Do one thing better

A week ago, I was working with one of my friends, preparing food to be photographed for her new menu.

I’d never worked with a food photographer before, and it was a fascinating experience.

Now, I’m usually pretty proud of my plating, and I take pride in making sure that every plate I serve looks perfect. But here’s what I learned from watching these two photographers – my idea of ‘perfect’ isn’t anywhere NEAR the level of perfection that they envisioned. They moved individual grains of rice and leaves of cilantro with tweezers, brushed tiny sections of meat with just a drop of olive oil so that it would glisten, and in general, fussed over every dish I presented for 10-15 minutes after I’d presented it before ever taking a picture.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not beating myself up for doing a sub-par job. Quite the opposite. I was proud of how each dish looked, and I stand by them.

The lesson I took from this experience, though, is much deeper – where else in my life do I think I’m delivering perfection that I’m actually not? And, how much more value can I provide with just a little more attention?

My goal? Do one thing better today than I did it yesterday.

Savor the day, my friends.

#ChefJLooney #FoodIsLife #KnowYourFood #ChangeYourFoodChangeYourLife