Cook: What it Takes to Make It in a Michelin-Starred Restaurant
Contact us to Add Your Business
Follow Joseph Johnson’s glorious and relentless pursuit of his cooking dream as he works his way up the cooking echelon in the kitchen of Mélisse — Chef Josiah Citrin’s shining star in the Los Angeles food scene.
Produced by Life & Thyme in Los Angeles:
Directed by Nathan Sage: .
Music by Kye Kye and Jules Massenet.
Featuring: Joseph Johnson of Mélisse in Santa Monica, California: .
Foodie Originals take you on a journey to connect with the personalities foraging, harvesting, growing, creating and making food.
Check out all of our Foodie Originals here:
Subscribe to our channel here:
This original piece appears in Sn 4, Ep 1 of FoodieTV, a free iOS app showcasing the best stories about food from all around the world. Get the app here:
Nothing more chef-like than serving hundreds of plates and then coming home to make yourself eggs and toast.
I don’t even have the energy to cook after work. I literally eat a bowl of blueberries and call it a height
@SAGA Did you at least add a fried egg?
@Kalen Cwil 80k a year
@MayNguTV how much money do you make
Seriously or a bowl of cereal
Watching this video 6 years later and it’s still so awesome!! Really have to hand it to anyone who works in a kitchen and to all the chefs and restaurant staff.
Yo how are u?
My fave person to follow on keto?
CHEF LIFE
@Michael Rivera closed down, he is homeless now because of lockdown
His business probably closed due to Marxist democratic lockdown
Yes he’s the head chef/chef de cuisine of a place he opened with the head chef in this video.
His buddy Gary runs an apron company and all of the cooks at the new restaurant wear his aprons.
They’re both doing well it seems
Damn watching this as a line cook made me cried inside. This is our passion no matter if its overwork and getting low wages. We still love it for the art of the food. Wish me luck getting a michelin star one day.
@Silvy Sato i would say people who abuse those substances tend to be attracted to the the line because it’s abusive itself. it’s always ridiculously hot, always on your feet, and long hours . owning a restaurant in the first place isn’t smart financially because it’s already an industry with such low profit margins. go work in another industry or maybe find a better restaurant. Not saying there isn’t a problem with pay.
Also, there’s gonna be hot heads in any industry. it’s shows like hell’s kitchen that give people the impression that’s what working in a kitchen has to be. It really isn’t like that in most kitchens. .
“All in the name of passion ?”. This is exactly the type of mentality employers want to take advantage of their workers – justifying low wages, inhumane long hours, and a toxic work culture (screaming chefs, cussing, etc). Why do you think so many chefs end up with mental health issues, alcoholic, or abusing drugs? This industry needs to change.
@Moist Towelettes get yourself some time off. if anyone dives this much into anything they will eventually off themselves. go look at the ocean, go on a hike, take 3 days off to see someone you never get to see. this is my life and blood i’m pouring into this, but we all need some time to recover and relax
Much love ❤️
“if you wanna be a chef, you can’t wait around for someone to hand it to you. You almost have to take it. “…..truest words said.
I was forced to be one but it’s all good now after 2 years n still learning
If you wanna be a chef,I’d say you need a thorough medical examination
Shane Clark sucks cause even if u get your way karma comes around n fucks u either way
@Víctor M. YES, YOU SAID IT!!!!!! CHEF RAMSAY SAYS THE SAME THING!!!! IF YOU LEARNED ABOUT WHY HE BECAME A MICHELIN STAR CHEF, YOU KNOW!!! Change starts with YOU, and it only comes from within, never without!!! Chef Ramsay always emphasizes “BE INSPIRED”, I agree but- BE PASSIONATE too! ?????????
Being a chef is no joke. It blows me that people in other “dignified careers” put their noses up like doctors and lawyers on a pedestal thinking they’re better. In my opinion, chefs deserve a high salary too, what do you doctors/lawyers do when you have meetings? You go out and eat? Having a party/get together? You go eat the finest food in the city. It’s bullshxt to be underpaid for something you like to do and be under appreciated. The stress is crazy too.
