When a chef eats humble pie

There is definitely no wrong in chasing after stars and being the best in the world when it comes to the establishment itself as a whole.

While every chef knows how to make a pie but the one and only pie that is not easy to make – and definitely not easy to eat – is humble pie. I do understand that chefs are mostly creative beings by nature, with a tendency to feel threatened and offended when their craft is criticised.

Chefs are competitive by nature – hence the word ‘best’ or the symbolic rating of ‘stars’ can be a chef’s fulfillment or his biggest downfall.

What does it mean to be the best?

Being the best is not self-proclaimed simply from working in the industry for decades. Whether it’s 10 or 50 years of experience, it doesn’t make you a better chef than one who’s worked in the field for two years.

These years of experience should be a representation of maturity and hardships that you have gone through which could be used to motivate and empower those who are younger or greener in the industry.

It also means that you can withstand the test of time with your capability to adapt to the evolution that occurs in the industry.

Your years of experience should not be a sword to strike down new ideas or to discourage younger (and perhaps more aggressive) chefs than yourself so that you feel that you are the best simply because you have more years in the industry.

Being the best means not saying that others are worse. Being the best simply means you are recognised for your craft and artistry. It is only through humility that we know how little we actually know and then become more eager to learn.

Cooking is a lifelong learning process. There is no one recipe that is better than the other. Eclairs may be from France but a recipe that is created by a French is not necessarily better than one created by an American.

In fact, thinking that your dish is the best because you have followed the best recipe is the worst thing that could ever happen to a chef.

When you think you’ve prepared the best, indirectly you’re blocking your mind from other information that may come in. Indirectly, you’ve stopped searching for answers. When you stop searching for answers, you stop getting inspired, then you stop learning.

Being the best is not about having worked abroad in a Michelin restaurant and then returning to your homeland.  What you’ve learned overseas may not be applicable at all so don’t try to push it. Instead, use your experience to adapt, not duplicate.

Being the best is not about medals and trophies or awards. The real competition is with yourself. In this industry, it isn’t about how well you can cook for the judges. It’s about how well you can manage costs, time, speed, your bosses, your clients and many other things thrown at you all at once.

Chef Eugene Lee is the senior sous chef at Tanzini Restaurant. One of Malaysia Tatler’s Best Restaurants winner, Tanzini is located at G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Click here to read Chef Eugene's article 'How to prevent a chef from going into Gordon Ramsay mode'