you that all these boys and girls had an open
mind, a fantastic attitude and great work ethic. This is no coincidence. I can
only speak for them. I would hire all of them immediately again wherever I may
go next if I have the opportunity. 

Well, I don’t have a secret recipe how
inspiration works. I guess many parts play together. Is there one decisive
moment, a critical point when it happens? I don’t know.

Being a role model is important, for sure. Be an
example for your team members. Talk to them, communicate with them. Tell
stories, share your experience and wisdom. Be transparent to show your team that
you are just a normal human being with feelings and emotions like anybody else.

There is research out saying that inspired
employees are more than twice as productive as satisfied employees. The most inspirational
leaders ignite a spark within their employees and followers that move them to
action. They don’t require motivation to act because they’ve been inspired.

How to inspire others? That is such a great and
also challenging question. I believe first and foremost you want to be a person
of integrity, someone who follows up on what he or she promises to do.
Your audio must match your video. Both need to run synchronously. If you are
someone with clear goals and a vision then you will definitely
attract people to you. Chances are higher that you will inspire one or the
other.

Share stories with your team. Tell them
what happened to you in the past, what mistakes you have made and how you
learned from them. If you do that then you are transparent. Transparency is
super important. When you are capable of showing your emotions and sharing your
feelings then this goes a long way with your staff. You show them that you are
human. You will relate to each other much more quickly and deeply. Listen to
your employees, show care and interest. Appreciate them. Respect them.
If you use all these ingredients than you have created an environment for
inspiration. It is not a guarantee but odds are high.

Are you now inspired to read more about my life in the kitchen??

Then check out my new book “Slamming It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

In this book I share with you my
story how I became an expatriate chef. This book is not about celebrity chefs.

My book is about the normal
“Every-Day-Chef”. I’ll show you what the kitchen life really is about.

Look behind the scenes into
professional kitchens, something you have never seen before!

You will learn about the ups and
downs. I share my realizations and wisdom which I have gained in over 26 years
in the world wide kitchens.

I unveil the secrets and will tell
you what TV chefs never would!

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for more great
content!

I am happy to announce that I am currently producing my online course “Leadership
in the Kitchen.”

This course is scheduled to be released by end of this year on Udemy,
the world’s largest online learning platform.

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

The post ”You Know Chef, You Have Inspired Me!” I Had What? I Was Shocked What I Just Heard! appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.

Today: David Arnold , General Manager, Executive Chef and Consultant from USA

In the first edition we met Tino from Germany. You can read his story here: http://marcelriemer.co/marcels-monthly-chefs-table/

In this second edition you are going to meet David Arnold. David is an American Operations Consultant and Certified Executive Chef focusing on Culinary Project Development throughout the world.

He is a Senior Coach
and Manager of the Emirates Culinary Olympic Team.

David
functions as an instructor, mentor, advisor, restaurateur and culinarian with
recent projects in Africa, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the United States.

As usually, let’s dig right in and see
what David has to say:

How is the
expat life David? What is your experience?

“Being an
expat does have advantages and disadvantages. First, the biggest disadvantage
is that you are not in America any longer. The
laws and freedoms that we as Americans enjoy in the USA are not with us in
other countries. Some are great and some are downright scary. I told you
previously a little about Saudi Arabia. I do enjoy it there and as an American
and an American Chef, you are looked at very favorably. I lived well, and had
no real issues with most people. On the other hand, my experience in Somalia
was not the best, when I was not under the protection of the UN Green Zone. I
think all experience is good. Working overseas does have its perils but as long
as you learn and respect the local laws and customs, you’ll be fine. Now, I
would not trade my life working as an expat with anyone. I am very lucky. I get
to work in a job that I love and travel the world!”

Tell us a
story you think is definitely worthwhile sharing.

“Wow, only
one! I am writing this on New Year’s Day! I look back over the last several
years to see the large number of countries that I have worked in from the
Americas to Asia, from Europe to the Middle East. I think the one best message
would be to never stop learning. I continue to learn daily. I think when we
think, albeit arrogantly, that we know everything and have seen everything, we
are then stale to the culinary world. I have been fortunate enough to be a
culinary instructor in several countries and my message remains the same: never
stop learning. Practice every day and make your love of our craft personal.”

