It's hard to believe that during a time when almost every restaurant is struggling with staffing issues in the post-pandemic era, three-MICHELIN-Starred restaurant Caprice inside MICHELIN-recommended hotel Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong has maintained a turnover rate of less than 10%.
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At Caprice, chef Guillaume Galliot has given up the traditional method of yelling and shouting in the kitchen a long time ago, despite his training in French cuisine. "We are working in a very stressful environment already, and the more you shout at the guys, the more stressed they will be. In the end, they will not deliver a good job," he shares.
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For Galliot, talent is the core of restaurant operations. He has distilled a unique set of values and philosophies for leading a team throughout his culinary journey.
From France to Saint Barthélemy, Morocco, Singapore, Beijing, Macau, and finally, Hong Kong, Galliot's extensive experience emphasises both hands-on trainings and theoretical knowledge. He started cooking when he was around 12 years old because he was unhappy with the school canteen; he later entered a culinary school for systematic training. For him, school was the place to build a foundation, and a solid theoretical base is certainly the starting point of future progress.
Galliot also values mentorship and believes in hands-on teaching. “I would say mentorship is very, very important. I had a very good mentor, a great leader. I try to reproduce the same: to be clear and teach right from the beginning,” he shares.
The Caprice team is mature and strong. Members of the team have won some competitions, trained at some renowned restaurants, and have graduated from some prestigious culinary schools such as the Institut Disciples Escoffier in Hong Kong, a culinary school that worked with Institut Disciples Dscoffier in France to develop local aspiring chefs through its technique-based, solid training as well as potential chances to interact with established chefs.
"For me, growing with the team is very important. I always give them my full trust, and we spend time together. I do everything with them. From the first step until the very end, we try and reach the results together.”
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