know your metier

This is draft number three, I think, of this third edition of SternCrafted. The first two versions started out with rants about articles I read about Uber and Compass (real estate company) and how for years they continued to grow while simultaneously losing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. There were insightful comparisons about what happens when a small business loses money for a couple of quarters strung together and the stress it puts on the business. From there, I jumped to the high cost of healthcare and the daily challenges and expense of chronic disease in our country. Believe me, you have no idea how impressed you were going to be when I tied it all together. I totally was making groundbreaking, erudite commentary on the state of the world, big business and our healthcare "system" when that voice in my head chimed in with an adage I first heard decades ago in the kitchen: "Know your metier!"

"Metier" is French for one's skill or trade or craft and the statement is meant as a reminder, for me at least, to keep things simple and stick with what I am good at. I find that I'm at my best (and at my happiest) when I synthesize all of my diverse experiences through what I am good at doing; for years now, that has been cooking and hospitality. Work has afforded me some pretty spectacular life experiences as well as the joy and privilege of getting to know a lot of people with varied backgrounds and interests. The people with whom I've worked most closely have been those in the restaurants, but there are so many others: vendors, techs, landlords, guests, farmers who have helped me to expand my world view and hopefully gain a bit of wisdom along the way.

After calming down at least a bit, I came across a couple of people who are bringing their communities better health and better quality of life through food (and I'd also say hospitality). Take a look at what this gentleman has championed over the course of his career: The Kitchen Prescription For Better Health - IFT.org or what Abbe Stern and the Food Pharmacy at CHOP is doing right here in the Philadelphia area:

While owning and operating small restaurants forced me in real time to learn about finance and healthcare, they are certainly not my areas of expertise. That brought me back to looking and thinking about current challenges through the lens of my chosen craft and to try to do what so many in the industry work to do every day: make our small corners of the world better places for our guests, friends, family, colleagues and, hopefully, for ourselves. I will leave the rants and frustrations for in person conversations over meals and drinks and just say here that, while I continue to work toward my "next", I am thankful that people like Abbe and David (and many, many others) are out there doing such great work to bring good things through food to so many people.

Keep in touch. Cook with love. Be kind to each other.

As always, feel free to reach out.