What’s a great
advice?

“Work for as many great chefs as you can. Travel to as many places as you can. Never say no. Be humble not arrogant. Be kind, not mean spirited.”

What is your
message to the people?

“I think the
message that I would try to convey would be to never turn down an opportunity.
My life in Somalia paled in comparison to my life in Dubai. But I am so much
better at what I do because I was fortunate enough to go to Somalia and help
the UN and some embassies figure out how to make their lives better. Was it a
challenge? You bet! It was a huge challenge to build a culinary school in Nepal
too, but it was hugely rewarding!

I love to
share. Our business has an unfortunate reputation for arrogance and meanness. I
try to instill in others that our job in this business is the greatest job in
the world. I am so lucky to be able to do what I love every day. The instant
gratification that we as cooks get from serving good food is amazing. There is
no other profession in this world that allows for that — plus
we get to start over every day! How great is that?”

Check out David’s
LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chefdavid...

Are you hungry for more kitchen wisdom?

Then check out my new book “Slamming It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

In this book I share with you
my story how I became an expatriate chef. This book is not about celebrity
chefs. My book is about the normal “every-day-chef.” I’ll show you
what kitchen life really is about.

Look behind the scenes into
professional kitchens, something you have never seen before!

You will learn about the ups
and downs. I will share my realizations and wisdom which I have gained in more
than 26 years in the world-wide kitchens. 

I unveil the secrets and will
to tell you what TV chefs never would!

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for
more great content!

I am happy to announce that I am currently
producing my online course “Leadership in the Kitchen”.

This course is schedule to be released by
end of this year on Udemy, the
world’s largest online learning platform!

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

The post Marcel’s Monthly Chef’s Table – Selected Chefs Are Dishing Up Some Bites For Your Brain appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.

“If a cook burns a large piece of meat, which is very expensive, you will be angry. Frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, maybe embarrassed if you were to be supervising. How you then manage the anger will affect the cook for a long time, positive or negative.”

A few weeks back I released a blogpost where I shared an interesting talk I had with my mentor Chef Garry. He taught me a great lesson about anger management. You can read it here: marcelriemer.co/marcel-riemer-globetr...

Last year September I visited Chef Garry in Indian Wells/California. It was a big moment for me to see him again after 14 years. Although I only spent one night, Chef Garry made time for us to meet. For more than three hours we chatted like in old times. We talked about God and the world.

Yet, this “Anger-thing” still bugged me. I had been reading many books about this topic. I racked my brain. I felt that I still needed to dig deeper in order to understand anger.

“Chef, how I can channel the strong emotion of anger into something positive?” I asked him.

This is what he had to say:

“Let me try to clarify:

Anger, to me, is not always a pure emotion, as white is not a color. Anger is a collection of other, baser emotions, and mixed, like colored shades of white. Different variations of the emotion we call anger.

For instance, frustration, disappointment, embarrassment and humiliation are key elements of what we then group under anger like we mix red with white and pink, or bone white, or beige. So, the predominant base emotions of each angry moment have different causes, and vary in intensity, and thus call for a different response.

The challenge of responding appropriately and managing anger, which happens so quickly, comes from the body’s release of stress hormones when prompted by our senses. That would include adrenalin, which is extremely difficult to manage and is also very unhealthy with repeated surges. It is also what keeps us alive in danger.

So reflecting upon your anger response after it occurs, and identifying the fundamental mixture of basic emotions at play will give you clues as to how to avoid anger and use the underlying emotions, and the physical response that they create in the body, to move you towards resolute action, that is, to resolve whatever is stimulating you towards anger. That is the productivity part.

If someone runs a stop light and hits your car, you will be angry. Assuming you are not badly hurt, jumping out and beating the other driver for their foolishness will not resolve anything, and though you will feel an immediate release of adrenal tension, later you will have regrets, especially if you are in a jail cell. The anger must be redirected towards a resolution, and this is the productive aspect. Difficult.

