Leaving the Hotel California...
Tuesday, February 6
Today was my last shift at Millennium restaurant before heading home. I had become quite comfortable and at ease with the kitchen and enjoyed working with the staff, so it was strange to think that this would be my last day there. If only I could move Millennium to Ottawa.
When I arrived in the kitchen for my shift, like other kitchen staff, I had a prep list to prepare, which included a blood orange sauce for the hot line, an olive plate for the cold pantry, blanched and shocked chard for the hot line, etc. I was quite at ease in the kitchen by now and knew where most things were, could guess, and wasn't hesitant to ask someone if I didn't know. Also, I had a number of other key things under my belt:
#1. I could use the gas stove without any help, which is not the easiest as the dials have all fallen off and you have to use a towel to twist the dials or a wrench and get the flame at the right height (there are always things like this in professional kitchens I’ve seen that don’t seem to bother the chefs at all; the equipment is professional and sturdy and it if still works with a few adjustments then life goes on as normal) and there are various pots and pans with things sautéing and boiling, usually belonging to the chef or sous chef, so you have to be sure to use a burner immediately once one is free and move off of it if you’re finished, just like a runway. Having a pan or pot there waiting to cool or waiting for your mis-en-place to be finished is not acceptable etiquette and you will be told so in appropriate kitchen language, which usually involves swearing. You need to move your food on to a tray and on to the cooling rack or use a cold water bath to bring down the temperature before putting it away in a container in the walk-in fridge.
#2. My chopping has increased in speed and accuracy. I still have a long way to go but there are great noticeable improvements from when I first started... I noticed this in the speed at which I can cut a 10 quart container vegetables into small dice and the accuracy and consistency of the pieces, which I had to do the other night for a new dish they are preparing to replace the stuffed yuba (tofu skin). The new creation will be a pastry that is filled with a variety of diced vegetables. Also, I have more of a rhythm now and can feel and hear this rhythm when I’m cutting a lot.
#3. I am able to follow recipes and directions for a recipe without much help in finding things, or how to do things, and don’t need a lot of help to get the final tasting right. If I can’t get the final taste right for a dish or sauce, I can usually guess what it might need and will tell the chef or sous-chef this when I ask them to taste it.
#4. I can set up and hold my own on a cold pantry station or garde manger station. If I had stayed longer, I could have worked the hot line but that was enough stress and challenge for me at this point in my chef career.
#5. The speed and creativity I use for plating has greatly improved. Chef Eric lets us plate however we like for most dishes in the cold pantry as long as the size of the portion does not change and everything is on the plate, and this allowed me to experiment and get creative with my plates, which was a lot of fun.
#6. I understand first hand that it takes a lot of drive, initiative and determination to work in the restaurant business under long hours and stressful conditions, and that it’s important to be in top form and always shine among your colleagues.
#7. I gained a lot of culinary skills and knowledge while at Millennium, but most important, I learned a lot about myself (that I could apply the same level of determination, enthusiasm, creativity and people skills that I used for my previous work to my chef work with fairly good results) and gained a tremendous amount of confidence in being in the kitchen, on the line, serving to the public, and working with great chefs, which was and still is a bit intimidating for me. It’s one thing to present a report to your boss or supervisor, but another thing to have to present the final dish for review and tasting.
After finishing with my prep work, with a little help from my friends in the kitchen, Chef Eric said I would be helping Chef Ethan who hasn't done the cold pantry station for a while and introduced me to him as the "expert with the cold station" that would assist him. Now, that's a switch and intimidating! I said something stupid in return that I can’t remember as I was surprised by the comment and wasn’t sure if he was joking, though one part of me knew he wasn’t and was embarrassed and proud at the same time as Chef Ethan has been working in the hot station since I have been there and is really a good chef. There would also be another intern in the station with us. So, we worked together to prep the station and plate up a number of dishes, which came back to me quickly as I started plating them. This time around. it was more relaxing in the station, not only because there were more people to help out, but because I had done it before and it was coming back to me easily so I could use any extra time on extra special plating for each dish. I had a good time knowing that this would be my last time in the station and realizing that I had learned a lot to be showing the chef taking over the station for the evening and the intern what to do, or checking that things were done the right way, or reviewing things that would need refilling, or answering questions. I was no means top chef but it felt good. And, speaking of the Top Chef program, some people from our restaurant have tried out and have made it to the next stage of presenting a video of yourself. They don't even get to food and cooking for awhile. There's a lot of interest at the restaurant as the last series was shot in San Francisco and had local restaurants and people in it.
