Building a New Kitchen Culture from Scratch

Written by Julie-Kauffman-Strong

The New Kitchen Culture mindset is not new to Chef Ted Torres, the subject of the sixth installment of our New Kitchen Culture story series. Ted is a longtime proponent of changing the Food Industry and he has worked with Cooks Who Care since the beginning to support his peers who are creating better workplace conditions for all. He’s the owner of Coa Catering, which was formerly based in Philadelphia and recently re-opened in Puerto Rico. Ted may be starting his business from scratch again, but he already has a strong foundation for the type of kitchen culture he is aiming to create.

“The reason I created the company was to create a positive work environment not only for myself but also for my team. The tone and expectation is set upon the hiring process. It’s addressed at the very beginning - about the type of culture we are creating” Today, Chef Ted Torres, the owner of Coa Catering, shares how he is building a New Kitchen Culture from scratch.? “I closed my business in Philadelphia and restarted in Puerto Rico. I’m starting from scratch again. [Right now, I] have 1 assistant on my team. It’s still in development, [but] I’m bringing a shift about workplace conditions.”?

Ted Torres works to keep the balance between operation needs and staff needs. He says, “It starts with communication with your team members, having empathy for your team members needs, listening and seeing how we can come together to support one another. Maybe hire an extra person to offset any lapse in production. It actually saves cost as well creating a work life balance. [I’m] doing my best to help with their personal needs.” That includes everything from being flexible with time off to working hard to address biases. “Because I felt I was a victim of bias, I wanted to create an environment where everything is based on work performance and nothing else.”?

He also strives for communication with his customers. “As well as communicating why we do what we do, we are transparent with them to give them a better understanding of the operation and what it takes to deliver the product. I found that clients are interested in learning about the company.”?

You can learn more about our New Kitchen Culture Campaign by clicking on the link below: https://bit.ly/CWC_NewKitchenCulture_PDF

Do you know a chef or an establishment - like Chef Ted Torres & Coa Catering - that’s making positive change in their kitchen? Are YOU that chef? We want to know more.?

If you have a story to share about how you are working to change the Food Industry by creating healthy, safe, inclusive workplaces or how you are creating a New Kitchen Culture in your establishment, you can help us inspire our peers to do the same. Fill out this short form (10-15 min. max) and tell us what you’re working on: https://bit.ly/Submit_Your_NewKitchenCulture ?

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3. Head to our new website www.cookswhocare.org to learn more about how we bring people together to support health and well-being in the Food and Beverage Industry.