If a cook burns a large piece of meat, which is very expensive, you will be angry. Frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, maybe embarrassed if you were to be supervising. How you then manage the anger will affect the cook for a long time, positive or negative. If you yell, berate, embarrass or humiliate the cook, you will lose his trust, you will lose his good will and he will hide further mistakes from you, lessening your value as a leader and manager.

If you turn your anger into action, to be empathetic, discover why this occurred, determine the best way to prevent further occurrences, to train and reinforce proper technique and the importance of attentiveness, you will impress everyone and you will probably solve the problem. You will also feel much better later and will have produced much fewer dangerous hormones and more beneficial ones.

So those are my thoughts, though I find it easier to intellectualize than to practice, I continue to be a student of myself.”

Are you hungry for more kitchen wisdom?

Then check out my new book “Slamming It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

In this book I share with you my story how I became an expatriate chef.

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for more great content!

I am happy to announce that I am currently producing my online course “Leadership in the Kitchen”.

This course is schedule to be released by end of this year on Udemy, the world’s largest online learning platform!

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

“If a cook
burns a large piece of meat, which is very expensive, you will be angry.
Frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, maybe embarrassed if you were to be
supervising. How you then manage the anger will affect the cook for a long
time, positive or negative.”

A few weeks back I released a blogpost where I shared an interesting talk I had with my mentor Chef Garry. He taught me a great lesson about anger management. You can read it here: marcelriemer.co/marcel-riemer-globetrotter-nomad-chef/

Last year September I visited Chef Garry in Indian
Wells/California. It was a big moment for me to see him again after 14 years.
Although I only spent one night, Chef Garry made time for us to meet. For more
than three hours we chatted like in old times. We talked about God and the
world.

Yet, this “Anger-thing” still bugged me. I had been
reading many books about this topic. I racked my brain. I felt that I still needed
to dig deeper in order to understand anger.

“Chef, how I can channel the strong emotion of anger into
something positive?” I asked him.

This is what he had to say:

“Let me try to clarify:

Anger, to me, is not always a pure emotion, as white is not a color. Anger is a collection of other, baser emotions, and mixed, like colored shades of white. Different variations of the emotion we call anger. 

For instance, frustration, disappointment, embarrassment and
humiliation are key elements of what we then group under anger like we mix red
with white and pink, or bone white, or beige. So, the predominant base emotions
of each angry moment have different causes, and vary in intensity, and thus
call for a different response. 

The challenge of responding appropriately and managing anger,
which happens so quickly, comes from the body’s release of stress hormones when
prompted by our senses. That would include adrenalin, which is extremely
difficult to manage and is also very unhealthy with repeated surges. It is also
what keeps us alive in danger.

So reflecting upon your anger response after it occurs, and identifying
the fundamental mixture of basic emotions at play will give you clues as to how
to avoid anger and use the underlying emotions, and the physical response that
they create in the body, to move you towards resolute action, that is, to
resolve whatever is stimulating you towards anger. That is the productivity
part.

If someone runs a stop light and hits your car, you will be angry.
Assuming you are not badly hurt, jumping out and beating the other driver for
their foolishness will not resolve anything, and though you will feel an
immediate release of adrenal tension, later you will have regrets, especially
if you are in a jail cell. The anger must be redirected towards a resolution,
and this is the productive aspect. Difficult.

If a cook burns a large piece of meat, which is very expensive, you will be angry. Frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, maybe embarrassed if you were to be supervising. How you then manage the anger will affect the cook for a long time, positive or negative. If you yell, berate, embarrass or humiliate the cook, you will lose his trust, you will lose his good will and he will hide further mistakes from you, lessening your value as a leader and manager.

If you turn your anger into action, to be empathetic, discover why this occurred, determine the best way to prevent further occurrences, to train and reinforce proper technique and the importance of attentiveness, you will impress everyone and you will probably solve the problem. You will also feel much better later and will have produced much fewer dangerous hormones and more beneficial ones.

So those are my thoughts, though I find it easier to intellectualize
than to practice, I continue to be a student of myself.”

