“Vull ensenyar i ajudar a les persones a trencar les barreres de la cuina i que ho facin sense recepta. Vull que innovin amb fonament.”
Si sou dels que després d’uns anys realitzant la mateixa feina heu arribat a la conclusió que la monotonia s’ha apoderat de les vostres vides, sens dubte que en algun moment també haureu somiat en deixar-ho tot per poder començar de nou. No us preocupeu, és molt freqüent i fins i tot convé somiar.
Una altra cosa és donar el pas i atrevir-se a portar-lo a la pràctica. I és que he perdut el compte de les vegades que m’han comentat “ho estic passant molt malament”, “com d’avorrida és aquesta feina” o “les poques ganes amb les que em llevo”. Però, encara a costa de ser poc empàtic, acostumo a contestar: “…i per què no fas una altra cosa?”
No us explicaré les respostes que he rebut… i encara menys si la resposta venia d’alguna persona que treballava a l’administració pública.
Ben al contrari, us animo a llegir l’entrevista que vaig tenir l’oportunitat de realitzar a algú que no només va somiar en canviar el seu destí, sinó que a més, ho va fer de forma decidida, imaginativa i innovadora.
I si a més sou dels que un dia vàreu somiar amb una feina millor, desitjo que us serveixi d’inspiració per… qui sap?
Vull ser molt bona cuinera…!
Quan vaig conèixer a la Siiri Sampson, de seguida vaig saber que es tractava d’una persona singular: “El meu lema per a aquest any és: Pregunta per tot el que vulguis”, em va advertir.
I no és per menys, ja que afirma convençuda, que “les receptes culinàries són un fre a la innovació”. Tota una declaració d’intencions.
El moment “ajá”.
Diguem Siiri, hi ha un moment en què descobreixes que vols canviar? O és la suma de diversos moments? Quin va ser el detonant?
Yes, there was a specific moment when I discovered that I wanted or needed to change my career. I had been talking with a friend who had recently changed careers (also into the food industry) and one night i was getting ready to leave for a cook book release party. I was putting my make up on and thought to myself, “gosh, some day it would be great to —-“ and the voice in my mind said, “STOP! ENOUGH! I am so tired of hearing you talk about what COULD happen some day. This is exhausting. Either do it or stop thinking about it. But no more ‘somedays’. You have one year to figure out what you want to do with food full time as the next phase in your career, and if you can’t make it happen in one year, let it go and focus on what’s next.” I had to make this change because I was compelled to follow my true passion. I know my true purpose at this time in my life is to attempt to influence change in food education for the mass public of my country. It is a long road, but I see what is broken or missing in our system and I can’t ignore it. My objective is to impact the direction of change, or to start a wave of paradigm shift that will have long lasting impact on the general public that cook eat at home.
I planned the transition from one industry to another over the course of a year, which I’ll discuss in a minute. The actual transition was done over the course of six months. When I knew it was time to step into the next phase of my career, which was cooking full time and beginning to pursue food education, I took a year to research, investigate and search for numerous answers: what kinds of jobs exist in the cooking side of the food industry that I would be interested in, what types of companies or departments exist that are appealing to me, what am I capable of and what do I need to learn, what are the best methods or schools I can learn from and how, etcetera. The most important questions I had to answer, however, were the following:
The second question is actually the most important and I have learned it is the question you must continually ask yourself, as the answer is constantly changing.
Enfrontar-te a les teves pors i “ancorar-te” a una emoció.
Siiri Sampson A Half Cup NY, NY from Siiri Sampson on Vimeo.
Què recordes de l’etapa de transició mentre deixaves la teva anterior feina i començaves amb la nova?
I remember feeling constantly terrified every day when I woke up. This lasted the entire year before I started working in restaurants, as well as every single day I woke up during the six month transition as I continued to move away from the standard stability of a 9-5 career (and the benefits like a salary that accompany that lifestyle). Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night, riddled with questions, worrying about how I was going to make it all work. And every morning when my alarm went off, I would lay in bed and ask myself, “what have I done? Am I crazy? Is this crazy? Will this work?”
