If you have not watched Jon Favreau’s movie Chef, I highly recommend that you do it during this holiday season. It premiered in 2014 at SXSW and it got great reviews. It cleverly incorporated social media throughout, e.g. there is a scene with Twitter where the chef’s son sets up an account for him and the exchange with a food critic goes truly viral. Thomas Keller, the only American chef to have been awarded simultaneous three star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants, has famously said “A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.”
Over the past three years, I have met and visited many of the most renown chefs as part of Diners Club’s heritage and involvement with fine dining. I have been intrigued by the question of what they may have in mind when creating a recipe for success. Every chef is unique yet the answer incorporates at least six ingredients based on my interactions. Let’s bring some soul to the recipe!
1. Passion: It should not be a surprise to anyone that passion is a must-have ingredient. Hélène Darroze, The World´s Best Female Chef of 2015, said this when receiving her award earlier this year “My hope is that the winners of this award will inspire young women—including my daughters—to follow their passion and work hard to hone their skills, no matter what profession they may choose.”
