The most prominent thing that I have noticed after many hours of watching Food Network Star, Chopped, and Diners Drive-ins and Dives (other than that I need to cut down on my Food Network viewing hours) is that there is one thing that many of these chefs and restaurants owners have in common. A quality that they all share is their passion for what they do. This seems to be universal among all of these featured restaurant owners despite vast differences in cuisine, style, method, etc. Behind every successful restaurant or food truck is a passionate owner who wants to share what they love with the world — their food. This is why my inspiration in the food world is the restaurant owners.
Small Beginnings
Any restaurant begins with a person with a dream. Unless you are a celebrity, when you are first starting out in the restaurant business, your crowd will be small. This is when you build your loyal following of locals who will be there for you through all of the ups and the downs of the food industry. In order to build their restaurants up, the restaurant owners and chefs work tirelessly to promote their place and get new people in the door and coming back regularly. Looking at successful restaurants who have made it much farther than their humble beginnings shows that hard work really does pay off.
Driven By Passion
Owning a restaurant is no small task. It takes hours and hours of tireless and often thankless work. The most successful owners, however, have a passion for what they do and are not in it for the fame and glory. At the end of the day, they are in the business because this is what they are truly passionate about and they want to share their passion with the world. Passion is contagious and this is what motivates the other people involved in the restaurant. The lesson to be learned from this aspect of the owners is that true success comes from passion. If you are not passionate about what you do, then it will be harder for you to be successful. So follow your passion!
Changing the World One Plate at a Time
Restaurant owners and chefs around the world are changing the world with their food one plate at a time. A wise chef Remy (Ratatouille) once said, "You know the thing about good food? It brings folks together from all walks of life. It warms them right and it just puts little smiles on their faces." What this quote says rings true today as well. Food has the power to bring people together and unite them with a common ground. Restaurant owners and chefs can use this power they have been given to make an impact not only in the food world, but around the world.
For these reasons, restaurant owners and chefs are my inspiration in the food world. Seeing these people living out their dreams inspires me to find what it is that I am passionate about and to pursue that in life. These owners show us that although whatever you pursue might start small, with hard work you can build something amazing and you have the potential to change the world in any endeavor you may choose to pursue. The sky is the limit, so get going.