Supervision in the Hospitality Industry is the current class I’m taking at Le Cordon Bleu. We began class learning about the characteristics of a leader. Our class learned about the many different kinds of leaders and what it takes to be an efficient and effective leader whether it be front or back of the house. Seeing chef Najat Kaanache‘s mysterious departure from Souk all over the news today isn’t the least bit surprising after she became the topic of conversation during class on Thursday.
Students were asked to share positive and negative experiences encountered in restaurants during a discussion on supervisors as leaders. One student hadn’t spoken all morning after having his wisdom teeth taken out the previous day. This question forced him to tell several stories about chef Najat Kaanache’s attitude and lack of professionalism in Souk’s kitchen. He passionately spoke of her interaction with employees as negative at all times. Not only did she repeatedly embarrass kitchen staff, he described her attempt at leadership to be insulting and degrading. Another student who worked with chef Najat Kaanache at Souk shared similar stories of disrespect as well. If what those having worked in the kitchen at Souk have said is accurate, chef Najat Kaanache needs to rethink her profession as a leader.