--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's very hard to be an innovator at the…" description: "\"It's very hard to be an innovator at the highest level in any discipline. For some chefs it's merely about combining ingredients, but that's something ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/ferran-adria-8149_chef_it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the_482332.jpg" --- # It's very hard to be an innovator at the highest level in… ![“It's very hard to be an innovator at the highest level in any discipline. For some chefs it's merely about combining ingredients, but that's something you can do with your eyes closed.” quote by Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/ferran-adria-8149_chef_it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the_482332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/ferran-adria-8149_chef_it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the_482332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/ferran-adria-8149_chef_it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the_482332.jpg) > “It's very hard to be an innovator at the highest level in any discipline. For some chefs it's merely about combining ingredients, but that's something you can do with your eyes closed.” [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True innovation demands more than skill; it requires daring creativity beyond routine expertise. **In simple terms:** Innovation needs boldness, not just skill. Key Takeaway Cultivate daring creativity. Themes innovation creativity expertise risk-taking Mood inspired challenged Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - product development - artistic experimentation - leadership training Key Concepts Culinary arts disciplinary excellence creative process Questions to Reflect On - How can you push beyond comfort zones? - What safeguards support daring ideas? A Different Perspective Risk can lead to failure without proper testing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chef/) [Chefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chefs/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Innovator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovator/) [Innovators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovators/) ## Related quotes > [Chefs have only been able to work in restaurants, high-end cuisine. Why? Why haven't they been able to find other scenarios? For those chefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/chefs-have-only-been-able-to-work-in-restaurants-high-end-cuisine-why-2/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [The person who's receiving the food cooks as much as the chef. They have a very important role to play... There's no other activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/the-person-who-s-receiving-the-food-cooks-as-much-as-the-chef-they/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [A chef is a chef, a cook is a cook; a lorry driver is a lorry driver and a designer is a designer. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/a-chef-is-a-chef-a-cook-is-a-cook-a-lorry-driver-is-a-lorry-driver/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [Chefs have only been able to work in restaurants, high-end cuisine. Why? Why haven't they been able to find other scenarios? For those chefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/chefs-have-only-been-able-to-work-in-restaurants-high-end-cuisine-why/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-ought-to-be-remembered-that-there-is-nothing-more-difficult-to/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Ray Johnson was a great innovator of mail art and photocopying and sending people photocopies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-fitzpatrick/ray-johnson-was-a-great-innovator-of-mail-art-and-photocopying-and/) [Leo Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-fitzpatrick/) > [Don't be an imitator be an innovator, design your life and live it your way, not someone else's way. Stand up, stand out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-housham/don-t-be-an-imitator-be-an-innovator-design-your-life-and-live-it/) [Ricardo Housham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-housham/) > [“Advances in technology can be empowering, progressive and enriching. History has shown this across civilisations and societies. But it has also shown, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/advances-in-technology-can-be-empowering-progressive-and-enriching/) [Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/) > [When I started out, I was an Innovator of children's programs, and I always felt that my shows were In the best of taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soupy-sales/when-i-started-out-i-was-an-innovator-of-children-s-programs-and-i/) [Soupy Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soupy-sales/) > [“out the right product is the innovator’s job, not the customer’s job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/out-the-right-product-is-the-innovator-s-job-not-the-customer-s-job/) [Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/) > [The definition of art has to shift whenever an innovator appears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hoving/the-definition-of-art-has-to-shift-whenever-an-innovator-appears/) [Thomas Hoving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hoving/) > [I guess I'd like to be known for being an innovator, fostering creativity, thinking outside the box. You know, keeping people playful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/i-guess-i-d-like-to-be-known-for-being-an-innovator-fostering/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [What's the DNA of a marketer? We call it the 4-I's: instigator, implementer, innovator, and integrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/what-s-the-dna-of-a-marketer-we-call-it-the-4-i-s-instigator/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [My father was an innovator. He's the first person who sang and set Rumi's poetry into music 35 years, 40 years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez-nazeri/my-father-was-an-innovator-he-s-the-first-person-who-sang-and-set/) [Hafez Nazeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez-nazeri/) > [What counts alone is the innovator, the dissenter, the harbinger of things unheard of, the man who rejects the traditional standards and aims at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/what-counts-alone-is-the-innovator-the-dissenter-the-harbinger-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) ## More by Ferran Adria > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [I don't worry about the things I can't change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/i-don-t-worry-about-the-things-i-can-t-change/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [At one point cinema and photography weren't treated as art. Now it's crazy to think they're not. The key question is "What is art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/at-one-point-cinema-and-photography-weren-t-treated-as-art-now-it-s/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [In an avant-garde cooking restaurant, it's the experience that's the difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/in-an-avant-garde-cooking-restaurant-it-s-the-experience-that-s-the/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [You can't please everyone, especially if you're doing very radical things at the vanguard of cooking. That's life; it's a polemic I've lived with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/you-can-t-please-everyone-especially-if-you-re-doing-very-radical/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you think well, you cook well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-you-think-well-you-cook-well/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [What you feel like eating at any given moment is what you should have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/what-you-feel-like-eating-at-any-given-moment-is-what-you-should-have/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [Creativity means not copying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/creativity-means-not-copying/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [I believe that if you eat well, you work even better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/i-believe-that-if-you-eat-well-you-work-even-better/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [There are a lot of products still to be discovered in the world and experimentation, for example with seafood and fish. There are thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/there-are-a-lot-of-products-still-to-be-discovered-in-the-world-and/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [I don't do my mother's cooking. Because I am a professional and she isn't. Even if she is a better cook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/i-don-t-do-my-mother-s-cooking-because-i-am-a-professional-and-she/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [We knew the time would come that we'd have to step down because we'd been winning Oscars for 15 years. I discovered this one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/we-knew-the-time-would-come-that-we-d-have-to-step-down-because-we-d/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [In my early days, I copied the great French chefs, like most chefs do. Copying is not bad. Copying and not recognizing that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/in-my-early-days-i-copied-the-great-french-chefs-like-most-chefs-do/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [Chefs have only been able to work in restaurants, high-end cuisine. Why? Why haven't they been able to find other scenarios? For those chefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/chefs-have-only-been-able-to-work-in-restaurants-high-end-cuisine-why/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [Throughout the history of el Bulli, there have been many changes in its organisation or philosophy. This is another one of those moments. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/throughout-the-history-of-el-bulli-there-have-been-many-changes-in/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) [Explore all 83 Ferran Adria quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) ## More Chef quotes > [“Fortunately, I knew the cardinal rule of getting on with one’s fellow cooks. It applies in any kitchen and can be summed up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-p-pin/fortunately-i-knew-the-cardinal-rule-of-getting-on-with-one-s-fellow/) [Jacques Pépin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-p-pin/) > [People have no idea how much work it is for a man to produce an ejaculation. You have this seminal vesicle churning out this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/people-have-no-idea-how-much-work-it-is-for-a-man-to-produce-an/) [Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/) > [You look at most of these 'best chef' lists, and there are about nine male chefs and one woman chef. The problem is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-crenn/you-look-at-most-of-these-best-chef-lists-and-there-are-about-nine/) [Dominique Crenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-crenn/) > [My dream as a passionate cook has been to go to Le Cordon Bleu. Never could my most incredible dream have lived up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-lively/my-dream-as-a-passionate-cook-has-been-to-go-to-le-cordon-bleu-never/) [Blake Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-lively/) > [The chef has kids complaining to their parents the food they get in school is better than what they get at home. He's turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-nestle/the-chef-has-kids-complaining-to-their-parents-the-food-they-get-in/) [Marion Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-nestle/) > [If you become a chef because you're obsessed by becoming a celebrity, getting my ass kicked and working my nuts off the way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/if-you-become-a-chef-because-you-re-obsessed-by-becoming-a-celebrity/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [How many chefs when I was a young boy shouted at me during service? All I ever said was "Yes, chef." The customer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/how-many-chefs-when-i-was-a-young-boy-shouted-at-me-during-service/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [BottleRock has these incredible VIP cabins where a chef is preparing sushi for you in your cabin or lounge decorated by Restoration Hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapino/bottlerock-has-these-incredible-vip-cabins-where-a-chef-is-preparing/) [Michael Rapino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapino/) > [You don't go to school to become the best chef in the world right after you graduate. School is always a starting point so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-yamaguchi/you-don-t-go-to-school-to-become-the-best-chef-in-the-world-right/) [Roy Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-yamaguchi/) > [Miss Wormwood: Calvin, your test was an absolute disgrace! It's obvious you haven't read any of the material. Our first president was not Chef…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/miss-wormwood-calvin-your-test-was-an-absolute-disgrace-it-s-obvious/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [My husband is a musician. He cooks and he's a chef but he also, he makes basement recordings. So many people in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/my-husband-is-a-musician-he-cooks-and-he-s-a-chef-but-he-also-he/) [Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/) > [I wanted to be a chef; I became a hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-shroff/i-wanted-to-be-a-chef-i-became-a-hero/) [Jackie Shroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-shroff/) > [I hate the opera. I think I must have a tin ear. No matter how hard I concentrate it still sounds like a bunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle-onassis/i-hate-the-opera-i-think-i-must-have-a-tin-ear-no-matter-how-hard-i/) [Aristotle Onassis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle-onassis/) > [“Prideep pointed to the flames of paraffin lamps as they came alive in the distance and cackled in awe at the experience. (…) I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/prideep-pointed-to-the-flames-of-paraffin-lamps-as-they-came-alive-in/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [Being a chef would be too much hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-a-chef-would-be-too-much-hard-work/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 941 Chef quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chef/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's very hard to be an innovator at the highest level in any discipline. For some chefs it's merely about combining ingredients, but that's something you can do with your eyes closed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ferran Adria" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the-highest-level-in-any/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chef" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the-highest-level-in-any/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/ferran-adria-8149_chef_it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the_482332.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/ferran-adria-8149_chef_it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the_482332.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/ferran-adria-8149_chef_it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the_482332.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's very hard to be an innovator at the highest level in any discipline. For some chefs it's merely about…” — Ferran Adria", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ferran Adria", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's very hard to be an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the-highest-level-in-any/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/it-s-very-hard-to-be-an-innovator-at-the-highest-level-in-any/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```