On staying out of your comfort zone.....

    Its been about a month since I've written a new post, but I've been very busy with work amongst other things. The 6th of January will be my final day in the great state of New York. I'm taking on the role of Chef de Cuisine at a new restaurant on the beautiful island of Hawaii. I have nothing to complain about at my current job; it's a great paying position, I'm doing what I love, and my boss is kind and supportive.  One can say that I'm very comfortable where I'm at, but that's exactly what I don't like.

   When you look up the word "comfort" or "comfortable" in the dictionary these are some of the definitions that turn up: free from vexation or doubt, free from stress and tension, and a sense of physical ease associated with familiar activities. These are all great things but not when applied to a chef or cook. Life in the kitchen isn't easy or free from stress and tension, it's actually the complete opposite. Any great chef will tell you that but they will also say they don't even think about it because they have such a strong passion and love for what they do. 

    I've always been against feeling comfortable in the kitchen because it means I'm not growing or evolving but doing things that I have already done before over and over. If you ask anyone who has ever accomplished anything great in life they will tell you that getting there was hard, uncomfortable, and at times filled with feelings of doubt about what they were doing.  This is exactly where any chef should want to be because it's the perfect environment for growth and development. As I've said before we should always strive to develop, enhance, and perfect our current skills. Always reaching to be better than yesterday and thinking about how to be greater than today. A chefs comfort zone should be an uncomfortable one, here is a quote that sums everything up....

Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.