Sol Han
Chef de Cuisine at Santi
“I refer to my team as an orchestra, the violinist, the piano, the drums, the trumpet, the saxophone, and the orchestrator is me. When we are all in tune, we can play the most beautiful harmony. Without the dishwasher the whole restaurant collapses. It's like a domino effect. We must all do our part and no part is greater or more important than the other.„
EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION
Think positive, its not just the restaurant industry that is hard, every job is hard, doctors and investment bankers work longer hours than industry people. Life is what you make of it.
I'm inspired to continue to work and excel as a chef because I would like to be pronounced as one of the greatest to ever do it.
For self-care, I make sure I get Sundays and Mondays off to spend time with family and close friends so I am not just working all the time.
When it comes to work/life balance, I try to give all cooks 2-3 days off and I shut down the restaurant at 9 PM so no one is working until 12 AM ever.
I rely heavily on Excel to do my job.
We have a small kitchen, but rather than seeing that as a negative, I make sure each team member gets to get their hands dirty on everything. This provides more exposure and experience which will further their technical skills.
I remind my team that we don't have room for bad attitudes and if you treat everyone the way you want to be treated and we will be at a good place.
In order to do my job, I can't live without my TEAM and the guests who come and support the restaurant.
I educate myself with books and social media.
I also find inspiration from my team. I see the young cooks coming in who are motivated to cook my food. As a result, I have to be a greater example and always push myself to the best ability and keep growing myself.
Lessons I've learned throughout my career: (1) Always write down recipes and (2) take everyone's advice.
We keep the team inspired by constantly changing the menu with seasonal ingredients and pushing the boundaries to create amazing dishes.
Knife skills and cleanliness are critical to possess in the culinary arts.
When hiring, I want dedicated hard working individuals who want to be the next generation of industry leaders. I look for a sense of urgency and awareness.
I always tell trails to look at the bigger picture and build a career not a job.
Diversity is one of the most important things that has helped me build a team and my career. The melting pot of each restaurant I worked at really taught me about people's cultures and personalities and how learning from one another is very important.
I went to culinary school right out of high school to really learn the foundations and the building blocks for becoming a great chef.
When I was helping my parents in their restaurant at the age of 16, I knew this profession was right for me.
The only internship I've ever done was when I was 18 and we did 1000 covers a day. It impacted me because it really taught me how to do high covers.
Advice from my mentors that have always stuck with me: (1) Clean as you go and (2) the name of game is speed.
Disclaimer: Individuals featured in the Inspirational Career Timelines section have been nominated by peers, colleagues and/or other members of the hospitality industry. It is to the best of our knowledge that each individual has demonstrated leadership and acted as a positive role model for others.
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