Trio Restaurant executive chef Scott Lucas.(Photo by Darren Brown, OBJ)

In reality, chefs bear faint resemblance to what you might see on television, say Kenton Leier of Delta Ottawa and Scott Lucas of Novotel Ottawa. These two talented, hardworking executive chefs confirm that life in their kitchens is not nearly as glamorous, or tempestuous, as what's depicted on Hell's Kitchen or Iron Chef.

"Those programs focus on the pressure but ignore a lot of the grunt work," said Mr. Leier. "They never let you see the commis, or junior chef, peeling 50-pound bags of carrots. And all the yelling and throwing stuff – that just doesn't happen in professional kitchens."

The role of executive chef requires diverse skills above and beyond culinary talent. In the quest to maximize profits while minimizing costs, they manage all kitchen operations and set and enforce quality and safety standards, as well as planning menus, developing recipes, maintaining budgets and inventory, managing supplier relationships, ordering goods and hiring and supervising all kitchen staff.

Mr. Leier followed in his father's footsteps when he became a chef, he explained.

"A summer job turned into a lengthy internship while I attended culinary school and I've never looked back," said Mr. Leier.

"By the time I became an executive chef, I had been working for 15 years and had gained a lot of confidence while learning from excellent mentors," he added. His expertise recently helped propel Delta's Capital Dining Room to its first four-diamond award from the CAA; his resume also includes stints at the Chateau Laurier and the Merlot Rooftop Grill at the Ottawa Marriott.

Mr. Leier typically works 11- or 12-hour days, starting around 9 a.m., but during larger events his day might begin as early as 5 a.m. and run till midnight.

"I spend the first hour each day talking to staff, making sure they've got what they need; often this becomes HR time as well. Then I spend an hour or so handling e-mails, payroll and paperwork," said Mr. Leier.

While lunch service is taking place, he's in the kitchen, expediting plates. "Being on the line lets me liaise between the cooks and servers. During a meal rush, it can be a bit of a delicate balancing act, trying to accommodate everyone's needs and keep everyone cool."

After lunch, he takes inventory, orders food, plans menus and reviews contracts from the catering department. Then, as dinner approaches, it's back to the kitchen to meet with the cooks and go over any special instructions. Mr. Leier will help out wherever he's most needed in the pre-dinner preparations and as things get busier, will move from expediting to joining his team on the line.

"Once I see things are under control after the height of the dinner rush, I return to my office, make a few notes, phone in the last orders, and then finally go home," he explained.

Chef Leier confirmed that rising through the ranks as a chef means spending a lot more time on the executive portion of the job and less cooking.

"The kitchen's output must still reflect your abilities as a chef so it's a constant juggling act. I spend way more time on the computer than I'd prefer; I'd like to be in the kitchen 90 per cent of the time, but it's more like 50 per cent, with managing staff being one of the most time-consuming and delicate tasks. But when I take a walk around the dining room at mealtime and talk to people enjoying our food, it makes all the hard work worthwhile."

Like his colleague at the Delta Hotel, Mr. Lucas also comes from a culinary background, with both parents having worked in the hospitality industry. "I started hanging out in hotel kitchens when I was two years old; it's where I've always wanted to be," he said.

After completing Algonquin College's culinary arts program, Mr. Lucas worked his way through some of the area's finest kitchens, including the prestigious Cafe Henri Burger and Maplelawn Cafe. Time spent in the Caribbean cemented his desire to focus on fresh, local ingredients, and working at a top resort prepared him for his current role, he said.

"My staff in Anguilla were very passionate, but also very laid back. I had to learn how to be extremely careful and very specific in dealing with them," said Mr. Lucas.

Having reliable staff is crucial to the success of any kitchen, explained Mr. Lucas.

"It's essential to have people to whom you can comfortably delegate," he said, adding he's very mindful of connecting with his staff on a personal level. "I make sure to ask them often what they need and how their families are doing.

"I might have a little trouble myself sometimes finding balance between work and life, but try to be sure they don't. It's tough to replace a trained employee, so it's very important to keep everyone happy."

It's no wonder balance is sometimes an issue for Mr. Lucas – responsible not only for creative development execution and an international roll-out of the new Trio concept and menu, he also serves as Novotel's director of food and beverage and assists with marketing. Each of these additional responsibilities cuts into his cooking time, but he can still be found on the line at lunch and dinner.

"I like to come in early, around 6 a.m., to tackle paperwork and HR stuff before the daily staff meeting," said Mr. Lucas. "After lunch I tend to work on strategic planning and participate in conference calls and meetings with the hotel's general manager. (Then) I'm back in the kitchen from 4 p.m. onwards."

What career advice do these executive chefs offer? "You need to be tough but empathetic and prepared to work harder than you can imagine for very long hours, without a lot of thanks," said Mr. Leier. "It's not for everyone; it can be very rewarding but very frustrating at the same time."

Mr. Lucas agreed it's a job where hard work really does pay off. "It's great to be an innovator in this profession so you need to always think ahead," he said. "Choose your mentors carefully, do what you are told and keep your head down and your ears open.

"You've got to be passionate about food. It's not an easy life, but it can be incredibly rewarding in so many ways."

By Paula Roy

Special to the Ottawa Business Journal

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BY THE NUMBERS

Executive Chef Kenton Leier, Delta Ottawa

Manages: 10 (including two sous-chefs, four chefs de partie, and three Commis)

Annual food & beverage budget: $5 million

Annual food purchasing: $1 million

Years in the industry: 19 (four as an executive chef)

Accomplishments: Member of several gold-medal winning culinary teams; helped Capital Dining Room secure a coveted four-diamond rating from the CAA

Executive Chef Scott Lucas, Novotel Ottawa

Manages: 18 (including sous-chefs and kitchen staff, servers and banqueting team)

Annual food & beverage budget: $3 million

Annual food purchasing: $1 million

Years in the industry: 20 (seven as an executive chef)

Accomplishments: Developing and launching Trio concept; recognized with 2008 Novotel President's Award for Outstanding Achievemen