F & B
top-down orders , into a more balanced workplace where everyone is giving their opinions and contributing , more on an equal level ,” Bellon tells HOTELS . “ So , there is kind of this old idea of the executive chef who has a super ego and yells at people and throws things and is very demanding and has total control of the menu . There ’ s still , obviously , validation to the existence of the executive chef , but I think we need to introduce this idea of : ‘ Hey , it doesn ' t have to be this way . We choose to have it this way and it ’ s kind of an old way of thinking .’”
With potential benefits like lower turnover and higher levels of chef expertise and dedication , the idea sounds appealing . The blog post received dozens of comments from industry folks with strong opinions on both sides .
“ This is something we talk about constantly in the hotel world ,” says Rafe Gabel , senior vice president of restaurant operations at San Franciscobased consultancy Puccini
Group . “ It ’ s really dependent on the property and what they ’ re trying to execute .”
Gabel , who has worked with both models , doesn ’ t see a need for change . “ What I like to see is an executive chef with three chefs in training beneath him ,” he explains . “ I feel it ’ s really beneficial to have a department head in the kitchen versus trying to spread out ( the responsibility ) between a director of outlets or a director of food and beverage , because their bandwidth gets jeopardized .”
Gabel says that by putting a specialty chef in charge of the culinary team , the front of house team , and shipping and receiving , there ’ s a lot of opportunity for mistakes to happen — not to mention , it puts cost and labor at risk . “ There are a lot of things that are so crucial to operating a business in a safe , lawsuit-free way ,” says Gabel , “ that I question a chef de cuisine being able to maneuver through some of those delicate business operations .” In his model , Bellon proposes putting the F & B director
Q & A :
MATTHEW DAHLKEMPER executive chef , Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre
HOTELS : What ’ s working and not working within the traditional model ? Matthew Dahlkemper : A lot of the purchasing can become askew if your purchaser isn ’ t from a food background . I once worked in a hotel where our purchaser was previously a sous chef . It makes life a lot easier when you don ’ t have to explain what something is that needs to be sourced . Or , when you receive the wrong product , are they able to tell the difference ? Chefs are very particular about their products . Some people in ( administrative ) roles without food backgrounds can ’ t grasp that .
H : How do you see the roles of executive chef and F & B director evolving ? MD : I see more executive chefs transitioning to food and beverage director roles . It is difficult for an F & B director to tell a chef how to cook if they haven ’ t had legitimate kitchen experience . F & B directors should be more fixated on driving the front-of-house operations with support from the chef to drive the programming forward . Executive chefs have the responsibility of an entire operation , and in a hotel , they must have equal involvement in all of their outlets , room service and banqueting .
H : What is it about an executive chef that makes the kitchen run and is critical , versus three chefs de cuisine ?
MD : Executive chefs can consider the operation as a whole as opposed to singular outlet minded chefs de cuisine . The executive chef should not only be able to run that outlet , but be able to support and guide the front-of-house as well as help plan any sort of programming with the chef de cuisine . Presumably , the chef de cuisine should have someone who can guide them and ( offer criticism ). That can ’ t always be the F & B director because most of the time they don ’ t understand enough about kitchen dynamics or how that particular outlet needs to actually run .
H : Is the top-down mentality an old way of thinking , or is there still a place for the executive chef ?
MD : There is definitely purpose to the executive chef . Their role is to guide and nurture those below them and to be the brainchild of the actual operation ... Executive chefs are the teachers who spread their knowledge through the front and back-of-house , and most importantly the holder of all things consistency related .
32 hotelsmag . com October 2018