Myles Moody

Determination, an inquisitive mind and compassion are the most important traits that beget skills. The hospitality industry is not an easy one as everyone knows. However, there are many paths in hospitality and all necessitate determination. I will never stop learning in this field, there will also never be an end to the amount of new information to come across.

As you progress in your career, the novel no longer comes immediately to you, you have to seek it out or risk stagnation and lack of inspiration. Often overlooked in the past, compassion is the chief component of all my future endeavors. To be able to see a situation from another viewpoint and to assess how you might be able to help others in their life, career or understanding builds greater trust, better business and better lives for everyone.

If I wish to inspire perfection, I also have to strive for perfection in every minute task. If I want to inspire creativity, I must remain creative, foster it in others and provide a space for others to express themselves. Providing education, or avenues to it is a huge concern for me. I didn’t attend culinary school and as such I learned through working, practicing and honing my skills in the kitchens where I was fortunate enough to be allowed to learn and grow. The access to information whether it be trading cookbooks -- like playing cards -- as I did early in my career, farm visits, or taking the time to explain why you need to do a technique a certain way rather than demanding that it be done just that way, is paramount to my evolution and the industry’s evolution.

Most importantly I listen to everyone around me, to everyone I have cooked with past and present, regardless of position or place. I have learned just as much from observing and conversing with the front of house as I have with the chefs in the kitchen, and infinitely more from porters. Stay humble, keep an open mind and open eyes.

I have learned something from every position I have held over the years, no one more important than another. Whether it be my early career everyday learning a new ingredient or technique, to the rigor of a three Michelin-star kitchen, to the even more difficult task of leading a kitchen as Chef de Cuisine and cultivating talent. Every experience provides an education and while it is sometimes hard to see it in the moment, if you aren’t looking to learn in every position and institution you don’t stand to gain anything of substance in return. Also, remember you can learn a lot from what not to do.

Oftentimes in the experience of nature, a sense memory, or in the act of putting myself in the guest’s experience. What would it feel like to enter a space for the first time? What would holding this cup feel like? What ingredients should I use to evoke this recollection or this other emotion?