A line cook at the diner on 5th called my plating "sad" and I still think about it a year later

Evan Harris · 2026-10-27T08:05:05.349259+00:00

I was working the saute station at a place in Columbus and thought my plates looked fine until this kid fresh out of culinary school looked at my special and just said "man, that looks sad" and walked off. At first I was mad, but then I actually looked at it, one lonely piece of fish on a big white plate with nothing else going on. I started using smaller plates and actually giving a damn about where the sauce went instead of just dumping it on top. Took me about 3 weeks of getting faster at it before it felt natural. Funny thing is that same kid asked me for plating advice two months later. What's the harshest thing someone in the kitchen ever told you that actually stuck?

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A line cook at the diner on 5th called my plating "sad" and I still think about it a year later | Chefs - Librear