Win the Week: Chef Ana?s Ca Dao van Manen Intentionally Wings It on Her First Draft Ideas

The best part about running a storytelling publication is that people share with us their top secrets for leading a successful creative career — and we steal them! In this newsletter, we pass on some actionable insights from our interview subjects to ramp up your productivity, make your ideas happen, and tackle the workweek with a focused mindset.?

This week, Vietnam-based chef Ana?s Ca Dao van Manen shares how she works as a chef and restaurant consultant, including why she intentionally wings it on her first take at a new recipe. Try her technique the next time you're facing a first draft, whether it's for a new dish, story concept, or beyond:

"Whenever I do R&D for a dish, I always start by creating the idea. However, before diving into thorough research, finding the right technique, or measuring and quantifying the dish, I conduct a “wild card test.” In this test, I intentionally wing it, essentially setting myself up to fail. I believe that by experiencing a failed dish, I gain valuable insights into what I actually want — and don’t want — in the final product," says Ca Dao van Manen.

Read the full interview with Ana?s Ca Dao van Manen here, where she shares more about how she is working to break down a linear form of culinary storytelling all over the world by finding new recipes, styles of cooking, and ways of incorporating social objectives into her restaurants and beyond.