Are you hungry for more
kitchen wisdom?

Then check out my new book “Slamming It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

In this book I share with you my story how I became an
expatriate chef.

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for more great
content!

I am happy to announce that I am currently producing my online course “Leadership in the Kitchen”.

This course is schedule to be released by end of this year on Udemy, the world’s largest online learning platform!

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

The post Anger Management Part 2 – Conversations with Chef Garry appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.

At the beginning of my career I did not waste a single thought on working in a foreign country. I was not interested to leave Germany.

In spring of 1998 I was happy with my life. I had a stable income, I had my friends and I enjoyed my time.

I worked at the “Opernpalais Unter den Linden” right in the city center of Berlin. This establishment combined 3 restaurants under one roof. Tons of tourists and other visitors had their meals there. We were printing money in the basement as we  kiddingly said.

One morning in March, my boss Chef Dirk, called me into his office. 

“Good Morning Marcel, come inside and would you please close the door behind you.” the chef said.

Oh oh, I thought. That sounded like trouble. I didn’t have a good feeling. When the boss says “Please close the door,” then it could mean bad news.

Chef Dirk came straight to the point: 

“Marcel, I have to deliver the sad news to you that we have to lay you off. We will close down one of our restaurants. Therefore we have decided to release 3 of our young chefs who are still single and without family.” 

I was shocked! I just got fired, out of the blue. Actually I didn’t feel like getting fired. You get fired when you messed something up, right? I did not mess anything up, at least not to my knowledge. 

“Marcel, it is unfortunate that I do not have better news for you.” 

I don’t remember what I replied to him. I was stunned and probably just tried to digest the information. I liked working with Chef Dirk. He was strict but treated us with respect. 

What was I supposed to do now? I asked myself. I liked it here. Carsten, one of my colleagues worked in Switzerland before. He always shared funny stories about his time in this small country in the middle of Europe. 

“The salary is awesome Marcel. You earn much more money than in Germany. Come on, give it a try! The life over there is different and you will have a lot of fun!”

I listened to Carsten’s stories but it never got me hooked.

Now, after I lost my job, I suddenly started thinking of Switzerland. I sent my application to the Movenpick Hotel Zurich Airport. They invited me for a test working session. A few days later I was sitting in the train to Zurich. I liked the place right off the bat. Many young Germans were working in this hotel and the money was great indeed!

At the Movenpick Hotel Zurich Airport in 1998. I am at the far right.

I decided to take the job in Zurich and moved to Switzerland. I was 21. 

It is amazing to see how circumstances suddenly can change. If someone would have told me 6 months earlier that I will live and work in Switzerland soon, I would have said he is nuts!

21 years ago I moved away from Germany. I do not have any plans to return soon other than for short visits. The world is my home. I’ve chosen that lifestyle and chefing makes it possible. I have been living at destinations where other people spend a lot of money just to visit. The funny thing is that I am the one who’s getting paid for being there. That’s awesome. This is one of the great benefits of being an expat chef. You travel the world and get some nice money.

Of course, it is a job. You are not on vacation. Most of the time you are working. Yet, it can feel like a holiday. It is really up to you how you arrange your life, especially your private time. You are responsible for yourself.

My family and some friends have had difficulties to understand my new life, because I always have been moving around places. 

They asked: 

“Marcel, when will you settle down? When will you start having a normal life like everybody else? For how long will you continue doing this? When will you start having a family? When will you start to build a house?” 

Sometimes, all these questions got on my nerves. Even today, I am not able to give you a final answer. So don’t bother.

I will continue travelling the world as long as I like it. I’ve met a lot of people who like what I am doing and support it. The day will come and I’ll find a place to settle down. 

I will let you know in due time…..Promise!

Do you want to know in what other countries I worked so far?

Then check out my new book “Slamming It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc
In this book I share my whole story of becoming an expatriate chef.
Now available as eBook and paperback version!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for more great content!
I am happy to announce that I am currently producing my online course “Leadership in the Kitchen.This course is schedule to be released by end of this year on Udemy, the world’s largest online learning platform.

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

The post You Are Fired! appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.