Of course, the fact that I was asking myself those questions meant I was preparing more than enough and that while it was indeed crazy, it needed to be crazy in order to work. I needed to completely change the way I lived my life in order to fully embrace my true passion.
I was completely surrounded by a wonderful support network of colleagues, friends and family, and yet I felt completely alone. My work colleauges were incredibly supportive and still are, even though I was leaving them. They agreed it was the right decision for me, and did everything they could to help my transition go smoothly. My friends and family stood by me when I was afraid or worried, helped me when I had times I couldn’t get it all done on my own because I had created more work than I could handle, and celebrated with me when I experienced successes, however large or small they were. But as the six months of transition went further along and I was in the middle of planning my move to Spain, everything became much more intense. I felt more alone even though I was spending more time with the people I loved, knowing I would soon be saying goodbye to them.
Tal i com diu la cançó de Serrat “Porque te quiero a ti, porque te quiero, cerré mi puerta una mañana y eché a andar. Porque te quiero a ti, porque te quiero, dejé los montes y me vine al mar”, també es va atrevir.
Com vas posar en marxa la teva passió?
The process of preparing for the six month transition was, for me, a large but methodical process. Since my job for the past 9 years had been in strategy and project management, it was easy for me to set up the end goal objective or question and then identify both the milestones I needed to achieve finding the answer, as well as the tasks and timelines that would ensure I reached it within my self-imposed timeline.
One of my ongoing tasks or processes was to conduct informational interviews with chefs, restaurantuers, cooks that worked for other chefs, freelancers and private chefs, and small business owners as well as my teachers and mentors across all industries. I standardized the questions I asked them to give me enough data points to build a strong case for the top one or two paths I was the most interested in following.
As time went on and more milestones were completed, I realized I did not want to attend culinary school (because of my own discipline, study methodologies and other access to resources like interning or “staging/stagiaire” with chefs I knew. Additionally, the industry has changed drastically in recent years and culinary school would not necessarily be the most beneficial path for my needs, work ethic or personality type). For me the best path was to intern with chefs for six months to get the basic proficiencies of working in a professional kitchen up to industry standards while thinking about what the next six months should look like.
In April of 2015, I changed my schedule over and began cooking for another company in various restaurants they owned, five days a week. I was actually getting paid to cook in restaurants and learn from their chefs, which was just as instrumental as the previous experience in a completely different way. I maintained my previous job at the strategy firm the other two days a week, so I was working seven days a week. This break neck pace was not sustainable long term, but I wanted to ensure I captured every opportunity possible while I could.
Per la Real Academia Española de la Lengua la accepció ’emprenedor’ vol dir: “Emprendre i començar una obra, un negoci, un interès, especialment si implica una dificultat o perill”.
Doncs bé, si el significat profund de les paraules que emprem condicionen l’esperit que posem al realitzar les accions que les defineixen, dubto que la Siiri es considerés a si mateixa una emprenedora; perquè si bé podem estar d’acord en que per muntar una empresa es requereix esforç i valentia, i que fins i tot pot ser arriscat, realment, emprendre comporta un especial perill?
At the beginning of the transition, I kept asking myself, “What do I want to do next?” and was having a hard time answering the question definitively. I changed the question and started asking myself, “What do I want to do?” But that still did not help me answer anything. So I shortened the question even more and started asking, “What do I want?” This seemed like such a simple question, and yet, it is really at the center of life – knowing what we want and being able to act on it in a real and satisfying way is one of the most difficult processes as it turns out!
The first thing that came to mind is that I knew I wanted to finally take a trip I had put on hold multiple times over the course of the previous decade. I had always wanted to travel to Spain, ever since I studied Spanish literature and poetry while I was at Reed College. I could not do a semester abroad because of scholarship restrictions and degree focus, so the trip was postponed. When I knew I wanted to move into cooking full time, I wanted to take a two week vacation but realized I should really work as much as possible and save money for whatever phase came next. After repeatedly asking myself “what do I WANT” every day for a week or two, I realized going to Spain would be a reality. However, as my true passion revealed itself to be food fundemental education, it was clear that I needed to embark on additional research and field study experiences. Quickly, the idea of “I’ll finally take the vacation to Spain,” turned into the idea of, “I need to spend some time living in Spain, learning about their cuisine, techniques, traditions, food culture and progressive movements.”
