The Journey vs. The Destination

Written by Julie Kauffman Strong, Writer & Editor/Cooks Who Care

"It's about the path..."

Chef Ted Torres credits the many chefs he has worked for as being his guides on the path that he has traveled in his career. As he worked his way through the ranks, from dishwasher to fine dining chef to owner of his own catering business, Chef Torres has benefited from these mentors, who have taught him both the food and the business side of the industry.

Over the years, Chef Ted Torres has noticed that fewer and fewer aspiring chefs are forming the types of mentor relationships that he relied on early in his career. Mentorship, which was once the foundational way to learn the chef trade, is in danger of falling by the wayside, and the whole food industry stands to lose a vast wealth of knowledge if this occurs. But what can be done?

In episode 16 of Beyond the Table, Chef Ted Torres and Chef Maria Campbell examine the ways that the food business is changing as mentorship is on the decline and talk about how today's chefs can work to revive this bedrock of the industry. They pose the question "Is it time to change the way we mentor rising chefs?", and if so, who's responsibility it to ensure that this happens?     

At Cooks Who Care, we are proud to bring you the types of conversations that we feature on Beyond the Table. These candid, honest reflections on the food industry are rarely shared off the line or outside of the kitchen. We believe that we all can benefit by listening and learning from each other. This is our way of helping members of our community improve themselves and the industry that we all are a part of.

To hear more food industry insiders share their stories and insights, subscribe to the CWC YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Thank you for watching this episode of Beyond the Table, and thank you for being a part of the change we hope to see in our industry.

Thanks for watching and thanks for being a part of Cooks Who Care!

What topics do feel most passionate about when it comes to the food industry and the conflicts we face nationally? Contact, Chef Maria Campbell, CEC/Founder of Cooks Who Care about conversational topics you want us to bring to the table or if you want to refer interview guests to our series mailto: [email protected].