New Books in Sociology

Ellen T. Meiser, "Making It: Success in the Commercial Kitchen" (Rutgers UP, 2024)

Sep 27, 2024

Ellen T. Meiser, a sociologist and author, explores success in the competitive restaurant industry. She discusses how 'kitchen capital'—both skills and emotional intelligence—affects career growth. Ellen shares insights from her 120 hours in kitchen environments and interviews with fifty culinary professionals. Topics include the impact of COVID-19, the identity struggles of chefs, and the stark contrasts between working in small establishments versus larger franchises. Her findings reveal the intricate dynamics and social hierarchies that shape the culinary world.

46:54

Episode guests

Ellen T. Meiser

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Quick takeaways

Success in the culinary field is influenced by factors like kitchen capital, workplace culture fit, and emotional control among workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly worsened pre-existing vulnerabilities in the restaurant industry, highlighting the need for better protections for kitchen workers.

Deep dives

Understanding Success in the Culinary Industry

The podcast delves into the nuances of success within the culinary field, emphasizing that success varies significantly among individuals working in the restaurant industry. It discusses how success is often perceived differently based on the environment, such as fine dining versus corporate kitchens. Many kitchen workers tie their sense of achievement to creativity, skill, and professional recognition, with a specific focus on how the title 'chef' is attributed based on one’s role and the level of expertise. The exploration also touches upon the contradiction of ordinary versus extraordinary experiences in a profession that is largely viewed through a lens of dramatization in media.

Intro

4min

The Chef's Identity: Navigating Roles and Realities

11min

COVID-19 and the Restaurant Industry: A Struggle for Survival

6min

Front vs. Back of the House

6min

Culinary Camaraderie: Experiences from Small to Franchise Kitchens

2min

Cultural Dynamics in the Culinary World

15min

The restaurant industry is one of the few places in America where workers from lower-class backgrounds can rise to positions of power and prestige. Yet with over four million cooks and food-preparation workers employed in America’s restaurants, not everyone makes it to the high-status position of chef. What factors determine who rises the ranks in this fiercely competitive pressure-cooker environment?

In Making It: Success in the Commercial Kitchen (Rutgers University Press, 2024), Ellen T. Meiser explores how the career path of restaurant workers depends on their accumulation of kitchen capital, a cultural asset based not only on their ability to cook but also on how well they can fit into the workplace culture and negotiate its hierarchical structures. After spending 120 hours working in a restaurant kitchen and interviewing fifty chefs and cooks from fine-dining establishments and greasy-spoon diners across the country, sociologist Ellen Meiser discovers many strategies for accumulating kitchen capital. For some, it involves education and the performance of expertise; others climb the ranks by controlling their own emotions or exerting control over coworkers. Making It offers a close and personal look at how knowledge, power, and interpersonal skills come together to determine who succeeds and who fails in the high-pressure world of the restaurant kitchen.

Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of built-environment, experience, identity, and place. He is currently conducting research on how architectural designers, builders, and community planners negotiate a sense of identity and place for residents of newly constructed neighborhoods. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his website, Google Scholar, Twitter @ProfessorJohnst, or by email at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu.

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