Be Julia for Cooking, Be Galley for Ops

If you have any interest in food or cooking and spend any time in the kitchen—maybe just a couple of hours a day making meatloaf at home or 12 hours a day serving up culinary sensations for restaurants—you are well acquainted with Julia Child. Most not only know of her, many, if not most, love her for what she brought to America by way of cooking on TV. 

Child was a chef, author, and TV personality who revolutionized American cuisine by making French cooking accessible to all. In 1961, she co-authored the groundbreaking cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and, in 1963, launched the pioneering TV series The French Chef. Child was one of the first women to host her own cooking show, enthusiastically demonstrating how to make dishes like quiche Lorraine and coq au vin. 

But beyond the cooking, perhaps what she most importantly taught home cooks in the United States was that the cooking should be fun and not something to fear. In one particular show—working with sugar syrup and caramel, it seems—she preached about “the awful American syndrome of fear” that keeps many from tackling some of the more difficult recipes and techniques.

Said Child: “Cooking, lots of it, is one failure after another, and that’s how you finally learn. So, you’ve got to have developed what the French call, Je m'en foutisme, which means, I don’t care what happens, the sauce can fall or omelets can go all over the stove….I’m going to learn. I shall overcome! If you’re not going to learn how to fail, you’re not going to learn how to cook.”

Now, that’s all well a good for the home cook. Things go wrong you clean up and try again or, even better, order in. But what do working chefs think of such a frame of mind: Does it work in the professional kitchen?

According to many, real chefs generally have a nuanced perspective on failure and Je m'en foutisme. They understand that both can be either detrimental or beneficial, depending on the context and how they are channeled. Generally speaking, real chefs don't shy away from failure but embrace it as an essential part of the learning process. Each culinary mishap is often seen as an opportunity to analyze what went wrong, adapt techniques, and refine skills. It also builds resilience—an imperative in the working food service world. Overcoming culinary failures builds mental toughness and strengthens a chef's ability to handle challenges and high-pressure situations. Experienced chefs understand that setbacks are a natural part of any career, and they use those experiences to fuel their determination and push for greater achievements. 

Failures can sometimes also lead to unexpected discoveries or force chefs to experiment with new ingredients and techniques, potentially leading to groundbreaking dishes. Some of the more famous “failures” include:

• Tarte Tatin: This classic French caramelized apple tart originated in the late 19th century with the Tatin sisters, who ran an inn. As the story goes, Stéphanie Tatin, while preparing an apple tart, either forgot to put a pie crust on the bottom or accidentally overcooked the apples in butter and sugar. To rescue the dessert, she placed the pastry on top of the cooked apples, baked it, and then flipped it over, resulting in a caramelized masterpiece that became a signature dish at their inn.

• Chocolate Chip Cookies: These beloved treats are said to have been invented by Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, in 1930. The original plan involved using melted baker's chocolate, but Wakefield allegedly ran out and improvised by chopping up a semi-sweet chocolate bar, expecting it to melt into the dough. Instead, the chocolate remained in chunks, creating the iconic chocolate chip cookie.

• Potato Chips: The invention of potato chips is often attributed to George Crum, a chef at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1853. Legend has it that a dissatisfied customer kept sending back his fried potatoes, complaining they were too thick. Frustrated, Crum thinly sliced potatoes, fried them to a crisp, and seasoned them with extra salt, creating what became known as "Saratoga Chips".

So, while real chefs embrace failure as a learning opportunity and a steppingstone to success, they avoid an indifferent attitude that would hinder their growth and improvement. A positive approach to mistakes, coupled with resilience, adaptability, and a strong work ethic, is the hallmark of a successful chef. 

Where Je m'en foutisme might not be such a good idea, however, is in the running of a food service operation. Not caring what happens is not a business strategy. Learning a lesson from overcooking eggs or burning a steak is one thing; making errors in menu creation or food costing or ingredient sourcing or production methods is something else entirely.

We at Galley believe that the foodservice industry is at a crossroads, facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. As consumer demands shift and technology advances, businesses must navigate a complex landscape to stay competitive. Today’s consumers are more informed and health-conscious than ever before. They demand transparency in ingredient sourcing, expect personalized dining experiences, and prioritize sustainability. This shift requires foodservice businesses to be agile, continuously adapting menus and sourcing practices to meet these evolving expectations.

None of which can be properly done by just hoping for the best and try, try, trying again.

Consumers today demand transparency. They, increasingly, want detailed information about their food, including. ingredients, sourcing, and production methods. Implementing advanced technology platforms can help businesses gather and analyze customer data, offer personalized experiences, and provide the transparency and sustainability information that today's consumers demand.

And, frankly, there is not much room for error.

The operational landscape in foodservice is complex, involving various interconnected elements. Traditionally, these functions have been managed through disparate systems, leading to inefficiencies, increased costs, and a lack of cohesive strategy—all, perhaps, the result of operational Je m'en foutisme. The absence of an integrated approach has made it difficult for businesses to scale effectively and respond swiftly to market changes. As a result, the foodservice industry has been viewed as the last frontier for digital transformation, waiting for a comprehensive solution that can address this multitude of challenges.

But that’s the past. What’s next is a revolution in culinary operations. What’s next is Galley’s Culinary Resource Planning (CRP) technology transforming professional kitchen management. Galley is leading a profound change in the foodservice world. We are among the new wave serving up a blend of cutting-edge technology, data, and human creativity to help craft exceptional culinary experiences and modernize operations for industry innovators.

So, innovate, be creative, experiment, and fail before you succeed at the stove and in the kitchen—let Je m'en foutisme rule the day. But when it comes to running kitchen operations, we say strive for le souci constant—constant concern. It’s the recipe for foodservice success.