Communication

Communication in any field is the key to success. Whether in an office, on the field, or in our case a kitchen, communication is a must. The way we go about communicating is also very important. Our verbal language as well as body language can set the mood or tone in any situtation.

During externship, I learned just how much communication can make or break a night. As soon as there is a breakdown in communication everything goes down hill. Tickets are getting lost, ticket times are going through the roof, food comes back, and everyone gets pissed. It was like Chef Swartz in K16 said "As bad as it is, it's got to end sometime." Some nights, I just kept saying this to myself. The worst times we had as a unit was under a former new leader. As we began to get treated like crap, we began to bottle it up and go silent taking it out on oourselves. When it came to talk about what went wrong, it just seemed like a broken record. Same thing after the other. Our sous chef would just ask what's wrong, we would explain, and he would deny it. One day he pulled me aside and asked me to tell him what was wrong and what everyone thought of him. At first, I said its not my place, I'm just an extern. Then he explained to me that I am a member of this team and this family. So I explained to him that people are different than back in the day. People do not like to be rediculed and treated like crap.

As the days went on things began to get smoother and the kitchen came together again. Granted that sous chef later got fired. We explained our problems and figured out a solution. Each night got better and better as we came together and developed our communication between one another. It's nights where things go smooth, fast, accurate that make the difference. The communication skills I learned here are ones that I will take with my in my future.