The Blini Mixup
During dinner service at Per Se one evening Chef Thomas Keller, one of the most accomplished chefs in history, noticed me struggling. One of my tasks that night was serving caviar topped blini hors d’oeuvres for guests.
In an attempt to create perfectly sized pancakes, I bought a miniature baster and started measuring out the batter. My approach slowed down service and was totally un-necessary. All the other chefs eyeballed the amount of batter they needed using a spoon.
Chef Keller walked over and said to me, “If it’s hard, you’re doing it wrong.”
There is no shortage of things in life which require a lot of effort and practice. However, more often than not I’ve noticed that when I find myself describing a task I’m performing as being hard it’s usually a sign that I am going about it all wrong. It’s a wonderful opportunity to step back and revisit the approach and to determine if there are simpler ways to achieve the desired outcome.
When I observe myself making a task more complex than is necessary I repeat to myself the exact words Chef spoke to me that day in the kitchen.
