How do you train a new cook on the line?
To train a new cook on the line, teach one task at a time, use call and response so you know they heard, and write short notes after each shift. Be kind, be clear, and let them do the task themselves.
Why is training a new cook hard?
The line is fast, loud, and full of habits that nobody wrote down. A new cook walks in and sees the hot pans, the shouting, and the speed. They do not know the words. They do not know where the tongs live. They are afraid of being in the way.
You know the line well, so it all looks simple to you. It is not simple to them. Good training means remembering what it felt like on day one.
If you want to train a new cook on the line, you need three tools: call and response, one task at a time, and notes.
What is call and response?
It is the way a kitchen talks. You call out what you need. The other cook answers back: “Heard.” That answer tells you they got it.
For a new cook, this is the most useful habit to learn first. It makes the line safer. It stops silent mistakes. And it gives you a way to know whether your training landed. We explain it in what “Heard, chef” means.
Fire two salmon.
Pick Chef Maya in the pretend kitchen and say “Fire two salmon.” Try the demo
Teach it by doing. Give a small task and wait for “Heard.” If they nod, say, “I need to hear you.” Say it kindly, every time, for the first week. Then make them do it back to you. When you say “behind,” they say “heard.” When they say “corner,” you say “heard.”
Why teach one task at a time?
Because people remember one thing well and ten things badly. A new cook who hears ten instructions on day one will keep two of them. The other eight will be guesses.
Pick a task and stay on it until it is solid. Here is a simple order that works on many stations.
- Where things live. The tools, the pans, the towels, the food. Walk the station together.
- Setting up. Do the mise en place together, then watch them do it alone.
- One dish. Teach the easiest dish first. Make it three times with them, then let them make it with you watching.
- Calling and listening. Practice the words: “heard,” “behind,” “corner,” “fire,” “86.”
- Speed. Only now work on speed. Speed comes from doing the same thing many times, not from being told to hurry.
Do not move to the next task until the last one is easy. If they are shaky, stay on it. Slow now is fast later.
How do you show, then let them do it?
Use four short steps for each task.
- You do it, and say what you are doing. Talk through it slowly.
- You do it, and they say what you are doing. This shows if they were watching.
- They do it, and you say what to do. Gently, one step at a time.
- They do it, and you watch. Stay quiet unless something is unsafe or wrong.
Step four is the hard one. It is tempting to step in. Do not. A new cook learns by doing, including by doing it a little wrong, as long as the plate is safe.
What should you write down?
Keep a short note for each new cook. After each shift, write a few lines. What did they do well? What needs work? What is the next task?
Notes help in three ways. You do not lose track of where they are. You can tell the next trainer what to teach. And the cook can see their own progress. Show them the notes. It builds trust.
Keep the notes kind and plain. “Good knife work. Needs to label the tubs. Next: sauce station.” A new cook should never be afraid of what is written about them. Ask them to add a line too: what was confusing today?
Who can do what while they learn?
Be clear about what a new cook can and cannot do. Can they change counts? Can they 86 a dish? Can they order? Decide before day one, and say it plainly. Guessing causes trouble for everyone.
In Heard, cooks, the chef, and servers each see their own buttons. If someone tries something they cannot do, Heard says who can. That means a new cook gets clear answers instead of silence. The chef decides who can change the counts. Read more on the roles and settings page.
In the demo, you pick who you are from a list. There is no sign-in. Try the demo, pick Jasmine, a server, and say “We have 2 cases of Roma tomatoes.” Then pick Chef Maya and say the same words.
Quick questions
How do you train a new cook?
Teach one task at a time, use call and response, show then let them do it, and write short notes after each shift.
What is call and response in a kitchen?
One person calls out what is needed and the other answers “Heard,” so both know the message landed.
Why keep notes on a new cook?
Notes show progress, help the next trainer, and let the cook see how they are doing.