Just as your independent creativity starts to soar, it’s time to get familiar with teamwork. As a
culinary arts student, it’s vitally important to work as a team. Unless you’re a one-man robot with a penchant for dozens of energy drinks, you’ll never manage alone in a busy restaurant kitchen. It’s the teamwork that brings everything together. Relax! When you’ve reached this point of your education, you know you’ve reached a critical summit. This is when the real learning begins. As you work together with your classmates, keep in mind that you’ll be marked not only on the food creation and presentation, but on how well you worked as a team.
Not everyone is comfortable working so closely with classmates, especially when the final outcome is going to reflect your mark. However, it’s important to develop this skill, whether you love it or not. This is where your humility should shine through, allowing yourself to hear and maturely respond to constructive criticism. Listen to what your classmates have to say; they too come to the kitchen with past experiences, ideas, and learning to offer. Just listen and absorb critiques as they come to you. Keep them on the back burner. You never know when they’re going to come in handy.
