The Importance of Focus, May 9, 2006 — This is going to seem obvious. And after eating at countless restaurants and seeing patterns of what makes them good (and more importantly what makes them not so good), focus is probably the single most important ingredient of consistently making great food.

I'm sure many people think this is a no brainer, but how come it happens so rarely. As discussed, street food benefits from the natural constraints of its environment. When chefs have their own kitchens, often they are free from many of those constraints. They usually have a concept. The degree of control they have over the concept varies, but even if they don't get complete say, they likely have some creative input into the menu. And this is where the trouble often begins.

Focus means having a vision. Vision is different than a list of neat ideas to try. Vision means really knowing how something should taste at the end. Can most people cooking today really say that they have a vision for their food? One that makes sense? Not something that's a collection of dishes they once enjoyed and modest variations on things they saw other chefs do? I bet there are many chefs who are bristling right now at my characterization. And the fact is that I don't know what's going on in the chef's head when I'm eating food that is unremarkable and certainly not memorable. But when you see the same raw tuna appetizer with tiny variations, or the same tall food (a few years back), you start to wonder. And even if the chef does have a vision, it's certainly not coming through in the food.

I recently wrote up a restaurant where a young chef had moved from his old restaurant to a new one and brought the old recipes with him. It's not that this new young chef didn't have his own thoughts. It's that he had just gotten the new top job and was getting comfortable in the role. Cooking the dishes he knew from his old restaurant (where he wasn't the head chef) was easier because he knew exactly how they were supposed to taste, and he had a deep understanding of what experience he was creating for his customers. The chef was open with me that he brought most of his recipes from his old gig, but would be developing new ones over time. And yet, when readers saw this write-up many of them savaged him for bringing the recipes from his old restaurant. Do people get mad at an Italian restaurant that serves Veal Scallopini? Is that an original dish? The negative comments were mostly about how unoriginal he was being. From my perspective, this chef was going with his strengths.

That's right. I would rather have a chef prepare a dish that he learned from another chef, than come up with his own "inventions" before he's ready. And if he's going to prepare the dish he learned elsewhere, I'd prefer  if it was prepared exactly the way it was invented. Sure, innovations, and original touches will come over time. But often random dishes come about because people who don't understand how the dish was supposed to taste in the first place make changes that don't work.

Going with one's strengths is key. You'll likely get better results doing what you're good at. Focus and simplicity allow a chef to eliminate variables. The fewer elements there are in a dish or a recipe means there are fewer opportunities for mistakes. It's math. And common sense. And often ignored. Sometimes it feels like chefs complicate dishes to give an impression of creativity and originality. And in fact with many diners this often works. It's scary to put a single piece of food out on a dish. Diners will feel ripped off. And if the item isn't perfect then there's no hiding behind a mountain of frisee. But focusing on that one perfect piece of watermelon, or chicken, or ravioli means that there can be more time and attention spent on the details. Details like quality, timing, freshness, and flavor.

I'll leave it at this. Being focused, keeping it simple, and going with your strengths are pillars of quality in cooking. (And in my opinion pillars of quality in just about any endeavor.) I would so much rather a chef focus on getting the timing and flavor right than add yet another microgreen or rare purple potato to a dish. The fewer the variables in each dish coming out of the kitchen, the easier it is to repeat, and to repeat with quality. Next up, what's a chef who's looking for focus to do?