Haute Sport

Watching the Netflix documentary 'Chef's Table' I found myself intrigued by the way the chefs in the episodes were working in their restaurants. The precision, the drive and the urge for perfection came back again and again. I found myself wondering if there were more similarities between high performance and haute cuisine. Perhaps it was even the case that they were striving for perfection even more than coaches in high level sports do.

I decided to delve further into the subject and initially came across a documentary on YouTube; Michelin stars, the madness of perfection. I also delved into articles and came across an article that helped me a lot in writing the piece below.

The article describes the results of interviews conducted with employees of several Michelin-starred French restaurants. To put the Michelin stars into perspective; at the time of the interviews (2002) there were approximately 30 restaurants in the world with three stars, the highest rating. The rating is given not only to the food but also to the wine, atmosphere and service in a restaurant.

Since all chefs are male, the article will continue to use the term 'he'. This does not mean that there are no excellent female star chefs.

First, the article will discuss parts of the culture in the restaurants, after which the structure will be discussed. The last part of the article will focus on the comparison with high performance sports and what high performance environments could learn from haute cuisine.

Culture

The culture in Michelin star restaurants is an important factor in the success of these restaurants and the staff that works there. It forms the basis for the daily business, it provides stability for everyone working in the organization.

Mission 'Perfection'

In the establishments discussed in this article, the aim is to give the customer, the visitor, an unforgettable experience. This experience is not only focused on the food, but also on service and appearance. One must imagine that in order to obtain 3 Michelin stars, the restaurants must obtain a perfect score in all areas.

Michelin reviews restaurants unannounced and multiple times. Restaurateurs never know when Michelin inspectors will be on their doorstep to have a bite to eat. As a result, they must strive for consistent perfection.

Various studies have shown that the different people who are part of the kitchen brigade strive for perfection for different reasons. The first reason is that the chefs do it for themselves, they have the ambition to be the best in their field. In addition, they have a passion for what they do, they have a passion for food and preparing it perfectly. The second reason to strive for perfection is the customer, the primary goal of the restaurants is to please the customer to perfection.

Achieving perfection does not happen automatically, a culture is needed in which perfection is pursued. At first, one would think that creativity of the chef is of the utmost importance in coming up with the unique dishes served in these restaurants. However, qualitative research shows us that within the restaurants more emphasis is placed on other factors. Creativity is the starting point in the restaurants, perfection is achieved by optimizing details in the daily situation.

In order to optimize the details in the daily routine, the kitchens work rigidly according to a tight schedule in which it is worked out in detail what needs to be done to consistently produce a perfect dish.

In all kitchens strict rules apply. These rules are to ensure conformity, this means that the rules will ensure that the kitchen always delivers what it promises; perfection. Furthermore, the rules ensure thoroughness, the work is done very precisely. The last thing the rules ensure is completeness, nothing is forgotten.

In other words, perfection is not achieved through improvisation or inspiration, perfection is achieved by working like a well-oiled machine.

The Chef

The chef of the restaurant can be seen in multiple roles within the restaurant, in many cases he is the spiritual father of the restaurant. He is the leader, he is an entrepreneur, he is a businessman and must also be able to act as a 'showman'. These different hats naturally ask a lot of the person who may bear the name of chef.

In several interviews with Michelin chefs, various character traits are constantly emerging when it comes to chefs. The chef often has a strong, present and passionate personality. He stands for honesty and is open and direct in his communication with his environment. Most chefs are obsessively busy with the work they do, they are very committed to the business. Chefs often make decisions based on feeling, but they never lose sight of the facts.

As mentioned, the chef is obsessive about his work and sets very ambitious goals. In order to achieve these goals, he is constantly evaluating and improving the various procedures and details where possible. He is always thinking about the next step that can take the restaurant to the next level. In order to reach the next level, the chef is not afraid to take risky decisions.

