The French Laundry's Thomas Keller on Being a Successful Chef and Businessman
Thomas Keller penned an interesting story yesterday in the Los Angeles Times about what it means to be a successful chef brand in 2008.
Keller says that a successful chef today has to grapple with spreadsheets as well as spreads. And in doing so, he will be faced with (at least in Keller's case) a seemingly endless array of business opportunities. How does Keller deal with this? How about other name-brand chefs?
Finesse and Integrity
By looking at every opportunity through a prism of "finesse" and "integrity." I guess what Keller is saying is if he's going to open a burger joint, he has to develop a burger recipe long on finesse that's true to his implicit devotion to quality and, dare I say, greatness.
In Keller's case I think he does consider every opportunity or potential new venture judiciously, paying careful attention to the dreaded spreadsheets.
Looking at Keller's ventures, I would say that he maintains his insanely high standards pretty consistently. The sliders at Bouchon Bakery at the Time Warner Center in New York may be among the best sliders I have ever eaten. Sometimes Keller does slip up, such as with the lobster club sandwich I ate at the same Bouchon branch a couple of months ago. The sandwich's thick-cut bacon had very little of its fat rendered, making the sandwich inedible, which was more than a little annoying given the sandwich's hefty price tag.
But that lousy sandwich is the exception in my Keller eating experiences. His peanut butter sandwich cookies redefine just how good that cookie can be. Ditto his Oreo-inspired TKO cookies, sticky buns, and pesto croissants.
Increased Business, Lower Standards
If we look to Keller as an example of a chef getting it right most of the time, we can look to Wolfgang Puck as a chef who has either relinquished control of much of his far-flung empire or lowered his standards by paying too much attention to spreadsheets.
Many of Puck's restaurants still serve pretty good food, but nobody would say that the food served at airports under the Puck name is elevating airport food in any meaningful way. Ditto for his disappointing frozen pizzas, which are ridiculously overpriced and mediocre at best.
Folks like Thomas Keller and Wolfgang Puck are constantly coming to forks in their chef roads. Keller's internal compass has served himself and serious eaters rather well, but I don't think I can say the same thing about Wolfgang Puck, though there is no doubt that Puck has made a lot more money. Their paths serve as cautionary tales for all up and coming chef brands pondering their next steps as spreadsheet jockeys and cooking standard-bearers.
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11 Comments:
I've never been to the French Laundry, but independent reviews I read online by ordinary folks leave me to question why I even want to go there in the first place. The common price for a meal for 2 at the FL is between $500-$800! Come on... Is that worth it? Can anyone speak to this?
suburbangourmet at 10:11AM on 09/11/08
I cannot say that I have eaten there, but from what I have read, it is worth it. It depends on what you define as value. Now, on to the whole business aspect of the trade. Unfortunately when you start to talk volume, then you need to make some sacrifices. One of the biggest detriments to quality is when you need to talk quality in significant numbers. If you are eating in a 30 seater restaurant, you should get something that will blow your mind. You will also pay the price for that. If you take that same concept and try scaling it up to three hundred, you will see the quality suffer. It is logic, after all.
welldonechef at 10:19AM on 09/11/08
It was worth it. Worth every single bite. I give props to the chef de cuisine, Corey Lee. Quite possibly the best meal I've ever had, but I'm still young and have a lot of eating left to do. :)
Chinkerfly at 10:32AM on 09/11/08
I've been there. It's the most memorable way I can think of to spend $240 (per person) - absolutely worth it.
palmsey at 10:33AM on 09/11/08
Interesting... Something else that frustrates me is that the big name chefs, just think of any... How often are they actually in the kitchen? Look at Gordon Ramsey, as much as I like the guy, I have to agree with Marco Pierre-White. You shouldn't have your name on the door, if you're not the one back there cooking the food. Someday I'll get to FL, and then someday I'll also play Pebble Beach. :)
suburbangourmet at 10:49AM on 09/11/08
Wolfgang Puck's pizza is awful. My boyfriend and I bought it one night and we still joke about how terrible it is. But it is really terrible.
msmeghan at 3:32PM on 09/11/08
That whole "chef not being in the kitchen" stuff is bull. I agree with Bourdain and Ruhlman; if the staff can pump out the same quality cuisine as the chef, then it's okay for chef's name to be one the door without him/her being there. I'd prefer the big name chef be in the kitchen, but unless the food is suffering I don't see a problem.
estepcha at 4:33PM on 09/11/08
AFAIK: The chef is an artist. It is his/her job to gather and train the staff necessary to execute his concepts.
I thought Andy Warhol taught us that the artist is the concept person and the staff are the executioners ; )
beano at 10:22AM on 09/12/08
I recently ate at Bouchon in Las Vegas, the land of the free and the home of the fake. Keller's faux-bistro attempt fits right in at the Disneyland-ish Venetian hotel. The meal wasn't bad, but it wasn't worthy of Thomas Keller. I've had much better French bistro food at Vendome in Denver. And much better service, as well. The decor, in its less-than-charming Pottery Barn-ish was meant to replicate a French bistro.One that could a turn couple hundred covers a night. The waiters were too glib, and way too busy. I've been trying to come with a word for the whole Bouchon/Las Vegas experience and I've settled on "sad".
pcullie at 10:17AM on 09/13/08
We dined with a party of ten in Sept. 2006 and 2007. At our 2007 seating they forgot the promised birthday cake and 5 of the 9 dishes were the same as the previous year. When we emailed and asked them to vary the menu, Thomas Keller called us personally and said, "If you don't like what I serve, don't come." We cancelled and will now dine at Gary Danko's in S.F., a much better restaurant. French Laundry is SO not worth what they charge you.
aanraku at 6:39PM on 09/21/08
The wonderful food at The French Laundry is absolutely worth the money. Also, Keller always tries to give you the best possible experience. Not many "name" chefs are so focused on pleasing the diner.
annien at 7:21PM on 09/21/08