I will never forget the priceless looks on the faces of our poor contestants when they realized that a fun night out at Chicago's Second City had made a sharp turn into an Elimination Challenge, especially one in which the audience controlled their fate! The basis of the challenge came from a list of words, screamed out by slightly inebriated comedy fans, each to include a color, an emotion, and an edible item. Obviously, the turn of events got me thinking a lot about the importance of improvisation, in the professional kitchen as well as at home.

Learning how to use whatever you are given and turn it into something delicious is no easy task. Improvisation is also crucial when you find yourself without the ideal ingredients on hand for what you need to make. It requires split-second decision-making and a palate that can anticipate depth of flavor without necessarily having tasted the exact combination before. Just like comedy, improvisational cooking requires impeccable timing, responsiveness, and spontaneity, but above all else it demands the utmost confidence. Without it, one can easily lose sight of the ultimate goal, whether making people laugh or satisfying their appetites.

There will always be tricks to fall back on that every chef knows. In comedy it seems these often take the form of swearing a lot or talking about sex. But the best improvisational comedy does not rely on cheap laughs or tricks. Comics like Andy Kaufman and Billy Crystal were groundbreaking because they made you laugh and use your mind at the same time. Their comedy was not just hysterical, it was smart. Cooking is much the same.