"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

10 December 2015

Understood.


I think one of the most important things about Fergus is his ability to inspire, and his gift for explaining things in such a way that everyone can understand them. He would have sayings like, “Are we all ready for service, chefs? Are we poised like a puma?” The simplest things, like trying to explain to a chef exactly how much stock to add to a braise, for example, he would explain as “fill the stock up to the side of the duck legs so that they sit just out of the water like a crocodile’s nostrils.” Everyone can instantly picture this and get it right.
I now always try to think of analogies I can use when explaining things to people, as it’s such a great way of getting rid of things that are unnecessary. Fergus taught me to cut to the important bit and make sure you’re understood.

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