The Repertoire Podcast

← The Repertoire Podcast5. Sept. · 42 Min.

It's actually Cook to Chef to Entrepreneur

It's actually Cook to Chef to Entrepreneur5. Sept.42 Min.

<p><a href="https://app.notion.com/p/39c38fe6ebfb8098bbdfc636fdac611a?pvs=21">Apply for Coaching with Repertoire</a></p><p><a href="https://www.joinrepertoire.com/blog/cooktocheftoentrepreneur">Written version of this episode on the Repertoire blog</a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/txQ9EJfy6t4?si=WDMp5JY32JWWElwr">My episode on “Cook to Chef” from 2019</a></p><p><a href="https://geni.us/7shiftsdata2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">7shifts FREE 2026 Industry Report</a></p><p><a href="https://www.joinrepertoire.com/downloads">Reps Series of Skill Exercises from Repertoire</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1wwKA1Ymrk&t=4s">Episode with Chris Spear</a></p><p><a href="https://geni.us/sorcerers">Sorcerer’s Apprentice book by Lisa Abend</a></p><p><a href="https://geni.us/hGrnUu">The E-Myth Revisited book by Michael Gerber</a></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/4xKLz6Q">Useful, Not True book by Derek Sivers</a></p><p><a href="https://medium.com/swlh/the-freelancer-and-the-entrepreneur-c79d2bbb52b2">Seth Godin’s Freelancer Post</a></p><p><a href="https://balajis.com/p/founding-vs-inheriting">Balaji’s Founder vs Inheritor Model</a></p><p><a href="https://tim.blog/2023/03/03/michael-mauboussin-transcript/">Tim Ferriss and Michael Mauboussin (where he shares the Greg Northcraft quote)</a></p><p><br></p><p>What is the difference between a cook and a chef? When can you call yourself a chef? How long does it take to go from line cook to chef? And how do you go from chef to restaurant owner?Difference between a cook and a chef: A cook works with food. A chef works with food AND owns responsibility. Not a culinary degree, not a title given by someone else, not a number of years.When can you call yourself a chef? The moment you&#39;re responsible for elements that orbit around food. Even if you&#39;ve only been in the industry for four months. Cook to chef happens fast.Is a line cook a chef? In my definition, if they own responsibility, yes. If you&#39;re running your station like your own a microcosm of a restaurant, you already are one. &quot;I&#39;m just a cook&quot; is not serving you.&quot;A cook knows how, a chef knows why.&quot; Ask a line cook a few why-questions about their station and see how much they know. There are more chefs than we think.&quot;Every chef is a cook, but not every cook is a chef.&quot; True, and this episode explains exactly where the line is and why fast food and chain kitchens deliberately keep cooks on the other side of it.How long does it take to become a chef? Shorter than you think. The years come after, when you&#39;re building your repertoire as a chef.Chef to restaurant owner, private chef, pop-up, or food business: An entrepreneur has responsibilities beyond food AND asymmetric upside. Why the business side (marketing, financials, hiring, operations, negotiation) feels like a step backward, and how to build these skills the same way you built your kitchen skills.</p>