Had a line cook call my plating "too fussy" last Saturday and I'm still thinking about it

I was doing this careful microgreen stack and he said "nobody eats that stuff, chef, they just push it aside." It hit different because he was a quiet guy who never says anything, and now I wonder if my presentation is more for me than the customer. Has anyone else had a moment where a junior cook made you rethink your whole approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan_perez14d ago

oh man, that hit me right in the gut. i had a prep cook straight up tell me my garnishes looked like "we're compensating for something" and i thought about it for months. he was right though, i was spending all this time on these little parsley leaf patterns and nobody was even looking at them before they started eating. i still do stuff that's a bit extra but i try to keep it to things that actually add to the bite, not just look pretty on the plate.

torres.drew10d ago

Honestly, that's the kind of reality check that sticks with you for years. I had a line cook once tell me my drizzles on a plate looked like "a Jackson Pollock oil spill" and I was so mad for a week until I realized he was spot on. @taylorcarr, you ever have that moment where you look back at old plating photos and just cringe? Now I only do garnish if it actually tastes good with the dish, like a little gremolata or some crispy shallots. Everything else just gets in the way of the food.

taylorcarr14d ago

@ivan_perez that "compensating" comment is brutal, did you change your plating right after?

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