"Every interaction has an opportunity to create more understanding, or it has the ability to feed into assumptions you may already have about that person." 

June 1st was the opening of Lee Restoran, the place I'm fortunate to be a part of here in Tallinn, Estonia. Here are some thoughts from the first week.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a chef is the opportunities we get to create seemingly unique or new experiences for the guests that we serve. In this aspect of the job, the creative process is a key and vital component. I wanted to take some time to share a few points from what I have learned through the creative process, not just in the kitchen, but in many areas of my life. Hopefully, at the very least, it verifies or challenges what you think about creativity.

"If I’m a chef, and I can do a better job than my cooks at any point of the day, then to be frank, I may be talented at the hard skills of cooking, but I lack the soft skills needed to mentor my team and allow them to grow and flourish. Or maybe my ego can’t face the thought of someone in my kitchen can actually be better than me at something."

"More importantly, I am able to recall different people in my life, who have played some sort of role, and it’s this memory of all these people that have shaped me to be the person that I am."