The traditional image of the chef
For decades the chef was presented as the absolute ruler inside the kitchen. Like a general who everyone must follow without a second thought. The image was built on volume, strictness, and fear. A yes chef was not simply an answer. It was a command of obedience and silence.
Questioning often equaled career suicide. If you spoke up you were targeted. If you criticised you were blacklisted. Many cooks learned to stay silent not because they agreed but because that was the way to survive.
It is no accident that those who worked in old school kitchens speak about scars they still carry. Public humiliations, insults disguised as training, gestures that were brushed aside. That model gave kitchens discipline but not respect. It produced cooks who executed tasks but did not learn to think.
When the chef is not right
The chef may be the head but is not infallible. Their mistakes are often the most dangerous. Picture a busy Friday night service. The chef decides at the last minute to change a plating because it looks more gourmet. The team knows the timings will not work and that the pass will clog. Nobody speaks. The result is delayed tickets, angry guests, and cooks running everywhere to cover a mistake that was not theirs.
Another scene. The chef gets stuck on a technique they read about or saw on TV. They force it onto the menu even if it hurts the dish. The cooks know it. They test it. They whisper to each other but the message never reaches the chef. Plates go out and many come back almost untouched. Yet the blame falls on the team for not executing correctly.
Every time the chef is wrong the team pays the price. The people on the stations, the ones sweating over the pans, the ones who save the situation without recognition. The chef keeps the image of leader, while in reality the team carries the service on its back.
The culture of yes chef
Yes chef is the most classic phrase in a kitchen. Let us not pretend it always means acceptance. Often it means I have no other choice. It means yes chef but I will do it the way I know so we avoid damage.
This culture is toxic because it builds a fake picture. The chef thinks the team follows while in reality they correct behind the scenes. Two kitchens are created. The official one that obeys and the unofficial one that saves the food.
Trust cannot be built like this. Only walls. When yes chef is just a mask the kitchen does not progress. It stays stuck in fake balance.
The silence of the team
Silence can be louder than shouting. In many kitchens silence does not mean respect. It means fear. It is the silence of if I speak I will have a problem. It suffocates growth and kills creativity.
A team that stays silent in front of mistakes is not a team that respects its leader. It is a team that has learned to protect itself. When that becomes the norm the kitchen loses its fire. There is no passion, no dialogue, only robots executing orders.
The role of power
Power is a tool. Nothing more. It allows you to organise, set order, and keep tempo. By itself it means nothing.
Power says do it because I say so. Leadership says do it because you know we will all benefit. The difference is massive. The first makes you obey out of fear. The second makes you want to give your best.
A chef who shouts may keep a quiet kitchen but will never truly have the team beside them. Respect is not earned with intimidation. It is built with consistency and results.
The price of ego
A chef's ego is one of the most expensive mistakes in a kitchen. When decisions are driven by ego instead of the food everything goes wrong.
A chef who refuses to listen misses chances to improve. A chef who only wants to be seen burns their team. In the end their name burns with it.
In the short term things may stand. Cooks will run, cover, and save. Long term the good ones leave. Nobody wants to work for someone who values their own image more than the outcome.
The modern kitchen
New generations of cooks think differently. They did not grow up with shut up and work. They grew up with access to information, schools, workshops, videos, and books. They have a point of view and are not afraid to show it.
Dialogue has become essential. A cook is not just hands. A cook is mind, creativity, and experience. Many times a cook saves the chef from disaster without anyone knowing.
Wrong timing, a mixed up ticket, an instruction that makes no sense. The team steps in, covers, corrects. None of this is written anywhere. The guest sees a plate that arrived on time. The chef sees success. Only the team knows the truth.
The power of feedback
Feedback is the kitchen's mirror. If the chef does not look into it, they stay blind. When staff have room to speak the kitchen improves. Without it the kitchen stays still.
The chef who does not listen builds walls and ends up alone. The chef who listens builds bridges and ends up with a team that will support them through good and hard services.
What it really means to be a chef
Shouting does not make you a chef. Slamming the bench does not make you a chef. What matters is whether you:
- Build trust within the team.
- Give space for others to be heard.
- Stay calm when everything burns around you.
- Admit mistakes and fix them.
The title is not enough. A chef is judged by outcomes, by consistency, and by the ability to keep the team standing when everything seems to collapse.
The hard truth
Not every chef deserves the position. Some landed there by luck, timing, or simply because there was no one else. The position alone proves nothing.
The truth is hard. A title does not make you a better cook. It does not make you a leader. What makes you one is whether your team trusts you. Whether they follow because they want to, not because they fear you.
Closing
The kitchen does not need authorities. It needs leaders. Respect is not imposed. It is earned. A position alone does not make you right. A head scarf does not make you the brain of the kitchen. The head may have the last word. That does not mean it is the right one.
So the open question is simple. Is the chef always right, or does nobody dare to tell them they are wrong?
Questions and Answers
Is it always right to obey the chef?
Not always. Obedience to a wrong instruction means damage to the kitchen and bad food for the guest. The team should find ways to correct without exposing anyone.
How does a chef who does not deserve the position look?
You see it in the attitude. They do not listen, they insist on mistakes, they always blame others. A good chef takes responsibility. A bad one spreads it everywhere except to themselves.
Can the team correct the chef?
Often yes, and many times it happens silently. The team saves the day, the chef gets the credit.
What is the difference between power and leadership?
Power means people fear you. Leadership means people trust you. The first makes you a boss. The second makes you a leader.
What does yes chef mean in practice?
Sometimes it is true. Other times it is just a yes that means let me do it the way I know.
Why do cooks often stay silent?
Because they know even a small objection can cost them. Silence is not respect. It is self protection.
What is the most dangerous mistake a chef can make?
To believe they do not make mistakes. That is where the downfall begins.
How does a chef earn respect?
Not with shouting or bravado. With fair behaviour, consistent results, and by giving space to the team.
Can a strong team stand above a bad chef?
Yes, if it is united. A good team saves the kitchen even if the head is an obstacle instead of a guide.
Do such chefs still exist today?
They are not only a thing of the past. They exist today in small and large kitchens. Many cooks accept the climate because they need experience, a CV line, or simply a salary. Nobody lasts forever. Good cooks leave and newcomers burn out. The future belongs to those who lead rather than impose.