How to Build Your Kitchen Team

Nothing is more rewarding for a kitchen manager or chef than not worrying about the kitchen staff. A quality, well-trained, smart, and reliable kitchen crew allows chefs to sleep through the night, enjoy an evening with family or even take in a round of golf.

The strength of the kitchen team determines the level of stress. Building a strong team requires finely tuned guidelines for hiring, training, managing and mentoring. A successful kitchen team, however, starts with its leader. The better you are at teaching and mentoring the staff members, the better they will be at carrying out procedures that make the kitchen "hum," and more importantly, that they hum on key when the chef is absent.

The fastest way to build an exceptional kitchen team is by hiring the right people. Such an approach may seem obvious, but it is easier said than done. Sometimes hiring cooks is a little more like trying to knock down all the lead milk bottles at the local carnival. Sometimes you get the big doll; however, most of the "prizes" are nothing to write home about.

Turnover is one of the chef's worst enemies. The cost of training and mistakes made before the cook is up to speed can affect the P & L (profit and loss statement). Such costs can best be avoided when dollars allocated to training are spent on the right candidate. Employers should take into account work experience. But prospective employees should possess four basic attributes: