Study of Creativity among Chefs (1983)

Investigators: Yen Peterson and Laura Birg

Population: Culinary Artists (i.e., chefs and cooks).

Identification method: Chefs identified by their organizational affiliation (Chef de Cuisine). Within the sample, chefs were employed by hotels (14 percent), restaurants (29 percent), country clubs (23 percent), corporations (16 percent) and other organizations.

Sampling procedure: In-depth interviews with six executive chefs and then questionnaires sent to 120 chefs belonging to Chef de Cuisine in the Chicago area, a professional organization of primarily established executive chefs.

N and Response rate: N=62; response rate=51 percent.

Publication: Peterson, Y. and Birg, L. 1988. "Top Hat: The Chef as Creative Occupation." Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology, 16(1): 67-72.

Summary: "Investigation of the theory that the vocational self-concept of the executive chef is intricately linked to artistry and creativity. The goal was to understand perceptions of creativity and the chef’s relationship to art consumers are explored. Results were compared and contrasted to data from unrelated studies of free-lance writers and visual artists" (Peterson and Birg, 1983).