{"id":1032,"date":"2019-10-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/reports\/what-a-three-starred-michelin-restaurant-can-teach-us-about-talent-development\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:12:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:12:26","slug":"joel-robuchon-talent-development","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/","title":{"rendered":"What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n Oct 29, 2019 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
Category<\/div>\n Coaching & Development<\/a> <\/div>\n
\n
Share<\/div>\n Facebook<\/a>\n Twitter<\/a>\n Email<\/a>\n Copy Link<\/a>\n
https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Jo\u00ebl Robuchon\u2019s Executive Chef, Christophe de Lellis, explains why the secret is harnessing passion and stimulating motivation.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

\n

\u201cI always compare the kitchen to an F1 paddock,\u201d says Christophe de Lellis, Executive Chef at Las Vegas\u2019 Jo\u00ebl Robuchon restaurant.<\/h4>\n
\n

By John Portch<\/h6>\n

\u201cEverything is in place, everything is clean, of course \u2013 not all kitchens are clean so I like to mention it,\u201d he adds with a smile.<\/p>\n

That is not all that sets apart Jo\u00ebl Robuchon, a Three Michelin Star French gourmet restaurant established by its late namesake at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but it is the starting point for de Lellis.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sets the mentality behind the food; the precision, the details – whatever we do it is all about the details \u2013 these details set up the mentality,\u201d he explains to an audience at the 2019 Leaders Sport Performance Summit in Las Vegas<\/a>. \u201cThe staff will do a better job of cutting the vegetables, they will pay more attention; so the visual of the kitchen is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hive of activity, the focused attention, and the collective efforts of the team are all synonymous with Formula 1, but it is perhaps in the restless desire for improvement, for continuous innovation, as well as a need to develop the next generation of talent, where the lessons from Jo\u00ebl Rubichon are most salient for the sporting world.<\/p>\n

De Lellis had been drafted in from across town to speak that day at the UFC Performance Institute. He spoke of how he looks to develop talent and sustain culinary excellence by harnessing the passion and motivation of his staff.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Come with the right attitude<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jo\u00ebl Rubuchon is renowned for its innovative dishes, which are a result of supreme effort behind the scenes. The restaurant provides around 60 covers per night, with 35 cooks working behind the scenes and another 25 staff working the kitchen and dining rooms of this Pierre-Yves Rochon-designed art deco townhouse within the MGM Grand. \u201cIt\u2019s one worker per guest,\u201d as de Lellis qualifies.<\/p>\n

As Rubuchon, the renowned chef who founded his Las Vegas restaurant in 2006, once said: \u201cTo make a grand meal, you have to make it simple. To look simple is very complicated. You need the highest quality products, the best equipment and you have to keep the focus on the original flavour of the product.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Lellis can source the best products and equipment with relative ease but that focus on the original flavour requires a certain mindset from his cooks; thus, he cultivates an environment conducive to shaping emerging talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always compare myself to a coach or something because I try to build my team with different personalities,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause at the end of the day, am I cooking all the time? No. I have a lot of stuff to do as well; we have the creation behind the food, all the meetings. Those who provide the food to our guests are the people I hired, the people we teach; and I try to mix a lot of personalities in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a good team you have a lot of different personalities; it brings a nice atmosphere and a good work environment.\u201d It sounds like another F1 analogy, where the disparate personalities and skillsets gathered in the paddock undertake the calm, studious but urgent work needed throughout a race weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kitchen is actually a really calm environment,\u201d reveals de Lellis, who is often asked by visitors to the Rubuchon kitchen if his staff are \u2018faking it\u2019. \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of noise and everyone is focused on one goal: providing guests with good food and a good experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Different personalities are desirable but there is, however, a singular requirement. \u201cA lot of guests ask me \u2018what kind of background do we need to come and work for you?\u2019 I always tell them \u2018just come with the right attitude,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s all we need because when I hire someone I always tell them \u2018first, you have to be willing to forget everything you\u2019ve learned in the past as a professional in order to come and work with me because we\u2019re going to start from the basics and we\u2019re going to build you another style – we\u2019re going to make you our way\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Develop your recruits by developing your leaders<\/strong><\/p>\n

De Lellis prizes an attitude born of passion and motivation but it is incumbent on him as Executive Chef to stoke both. \u201cWhen you\u2019ve achieved a three-star Michelin rating, the hardest part is to maintain consistency,\u201d he says. \u201cTo achieve every day, you need to keep the team motivated. Personally, I always try to learn something new, for me and the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe routine can sometimes bring a whole kitchen down and that\u2019s why you always have to bring something new to the table.\u201d Sometimes that is literal, as he would later go on to discuss, but is also through the composition of the chef teams that work the four stations in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always make sure I have one skilled person at each station,\u201d he continues, \u201cI always have a \u2018green person\u2019, like a learner coming through who almost doesn\u2019t know how to hold a knife, and I always make sure I have a high intensity worker who brings the energy to the team. The stations are composed of three or four but the main characteristic they all have is passion for food. You cannot get into the kitchen or do this job and pay the bills without it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is a firm believer that learners can learn from the best, which in turn encourages senior chefs to become better leaders \u2013 because, as moderator Dehra Harris points out, it is not a given that people who are good at what they do know how to teach and support other people.<\/p>\n

