Thomas Keller, his father, and his cooking

[RSS]

Originally Posted by Manton

He is apparently very high strung and unpleasant. I've never met him but I have seen him at the FL. He is so intensly concetrated on whatever he is doing that he radiates a vibe of "Don't you dare talk to me."
He rarely talks in the dining room ... as he prefers that the focus be on the food. And ... being the celebrity chef that he is ... were he not to have that "don't you dare talk to me vibe" as he goes about his work ... too much of his time would be lost to conversation with those who are eager for his attention.

Outside the dining room ... he's quite different. Some friends and I stopped in at The French Laundry one evening after dining at Redd. Three of us had eaten at TFL during the previous month ... and we were curious as to what was on the menu on this particular day. It was late ... things were winding down ... and Mr. Keller came out to the lobby. We had a long -- and very pleasant -- conversation.

As we were saying good-bye ... he offered, "Would you like to come in and top-off the evening with dessert?" Now TFL isn't a place I think about dropping-in ... but damn it was nice to have made an exception that evening!

 

[SField]

A lot of great chefs are a little antisocial, and I'm surprised that anyone would sort of take offense or be turned off by that. I was always one of the more lively and outgoing ones in any kitchen I worked in. The cooks tend to be different, but someone like Keller whose food demands so much micromanagement is likely to not always be acting like Emiril when people are around.

 

[foodguy]

ok, i know thomas keller. he's been a good friend for many years. in the kitchen, he can be an incredible hardass. but what do you expect? he's got to feed 90 people a night at the french laundry, each of whom are paying upwards of $200 just for the food and each of whom are expecting this to be the very best meal of their lives. he is also a guy who believes that getting things right means paying attention to details. and so if he'd told a cook several times that his dress was a problem, i can totally see him getting rid of the guy. if you can't even follow instructions about pants, how are you supposed to make his food the right way?
That said, he's MUCH softer than he used to be. Success -- and life -- has mellowed him. he never yells, the way so many chefs do. but then again, his crew wants to please so much all he has to do is whisper and things get taken care of.
this kind of attitude might not be appropriate in social situations, but it is incredibly common in high-end restaurants. you have to be a perfectionist, detail-freak to get to the top of the game. nice guys who simply cook good food don't usually have the fire to make it (rick bayless is one exception).
That said, how people act away from work can be different. thomas has a great sense of humor and is a terrific guy to hang around and eat and drink with. this, also, is different than the past, when he was so driven to succeed he sometimes seemed to have a hard time stepping off stage.
kim's story in the NYT was great, but it did gloss a bit of the background with his father, which was fairly difficult. but that, too, changed over the years. i sat next to him at TFL's 10th anniversary party and it was really cool -- all these high-powered foodies (the people on teh other side had flown in from switzerland for the dinner) and the kitchen cooked ed his own menu and the sommelier kept bringing him his favorite beer.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by foodguy

this kind of attitude might not be appropriate in social situations, but it is incredibly common in high-end restaurants. you have to be a perfectionist, detail-freak to get to the top of the game. nice guys who simply cook good food don't usually have the fire to make it (rick bayless is one exception).
I find this part interesting. I know Rick Bayless, and I don't find him to be a nice guy who cooks good food and "made it." How can you say that he is not a perfectionist, detail-freak? He is known as one of the most exacting and demanding chefs in America.

 

[SField]

This thread is funny.

 

[Roikins]

I heard TK once cut off a cook's ear and reattached it because he thought it wasn't symmetrical.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

I find this part interesting. I know Rick Bayless, and I don't find him to be a nice guy who cooks good food and "made it." How can you say that he is not a perfectionist, detail-freak? He is known as one of the most exacting and demanding chefs in America.

what can i say? that hasn't been my experience. and i certainly don't think that he is known to be demanding. he's a really good chef and a really good guy, but i've never gotten that kind of obsession from him. I don't know him as well as I know keller, but I have known him on a friendly basis for probably longer ... even knew his asshole brother back in my sportswriting days.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by Roikins

I heard TK once cut off a cook's ear and reattached it because he thought it wasn't symmetrical.

yes, but he probably stitched it back on in the appropriate place and the cook went away a much improved man.

 

[Roikins]

Originally Posted by foodguy

yes, but he probably stitched it back on in the appropriate place and the cook went away a much improved man.

He had bionic hearing after it; he could walk through dark wine caves using sonar.

 

[SField]

Here's a tip;

Most cooks who tell you x chef is an asshole usually ******* sucked at their job or have no heart whatsoever for criticism. Here's another tip, don't listen to anything anyone says who hasn't worked for someone for at least 2 years.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by SField

Here's a tip;

Most cooks who tell you x chef is an asshole usually ******* sucked at their job or have no heart whatsoever for criticism. Here's another tip, don't listen to anything anyone says who hasn't worked for someone for at least 2 years.

good rules. particularly these days when a lot of "chefs" seem to come out of cooking school convinced that they're creative geniuses who only need the right amount of encouragement to become a thomas keller. kitchen work is hard and it takes more discipline than it does creativity. i've often said the real miracle of a great restaurant isn't coming up with a terrific dish ... it's making it 30 times a night, every night, and getting it within 10% of perfect every time. there aren't many people who can deal with that level of obsession.

 

[SField]

This isn't even really about food, it's more about people and celebrities. Although Thomas Keller is a relatively obscure person to 99% of people, he's obviously a major player in the culinary world, so people who care about food sort of treat him as a celebrity. 99/100 people who meet a celebrity, and are not met with total devoted attention sort of get hurt and pissed off. I cannot think of how many times someone I know has met a celebrity, or even a chef, and told everyone they know that they're an "asshole".

Also be wary of people who say they "know" someone famous. I can also wager that 99/100 said famous person doesn't know the same of the person claiming to "know" them. If they don't know your name, you don't know them. Surmising what a person is like or even judging them for being highly critical people in a field that essentially thrives on criticism is also slightly strange.

 

[foodguy]

yup again. being big in the food world is a little bit like that spinal tap thing of being big in japan. let's see ... thomas keller or kobe bryant ... hell: thomas keller or khloe kardashian ... though i will say that is changing. when i got into the business, food was an eccentricity, now my wife (a non-foodie) is thrilled when i introduce her to tom colicchio. and the last time i went out to dinner with keller, other diners asked for autographs and pictures ... which he happily did.