How Visible Should the Chef Be?

The role a chef plays outside of the kitchen can be a hot point for restaurant owners, managers, customers and the chef. As dining has become a form of entertainment and television shows have given chefs new stature, diners often expect to "meet" the chef.

Cookbooks written by TV chefs and restaurant chefs alike seem to be rolling off the printing presses like rain off a roof, and there isn't any end in sight. With so many media outlets, chefs are becoming more visible, and they're bringing their respective restaurants along for the ride.

Historically, a chef was no different from any other labor job. Hours were long, conditions were harsh and pay was low. Then along came Escoffier. Chef Auguste Escoffier gave birth to the brigade system, and brought respectability and honor to the craft of cooking.

That respect Escoffier started in the late 1800s has grown into a full-blown media love affair. What would have Escoffier thought about shows like "The Restaurant," and "Ramsey's Boiling Point"? Regardless, no one can argue that attention from TV, print and the likes is great for business.

Just how visible the chef wants to be depends on the chef. Many chefs and kitchen managers aren't comfortable making their way across the dining room, shaking hands and chatting with guests about their meals. Many back-of-the-house employees have gravitated to the kitchen for that reason; they just don't want the hassle of customer interaction. But with impressionable cooks graduating from culinary schools in droves, and most of the younger raised with the Food Network, the importance of visibility is not only relevant, it's often one of the reasons enrollment is at record highs.