Why a great chef is the best person to wash the dishes

Once I moved back to Toronto from Oman in 2012, I immediately went back to the things I loved to do, which was planning events. And so for Valentines Day, one of the gifts I got my beautiful wife Penny was a voucher for The Chef on Two Wheels. For those who don't know, The Chef on Two Wheels is a service where a certified chef comes to your house and together you cook a romantic meal.

I bought the gift because a) Penny loved cooking b) it was an opportunity to do something together c) it was so cool to have a certified chef come to your home and cook you dinner.  Once we booked the appointment, Penny and I were both excited about our night out, at home.

To be frank, I don't remember much about that evening other than a few details. I know we cooked a delicious Italian meal along with desert, and that we were both happy with the experience. However, there was one important lesson I learned that evening.

How to wash the dishes.

Now you may be wondering what having a certified chef cooking in your house has to do with learning how to wash dishes. Well let me explain.

As a certified chef, Chef Padula probably knew a thing or two about washing dishes.  If you cook a lot, you need to clean a lot. Chef Padula showed the passion of dish washing with each piece of dinnerware. First he would lather every possible inch of each plate, both on the top, bottom and on the sides. Then he would rinse the plate out, following the same formula.

This taught me some very important lessons.

Chef Padula's skills showed me that you can't be a great chef, if you don't know how to do everything else well in the kitchen. A great chef can only be truly great if he or she is just as talented and passionate about every other aspect of his or her trade. Like dish washing. 

Second, it made me realize that we all have a variety of skill sets to offer, and that we always have to be willing to learn from others. Nobody will refer to Chef Padula as a master dishwasher, but I now know how to wash dishes like a professional.

In order to a great cook, you need to know how to make your plates shine.

Bon Appétit!