>> My advice is to work a year, two years, for someone.
Have your chef, if you're working in a good place, you always shoot for the high end.
Always shoot for the top.
Because then you can decide what you want to do, you know.
You want to work for the best, in the best atmosphere for the best people.
You learn the most that way.
You learn the fastest that way.
You'll build your resume the best that way.
And then take your time.
Everyone needs to take their time.
Everyone's in such a rush.
You know, you have to build a foundation.
If you don't build a foundation, you know, there's nothing to fall back on later.
So we want the people, we look for people that can handle pressure.
The other thing that I look for in somebody is somebody who asks a lot of questions, you know,
and somebody that brings answers to the table.
When we're talking in conversation or we're doing a pre-shift, you know,
some people will bring things up but they don't bring up a solution.
I like to work with people that bring up a solution.
I do like that fact that kids go to culinary school.
And they get a chance to go.
What culinary school does, culinary school doesn't make you a chef.
Culinary school opens your eyes to what's really the cooking business is about,
what culinary business is about.
You know, about, you know, when you go to culinary school you learn about pride.
And you learn about, you know, having a starched white jacket or a black jacket.
You know, you learn that there's a lot of respect in the business.
You know, for young chefs, you know, the basics is the books that we want them to read.
You know, for [inaudible] you're going to, you know, read, you know, a Thomas Keller book.
For basics, I mean, there's a book out called Ratio.
You know what I mean?
You know, so you can learn to understand why things go together and in what amounts.
Every young chef should have a book on baking bread.
You know, because baking and cooking are completely different arts.
One's exact science, and one's more, you know, repetition.
You know, so there's a lot of different books out there.
You know, a James Beard book would be a great book to have.
So, you know, and then build their way towards the more modern cooking.