Curtis Luk: I Am A Chef

"Dreaming of a restaurant based on the blunt, cold, sober truth." If you follow The Parker's chef Curtis Luk on Twitter, you'll know he's a master of the off-kilter tweet. So we asked him to write something for us and this is what he sent over, a passionate personal mantra/manifesto. Enjoy.

I am a cook.
I show up to my job every single day ready to go regardless of what happens outside it.
I come to the job not looking like a piece of crap.
The job is not done just because the clock strikes a certain hour.
I taste my food constantly.
I have the knives I need and not the knives I show off with.
I keep my tools and my mind sharp.
I force myself to learn something new every day.

I continue to better the skills I have.
I learn new skills.
I believe all skills are equally valuable.
I take nothing for granted.
I follow by exceeding expectations.
I speak softly and carry a big stick.
I believe in self-control.
I believe anger signifies a loss of control.
I believe life outside of work is an oxymoron.
I will find any weakness I have and eliminate them.
I admit I have weaknesses.
I lead by example.
I plan, knowing that they will never turn out quite like I imagine them to be.
I don't have any tattoos.
I don't have a beard, moustache, or off-beat hairstyle.
I have other hobbies.
I am aware of things outside of my own personal bubble.
I keep an open mind.
I admit my mistakes.
I don't repeat the same mistake twice.
There is always more than one solution to a problem.
Nobody is excluded from the dialogue.
There is something to be learned from every person you work with.
I don't leave my customers out in the cold.
I stay three steps ahead of my customers.
I create things that are meant to be eaten.
Cliques are for high school, not the industry.
I put the needs of the kitchen before myself.
I can balance the books.
I work my hardest to become all these things even though I know I will never quite get there.
I am a chef.
· Curtis Luk [Twitter]
· The Parker [Official Site]
· All Previous Restau-Rants [EVAN]