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I’M KASSATA BOLLMAN.
TODAY MY GUEST IS CHEF JAMIE LEE.
HE JOINS US FROM COPENHAGEN.
I’LL START WITH A BRIEF INTRODUCTION:
ORIGINALLY FROM BRITAIN….
JAMIE TRAINED ON THE MICHELIN CIRCUIT IN LONDON…. COOKING UNDER JASON ATHERTON…. FOR THE GORDON RAMSAY GROUP…
THAT POSITION LED HIM TO AUSTRALIA….AND WHILE IN MELBOURNE... HE STARTED TO READ NOMA’S FIRST COOKBOOK….
THE FOCUS WAS ON MINIMALISM, LOCAL INGREDIENTS, FORAGING….
AND THOSE PHILOSOPHIES….. OF THE NEW NORDIC FOOD MOVEMENT...WERE PULLING HIM IN….SO HE FOLLOWED HIS INTUITION…. AND MOVED TO SCANDINAVIA….
CURRENTLY HE’S HEAD CHEF OF FISKEBAR, IN COPENHAGEN.
TODAY WE’LL BE DISCUSSING….
WORK / LIFE BALANCE…..COPENHAGEN...DIVING DEEPER INTO THAT FEELING THAT BROUGHT JAMIE THERE…AND…. THE MOMENT HE KNEW THE CITY CONNECTED WITH HIM…. ON A DEEPER LEVEL….
ALSO...THE FUTURE OF OCEANS….WE’LL DISCUSS AN OP-ED PIECE ABOUT THE FISHING INDUSTRY…. THAT JAMIE WROTE EARLIER THIS YEAR….
AND…...STAGING... A.K.A UNPAID KITCHEN INTERNS….WILL THEY CONTINUE TO HAVE A PLACE IN FINE DINING?
SO I’LL START BY ASKING…..AS WE ALWAYS DO….JAMIE …..
“HAVE YOU EATEN YET?”......
NOW …….THIS COULD BE A MEAL FROM TODAY …..
…...OR….. IT COULD BE …...THE LAST MEAL…. THAT YOU HAVE A REALLY GREAT MEMORY ABOUT…..IT COULD BE ONE FROM 10 YEARS AGO….. OR ANYTIME….ONE THAT TRULY RESONATED WITH YOU?
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
WORK / LIFE BALANCE
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE DANISH WAY OF LIFE….COPENHAGEN HAS BEEN CONSIDERED ONE OF THE ‘HAPPIEST CITIES IN THE WORLD’... FOR YEARS.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A GOOD WORK / LIFE BALANCE…... AND FAMILY TIME IS TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
HISTORICALLY IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD…. THE WORK / LIFE BALANCE EQUATION IN OUR INDUSTRY ….IS NON-EXISTENT.
NOW, BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC THERE’S A RECKONING HAPPENING GLOBALLY….WHERE WORK / LIFE BALANCE IS BEING IDENTIFIED…. AS A KEY INGREDIENT TO SUCCESS….EVEN IN OUR INDUSTRY.
BUT IT SEEMS LIKE YOU ALL HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON WORK HOURS & EQUALITY IN THE KITCHEN FOR AWHILE…
I READ AN ARTICLE WHERE YOU WERE QUOTED AS SAYING:
“THE WELFARE OF THE CHEFS IS AT THE HEART OF THE FISKEBAR PHILOSOPHY, WHICH IS A MASSIVE ISSUE FOR THE RESTAURANT WORLD IN COPENHAGEN.
WE AIM TO PROVIDE A FAIR WORK WEEK….. AND DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO INSTALL GOOD TEAM MORALE.”
JAMIE, PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE DANISH WAY OF LIFE…. AND HOW THIS INFLUENCES... HOW RESTAURANTS ARE RUN IN COPENHAGEN?
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
COPENHAGEN
FOR ME COPENHAGEN IS A PERFECTLY BALANCED CITY…NOT TOO SMALL….NOT TOO LARGE….
MOST PEOPLE TRAVEL BY BIKE….PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS CONVENIENT AND ACCESSIBLE...
I WAS THERE IN FEBRUARY OF 2019...EVERYONE WAS EMBRACING WINTER….MOBILE HOT TUBS FLOATING IN THE HARBOR....BONFIRES AT BREWERIES….
AN INCREDIBLE MEAL AT FISKEBAR……..I COULD GO ON…..BUT I WANT TO TURN TO YOUR EXPERIENCE…..
NOW, I’M GOING TO GO BACK A FEW YEARS…..
WHEN YOU FOLLOWED A FEELING...YOU WERE IN AUSTRALIA AT THE TIME...WHEN YOU DECIDED TO MOVE TO COPENHAGEN….
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE MOMENT WHEN YOU DECIDED TO TAKE A CHANCE AND MOVE THERE?
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
AND ONCE YOU’RE THERE….DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT THAT THE CITY RESONATED WITH YOU?....THAT YOU KNEW THAT YOU COULD LIVE THERE?
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
THE FUTURE OF OCEANS
YOU WROTE AN OP-ED PIECE EARLIER THIS YEAR….. ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE OCEANS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A SEAFOOD CHEF….AND WHY THE SYSTEM NEEDS TO CHANGE….
YOU TALKED ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY BEING A BUZZWORD IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY……
YOUR JOURNEY & CHALLENGES AT FISKEBAR….
FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ THE ARTICLE….I’M GOING TO OPEN THIS CONVERSATION UP TO YOU…..
SO YOU CAN BREAK DOWN YOUR GENERAL MESSAGE TO OUR LISTENERS…..
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
THE FUTURE OF STAGING A.K.A UNPAID KITCHEN INTERNS:
STAGING…... A.K.A, THE UNPAID KITCHEN INTERNSHIP….. HAS BEEN A KEY COMPONENT TO A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN FINE DINING….FOR A VERY LONG TIME…..
ONLY RECENTLY THERE’S BEEN BACKLASH TO THE IDEA OF WORKING FOR FREE.
WE’RE AT THIS IN BETWEEN MOMENT….. OF STAGING STILL BEING A RESUME BUILDER…. TO GET YOU IN THE DOOR…. AT MANY FINE DINING RESTAURANTS…..
YET ALSO….FREE LABOR IS NOT EMBRACED LIKE IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST.
NO DOUBT REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE OF ANY KIND GIVES YOU TOOLS THAT YOU JUST CAN’T GET FROM THE INTERNET OR CULINARY SCHOOL…..
JAMIE….WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY STAND WITH THE PRACTICE AT YOUR RESTAURANT?.....
ALSO…..DID YOU STAGE EARLY IN YOUR CAREER?
AND…..DO YOU SEE STAGING IN THE FOOD WORLD MOVING FORWARD…... OR WILL IT BE A THING OF THE PAST?
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
SYNCHRONICITIES
HAVE THERE EVER BEEN ANY SIGNS OR SYNCHRONICITIES IN YOUR LIFE…. THAT LED TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU….. IN THIS INDUSTRY? …….
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
TAKEAWAY:
JAMIE, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US …....
I LIKE ENDING…. BY ASKING…. IF THERE’S ANY TAKEAWAY THAT YOU’D LIKE TO LEAVE WITH LISTENERS…... THAT CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THEIR LIVES…..
IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED, A PRO TIP…. OR GENERAL LIFE ADVICE THAT YOU LIVE BY ….…
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
……& JAMIE WHERE CAN PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU ?
[[JAMIE DISCUSSES]]
OUTRO:
THANKS FOR LISTENING….AND IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY….... FOLLOW “HAVE YOU EATEN YET?” ….WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS….
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