Name: SHANYL DUSTINE SUPANGAN

Year/Section: BSHM 3D-DAY

REACTION PAPER ON MOVIE ENTITLED

“CHEF”

This film is extremely modern and current with its treatment of the trials and
tribulations of social media.  News, both good and bad, travels faster than
we ever thought possible.  Social Media plays a heavy role throughout
"Chef" in criticism, social following, viral marketing, entrepreneurship, and
more.  In short it ha enormous pros and cons.

LESSON #4: THE HARSH AND PERSONAL SIDE OF CRITICISM--

What sets this story off is different forms of harsh criticism.  

LESSON #5: THE FINER DEFINITION OF FATHER-SON

"QUALITY TIME"-Do things with your kids, not just show them things.
Talk with them, not to them.  Put in real effort and you'll be a real parent
with a real relationship with your children.
Find your edge
Casper’s ex-wife knowingly advises that he will “never be happy cooking for someone
else” – he finds his edge when he travels back to Miami, where he rose to fame as a
chef, and when he harnesses the inspiration of Cuban street food. Casper also keeps
things simple by creating a menu of a few tasty sides, but focusing on the
Cubano sandwich is what captivates his local customers and the Twitterverse, too.
People find their edge, their zone, and themselves in many different ways. I strive to put
myself into uncomfortable situations so that I can learn from the experience. And when I
really need to reflect on what life means to me I do it on the back deck of the house
where I grew up. This reflection, which I practice a couple of times a year when I visit my
parents at our family home, helps me refine my edge or find it when it’s been lost.
Be a craftsperson
When Casper’s son, Percy, asserts that the construction workers who helped them load
the range into the food truck should be served a burnt sandwich because “they’re not
paying for it”, Casper takes his son aside and explains to him what the art of food means
to him:
“…I love it. Everything that’s good that happened in my life came because of that. I might
not do everything great in my life, ‘kay? I’m not perfect. I’m not the best husband and I’m
sorry if I wasn’t the best father. But I’m good at this. And I wanna share this with you. I
wanna teach you what I learned. I get to touch peoples’ lives with what I do. And it keeps
me going and I love it. And I think if you give it a shot you might love it too. Now, should
we have served that sandwich?”
“No, Chef” was obviously the answer. Whatever you do in life, strive to be a craftsperson.
Pretty much anything can be art if you apply your talent with intention. Just ask
leadership guru Robin Sharma about his thoughts on what he calls “meticulosity”!
Inspire a great team
Martin, played wonderfully by John Leguizamo, leaves a Sous Chef position to join his
disgraced former boss in his new venture. Inez, Casper’s ex-wife, brokers a deal for the
food truck through her other ex-husband and lets her son travel the American South in a
food truck for the summer. Percy, Casper’s social-savvy-son, can’t wait to re-join his dad
and Martin in the food truck once their epic trip has concluded. Because of his passion,
his vision and his dedication to his craft, Chef Carl Casper inspires folks in his
community.
In Carl Casper I see elements of Adam Grants philosophy of giving more to get ahead –
the chef gives so much of himself to his food and his clients. Casper’s enthusiasm is
contagious and when yours is, too, people will want to work with you. Finally, the team’s
trust with each other is incredible. Martin trusts that Carl knows what he’s doing with the
menu. Carl trusts that Martin knows how to season and prep the food to high standards.
And the two foodies trust that Percy knows how to use social networks to drive traffic to
the food truck and to the team itself. With trust comes inspiration!
Build an authentic community
“Austin Midnight” is the name of the sandwich that Martin and Carl bring to Texas. It’s a
customization of their traditional masterpiece based on the local, slow-cooked brisket
(instead of pork). Wherever he goes, Casper puts an authentic, local dish on his menu.
As a leader or a colleague, you need to customize your communication and style to meet
the needs of your direct reports, teammates and customers. Don’t be the guy or gal who
gives the same pitch to everyone.
Try different things
Carl Casper gets into a professional mess because he tried something new that he didn’t
totally understand. That thing was Twitter and the Internet. His foray into this medium
eventually turns positive, especially when he lets go of control and puts his story in the
hands of Percy, who is much better suited at crafting a compelling digital narrative.
According to Adam Grant, “originals” are non-conformists that drive change in the world.
One of the ways that original thinkers show up differently is that they read stuff that is
beyond the scope of their profession. For example, a bank manager reading books about
gardening and the history of basketball instead of just financial planning reflects how one
might dedicate time to topics beyond their professional craft. Broadening our interests
enhances our perspective and allows for much for original thought, which is why I’m
watching Scandal out of the corner of my eye with my wife right now.
Maintain relationships
Three of Casper’s most value-adding collaborators are unlikely advisors by most peoples’
standards. His ex-wife, his ex-wife’s ex-husband, and his nemesis all play important roles
in his personal and professional success. Inez is his greatest cheerleader and brings Carl
to Miami. Marvin sells him the truck. And Ramsey eventually becomes Casper’s financial
partner in a restaurant venture.
Relationships drive work and life and you should be building and maintaining them every
day. In his great book about relationship building, Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi
highlights multiple ways to maintain relationships by sharing meals and remembering
special events, like birthdays. With so many social networks there is no excuse not to
be connected to colleagues, mentors and future friends, so invest some time in at least
one relationship this week because it will absolutely benefit you.
Sharpen the saw knife
“Sharpen the saw” is the seventh habit of Stephen Covey’s renowned 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People. Carl Casper sharpens a knife, not a saw, though. I love how the chefs
in the film – the good ones, anyway – are never satisfied with what they’re making.
Casper is always experimenting, refining, and testing new ways to feed peoples’ soul.
Whenever people say “practice makes perfect” I always tell a short story about how Larry
Bird – who Millennials have to Google – approached practice. He was known to say that
“practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.” And he’s right. If you
practice something with mediocrity then that’s how you’ll perform. Strive for perfection
when you’re sharpening your professional knife.