I spent a few years teaching people how to cook, I enjoy teaching people, it makes me a better chef. When I prepare to give a class I push myself to really know the meaning behind what I teach, I study a lot, and I read a lot of books.

When you need to explain something to someone who doesn’t know about cooking, it’s different. I need to assume that they don’t know anything and give them clear directions, and this helps me understand myself better. Just because you know how to cook doesn’t mean you know how to teach someone same.

When I started Maquette I had to train the staff and this wasn’t difficult. I chose people not based on their experience, but rather on their passion for cooking. I taught them from scratches, but taught them in a different way because a working environment is not for students. To teach these people I analyze myself and my own cooking theories and techniques.

The best part about teaching is when I see students do their own thing and grow with confidence, or in the case of kids, when their parents look at them in a different way, with happiness on their faces, this in turn brings me joy.

The mother of one of the chefs at Maquette regularly comes, and when he is plating, his mother looks on in amazement, bursting with pride, and tells me “you are a good teacher, you train him very well.”

美味的教學相長

我很喜歡教學，曾擔任烹飪老師數年。一般而言，教「新手」與培訓餐廳的同事的方法可謂完全不同：我需要假設學生我需要假設學生是一張白紙，並給予清楚指示。這亦使我更了解自己，因為自己會煮不代表懂得講解，所以備課時，我都會要求自己徹底明白烹調背後的每個細節。這亦督促着我努力鑽研，結果在過程中亦獲益良多。

而記得Maquette開張時同樣需要培訓同事。其中我們最看重的，不是同是的經驗，而是同事的熱誠。我會從零開始給他們講解，但因為工作的環境跟學校不同，所以教學的方法亦不一樣。面對同事，我更傾向分析自己的理論與技術。

其中一位Maquette廚師的媽媽常會來到餐廳。而當這位同事擺盤時，他的母親總會非常歡喜，一臉驕傲，並對着我說：「你真是個好老師，把他教得很好！」

這正是教學工作最棒的地方。當看見學生能獨當一面且變得自信，或是學生的父母目光中的自豪欣慰時，自己亦會滿心歡喜呢！