Anyone in the culiary field today can tell you that Spain is essentially the current Mecca of our industry. It combines the longest standing culiary traditions steeped in culture and history and strife, with the most progressive chefs and teams in the world that are pushing the limits of food science and gastronomy, asking questions that we didn’t know existed a few years ago. If there’s one place to go study food today, it’s Spain.
And so my next six months was decided; move to Spain.
On apareix la part proactiva de l’emprenedor.
Com a experta en màrqueting escrius en el teu blog, i disposes de la teva pròpia página web. Quines altres coses vas fer, fas o faràs per donar-te a conèixer i aconseguir el teu somni?
There are so many things I want to try, test, see and achieve to fulfill my passion. Many more things than I can write in one interview! I would like to repeat this process in other countries, traveling around and learning how to cook from all different chefs and home cooks, to continue becoming a walking encyclopedia of cooking techniques and ideas. I would like to get a reservation to eat at El Celler de Can Roca, while I’m in Spain. I would like to deep sea fish in the Pacific, and take a hunting trip with my dad and brother-in-law. I’d like to work in the kitchen with my accomplished chef friends, cooking for people like us who love food enough to just let us cook for them without a menu or preconceived idea of what should be done in the kitchen. I would like to study in the El Bulli Foundation Lab to understand the process of true innovation in the culinary world. And I would like to build a small place all my own on the islands near where I grew up in Seattle, Washington, USA. The San Juan Islands are an incredibly beautiful, sacred place and I would love to have a retreat there with a simple and open kitchen, a garden and some time to just cook things I have book marked in countless cook books, magazines, websites and written down on napkins from friends and chefs alike. But as far as fulfilling my work goals, I would like to take the next decade to work on building food education that focuses on fundamental skills in the kitchen that moves home cooks away from the idea that they need to use a recipe to cook. I want to help them break down barriers they have when it comes to just cooking what is fresh and in season, using flavors and techniques that professional cooks use, and understand enough food science to feel the freedom to try something new without fear of failure or the need to buy many ingredients only used by one recipe.
Què testà aportant el que estàs fent ara comparat amb haver deixat una feina estable i segura? Què hi trobes a faltar de la teva anterior feina?
I miss my colleagues from all my previous jobs. Being in Spain is wonderful but trying to find work and the opportunities to work in kitchens is difficult and lonely. Of course I miss my friends and family and the people I worked with in the United States are both friends and family to me. I miss having the security of paid work, and also feeling like my purpose for that day is evident every day I wake up. It is difficult to wake up many days and not know what I am going to do that day, or what I should do with my time. But learning how to be comfortable in that feeling is as important during my time here in Spain as the actual learning of cooking Spanish cuisine and culture. I need to embrace feeling relaxed and not always having something to do or be busy. I need to regain that balance in my life. This time in Spain, however long I’m here and wherever I travel or if I am lucky enough to cook in a kitchen here, all the experiences I have are equal in importance.
Com t’imagines la teva feina d’aquí a 10 anys?
I have no idea what my job will look like in ten years, but I hope that I have started to develop and deliver the food education content through multiple mediums such as print, web/online, live classes, radio and television. I believe all the mediums are necessary to provide content in the different learning modalities that speak to each individual.
I would love to be living back in Seattle in 10 years time. Between now and then, I imagine I will live in many different places, countries, cities, countryside, and lots of traveling.
Who do I want to be? That is the same question to me as “what do I want”? I want to be a compassionate teacher and student that is able to be present and appreciate the world around me, while still having the same drive and ambition I have today. I would like to find a partner to share those experiences with, that possesses the same ambition and compassion I strive to embody.
