Dental News & People

Posted: 9 May 2011

My best decision - learning kitchen skills

Author: Phil Friel

Needing money to fund his studies, Phil Friel agreed to a one-off stint as a kitchen hand. Here he tells PPD how it led to a six-year career as a chef, and gave him a valuable lesson in teamwork.

Sit me down in front of a cookery programme, and for the 30 minutes or so it is on, I’ll be in total ‘de-stress mode’ and afterwards I’m ready to face any issues working in a busy clinic raises.

Similarly, if you set me the task of cooking dinner for six or eight friends or family members at the weekend, I’m in heaven, 100% immersed in the planning to the same degree of detail and precision as I’d tackle an hour of complex dental implant surgery.

One of my best decisions ever was to allow myself to be lured into a friend’s restaurant in Glasgow to help him out. I say ‘lured’ because it wasn’t a path I’d thought about during my early days of study at the University of Glasgow.

A balancing act

This ‘one-off’ shift turned out to be the start of a six-year stint learning the ropes as a chef, which consequently helped to fund my time at university and my dentistry studies.

Today, I’m quite proud to say that I progressed from a hugely popular pasta and pizza restaurant to a fine dining restaurant in the heart of Glasgow’s trendy West End in my six years of kitchen working. I’m also happy to say I can head into the kitchen and cook food that’s always well received by those invited to Chez Friel!

Hard graft

It was six years of hard slog. I was thrown in at the deep end, but I loved every minute of the experience and, without question, the lessons I learned equipped me to cope with the pressure of working in a dental clinic and running the business side of our profession.

The best lesson was about teamwork. In the kitchen - especially early in my cooking career - I realised that if one of the more boring tasks wasn’t done, someone further up the chef ladder wouldn’t be able to complete the dish. Tempers would then fray; not to mention the potential impact on the dining customer!

My kitchen shifts taught me the importance and benefit of strong teamwork, an element essential to running a successful clinic. Each team member has his or her vital part to play, and everyone’s priority is our patients.

Planning makes perfect

We opened our new clinic in November last year and the team we’ve put together regularly works at a fantastic level, displaying their professionalism, commitment and intimate dental knowledge.

In both professions, planning is of paramount importance. Whenever I return to the stove to cook for friends or family, I carefully plan my menu well ahead of the big day. I’m a believer in using the best raw materials to produce the best outcome and it’s the same when I’m in the clinic - I will only use the best dental services and products available to ensure the best end result for patients.

Likewise in the clinic when I’m treatment planning for patients, I can devote whole days to carefully devising the care plan to ensure the process goes as smoothly and as quickly as possible.

Under pressure

Working under pressure goes hand in hand with being a dentist. Without question my days and nights in the kitchen taught me all about pressure.

The kitchen life also gave me a focus on the whole world of restaurant dining and an interest in those who’ve made it their lifetime’s passion. Some of the world’s most famous chefs - including Michel Roux and Gordon Ramsay - are, for me, great role models of dedication and inspiration.

As I do in my clinical work, I took great pride in the work I did for my kitchen bosses. I’d head into the restaurant early in the morning to make the day’s bread order before heading off to lectures or study time. Hours later I’d be back in the kitchen prepping for the arrival of the evening diners.

Without question, signing up to learn the ropes in a restaurant kitchen was a great move. These six years gave me a great set of life skills and an understanding of what pressure can be all about.

Now, what’s on the menu for dinner tonight?