Why do we consider the so-called great chefs, so great, and what makes a great chef anyway? I have my theories but I am not sure they can be easily defined in a short story on a blog. The perception of what is a great chef is more relevant. A chef becomes well-known after client recognition and acceptance of his ideas by peers.

I suppose a lot has to do with the supposed ideas, the “food approach” given food has become more like fashion. In the winter the same long coat, in the fall, the same heavy sweater, and the summer, the same white linen shirt. The world is consumed by fall, cruise, spring, summer, winter, etc. Men and their cloths are like cats and their mice. So how does this all connect and make any sense?

The world we live in is consumed by new ideas, new vision and excitement. So a chef has to choose a formula and somehow balance it harmoniously to be convincing. A fine chocolate dessert becomes more key than a properly cooked duck breast. This sounds all pretty crazy or easy but it isn’t!

A chef today can become obsolete very easily, his menu boring even more quickly, if he/she isn’t relevant. The customers today demand more and more from a chef. You cannot fake it, people travel and their expectations rise to a level of international standards.

So the chef is now getting it? The customer dictates the success of the chef and the chef slaves over his ideas and details of each plate, in an attempt to satisfy the whims of clients. This is what commercial food is about and greatness is all about the comfort and connection, the perception of.

The great chef, is no longer a great chef, he is a chef that serves his clients what they wish to eat. Eating is no longer an experience, it is a mechanical process defined by food critics and those posh spenders with wallets made from crocodile.