There is no better way to end this year’s blog than unity. Why?
Unity is what CCAB’s work is all about – us all coming together as individuals, a team, and a community to empower and uplift one another.
Recently, students in our Go Cook Program learned about the importance of unity-in-practice during one of their team cooks. In this exercise, each student is tasked with preparing a specific dish that, when taken together, creates a mouthwatering 5-course meal.
Critical to the success of the team is that each student prepares, plans, and times their individual dish. Soft skills such as accountability, time management, adaptability, teamwork, and communication are key, but ultimately students find unity is what binds it all together.
Unfortunately in this past cook, some students had not studied their menus, planned, or prepared enough. As a result, the first dish, orzo croquettes, arrived way late and missing critical ingredients. This threw the rest of the students’ dishes way off in terms of timing and taste. What they found was that without successful parts working together there is no delectable whole.
In the discussion and reflection session, Chef Brinson focused on the “ripple effect of service”; how the way one person shows up (or doesn’t) affects the entire team’s meal. Unity is integral in the kitchen, as each individual dish is an essential part for delivering a complete culinary experience. Put simply, unity is the tool and the goal, ensuring a delicious meal and enabling a team to flourish.
Given that unity is a core value for CCAB, and a critical piece of the pie for culinary success, this month we decided to catch up with Chef Antwon Brinson, our founder and president. Let’s learn from Chef AB as he shares insights about unity.
CCAB: Why did you decide to have unity as one of CCAB’s core values?
Chef Antwon: We chose unity as a core value for CCAB because success in any kitchen, and arguably in life, depends on teamwork. Too often, individuals approach their work with a “me-first” mentality, but in a fast-paced environment like a kitchen, that attitude can be detrimental.
Unity, to us, means understanding that the team’s success is paramount. It’s about recognizing that everyone has a vital role to play and that collaboration is key to achieving shared goals. A unified team, where everyone contributes and supports each other, is essential for overcoming challenges and achieving excellence.
We instill this philosophy in our students across all programs because we recognize that unity is not just a valuable “soft skill” for the kitchen, but a foundational principle for success in all areas of life. By fostering a sense of unity and collaboration, we empower our students to become effective team players, valuable colleagues, and ultimately, successful individuals.
CCAB: What is the most important thing we should know about unity?
Chef Antwon: Unity is about understanding that your contribution, however individual, is essential to the success of the whole team. It’s about seeing the bigger picture and actively seeking ways to add value.
CCAB: How does unity get applied in the hospitality and culinary industries?
Chef Antwon: Unity is the backbone of the hospitality and culinary industries. Every role, from the dishwasher to the head chef, is interconnected and essential for success.
Think of it like a chain reaction: if the dishwasher doesn’t clean the plates, the cooks can’t plate their dishes, the servers can’t deliver food, and the bartender can’t serve drinks. This interdependence highlights how crucial it is for every team member to understand their role and execute it effectively.
But unity goes beyond simply fulfilling individual duties. It’s about leadership that fosters a collaborative environment, where everyone feels valued and understands their contribution to the bigger picture. This creates a strong team spirit, which ultimately translates to a better experience for the guest. In essence, unity is the key ingredient for creating a successful and harmonious hospitality experience.
CCAB: What is the most important memory you have about unity from your days as an Executive Chef?
Chef Antwon: One of my most powerful memories of unity happened years ago at a hotel in Hawaii. During a particularly intense rainy season, mudslides blocked both roads to the property, leaving us completely isolated with a full house of guests and only three days’ worth of food.
Faced with this extraordinary challenge, something incredible happened. Everyone, from every department, came together with a single focus: to take care of our guests and each other. We had the director of operations flipping pancakes on the line and the storeroom manager prepping fruit for the buffet. Traditional roles vanished, replaced by a shared sense of purpose and a determination to overcome the obstacle as one team.
Through creative menu planning and sheer collective effort, we were able to stretch our limited resources and successfully feed everyone for two extra days until the roads were cleared. It was a testament to the power of unity, resourcefulness, and a shared commitment to a common goal.
That experience taught us that a small, dedicated team, working in unison, can achieve extraordinary things. More importantly, it underscored the vital role that every individual plays in a team’s success, especially when everyone understands and embraces their responsibilities.
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A very big thank you to Chef AB for providing us such great insights around his experience with unity. Stay tuned for next month’s blog, as we will post it the first week of every month!
About Culinary Concepts AB:
At CCAB, our mission is to empower people and build communities in the kitchen. We accomplish this through workforce training programs that teach essential life and occupational skills in addition to technical culinary skills. By equipping our students with this practical education, it not only fosters career development but also positions them for success in all areas of their lives. We believe that through constant pursuit of our mission, living our core values, and continuing to form strategic partnerships, we will realize our vision of providing all communities with equitable access to life and occupational skills training. Click here to learn more and get involved! https://culinaryconceptsab.com/about/