Creativity in Haute Cuisine: Strategic Knowledge and Practice in Gourmet Kitchens

Creativity is considered essential because it is the seed for innovation and thus is viewed as key to building a competitive advantage, particularly in the restaurant industry. However, little research has detailed how creativity, as a specific activity, occurs. We investigate creativity in high-end restaurants with a practice-based perspective, which emphasizes the social, situated, relational, material, and perceptual dimensions of creativity. We build on an empirical in-depth study of three French Michelin-starred restaurants to examine the minutiae of creative practices. We show that creativity is organized in space and time and distinguish three types of creative work in gourmet restaurants.