Achieving the set goals is not something a chef can do alone. On the one hand, there are too many tasks to be done to do alone. On the other hand, the chefs are very aware of their own shortcomings and they make sure that they gather the right people around them who can fill these gaps.

The chef is responsible for the staff in the kitchen. He often sees himself as a mentor, a father figure, for the younger chefs and employees. The chef sees it as his responsibility to ensure that the values that belong to the culture of his restaurant and his kitchen are transferred to the entire kitchen brigade.

The chef does not shy away from expressing high expectations. The high expectations he has of himself and his restaurant apply to everyone working in the restaurant. However, contrary to the general idea of how things work in a kitchen, he does this without just shouting. Sometimes a raised voice is necessary to emphasize something, but generally there is peace in the kitchen. It is important for the chef to radiate confidence in his staff and to show the staff that they are capable of performing above average.

The kitchen brigade

One will quickly ask oneself; why would anyone want to work in this situation? Who wants to work in a kitchen brigade? A workplace where you work from early in the morning until late at night. In these restaurants, the employees work very long hours. In addition, one must imagine that work is done under extreme temperatures. The required perfection causes an enormous amount of stress. All these things added together ultimately lead to a relatively low salary for most employees.

The qualitative research revealed some interesting things in this regard. People want to work in these conditions because they feel that they are contributing to something special, to something exceptional. People want to work in these restaurants to learn from the example of the chef who has earned his stripes. The employees have ambition, they ultimately want to be the best of the best and they realize that they have to invest in that.

What should not be underestimated is the calling card that working with the best people ultimately yields. Top restaurants are the birthplace of the future generation of top chefs.

Structure

To outsiders the chef is the 'superstar' of the restaurant, he is supported by various people around him. The chefs themselves are however very aware of the roles of the people around them. They know how to create a team with a strong team culture that ensures that the goals of the restaurant can be achieved.

Personnel selection

The head chef selects the staff for the kitchen brigade. The selection of staff is not so much based on the candidates' resume. Head chefs attach more value to other things. Of greater importance than a rich resume are certain qualities such as an open and flexible attitude. In addition, the degree of passion for the profession and a degree of curiosity are taken into account. Finally, it is of the utmost importance that the personality of the person fits in with the culture that prevails within the team. The personality should be an addition to, or connect with, the current staff.

Description structure

The structure in a restaurant will differ slightly from restaurant to restaurant but roughly looks like the one shown here. The chef is the person 'in charge' and leads the kitchen brigade. He directs the chefs de partie and the sous-chef and he keeps an overview of the whole.

The sous chef, more about whom later, is the first assistant to the chef and also holds a managerial position.

Below the sous-chef are the chefs de partie. They have the final responsibility for the various parts of the kitchen. The parts are for example; starters, meat, fish and desserts.

Below the sous-chef are the 'comis,' which can be seen as the cooks who do the work within the various departments.

If we look at the very bottom of the schedule we see the 'apprentis'. These are the apprentice chefs, the chefs with the least experience.

This hierarchical organizational structure is necessary to ensure consistent quality output. There is a lot of attention for control, for example the chefs de partie de comis check the quality of execution and the entire process is overseen by the head chef. When the head chef is not present, his role is immediately taken over by the sous chef.

The sous chef

The sous chef of the restaurant is a very important position. The person in this position is the 'second-in-command.'

Often the sous chef is the opposite of the head chef. Where the head chef is extroverted, somewhat irascible and moody, the sous chef is often an introverted, calm and stable person. The two people complement each other. In some cases it goes so far that the head chef and the sous chef play good cop versus bad cop in the kitchen and towards the kitchen brigade.

It is important to note that the sous chef has a managerial function. As a restaurant becomes more successful, the head chef will take on more of a managerial role. In addition, the head chef is often invited to other places to showcase his talent. In these cases, the sous chef takes on the operational role. It is important that he can do this to ensure that the quality of the dishes remains consistent.

