Ted Siegel

As a young up and coming cook and chef, my most important mentor, Alice Waters (who I worked for at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California) taught me to think critically about food and question everything that I do in the kitchen. She also taught me the importance of tasting everything, not just once, but six to ten times while cooking a preparation.

It was the equivalent of getting a "doctorate" or PhD. in cuisine and gastronomy.

I try to inspire them through leading by example and motivate them with constructive criticism, positive feedback, good will, admiration and respect.

I can size up a prospective job candidate or culinary student in my classes within ten to twenty seconds – by the look in their eye, body language, handshake and how they express themselves verbally. As part of the interview process I will ask a prospective job applicant to come back to the kitchen, medium dice one onion and prepare a French omelette. This will tell me everything I need to know about their skill level and their approach to their work - including how they organize their "mise en place", food safety and sanitation skills, knife skills, cooking skills, plating skills and the overall approach to their work.

The knife is the singular, most important piece of equipment in the industry. Everything evolves from that basic skill. I am of the firm belief that front of house employees and managers have to possess a very good set of knife skills as well.

I worked as a prep cook and line cook for ten years before one of my earliest mentors, a chef that I was working for in New York City, recognized that I had a deep underlying passion for food. The "crystalizing" moment was when he gave me a copy of Raymond Sokolov's book “The Saucier’s Apprentice”, a book on classic French sauces. I was completely drawn into this subject, asked him to teach me these sauces and we cooked our way through the entire book. At that point I became obsessed and decided to commit myself to becoming a chef. He encouraged me to go to culinary school to develop my skills and knowledge base. It was the singular, most important decision that I made in my life.

Everybody I come into contact with comes from very diverse backgrounds and experiences. This is what I have always loved about the industry – that you can learn something from everybody that you meet and come into contact with.

I grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in NYC and was exposed to the foods of a diverse cross section of immigrant groups at a very early age. I am constantly thinking about food. I read as much as I can, travel whenever I can, talk to people about it, teach people about it and never fail to open myself up to tasting new ingredients and preparations that I am not familiar with.

‘Le Guide Culinaire’ by Auguste Escoffier, ‘The New Making of a Cook’, by Madeleine Kamman, ‘Larousse Gastronomique’, ‘On Food & Cooking’ by Harold McGee, ‘Cook Wise and Bake Wise’ by Shirley Corriher, ‘Complete Techniques’ by Jacques Pépin, Art Culinaire Magazine, any book by James Peterson, especially ‘Sauces’.