I’ve been a devotee of Top Chef since its beginning. Even though Central time placed it an hour later and Mountain time placed it two hours later. I don’t stay up until midnight on a weekday (or weekend) so usually have to find it on a re-run.
Tonight Marcel lost. I’d like to say he lost for his addiction to “foams” but alas, he did not. He was dealt a good hand in winning the quickfire and given a team to choose. I don’t know whether he just looked for who hated him the least or what his selection criteria. Despite the expected foam, the most egregious fault of Marcel is that he doesn’t like people, doesn’t relate to them and can’t fathom a way to herd these cats into submission. So he gave up and tried to show off his own dishes.
A team leader leads. Mostly by example, so there was no there, there. People think they can go all the way on their own (and Hung did by refusing to help anyone even though they’d helped him). That tactic doesn’t work in life or work, perhaps only on a show where people want to win money.
I can’t imagine doing anything spectacular without teamwork and have had teams around me my entire life. I was not the best gymnast in high school but my peers voted me captain two years in a row. And I had words with a team-mate leagues above us who competed and wanted to leave. I told her that we were all there to cheer for her, so the team would cheer others in this competition. She was on the team and not above us, and would be there for everyone or I’d cut her from the team immediately. She saw my way and thanked me for it afterwards, well, a while afterwards.
Everyone sees movies where chefs are yelling and creating havoc in the kitchen. I do that in my own kitchen, when the dog smells meat. I do believe that any successful chef needs teamwork in the kitchen and people who respect him/her. If a chef has five restaurants, where is he/she all the time? If you can’t trust your team, you can’t leave the kitchen for an evening, a week’s vacation or to have other restaurants that carry your name.
Top Chef All-Stars was right to send Marcel home because even at age 30, he still doesn’t have a clue how to be a team player or how to lead a team. By winning a quick fire challenge he got the big one that there was no way he could win. Keep cooking! Dee
Cooking with Dee 