The sous chef must be able to sacrifice himself, to be complementary to the head chef. He can do this through the relationship of trust he has with the head chef. The relationship of trust is based not least on the fact that the sous chef does not pursue the same ambitions as the head chef. The sous chef does not necessarily need to have star status, he does not like to bear the same responsibilities as the head chef and therefore does not have to deal with the pressure that comes with it. All these things ensure that the sous chef never threatens the position of the head chef. He is content to play 'second fiddle'.

Comparison with top-level sport

In my opinion, top-level sports can learn a lot from the world of haute cuisine. Perhaps restaurants can also learn a thing or two from top-level sports, but that is not the subject of this article. The comparison that will be made will mainly look at the top segment of haute cuisine, the world of Michelin stars.

Where a kitchen brigade has 'the dish' as output, in a top sports organization it is the top sports program. Where in a restaurant the guest is the judge, the consumer, in a top sports organization it is the athlete. The guest in a restaurant enjoys the dish, the athlete uses the top sports program.

Perfection

The first thing that is striking is the extent to which perfection is sought. In top-level sport, the benchmarks are once in a while, the tournaments where prizes can be won are the benchmarks. Winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games or a World Championship can be seen as perfection in top-level sport. In haute cuisine, the benchmark is not once in a while, the 'competition' is everyday. Every day, the kitchen brigades must strive to achieve perfection. This means that there is not only a demand for perfection, but that there is a demand for consistent perfection. The kitchen brigades never know when inspectors will come by, they come unannounced and expect perfection. They judge what they are served at that moment.

In top sports we can take an example from this by striving for perfection in everything we do every day. The coaching staff of a top sports organization should strive for a program in which everything is perfect. In addition, everything must be of consistent quality, which means that the quality can be seen always, everywhere and under all circumstances.

To achieve perfection, chefs and kitchen brigades must be creative, they must come up with unique dishes. Dishes must be innovative and preparation methods must be innovative. The same applies to top sports, coaches and support staff must be creative and innovative to achieve small percentages of profit.

However, in haute cuisine it is stated that creativity and innovation are only a starting point, perfection is not achieved through creativity. Perfection is achieved by working with a tight schedule and with a high degree of rigidity. Very strict rules apply in the kitchens to maintain the following factors;

- Conformity

- Thoroughness

- Completeness

In top sports we could strive for the same factors to achieve perfection. Conformity is a nice check for quality, if it is stated that something is to be achieved with a certain program, the staff must ensure that the program actually achieves that. A high degree of thoroughness is required, very precise work must be done with attention to detail. The last factor concerns completeness, it is important that everyone is aware of what is required of staff and athletes and that this is not forgotten.

Structure

If we take the previously described structure in a kitchen brigade and we turn it into a structure that can apply to a top sports coaching team, it looks like the one shown below.

The chef function can be filled as a 'head coach.' The head coach is assisted by an assistant coach or sous-chef. The head coach and the assistant are jointly in charge of the team. Together they are in charge of the top sports program, they creatively put together a program and apply innovations where necessary to arrive at the 'perfect' program.

The chefs de partie are responsible for the various kitchen components in the kitchen. In a coaching team that works in top-level sports, these are the various coaches who work with the various groups within a program.

The chefs de partie in a restaurant are supported by the 'comis.' All coaches in the top sports support team work together with a support team. The support team consists of, for example, the doctors, the dietician and a psychologist. They can take over tasks in specific areas from the coaches but are still under the supervision of the coaches, just as in the restaurant the comis are under the supervision of the chefs de partie.

The 'lowest' function in a restaurant is that of 'apprentis.' They can be seen as the student in the restaurant and are the least experienced. In top sports, there is little use of interns or people in training. Perhaps there is an opportunity to train people by the coaches of the different groups.

The head coach

The head coach, like the chef, has the final responsibility for the product that the team delivers; the top sports program. Creating and especially executing the program, in which top athletes are trained to the highest level, is too big a task for the head coach alone, for this he needs a team.

