Written By: Michael Sandoval
“The Perfect Circle”
“The Pursuit of Happiness”
Throughout my career I have experienced many inspirations! I have seen and admired the “Generals” and commanders know as Chefs in many forms… The dictatorships, the Democracy, the Monarchy and more …. Through experiences of others and certainly some of my own, I was able to determine my personal philosophy….
Now, before I describe and write about the romance of how the world should operate unconditionally together in unison, I remind you and myself that we are all imperfect humans… We will make mistakes and bad decisions throughout our entire life. Our human “error” will sometimes prevent harmony among the professional environment, life at home and as we have all experienced, the current world we live in!
Despite of our human imperfections, shortfalls and difficulty in assuming that everyone can trust the process, I truly believe and have tried to live my life based on……
“The Perfect Circle”
The idea that within any environment a person is willing to do more for another. The belief of selfless thought processes. Understanding that without expectations of receiving anything in return, you would encourage the re-payment to others; eventually, that “re-payment” would come full circle to “you”, the originator.
It is very interesting that the things you experience in life you remember during times of need. While considering this philosophy for my kitchens, I reflected back to high school.
When I was 17 years old I attended Centennial High. That year we were all shocked to have heard the news of a big screen production taking place on our campus. During those years I would have never guessed that the message in the movie would have inspired me to create an environment that delivered the same if not a similar meaning.
“Pay it forward”
I realized that my entire career leading up to that point, I had always practiced the “philosophy”…
It was time to encourage others!
I have to tell you that to encourage this sort of thought process; you have to be ready for disappointment. You have to be strong, have patients and understand that there will be a lot of ups-and downs. As a young professional that was not always easy to understand, accept or be able to do. I wasn’t strong enough yet!
There were moments where I lost sight of what was important to me… I reverted back to the norms of a professional kitchen and became the Chef that the world sees on television….
Although I was blessed to have been given the opportunity and thrown into the fire of leadership (Chef de Cuisine of a Michelin star restaurant), taking on that that role as a young man (25) made me lose sight of who I was for a while……
I often contemplate those times….
“The Dark Ages”……
The time when my desire for food was placed on hold and I thought that I had to be someone that I wasn’t; I thought that I needed to be the Chef who controlled his kitchen through fear as opposed to respect.
Looking back I realize that the pressure turned me into a Chef and person that I never wanted to allow myself to become.
I lost sight of my respect, my personal values and most importantly
My Philosophy…..
“The Perfect Circle”