I got a job
in Spain. I spoke no Spanish. I knew I was screwed. With absolutely no idea of
what anyone was saying and no idea of what I should do, I knew one thing for
sure, it was only a matter of time before they would fire me. So, the plan was
simple: survival, and this is how I did it. I needed to be the hardest worker
in the kitchen, the first one in, the last one out and the one who said yes to
everything, every job, and every task. My logic was that any human being with a
basic conscience could not fire that guy, the guy who is giving it all, the guy
who you feel sorry for, the same guy who is getting you zucchini when you asked
for carrots because he has no clue what the hell anyone is actually saying. I
did make many mistakes and I did get yelled at a lot, but the end result was
victory. They didn’t fire me and I eventually learned enough Spanish to
participate and gain their respect in place of their pity. So, this formula I
know well, but I am always so proud of others who choose to apply it. One such
example was Budi.
Our philosophy
in Cuca from the very beginning was to train from zero and give young, happy,
eager Indonesians a chance to become professionals. We are talking about 20-year-old
kids with no English, and no previous experience. For most of them, the
interview was their first time stepping into a restaurant. They would learn
slowly, but they would learn our way, the precise way we wanted everything to
be done. We were building professionals from scratch with no bad habits. The
system was designed like high school, where each grade led to the next, and
each one is necessary for the success of the one to follow. Graduation for each
level came quickly, giving each student the feeling of success and motivating
them to continue to the next grade, and by separating very well each level, the
person above you was already a master of all the tasks you were doing, so the
training could be done by them, providing a “big brother” system of caring
unlike the standard military discipline of “life or death”. Now you can imagine
the challenges, but the hope was we and the customers would benefit from the
team’s fresh excitement and sincerity, and they from the opportunity of a
future in hospitality. The idea came from years of doing the exact opposite and
hiring the best bartender, the best cooks and the best waiters, where everyone
wanted to score the goal and nobody wanted to pass the ball. So, Cuca would be
a team where everyone would work together, with no superstars but a super team.
One such example of this system is Budi.
Budi started working
in Cuca from the day we opened our doors and was hired as stewarding. With no
English, no restaurant experience and absolutely no clue, his task was to clean
absolutely everything. He did, and after a few years, he wanted to learn
kitchen. We granted his wish and transferred him, and he started from scratch,
but with effort came skills and, before long, he was keeping up and getting it
done. The more he learned, the more he grew, and last week we sat with him for
yet again another promotion. Budi, the kid who started 7 years ago from zero,
is now officially our Head Chef in Cuca. My right-hand man, the guy totally
responsible for delicious. Now ain’t that a recipe of success through good old
fashion hard work!
By Kevin Cherkas
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| Budi |