Episode Details

On this episode of Five Rules for the Good Life, I sit down with India Doris, the co-owner and executive chef of Markette and The Argyle in Manhattan, whose journey from 15-year-old line cook to celebrated NYC chef is nothing short of extraordinary. From the competitive kitchens of Europe to the high-wire hustle of New York, India shares her Five Rules for Working in a Kitchen—lessons forged in long hours, sharp knives, and a relentless drive to stay humble, stay learning, and cook food you actually believe in. These are service-tested rules from someone who’s earned every stripe and every scar. If you’ve ever stepped onto the line, led a team under pressure, or just wondered what it takes to survive and thrive in the culinary world, this episode’s for you.

But let’s be real—these rules aren’t just for chefs. Anyone working in a fast-paced, high-skill environment will find India’s advice spot on. Whether you’re pulling shots in a coffee shop, producing live TV, managing a startup team, or running a construction crew, the fundamentals are the same: show up prepared, focus on small daily wins, listen, and respect the people around you. Staying humble, staying kind, and staying curious is how you build trust, earn opportunities, and keep leveling up. This episode serves as a blueprint for growing without burning out, and for leading without losing sight of the goal.

Photo by Natalie Black

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Transcript

INTRODUCTION

Hello, and welcome to Five Rules for the Good Life.I’m your host, Darin Bresnitz.

Today, I sit down with India Doris, the co-owner and executive chef at Markette and the Argyle in Manhattan.

As a longtime journey chef, she started cooking in kitchens at the age of 15, working her way across the UK, Europe, and eventually winding up in New York City. She shares her five rules for working in a kitchen. It talks about the importance of having manageable daily goals, how to stay humble, and that by cooking your own food, you will eventually find success.

So let’s get into the rules.

EARLY JOURNEY & TRAINING

India, so nice to meet you. Thank you for making the time, especially with the Argyle being open only a few weeks. I appreciate you sitting down for the show.Thanks for having me on the show. I appreciate it. There’s always stuff to do. It’s nice to take a second actually to just talk about it.

So you’re originally from the UK and you wound up cooking through some legendary kitchens across Europe, which really harkens back to an older type of culinary training. How much of that old school mentality did you experience and what did you love about that time in your life?I feel like I experienced a lot of it. The first 10 years I experienced a lot. It was 17 hour shifts, 18 hour shifts, no breaks, not eating the amount I should be running around. But then it was very, it still is very competitive. But I think back then, because of the hours, because of the stress, because of all the pressure that gets put on an individual, you’re left with a really intense group of people.Yes. We’ve gotten better. We’re not working as many hours. It’s a lot more welcoming. But because of the hours and because of the demand, it definitely left a really intense group of people that you had to work against—or work with, sorry, not against.Wow.Depending on what kitchen you’re in and who’s leading it.It felt like that sometimes, yes. Sometimes it’s against on purpose.Yeah.

MOVING TO NEW YORK

You cook across Europe. You meet this incredible group of people. You could have planted a flag anywhere. What drew you to the kitchens of New York?New York is a special place.Yeah, you can say that again.I’m from Londo