Harris quizzes de Lellis on the attributes the learner brings to the work station. He replies: \u201cThe learner brings excitement. Sometimes the person with the most skill can be a little lazy because they are better than everybody else; they do not need to work as hard. But the learner is always asking for more; \u2018how can I do this better? Can you show me this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In turn, this innate inquisitiveness stimulates those more experienced cooks. \u201cIt teaches them the ability to become a leader because it is not because you are skilful that you can become a leader yourself \u2013 a lot of times in my work, a lot of people with skill are ready bad leaders and managers \u2013 that is why I try to build a good team around new recruits to make them grow as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I don\u2019t hire \u2013 I give promotions\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harris asks next how this group dynamic influences de Lellis\u2019 recruitment process. \u201cFirst of all, I believe in the first impression. Just with the handshake I get the first feeling,\u201d he replies. \u201cI\u2019ve made a mistake in the past but I\u2019m 70% sure or not if I\u2019ll hire you through the first \u2018hello\u2019. But I always give them a chance and what we do is put them in the kitchen right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Potential recruits will spend a day in the kitchen where they are lifted out of their comfort zone and de Lellis has the opportunity to watch them interacting with the team. \u201cI want to make sure every person I hire keeps the balance of the team. I will put them in the kitchen to see how they work \u2013 I don\u2019t really pay attention to how they are cooking something. A lot of other chefs will ask \u2018can you make me an omelette or do this?\u2019 \u2013 we don\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just let them work with the team, a different station, a different person, to see how they interact with them.\u201d It is a collective decision: \u201cI never take the decision alone; at the end of the day I bring in my team, all my managers, my sous chefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

As de Lellis says, attitude, passion and team dynamic are most important and staff can see a career pathway from that first day. \u201cI don\u2019t hire managers \u2013 I give promotions. They all start from the bottom with me and they go up; that\u2019s the philosophy behind it. I will never hire a sous chef or my right hand from another restaurant \u2013 we build them.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Lellis himself developed his passion for cooking as a child, honed his skills as a student at Paris\u2019 renowned culinary school, Ferrandi, and set out for the United States as a 21-year-old and soon came under the wing of Jo\u00ebl Rubuchon himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to see different cultures, different food, and a different approach to the job,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI started in the kitchen as a cook; worked my way up to master cook, sous chef, executive sous chef; I was there for nine years and I even left for a period to be executive sous chef in another restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Mr Rubuchon, before he passed away last year, called me back to take over the restaurant and he was really happy that I got to experience something else and I came back to his place stronger and with a different approach; a different style of management.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Innovate and educate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since childhood, de Lellis has harboured a belief that true culinary creativity comes from a person\u2019s emotional investment in the food they are creating. As such, his approach to cooking takes in novel innovations such as \u2018cryoconcentration\u2019, a pioneering technique popularised by French biochemist Bruno Goussault in the 1970s. It is a twist on conventional slow cooking that involves vacuum bags and syringes.<\/p>\n

Goussault, who is often considered the godfather of sous vide cooking and was a long-time associate of Jo\u00ebl Rubuchon, would go on to found Centre de Recherche et d\u2019\u00c9tudes pour l\u2019Alimentation [CREA] in Paris in 1991. He would later open another Centre in Washington DC. De Lellis has worked with him and other staff from the kitchen at Jo\u00ebl Rubuchon have attended too. Cryoconcentration is part of the syllabus and personal development is the aim.<\/p>\n

De Lellis says: \u201cIt\u2019s called \u2018extraction in cryoconcentration\u2019; the goal is to use all the peeling from carrots, celery, everything you throw away, and cook it with a low heat for 12 hours, extracting all the flavours from the peelings, which hold the strongest flavours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such techniques, such lessons at CREA, help with staff retention. \u201cI don\u2019t have a lot of turnover because I try to teach something new every year. You\u2019ll look at a lot of resum\u00e9s and see a lot of people do \u2018one year, one year, one year\u2019; why? Because they do the four seasons, winter, spring, summer and fall, and then they move on because they know the next year is going to bring the same thing; the same dishes over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

To wrap things up, Harris makes the connection between de Lellis\u2019 desire to break traditions and play with the expectations of both staff and guests.<\/p>\n

He agrees: \u201cThe bigger menu is 16 courses and three bites per dish. I always try to make sure that within one or two bites everyone is going to be familiar with it; it\u2019s going to bring memories; and a lot of dishes will have a little twist and bring you somewhere else. It makes the experience unique and that\u2019s why this place is so special.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n

\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jo\u00ebl Robuchon\u2019s Executive Chef, Christophe de Lellis, explains why the secret is harnessing passion and stimulating motivation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1033,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[22],"pathway":[],"topic":[],"sport":[],"class_list":["post-1032","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coaching-development-performance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development - Performance Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development - Performance Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jo\u00ebl Robuchon\u2019s Executive Chef, Christophe de Lellis, explains why the secret is harnessing passion and stimulating motivation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Performance Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-15T05:12:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-489137377.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2040\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1093\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/\",\"name\":\"What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development - Performance Institute\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-489137377.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-29T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-15T05:12:26+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-489137377.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-489137377.jpg\",\"width\":2040,\"height\":1093},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/\",\"name\":\"Performance Institute\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development - Performance Institute","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development - Performance Institute","og_description":"Jo\u00ebl Robuchon\u2019s Executive Chef, Christophe de Lellis, explains why the secret is harnessing passion and stimulating motivation.","og_url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/","og_site_name":"Performance Institute","article_modified_time":"2025-12-15T05:12:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2040,"height":1093,"url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-489137377.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/","name":"What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development - Performance Institute","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-489137377.jpg","datePublished":"2019-10-29T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-15T05:12:26+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-489137377.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-489137377.jpg","width":2040,"height":1093},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/joel-robuchon-talent-development\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What A Three-Starred Michelin Restaurant Can Teach Us About Talent Development"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/#website","url":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/","name":"Performance Institute","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/1032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/1032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32341,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/1032\/revisions\/32341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"pathway","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pathway?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=1032"},{"taxonomy":"sport","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sport?post=1032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}