“Les mares, tradicionalment han estat les dipositàries del saber culinari, i jo volia aprendre d’elles, i en la seva cuina…”
Com tens planificat el viatge? Quins són els punts clau?
I have a list of cities or towns I want to visit that are based on the restaurants, chefs, techniques, traditions or foods each place is known for around the world or within Spain. Although, more than what they are known for, I have an interest in learning them, so they are at the top of my list (things like sobrassada, butifarra, ensiamadas, etcetera).
El procés d’aprenentatge que es va proposar realitzar la Siiri, no per conegut és menys innovador:
La Siiri va contactar amb Servas una de les primeres organitzacions pacifistes nascudes després de la segona guerra mundial, en què els seus membres ofereixen la seva llar per a alguna cosa més que allotjar a viatgers i visitants d’altres llocs. Primer els moments, després els monuments, és un dels seus principis, i qui dubte que els millors records d’un viatge es produeixen compartint un bon àpat entre persones.
El cas és que la Siiri, visitant i compartint cuines i menjars amb cadascuna de les famílies que va visitar durant el seu viatge, va descobrir no només nous productes, orígens i tradicions culinàries, sinó que també va adquirir mestria en les seves diferents formes d’elaboració.
Coneix més sobre el moviment Servas a través d’aquest vídeo:
I no ho confonguis amb altres sistemes de viatge “econòmic” com poden ser Airbnb, Hospitality Club, Work Away, HelpX, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, Couchsurfing, o tants d’altres. Els valors fundacionals dels moviments idealistes de voluntaris són completament diferents dels de les organitzacions privades, la majoria d’elles amb ànim de lucre.
Vas comentar que sents la necessitat d’omplir el “contenidor” del teu coneixement amb les diferents tècniques, mètodes, persones, productes, contextos, perspectives, etc., i de totes les formes possibles, per després poder “personalitzar” per a cada alumne el que necessiti, segons el seu mètode o estil d’aprenentatge, pots explicar això si us plau?
“My idea on teaching is based that each person has a unique learning style. So if I want to convey my knowledge well, I need to adapt to different learning models.”
Com explicaries el que estàs fent -el teu somni- en un tweet?
I want to teach and help people to break the barriers of the kitchen and to do so without recipe. I want to innovate with fundament.
Què esperes obtenir d’aquest viatge?
I want to obtain experiences I can’t quantify. I want to meet people I won’t meet anywhere else, eat food I didn’t know existed, learn skills and techniques I had not imagined possible and learn about who I really am and discover the next best version of myself. I want to obtain a different type of security in myself, that no matter where I go, I will be fine, I can find my way, I can trust myself and I don’t always have to be busy.
A qualsevol cuina de qualsevol restaurant, et trobaràs amb molt caos al teu voltant. No intentis controlar-lo; centra’t en els ingredients, les eines i en el procés… és el que en realitat importa.
Si us ha agradat la història de la Siiri Sampson, podeu llegir l’entrevista sencera a: The Siiri Sampson innovation history. I si voleu contactar amb ella, podeu fer-ho des de siirisampson@gmail.com, us rebrà amb els braços oberts a New York.
Articles relacionats:
El carisma, element clau del líder innovador.
Els nostres experts en innovació, Héctor Gardó i Pep Orellana us ajudaran a aprofundir més sobre innovadors models d’aprenentatge i emprenedoria.
En altres ocasions hem comentat alguns dels ecosistemes d'innovació més importants del món, com el…
Ja fa més de 20 anys que Henry Chesbrough va definir el concepte d'open innovation. …
Expliquem l'estratègia de Salut Digital de Catalunya 2024-2030 per un futur més saludable i connectat
T'expliquem la importància dels ecosistemes de salut en la innovació del sector, amb detalls dels…
Fa temps que parlem de l'impacte de la intel·ligència artificial (IA) en el món empresarial,…
Com s'està innovant per a la Comunitat LGBTIQA+? Quines tendències i quins reptes té la…