But take many many years
Here in Los Angeles in a decent restaurant start around $50k, high end $100,00+
The cinematography on this video is amazing!
This is inspiring
SADWORLDWIDE they probably filmed everything in 24fps.
The slow motion is horrible. But the cinematography is solid.
63JackBlack The Sou chef ain’t bad himself
@Yamcha no it’s not
If this was an original Netflix documentary about a sous chef trying to open his own restaurant in LA I’d watch the hell out of it.
You forgot to mention the depression, anxiety, suicidaliy and chronic fatigue that goes along with this job. Oh and they’re also ridiculously underpaid and overworked! As a medical doctor, I thought I had it tough! I’ve got the utmost admiration and respect for these chefs.
Thanks for bringing this up, not many people realize how difficult that job is!
Right. People to tend to glamorize and glorify inhumane long hours (12-16 hrs a day), doing it in the name of passion (even though you’re underpaid), and putting up with screaming, abusive chefs that won’t be tolerated in any other industry (the Gordon Ramsay type that use fear and cussing to lead people….heck there’s a whole TV show dedicated to it!). ?
I always love to see passion in someone’s eyes…it’s like that immediate glimmer of pride that what i put out to people is a product of hard work…
A chef cooks food. At that level, he’s an artist. I wish I could afford to enjoy his art.
@kev d Yes, the two things I wish I could do, is cook well and draw well. I am gifted with neither, but I appreciate both. I do practice an art form, and I know just what it takes to get to an acceptable level, let alone an expert level. The guy in the video is talented and put in allot of hard work. A true artist, craftsman, and scientist. A level most will never achieve.
Both an art and a craft , also a science when you think about it . But unlike any other art or craft or science you can consume the finished product and enjoy it , so amazing when you think about that, Its a beautiful profession,???
3:59
This lad is so good looking and personable, he could really make it with his own cooking show, like Gordon Ramsey or Jamie Oliver have.
Jamie Oliver and Ramsay don’t belong in a sentence together
If you want to master a trade, you have to be willing to walk out of your current life almost like a home, and brave the rocky terrain of what your dreams are.. Then, some day in a distant time, you can step back in and show everyone what you’ve done
This could have been an hour-long and I would have watched it all.
A fine dining come up from the bottom would smash on any platform
It went by too fast
Overworked and damaging your organ i’m scared to watch it lol
Man I totally feel you on that one ??
Yeah! This almost seems like a teaser to a whole seasonal documentary.
Chef Citrin blessed me with the opportunity to stage (work for free) at Melisse when i was 15. His restaurant and the entire dining experience it serves, inspired me to become a cook. Fast forward 6 years, i almost finished a whole year at another one of Citrin’s restaurants, and i just got laid off in March because of the virus. Today I got a text asking me to come back to Melisse to prepare takeout. Honestly cooking is the only reason i believe i can still make something out of my life. Another chapter towards becoming a chef is about to unfold. :’)
How’s it going now?
Still watching this, even in 2020. The chef featured here went on to open Josiah’s new restaurant in Venice, CA.
I don’t even want to be a chef, but there is something about watching people display their passion for what they do that is so inspiring and makes me want to work just as hard on my passion in life.
There’s nothing in this world I love more than seeing someone immersed in their craft.
This was such an incredible video!! Thank you! Inspiring!!
I thought I might wanna explore being a chef. But all the research has made me go… “nah, I’ll pass”
You dodged a bullet!
?
@Max MG 12 hours is an easy day as a chef its when they give you those 18 hour days that our feet and minds and body’s start to hurt ?
@Max MG 12 hours is nothing, 15-18 hours is normal for most chefs.
Why in the world is this vid only 5 minutes long?? This deserves at least a half hour!