50. Inside a professional kitchen: What it takes to be a chef w/ Cultiva Kenya

To mark their 50th episode milestone, Claire and Akumu trade microphones for chef hats to experience the pressure of a real working kitchen at Cultiva Kenya.Watch this episode's VIDEO DIARY >> on our YouTube channel.Cultiva describes itself as Nairobi's premier destination for eco-friendly, farm-to-table dining. They are not just a restaurant, but a sanctuary that transcends the ordinary, where the act of cultivating and creating takes centre stage. They consider themselves a haven where organic heirloom crops flourish, and where people's skills and talents are nurtured. "Cultiva" is Spanish for "cultivate", and the restaurant's founders hail from Ecuador.Remember that this is Season 6, meaning each challenge unfolds with a unique twist—a deep dive into a new world or skill, all within the confines of a single day. So, thanks to their grand plans of wanting to experience what it means to be a chef in a professional restaurant, Akumu and Claire had their work cut out for them. The culinary stage was set, and the Yes Girls, guided by the culinary virtuosos of Cultiva Kenya, were ready to serve up insights and inspiration.The girls stepped into the chef's shoes, or rather hats, behind the kitchen counter and learnt everything they needed to know about what it feels like to prepare, manage and serve a breakfast menu on a busy Sunday morning.Timestamps for Specific Segments(00:00) Intro(02:45) Introducing Cultiva Kenya as the guest expert(s)(03:38) Akumu briefly explains the Yes challenge(04:30) What it takes to be a head chef. Enter Chef Khalid(07:03) Claire and Akumu explain what they saw, learnt, smelt & tasted(11:00) Some quotes from the chefs at Cultiva(12:14) How did Akumu find the experience?(12:52) How did Claire find the experience?(13:35) The seamless transition from breakfast to lunch(16:15) Chef Khalid's perspective on menu creation(19:24) Meet Joy, one of the waiters at Cultiva(20:56) The challenge of cutting an onion in a pro kitchen?!(25:12) What has Claire recently said "yes" to?(25:54) What has Akumu recently said "yes" to?(26:28) Outro _________This episode peels back the layers of the culinary world. Best of all, the girls gained insights into the mysteries of an ever-changing restaurant menu, the sustainable farm-to-table concept and a professional chef's daily routine and responsibilities, particularly a head chef.Listen to the episode if you are curious about what a chef does, what duties they are in charge of, the realities of being one in a busy kitchen, the pros, cons, and common challenges of being one, the skills necessary for culinary school and for anyone that wants to work professionally as a chef, why the career might be harder than you think, the benefits of working in a busy restaurant and kitchen, and what expert advice seasoned chefs might give to anyone who wants to become one.A lot to learn and a lot to consider the next time you step into a restaurant like Cultiva Kenya! Tune in.____________Important resources:The major YESpisode mentioned:https://afripods.africa/episode/s-05-e-03-saying-yes-to-doing-ba/c6c2a32c-4ceb-441c-9bbb-677de67b8216#Cultiva Kenya website:https://cultivakenya.com/Cultiva Kenya on Instagram:https://instagram.com/cultivakenya****************If you enjoy the podcast, we love you so much! And we'd like to ask you to rate us on Spotify - it will only take a couple of seconds, we promise! If you listen to us via Apple Podcasts, please take some time to leave a short review. We promise it will take less than a minute unless, of course, you have more to say. In any case, we appreciate you!Thanks in advance!_____________________For video logs, visit https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast For blogs, visit https://yesgirlspodcast.com/ Feel free to follow us across these platforms:INSTAGRAM TWITTERLINKEDINTIKTOK