The head coach must be suitable for the position. He is the leader of the organization. Just like a chef, the top sports organization must look for a strong, present and passionate personality. He must be obsessive about achieving perfection in the program and achieving results at the highest level. He must be able to make decisions, always taking the facts into account.

The head coach should set very ambitious goals for the program and the other actors in the coaching team. He is always thinking about the next step that can ensure better results, he is always looking for improvement. Sometimes it may be necessary to take risky decisions, the head coach does not shy away from this.

The head coach is aware of his own shortcomings and ensures that he gathers a complementary staff around him. The head coach is a mentor to the other coaches and people in the coaching staff. It is the responsibility of the head coach to take care of a culture and to transfer the values and norms of the culture to the other staff members and people in the coaching team.

The head coach conveys the ambitious goals he sets to his staff. He does not shy away from expressing and having high expectations of his staff. The head coach ensures a certain calm in the team, but if it is necessary to raise his voice and make a less popular decision, he will do so. The head coach realizes that, in order to achieve perfection, he will not always win the popularity prize. The head coach radiates that he has confidence in the people around him and shows his staff that they are capable of performing above average.

The assistant coach

As stated before, the head coach and assistant coach are together 'in charge' of the entire team. The assistant coach must be able to take on the tasks of the head coach if he is unable to perform the tasks. In top sport it is quite normal that the head coach is absent because he has to coach at tournaments or has work elsewhere. At these moments there is a need for consistency in perfection, the assistant coach must provide for this need like a sous-chef does in a restaurant.

What makes a good assistant coach? Looking at the way things are done in restaurants, a person who is complementary to the head coach should be sought. If there is an extroverted, dominant head coach, it might be a good idea to place a somewhat introverted person who moves more into the background.

The assistant coach will have less responsibility than the head coach, he is less of a scapegoat than the head coach. He places himself at the service of the head coach but it must not be forgotten that he must still be able to take charge when the head coach is unable to do so.

When it comes to a top sports organization, one will have to think about letting the head coach manage more, just like in top restaurants, and letting the sous chef take charge of the operational course of affairs. An example of this could be that the assistant coach, together with the other coaches, performs the training, the head coach is present and has a more controlling function. The head coach guarantees the quality level.

The kitchen brigade

Top sport, like haute cuisine, is a very challenging field of work. Just like in restaurants, top coaches work long hours. Top coaches are available 24/7 for athletes, they work from early in the morning until late at night to ensure that there is a program that can provide the ultimate result. In addition to the amount of time that a job in top sport takes, irregularity also plays a major role, top coaches are often abroad to coach or to complete training camps with the athletes to be supervised. The salary is average, in many eyes it is relatively low for what the work demands of those who do it.

Working in top-level sports is stressful. Restaurants demand perfection because you never know when an inspector will show up, because they always have to meet the highest standards. In top-level sports, coaches are always expected to deliver results, they have to perform at the highest level to be sure of their job. When performance fails to materialise, it is often the coach who has to make way. When performance fails to materialise, the NOC can decide to turn off the money tap, making it more difficult to maintain a top-level sports programme.

You might wonder why people want to work in an organization like this. In the interviews held in kitchens it emerged that people want to work in these organizations like this because;

“They feel that they are contributing to something special, to something exceptional. People want to work in these restaurants to learn from the example of the chef who has earned his stripes. The employees have ambition, they ultimately want to be the best of the best and realize that they have to invest in that.”

In top-level sports, we need to look for people who are passionate about training talent, passionate about achieving those ultimate results. People who show commitment, the commitment that is needed to become the best of the best, also as a trainer or coach. All employees in the organization should have that ambition. Employees must realize that if they want to achieve something, they have to invest in their own development. They must realize that this investment goes hand in hand with sacrifices in other areas.

The top sports organization should set itself the goal of training top coaches in addition to top athletes. The organization should enable young, ambitious, passionate and committed coaches to learn from the best in the field. Working in a top sports organization should be a calling card for the top coach in the making. The top sports organization should be a birthplace for the new generation of top coaches.