The Hospitality Industry is ranked as the largest employer in the world that offers an expansive variety of jobs and careers in countless diverse sectors. It is a high stress field with long hours and sometimes not enough compensation to go with it. However, individuals who pursue these types of careers are not in it for the monetary gain; They simply enjoy being able to leave a lasting positive impression on another person. This is precisely why I want to be apart of this industry.

The individual that I most highly admire in this industry is Mario Batali. One reason for this is because of his persona and attitude towards his employees. According to a New York Times article, Batali does not allow yelling or screaming in any of his kitchens. Bryant (2012), “I have worked with a lot of yellers … yelling is a result of the dismay you feel when you realize you have not done your own job”. I completely agree with this because once someone yells or screams at another person, it is hard to continue doing the task at hand and being able to concentrate without feeling like a failure. This type of leadership is essential in the industry. The culture of screaming and yelling appears to be celebrated in some restaurant kitchens but Batali is trying to shy away from that stigma. He feels that it is the job of the chef “to prepare the staff for what will inevitably come” (Bryant, 2012). He is referring to peak times and rush periods of the restaurant business.

Secondly, Batali knows what type of people he should take on and what it takes to make it in this field. One leadership lesson that Batali believes in is that in this industry you have to realize that you are not the most intelligent person in the room at all times. Being humble is basically a requirement in this field. You have to be able to empathize, recognize and communicate under stress in order to help solve a problem instead of becoming a part of it. “The first day that a chef believes that [they] know everything is the first day for the rest of their life that they will be a jerk because you can’t know everything about our field” (Ruhlman, 2007). His hiring practices are amazing. “I look them in the eye and can tell after a minute whether they’re going to work out. I look at their résumé and if they have experience in places I envy or where I know people, I will call because that’s the quickest path to understanding somebody. I look for a gentle, smiling eye and a happiness but also if you’re driven and whether you pay very careful attention to what I’m doing” (Bryant 2012). Batali also does not hire managers. He believes that people should move up the ranks once he has seen them work. The highest position that he will hire for is a line cook. I agree with this and will implement this when I own my own restaurant. I believe it gives someone a chance while also grooming that person to be the next manager or owner. The only way to be an effective manager or owner is to know how to do every job while not being afraid to get your own hands dirty and work in the trenches with your employees. This will show an employee that if the manager or owner can do the same job, there is no excuse to not be able to do the same.

Just like Mario, “midway through college [I] had already decided to become a chef” (Avery 2010). His role within the industry inspires me everyday to continue school and pursue my dreams. He co-owns/owns at least 16 restaurants and shops around the world in places such as New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. Like Batali, I want to own my own restaurants, write popular cookbooks, have a cookware line and possibly also be on television. Over the years, I have compiled all my favorite recipes, the changes that I’ve made to some as well as creating my own to put into my first cookbook. Ruhlman (2007) states that one sign that shows how far the industry has come is that “… from the days when a chef earned [their] income by cooking and doing that in one kitchen … endorsement deals and book and television contracts are the symbol of success for a few dozen chefs that have been able to market their names and images”.

Lastly Batali, along with other industry professionals, are extremely concerned with proposed hydrofracking and what it will do to the environment specifically here in New York. Hydrofracking is a controversial way that natural gas is extracted from underground. Batali believes that it could do severe damage to businesses that rely on safe and locally sourced food as well as the agricultural industry. To him, it is not just about the jobs that fracking may or may not create or the environment. It is about the “real economic risks that “…local agriculture, food and beverage production, restaurants and tourism industries” will face due to their vitality and “interdependent economic engines that rely on New York’s famously pristine water and farmland” (Batali and Telepan, 2013). The risks do not merit the supposed economic benefits that come with fracking.

Overall, Mario Batali is one if not the best in the industry today. The way in which he treats his staff is more than admirable; to me it is highly regarded and that is why I am excited to start my career with him. His approaches to business are confident and savvy. He takes into consideration the environment and what we as a culture do to procure our ingredients as well as our customers’ loyalty to us.

 References

Avery, Laura. (2010). Newsmakers 2010 Cumulation. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 28-30.

Gale Virtual Reference Library.

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX2320600015&v=2.1&u=cuny_nytc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=603ea9b8c785fd4f7da408dfde41924e

Batali, Mario and Telepan, Bill. (2013). Fracking versus food: New York’s choice.

New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/fracking-food-n-y-s-choice-article-1.1357913

Bryant, Adam. (2012). In Mario Batali’s Kitchen You’ll Refrain From Shouting.

New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/business/in-mario-batalis-kitchen-please-refrain-from-shouting.html?ref=mariobatali&_r=0

Ruhlman, Michael. (2007). Follow the Money All the Way to the Kitchen. New York Times. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/24/dining/24chef.html?ref=mariobatali