Applying what I learned as a Line Cook in my Writing Practices

Applying what I learned as a Line Cook in my Writing Practices

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When I dropped out of college, the first thing everybody asked me was, “How are you going to make money?” I actually had no idea. I did the only thing I could think of, go on Craigslist and find a job. I randomly applied to a bunch of jobs in the service industry and began work at a seafood restaurant in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. From there, I worked in many kitchens all over the country and even put myself through an intensive culinary boot camp in New Orleans. I learned many lessons working as a line cook, but here are a few that I apply regularly to my writing practices.

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Organization

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As a cook, it is important to have your Mise en Place together, so you can do your job as smoothly as possible. “Mise en Place” is a french phrase that means having all of your ingredients and utensils ready before any cooking actually begins.  As a writer, it is no different, but in our case, our ingredients are ideas and the utensils are the words we use. Having a strong organizational system in place is hugely beneficial in creating a successful finished product. We can use outlines to organize the information that we researched, ideas we have, and a basic structure for whatever we are writing. Organization and preparation are so important to have our work go smoothly and easily.

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Knowing your Audience

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I’ve seen plenty of restaurants have trouble making money because of one thing: not knowing who their audience is. Much like a piece of writing, a restaurant is made with a specific audience in mind. Mcdonald's is different than The French Laundry, just as War and Peace is different from Harry Potter. "The audience of your cooking or writing will reflect what ingredients or vernacular you should utilize" You wouldn’t serve caviar to someone who wants a cheeseburger and you wouldn’t serve fried chicken to someone who wants foie gras. Using too high of a level or too low of a level of speech in your writing will deter people from reading your work. You have to identify who your audience is or who you want them to be and create for them. 

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Work Ethic

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 It doesn't matter if it is your first day or if you've been doing it for twenty years, what matters is that you show up and do the work. We don't have time to dillydally, there are things to be accomplished here. What I learned early on working in restaurants is that there’s no place for someone who doesn’t want to work. There is too much work to be done to be lazy. There are plenty of excuses to give yourself to not show up and do the work. An example of this is a coworker of mine who would call out of work at least once a week because of a hangover. Work ethic is showing up, working, and giving your all, even if you don’t feel 100%. Gordon Ramsey cooked hungover, Ernest Hemingway wrote hungover, and Anthony Bourdain did both hungover. 

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I learned so much in my seven years of cooking. Obviously, I learned to cook, but I actually learned a lot of lessons that can be applied to writing. The three big ideas that are important to line cooks and writers alike are organization, knowing your audience, and, showing up ready to work. 

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