Instagram story viewer> @cteculinarychef> Posts

Cte Chef

@cteculinarychef

75

followers

91

following

Culinary teacher + professional chef 👨‍🍳
Free lessons, workbooks & classroom resources
Real kitchen knowledge—made for students
↓ Free resources

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Restaurants aren’t just selling food anymore — they’re selling the markup.

An 8 oz burger plate that costs roughly $4.36 in ingredients can show up on a menu for $18–$24.

Two pieces of bluefin otoro? About $3.70 in food cost at $65/lb — often sold for $16–$28.

A 12 oz USDA Prime New York strip at $17/lb? Roughly $13.64 on the plate — and commonly $55–$75 on the menu.

Yes, restaurants have labor. They have rent, utilities, insurance, credit-card fees, equipment, waste and service costs. Nobody is pretending the difference between food cost and menu price is pure profit.

But consumers should still understand what they’re paying for.

Restaurant industry sales are at record levels, menu prices have continued climbing, and the actual ingredients on the plate can represent a surprisingly small percentage of the final check.

There’s nothing wrong with paying for a great restaurant experience.

But when a $4 burger becomes $24 and a $14 steak becomes $70, don’t tell customers the price is all about “the rising cost of food.”

Sometimes the food isn’t the expensive part.

The markup is. by @cteculinarychef

5

0

a month ago

by @cteculinarychef

5

0

a month ago

They don’t know it yet.

Right now, they’re just cooks.

Still learning. Still getting burned. Still getting corrected. Still doubting themselves. Still showing up.

But somewhere in those long shifts, bad services, small victories, and impossible standards, something is being built.

Skill. Judgment. Nerve. Taste. Discipline.

And maybe, years from now, someone will look back at a picture like this and say:

We knew them before they became legends.

CTE Culinary

#Chef #ChefLife #Culinary #ChefsOfInstagram #CulinaryArts by @cteculinarychef

7

2

a month ago

Maybe the good life isn’t something we have to chase.

We spend so much time rushing toward the next thing—the next goal, the next purchase, the next accomplishment—that sometimes we miss what we already have.

A cup of coffee.
The ocean in front of us.
Good food.
People we love.
A little time to simply be.

This is what we have. And sometimes, this is all we need.

So take a sip. Slow down. Look around.

And if you catch yourself smiling, stay there for a while.

Txoko Del Mar
Cook. Share. Belong.

#TxokoDelMar #CookShareBelong #TheGoodLife #SundayMorning #SlowDown DelMar FoodAndCommunity by @cteculinarychef

4

0

a month ago

by @cteculinarychef

7

0

a month ago

Agree or disagree? by @cteculinarychef

10

5

2 months ago

The ticket printer stops. Your brain doesn’t.

Kitchen stress is real. When everything starts moving faster than your head can handle, don’t try to solve the whole service at once.

Breathe. Reset. Handle the next ticket.

Strong cooks don’t ignore stress. They learn how to manage it.

#TxokoDelMar #ChefWellness #KitchenLife #CulinaryLife #MentalHealthMatters ChefLife KitchenCulture by @cteculinarychef

10

2

2 months ago

Chefs — it’s Sunday morning. ☕🍳

Show me your go-to brunch move when you actually give a damn about the plate.

Eggs Benedict? Chilaquiles? Biscuits & gravy? Some ridiculous 14-component creation because apparently we don’t know how to take a day off?

👇 Post your best Sunday-morning dish in the comments.
Bonus points if the hollandaise didn’t break. 😂

Let’s see who’s actually cooking. by @cteculinarychef

6

7

2 months ago

by @cteculinarychef

6

0

2 months ago

8

2

2 months ago

The same things that can weigh you down can also become the foundation you stand on.

Family. Career. Love. The future. The job itself.

The stones don’t always change. How you carry them does.

A healthy kitchen isn’t about pretending the pressure isn’t real. It’s about building the mindset, boundaries, support, and perspective that keep the pressure from crushing you.

So which is it today?

Burden or foundation?

#ChefLife #KitchenCulture #ChefMentalHealth #CulinaryLife #RestaurantLife Burnout WellnessInTheKitchen HealthyKitchens CulinaryLeadership Chefmax by @cteculinarychef

6

0

2 months ago

by @cteculinarychef

4

0

2 months ago