While in the pantry, I had some good discussions with Chef Ethan. He said he is totally impressed and fascinated with the cooking approaches and food of Eric. It beats all the more classic French and non-vegetarian places he’s worked at and he’s never seen the amount of attention that Eric gets from guests and the amount of requests he gets from people to sign his cook books that they can buy at the restaurant. Dave and I went to the restaurant a few years ago and have a signed copy from the chef, and we were impressed that he signed it. It was actually reading this cookbook and finding out that Eric went to the Natural Gourmet that got me thinking about going there. Ethan said it took awhile to get used to working with Chef Eric as his style is so different from all the other chefs he's worked with. He's worked over seven years in the kitchen, often in French restaurants with chefs that were militaristic and very strict (you had to say "yes chef", "no chef", always be at attention and never talk back), extremely demanding, temperamental, and negative (from one chef, he got only two nice comments in the one and a half years he worked for him; in other places you only had two hours to prep everything for a station from start to finish and if it wasn't done you would be fired). At 21, he found he was on the way to becoming one of these types of chef he calls “a-hole” as it was the only way he knew how to be, that's until he started about a year ago at Millennium with Eric Tucker who is kind to his staff (i.e. if you want to attend a concert and need a certain night off, no problem), let's them take risks, encourages staff to be creative, and is right there to help if needed. When he comes on the line to help out when there's a crunch, he asks you what is the status of things and asks to be directed how he can help. He wants you to take the lead and responsibility as he says it's your station. This is certainly not the case in most kitchens. I asked Ethan if he was nervous when Eric comes on to the line. He said you just can't think that way or you'll be dead. At 22, Ethan seems like a great chef and it will be interesting to see his progress as he advances and grows older. Imagine when he’s 30 years old, he’ll have 15 years of experience already. He said that when he was young he was put in a special school as people didn't know how to deal with him as he had a hard time sitting still, listening, and learning in class and teachers labeled him a special needs kid. Now, look at him. Certain industries require a certain breed of people. Chefs need to have an incredible amount of stamina to stand on their feet for long hours and work for long hours every day without breaks, they need to be super vigilant and hyperactive to handle a multitude of tasks in rapid speed and concession without forgetting, and they need to be creative and observant to notice the details of the dish they are preparing and presenting. By the way, Ethan’s grandmother was Canadian, from Montreal I believe, and when he found out that I was Canadian he said no wonder I was so cool because he likes Canadians and finds that they are so cool. Now, that’s nice to hear that I’m cool and us Canadians are a cool bunch, especially from a Californian.
The Natural Gourmet requires us to have an evaluation form filled out for each internship. It’s a bit intimidating to show it to your supervisor as it lists everything from punctuality and attendance to teamwork, speed and accuracy, taste of food, presentation, and areas for improvement. You don’t know if your supervisor will take the form seriously or not, and whether they do or not, will they be highly critical and negative. At Candle, the manager filled out the form in a few minutes with the cold prep guy I was working with who spoke no English, and brought it back to me at the bar without comment. So, I was a bit apprehensive when I showed Eric the form and he said that we would discuss it later that evening.
Of course the evaluation was conducted in the same manner as my entire internship to date, in a professional and caring manner. Chef Eric brought me into the private dining room with my internship evaluation form and said he likes going over it one-on-one with interns to tell them how they are doing. I was anxious about how I did (I know I worked hard and did my best but sometimes this won’t cut it) and curious about what one of the top chefs in North America would think about me.
