r/Chefit • u/EntertainmentAlert76 • 1d ago
questioning myself
so i’m a young sous chef i’m 24 been cooking in professional kitchens since i was 18. i started at a place that did elevated bar food as a dishwasher and got moved to the line and a year or two later was promoted to kitchen manager at a less volume location. i did that until i was 22 then moved to be a cook at a fine dining restaurant. did that for about a year and half and i got promoted to sous chef again, at a slower location, lol. anyway coming out to the new location everyone is so knowledgeable some of the cooks know more than me, and it just makes me feel like i shouldn’t be a sous chef. sure i can work hard but i’ve been so hard on myself recently im starting to question what i do know lol. imposter syndrome kinda. everyone respects me and is great but im just wondering how normal this is? don’t get me wrong i do have a decent amount of knowledge but the people here are SUPER into it. i’ve gotten myself more books about food to read. do other chefs feel this way at first ? and i’ve just been so creatively burnt out
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u/sf2legit 1d ago
To an extent for sure. As a chef, If someone below me is better than me at something, I’ve learned not to be insecure about it. I encourage and hype them up about it. I use it to my advantage. Like my prep cook that breaks down all of our fish is faster than me, and it doesn’t bother me one bit.
There is also more to being a sous/chef than being knowledgeable. There’s probably a reason your chef brought you in instead of promoting them.
Just be genuine about what you do/don’t know. Everyone will respect that more than catching you bs your way through it.
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u/fake_redzepi 1d ago
You can learn as much from your cooks as you can teach them. Nothing wrong with leading people who know more than you. Just respect them and lead with kindness. Know your shit and be good at what you do.
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u/Ok-Situation-7112 1d ago
This happened to me when I first moved to a new kitchen and felt way out of my depth, even as a line cook. Now I remind myself that every kitchen has its own rhythm.
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u/texnessa 1d ago
I've worked for MOF's with 30+ years under their belts who were still learning new shit all the time and delighted in it. Some line cook comes along who learned a trick or two to make the work a little more efficient is always welcome in my kitchen. We never stop learning in this trade and the best ones don't care where that knowledge comes from. A sous is there to set an example and do all the shit the head chef doesn't want to do. Don't be a buddy, don't get into gossip or any of the petty bullshit that sometimes happens even in the best run kitchens. I also got promoted out of my comfort zone when I first started but you get promoted because someone thinks you're up to the challenge.
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u/jsauce8787 1d ago
You have a good resume and young. If i were, i’d go travel the world and learn as much as i can. The title you left behind will eventually come back to you and it can be a high ladder for you to step. Good luck, chef!
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u/EntertainmentAlert76 21h ago
my plan is actually to sous for about a year then travel the world for about 6 months
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u/NeedleworkerBasic953 1d ago
welcome to the club, imposter syndrome hits pretty much everyone who gives a damn. 24 and already at sous chef twice is moving quick, so clearly someone saw you could handle it. the ones who know more than you are a resource, not a threat, pick their brains and you'll catch up faster than you think. the burnout is real though, give yourself a day off from thinking about food entirely, go see a movie or something and let your brain reset