It was 5 am in the morning when Yayas and I met in the kitchen. She looked sleepy. It was still dark and raining cats and dogs. Yayas was one of my kitchen trainees when I worked in Batam, Indonesia. We both had an important job to do this morning. We had to prepare breakfast for a Japanese business delegation which stayed with us for the next 3 days. These people had a tight schedule. We needed to make sure that everything went smooth. The breakfast buffet would be served at our Club Lounge at the 12th floor.

I picked Yayas to assist me this morning
because she had a great attitude. She was always on time, very dedicated towards
her work and hard working. Yayas had a pleasant personality. She was a young
and tiny little girl, about 18 years old. If you saw her you would have never
thought that she works in the kitchen, because of her fragile appearance.

After Yayas and I met, we set up the
breakfast buffet together. I was running her through the process and explained
everything in detail. My idea was to train Yayas on how to set up and run the
buffet by herself the next day.

Normally I would have never picked a
trainee for this job, but I had no other chef available. I trusted her. She was
reliable. The great thing with Yayas was that she always asked a lot of
questions.

“Chef, why do we have to put the cheese
platter on ice?” or “We serve sliced fruits, so why do we display fruit compote
as well chef?”

I liked when she asked these questions,
because they made sense. It showed me that Yayas was interested and thinking. I
knew why I picked her to help this morning.

After we had set up the breakfast buffet
and double-checked last details, I gave her some final instructions. I went
back down to the main kitchen and advised her that I will be back from time to
time and check on her. I also offered Yayas my assistance.

“Give me a call if you need help with anything,
ok?!” I said to her.

A few hours later the breakfast was
finished. I was proud of Yayas’ performance.

“Good job Yayas, well done!” I appreciated
her.

She managed to supervise the breakfast
buffet all by herself. This is what I secretly hoped for.

“How did you like it today?” I enquired.

“It was fine chef.” was her short answer.

“I am happy to hear that,” I said.

Now I knew that I could go ahead and put
her in charge for the remaining 2 days. Yayas would handle this important
Japanese business group. She would set up the breakfast buffet and supervise
it. At 6am the next morning, I went up to the Club Lounge to check on her. That
was it. She handled the rest.

I delegated the job to her. Delegation is
another crucial skill we need to learn if we want to become effective leaders.

When you want to delegate a task, it is very important that you explain it well to the person you want to delegate it to. Make your expectation clear. It is crucial that you monitor and check from time to time. The employee needs to feel your guidance. You need to be reachable if there are any problems. Answer any questions.

Why people don’t delegate? I can speak only
for myself here. When I was younger, I thought, doing it myself is more
efficient. Why should I waste my time to explain another chef something in
detail when I can fix it myself in seconds? Keep in mind that the kitchen is a
high paced environment. Pressure is enormous and guests want to be served
quickly. It can get hectic. There is no time for long discussions, debates and
explanations, right?

WRONG!

We have to learn to work smarter not
harder. Doing everything yourself shows that you are not smart. It may be a
quick fix solution for a certain situation. It is definitely not a solution for
the long run.

Give space! Trust. If you are not able to
trust your team member then don’t delegate. I think most of the time it is not
the problem of the employee that you cannot trust him or her. It is YOUR
problem when you can’t trust. Too many times I heard people say “I cannot trust
him or her. I rather do it myself.”

As leaders, we have to be able to put faith
in somebody. There will never be a guarantee for anything. So how will you know
if someone will perform or not? You simply won’t. You don’t know if you don’t
try. There will be no progress if you cannot trust people and put faith in them.

I have seen it with so many chefs and with
myself. We want to fix our problems ourselves. You can, but this is an
inefficient way. You cannot deal with everything. You have a team four brains
are smarter than one.

Just because you are the team leader does
not mean that you are the team’s super brain. Unfortunately, there are some
people who think that way. That’s the wrong approach. Use your team. Get
everyone involved. That’s the power of team work. Too many chefs spend too many
hours in the kitchen just because they are not able to train their staff
properly and delegate tasks to them. No wonder these guys suffer from fatigue
and burn out after a while. We can avoid this.

