Vince Lombardi was a bespectacled and gap-toothed iconic coach of the most successful team in American football lore, the Green Bay Packers. If one wanted to "be-like-Vince" they'd need to study the emotions, passion and labor-of-love that is Vince Lombardi. Cooks are craftsman yet they are also athletes. One needs not to know a left tackle from a right guard in football terminology but you may see the parallels between athletics and the culinary arts. Within the fabric of a successful sports coach there can be a simile understanding of what it means to be a leader, a coach, a teacher, a confidant, a disciplinarian, a figure-head and a guide. These are the hats that chefs also wear, and the symbolism between coach and chef is highly evident in the kitchen of TFL. Here lies the essential parallels between a revered coach of a game requiring the cohesive tasks of many players to the Michelin-starred kitchens of the world's finest restaurants - and even to the boardrooms and management teams of successful businesses across the globe. In business as in life, they key is how you treat people. One must be motivated in order to motivate. Care and attention to detail are success's greatest allies and apathy and sloppiness are failures best friends...
Quotes from, and about, Vince Lombardi (when reading these words try to imagine the professional playing fields of any penultimate sport and its greatest combatants, feel the need for leadership in the corporate business environment, and for the culinary blog-readers seek to find your inner Lombardi in the kitchen that you toil. Ruminate on the words...):
"I firmly believe that in any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."
When Lombardi said 'sit down,' we didn't look for a chair." - Forrest Gregg
"He made us realize that if the mind was willing, the body can go." - Forrest Gregg
"He made us all better than we thought we could be." -Jerry Kramer
He pushed you to the end of your endurance and then beyond it. And if there was reserve there, well he found that too." -Henry Jordan
All he wanted from you was perfection." - Jim Taylor
"Coach Lombardi showed me that by working hard and using my mind, I could overcome my weakness to the point where I could be one of the best." - Bart Starr
He prepared us so well, and he motivated us so well, I felt he was a part of me on the field." - Fuzzy Thurston
The fear in my mind was not him but that for some reason I would not be a part of this team and be with this man." - Forrest Gregg
So, what do we take from this today...? "What would Vince do". Peace.
~R
About Me
- Chef Robert N. Corey
- I started in the food and beverage business in May of 1974. I am Chef/Owner of 12 Seasons Personal Chef and Sommelier Services(www.12seasonswinebar.com). The inspiration for the concept of my Personal Chef Service (originally called The French Manner) began in 1988 in Estes Park, Colorado. It began with the cooking of France and eventually migrated to other parts of the globe. Twenty-one years later in 2009, The French Manner has gone global and now operates as 12 Seasons Personal Chef & Sommelier Services. I still seek to do business under three basic premises: • We shall seek the highest echelon of clients for our services and cook creative, individualized menus for them • We will go anywhere, and do anything (for the appropriate costs) to provide memorable food & wine experiences • We will prepare the freshest of food products and serve our cuisine and wine in a professional and dignified manner... Peace.