Just Enough Cooks In The Kitchen

IT TAKES ALL KINDS.

The last three weeks of this newsletter have covered an industry-wide issue: there are not enough cooks in the restaurant kitchen. This is a common refrain in the food world. You can just as easily replace the phrase with 'not enough farmers in the fields' or 'cheesemongers behind the counter' or 'teachers in the classroom' or 'cooks in the home kitchen' or other positions that play a critical role in our food system. But today we close out this particular conversation by sharing ideas from people that are actively trying to make a change in the restaurant industry.

This is, by no means, a comprehensive list (we know we've been long winded the last few weeks and are trying to respect your inbox and your time). It is a taste of what we hope will be more to come, and a launch pad to explore other ideas in the evolution toward making food employment more sustainable, no matter where you work.

At the end of the day, these places do one thing, above all else: they employ the golden rule (treat others as you would like to be treated). It's that simple, and it's that hard.

CYRIL'S // Portland, OR
We were already fans of this restaurant, but their newsletter a few weeks ago blew us away. It reflected what we know about the proprietor, Sasha, as one of the most thoughtful, creative, honest, caring, and humble food professionals that we know. She has worked to create something that you almost hate to call a restaurant, because it feels so much more akin to coming home in the best possible way. You leave feeling relaxed and nourished. In a city with so many devoted food lovers we're not entirely sure why there is not a line out the door every day. But we hope there will be, including a line dedicated to people that want to work in their (beautiful / open / progressive) kitchen.

GASKINS // Germantown, NY
Full disclosure: this restaurant is owned and operated by Taylor's brother- and sister-in-law. But that means that she's had the distinct pleasure of watching the whole operation come to fruition. Having opened in June 2015, one of their bigger challenges has been attracting kitchen talent (especially in a location about 2 hours north of NYC). They are doing all the small things they can to create a healthy, welcoming and sustainable kitchen culture, while paying an hourly wage that is affordable for the business as it stands now in its infancy. While some parts of a kitchen job in a busy restaurant are inevitable (i.e. working nights and weekends, with a lot of hard work when the orders line up), they do their best to prevent burnout - keeping a calm and inclusive kitchen environment, giving people autonomy / trust / opportunity to be creative, and they work hard to adapt the schedule to the staff's out of work needs (working around childcare, school, and / or the desire to not work the line 5 nights a week). While it's not a perfect system just yet, the goal is for everyone (including them) to have some time for social activity and relaxation. Everyone is healthier and more inspired when this is the case.

TRAVAIL // Minneapolis, MN
These folks are merging FOH and BOH positions to create a more enriching experience for everyone. While it doesn't necessarily make the kitchen experience any easier, it does make the whole process more enriching. We love that the emphasis is on cultivating good people and caring for a community - by teaching, sharing, and working together.

More than anything, we want you to understand that even though there are plenty of examples of a stereotypical unhealthful kitchen culture, there are also many instances of places that are making strides toward a culture that serves the customers and the employees. Nobody has it all figured out, but there are people that are making waves, (including other places that were mentioned by our devoted readers / thank you for sharing - I Forgot It's Wednesday Supper Club / Red Hen Baking Co / Bakeri / The Radler / Dudley Dough to name a few). With time we hope that these businesses will survive and thrive, breeding opportunities for talented people looking for a platform to contribute.

If you are eager to work in any of the aforementioned kitchens let us know. We are happy to link you up with the right people.

SPEAKING OF COOKS IN THE KITCHEN . . .

'The Holidays' are officially upon on. We've been waiting as long as we can to concede, trying our best to ignore the fake snow-covered tree displays that have been up since Halloween (or earlier).

We'd love to say that holidays primarily signify the ability to take time in the kitchen and sharing nourishing meals with loved ones. But even the most mindful people can succumb to the cultural landslide of excess, consumption, and stress.

We're reluctant to add another thing to your plate this holiday season, but we're hoping to provide an experience that can help realign the meaning of 'the holidays'. This season is so often marked on the outside by joy, togetherness, family, giving, food and fun, and on the inside can feel stressful, expensive, empty and even lonely.

busyness for awareness
rituals that are energy-taxing for those that are energy-giving
isolation for connection
excess for enough

Join others in the GFJ community in finding ways to ease the pressure and ground down for the holidays. Starting next Tuesday, Nov. 24th, you'll have the option to receive up to six weeks of holiday challenge updates, inspiration, and micro-challenges to help you make these swaps, large and small, in a way that you can adapt to your own celebration.