Learn to delegate!

P.S. Check out my website www.marcelriemer.co for more great
content!

Want to learn more about delegation
and other leadership fundamentals?

I am happy to announce that I am
currently producing my online course “Leadership in
the Kitchen”.

This course is schedule to be released
by end of this year on Udemy, the world’s largest online learning platform.

Hungry for more kitchen wisdom? Check out my new
book “Slamming It Out! How I got
shit done in 5* kitchens” at: https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

Thanks for reading!

Marcel

The post Early Breakfast And Some Delegation appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.

Today: Tino
Pardon, former Executive Chef from Germany

I am
dishing out again. Nothing new you might say. But now I kick it up
another notch and let other chefs have a say. 

Instead of only sharing my stories here, you will also read about other people’s experiences. I have always kept an open mind and learned from my colleagues. Through this I have constantly stocked up my storeroom with great knowledge and valuable insights.

Now it’s time to pass that knowledge on. More food for more thoughts. Variety is the secret to a successful menu.

For this first edition, I have asked my old buddy Tino Pardon to share a bit about his life as a chef. I had the pleasure to work with him on 2 occasions, in Switzerland and USA. Tino himself became a successful chef in Europe. Let’s see what he has to say.

As usually, we dig right into it.

Tino, how is the chef life? What has been your experience?

“I would not change it for anything else.

After I returned from the USA, I started to work on a cruise liner as a young Chef de Partie running the Entremetier section. It took about four weeks before I got a call from the General Manager asking me to come to his office. A little worried, I made my way to him wondering if there was something, I’d done wrong, though I couldn’t think of anything major at all.

I
sat in front of him and suddenly he offered me the position of Sous
Chef on that 5-Star cruiser. I was so excited about it, that I took
the opportunity as I was so eager to make it work.

Work is the keyword here. Because that is what it was.

Work, work, work, work, and work again. Whilst the kitchen crew went on their well-deserved break, it was me and the Executive Chef who had to do the orders, cleaning control, stock taking, and portion control and so on. Most days we worked around fourteen to sixteen hours. We worked seven days a week for eight and a half months straight with NO day off.

You see, you will work very long hours, many days in a row. You will be tired, moody, frustrated, and busy. You’ll even sometimes wonder why on earth you are doing it all. But you turn around and look at your team and you suddenly forget all those hard times and start to laugh because it is so much fun.

Seeing a guest smiling no matter if it is for a simple fried egg or after a dessert from a Seven Course Captains Dinner is worth so much more than the frustration you feel on odd occasions.

I only remember all the great times. And so will you once you get around.

Chefs who work for forty years in the same place will almost never be able to tell you stories compared with those who have travelled. Make every experience count. My children always love to listen to the stories I am able to tell them.”

Tell
us one story which you believe is worthwhile sharing.

“It was Brian Nelson who believed in me at the tender age of 25 and gave me the chance to take on my first executive chef position at an international hotel chain.

He was the general manager at a 104-bedroom 4-Star airport hotel in London.

When I saw the position on offer, I thought why shouldn’t I apply? So, I did and sure enough I went to the first interview well prepared. Always prepare well when going for an interview!

I managed to get to the second round of interviews which were held by the culinary director.

It
went alright and they offered me the position as executive chef at
the age of 25.

The general manager once told me that he was happy to take the risk in employing such a young chef, because he thought I had the perfect attitude and that the time was right.

I was the youngest executive chef in the whole chain with almost 70 hotels in the UK and South East Asia. He mentored me greatly throughout the whole process from purchasing, checking lists, menu proposals to staff appraisals. There was so much to learn. The most important thing I learned was how to lead a team of

chefs.
Was it easy? No, it wasn’t, but it made me become a very successful
chef in the years to follow. 

Thank you so much Brian Nelson!”

Check out Tino’s LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinopardon/

Hungry
for more kitchen wisdom? Check out my new
book
“Slamming
It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens”at:
https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

Thanks
for reading!

Marcel

The post Marcel’s Monthly Chef’s Table appeared first on MARCEL RIEMER.