The informal conversations before and after scheduled meetings are essential in leadership. Traditionally, these took place on the golf course or in restaurants and bars. Small talk helps build understanding one word at a time. My greatest mentor used to call our daily executive meeting the “good morning agenda.”
We often share that chefs or cooks should actively engage with club members to enhance and improve their culinary experience. This represents a challenge for many, as traditional kitchen environments often emphasize a focused, silent, almost invisible work ethic. Typically, recognition came as a result of errors, and chefs rarely received encouragement to interact beyond the kitchen. As a successful Executive Chef, one must now change that muscle memory, placing engagement outside the kitchen into the daily schedule for greater success.
Many meaningful meetings during the recent Chef to Chef Conference at The Broadmoor happened outside the official conference sessions. Some meetings were scheduled, while others occurred spontaneously.
Over the past two decades, I’ve refined my interpersonal skills; like any art form, conversation is taught, learned, and improved with practice. This is a contrast to the 20-plus years I spent in the kitchen, where quick action, concise verbiage, and direct communication were essential. In fact, a talented general manager once told me that to succeed in front-of-house roles, I had to slow down my “pace,” as he called it. Members need to feel they are the most important part of your daily agenda, not merely an outcome of your energy. Aura and body language are critical to positive engagement, creating a feeling of calm.
In the early hours of the second morning of our conference, I chatted with a chef in a quiet hallway. He told me about his education at the Culinary Institute of America and our mutual familiarity with his instructors. As we talked, he admitted he was initially intimidated by my certification. We discussed our careers, mistakes, and passion for cooking while standing by the elevators. I would like to believe I created respect for the CMC certification, along with additional insight into who we are as people, not just professionals.
Whenever I visit a club today, I invite my protégés for an early morning coffee. They’ve become accustomed to my habit of waking early, so our meetings often happen at 6 a.m., well before their typical agendas. These interactions also occurred in my previous kitchens, in different cities, and even at conferences. My philosophy is that waking up earlier is the only part of my day I can truly control, allowing time to connect. The Chef to Chef sessions were no exception; now, many former colleagues specifically request our coffee meetings, confirming, “Early, right?” These moments are crucial for connecting, discussing philosophies, and recharging our passion for the profession. I always make it a point to ask about their families, health, and other important aspects of life.
During my time as a corporate chef, I often connected with local Executive Chefs by exploring morning or night markets together to discover regional ingredients. Many colleagues told me that, despite traveling the world, they usually only saw hotel projects and airports. Wanting a richer experience, I adopted a new approach when I met the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s Executive Chef in 1992. He led us on a city tour before sunrise, revealing another side of travel. Years later, while preparing to open the Tokyo Ritz-Carlton, I learned he had transferred to the Grand Hyatt there. We agreed to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market the next time I was in town. Two months later, when I checked into my hotel room, I received a sealed envelope with instructions to meet him in the Hyatt lobby at 3 a.m. Arriving early, I stepped into the marble lobby and noticed a young boy waiting alone. After five minutes of silence, I heard the chef’s voice: “Lawrence, welcome to Japan. My son and I are glad you’ll join our weekly market walk.” Through our shared passion for natural ingredients, he welcomed me into his personal life. Much like the well-known idea—you don’t just hire the employee, but their family as well.
In another chapter of my life, I was a runner, so I would connect with people in each location by taking a morning run. Nature, storytelling, and the pursuit of health were great ways to start the day. My partner Annette has this habit today, one of the many reasons I admire her so much. Each morning, I recognize the privilege of experiencing different parts of the world one step at a time. Running slows us down, allowing each culture to envelop us in its own splendor.
Last week during Chef to Chef, these unscripted yet meaningful exchanges deepened my understanding of the profession and each chef’s culinary path. Some attendees were familiar, others new, and some long unseen.
