French Chef Mory Sacko shares how important it is to maintain a balance between personal life and work to perform at best in the kitchen. And he shares his thoughts on giving the staff a weekend off.
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The opinion
Mory Sacko, one of the rising stars of the French culinary scene, shares his daily life behind the stoves. To satisfy the curiosity of many French people, the chef has unveiled his frenetic daily routine. After participating in the eleventh season of Top Chef, Mory opened his first restaurant - MoSuke - which recently earned its first Michelin star.
Since then, he has added another piece to his unstoppable professional rise by launching a new culinary address: Lafayette's, located in a historic building in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Interviewed by FigaroTV on February 2nd, Mory Sacko spoke about his daily life in the kitchen and the various principles he has implemented to improve the balance between work and personal life for his collaborators. For Mory Sacko, well-being at work goes hand in hand with a good balance of personal life. It was therefore natural for the chef to set some limits when, last November, he opened his restaurant Lafayette's.
"Closing on weekends? It's a question we ask ourselves more and more because we perform a profession that requires a lot of time and energy, both for our body and our mind. [...] I also know that to excel in one's professional life, it is necessary to have a balanced personal life, so in a way everything revolves around the search for this balance," he explained in response to Guyonne de Montjou's questions. For the young chef, "creating under pressure" is not the key to success. To recharge batteries and unleash imagination, Mory Sacko prefers to spend time with his family.
"When you have a rested mind, you can make a difference even in the kitchen. Having moments of very intense work but also moments of relaxation and energy recovery is key to being more productive, creative, and efficient in one's field," he says.
A daily routine far from chaos and confusion, therefore, is what the enfant prodige of French cuisine and former Top Chef contestant advocates. The other secret to fully enjoying daily life behind the stoves is tranquility. "In the kitchen, I am very calm and consequently impose calmness on those who work alongside me," he reveals. For Mory Sacko, "cooking is like an artistic performance." This process must be carried out with peacefulness and delicacy to delight the palates of the restaurant's customers.
