Creating deluxe cuisine is like playing a sport. Always competitive. Always challenging. And if you slow down a bit, you can no longer return to the top level.
Interpretation
Creating high-level cuisine requires constant effort and competitiveness.
This quote by Joel Robuchon emphasizes the parallel between the culinary arts and sports, highlighting that just as athletes must consistently train and maintain their competitive edge, chefs must also strive for excellence in their craft. The quote suggests that any lapse in commitment can hinder one's ability to achieve top-tier quality in cooking, underlining the demands of the culinary profession.
In practice
In a cooking class, you might share this quote to inspire students to push their culinary skills.
When new cooks come to work for me, they obviously make mistakes at the beginning or there's some messiness to the presentation. What I always say to them is: 'If you were cooking this for your mother or your girlfriend, would you make those mistakes?'
The older I get, the more I realize the truth is the simpler the food, the more exceptional it can be.
I am very honored for all the distinctions and accolades, but what I am most sensitive to is my clientele and the fact they are pleased with my food and my restaurants.
From the age of 15 to 50, I'd hardly stepped out of a kitchen. I just wanted to live a little, to spend time with my wife and children. The first time I saw snow was when I was 50, because I'd never had the time before.
When a dish works, it works for everyone, whether you're Asian, European, African, American or anybody else.
The instrument is not the camera but the photographer.
What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.
I want people to come to me open and vulnerable. When they come to the gallery, they have to leave their watches, their computers, their Blackberrys, iPads, iPhones, because we are so incredibly used to technology, and I wanted to remove that.
Talents of the novelist: ... observation of character, analysis of emotion, people's feelings, personal relations.
I make the most money, I think, in Russia and Paris, for the people of those countries are so willing to be amused, so eager to see something new and out of the ordinary.
What I used to do with a passion, foolishly and vainly imagining I would change the world for the better, I no longer tolerate in myself or anyone else. But draw, always draw - and WRITE.
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