Chef and Owner of Lyla Lila

Knife skills are a must for sure. They make your job easier, faster and more consistent. I also think mental stamina is something that people need to be very good at to stay engaged over the course of a shift, whether you’re a line cook, sous chef, or executive chef.

Read and watch as much as you can get your hands on. I didn’t go to culinary school and this is one way I taught myself a lot. Push yourself to never stop learning and getting better.

One book that I’ve bought a few times and given it away to a lot of young cooks is "Cooking by Hand" by Paul Bertolli. I always recommend this one, especially to someone just getting started in Italian Food. "The Flavor Bible" and "The Flavor Thesaurus" are also great reference books.

I cannot go a day without my Kunz spoons.

The biggest thing that I hear from young cook applicants is that they want to learn. Education is a big motivator in my kitchens. If you consistently show cooks something they don’t know and make them better at their job, they will most likely be loyal. You also have to set an expectation level and never waiver from it. This is a motivating factor because it causes cooks to operate at a high level all the time and they get better from it. Finally, I try to create a workplace that’s organized, professional, creative, and clean. Most, if not all cooks, want to work in this kind of environment. If they see this type of strong leadership, it does inspire them to work harder for our guests and our team.