Well, when words started pouring out of his mouth I couldn’t believe it. He said he was very pleased with my performance and thought I did a very good job. I was thrilled when I heard these words. He said that I showed a lot of initiative, always willing to work later, take on more work, help out where and when needed, and he said he like that. He also said that I learned quickly how to work in the kitchen and where things were, and was pleased about how I was able to set up and could handle the cold station very well. Wow, by now, by feet were not touching the ground and there was an ear-to-ear smile on my face. He said that I seemed to have figured out by now that kitchen work requires a lot of repetition and repetition, attention to detail, and long, exhausting days. So, he said he would give me top marks on overall performance, initiative, punctuality and teamwork and very good on the other categories of plating, taste of food, speed and accuracy, which will develop with time spent in professional kitchens. Ok, I knew I had worked hard and done my best, putting in over 120 hours in two weeks, and I was doing it for experience and to build my culinary skills and knowledge at a top restaurant, but what a bonus to get an excellent review and send off back to Canada! After the evaluation, I had the chance to ask him about his career and get some advice and tips as I embark on my career. He just said to keep on getting experience in professional kitchens and learning. His personal choice has always been kitchens and last would be personal chefing as he’s heard many horror stories about being like slaves to the needs and wants, sometimes strange and very demanding, of clients. He's from New Jersey and worked in NYC for several years before going to the Natural Gourmet and then coming to San Francisco to work and live. He's been here every since. By the way, while speaking to me, he was drinking a Moosewood beer, one of the brews that his bar stocks though he says he feels it’s not as good as it used to be.
After the evaluation and the relief from this, I finished packing up our station with the rest of the crew. Then, as I was leaving, I slowly looked through each room I had spent so much time in with fondness and some sadness. I had grown quite accustomed and familiar to the rooms and working in them. It was my home away from home, probably more than my hotel room as I spent more time at work than anywhere else. I had such a great experience and was pleased to be leaving the restaurant on such a high note with good memories that will be unforgettable. I just wanted to soak it all up for a few more minutes… the tatty cd-radio-tape player that is covered with food and finger prints, is temperamental and sometimes will play your cd or not, and always has something loud blasting from it while people are chopping and cooking… funny pictures and sayings all over the office walls…the walk-in fridges where I had spent many a time scrounging for this or that... the stoves with no dials… the cold pantry station… the hot grill station… and the beautiful restaurant and bar area. I said good-bye to most of my favourites, and then went out the door of the Hotel California. Despite what they say, you can leave.
So, you think my saga would end here but my life since embarking on this new path has been filled with amazing surprises and interesting connections to keep me moving forward on this path. I'm heading home and this Saturday I have my first professional gig working with the former sous-chef of Millennium, Bruce, at his new restaurant in Kemptville. No, I didn't meet Bruce through Eric but through Dave. Dave was mentioning to a friend that I was interning at Millennium and she said she is good friends with Bruce and Nicole (his wife is from Ontario and interned front-of-house, met Bruce, stayed on and they were married) and they had just opened a restaurant in Kemptville called the Branch http://thebranchrestaurant.ca
Small world! When I arrived in the Millennium kitchen the first day, I mentioned to Eric that I heard that Bruce had opened a restaurant in my area and Eric said he heard that but hadn't heard from Bruce in a while. Less than five minutes from that conversation, the phone rings. Who's calling? Of course, it's Bruce and Eric told him that an intern from his region was standing right beside him in the kitchen. Small world again! So,I had to connect with Bruce by e-mail, and when I did, he said that they were having a grand reopening celebration this Saturday as they made some further renovations and were closed for a while, and it would be great to get my help in the kitchen. Wow, how exciting and what a thrill! So, here I go, packing up my knives in San Francisco, and heading with my knife bag on to a new journey back at home. There are also several other connections and links that I have to follow up on when I'm back as I'm curious where they may lead.
I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it to share my thoughts and experiences. I’d love to hear from you. It’s been quite the ride and I’ll enjoy going through my entries once I’m back. I will try to update it, not on a daily basis, but on a regular basis as I head out with my knives in Ottawa and surrounding regions, and I hope to put up all my photos so you can see the photos behind all the stories, dishes and people I've mentioned over the past few months. I’m even hoping to transition my blog to a web site shortly to launch my new career and business in chefing.
So, stay tuned, you never know what you are going to get next....
Today was my last shift at Millennium restaurant before heading home. I had become quite comfortable and at ease with the kitchen and enjoyed working with the staff, so it was strange to think that this would be my last day there. If only I could move Millennium to Ottawa.
When I arrived in the kitchen for my shift, like other kitchen staff, I had a prep list to prepare, which included a blood orange sauce for the hot line, an olive plate for the cold pantry, blanched and shocked chard for the hot line, etc. I was quite at ease in the kitchen by now and knew where most things were, could guess, and wasn't hesitant to ask someone if I didn't know. Also, I had a number of other key things under my belt:
#1. I could use the gas stove without any help, which is not the easiest as the dials have all fallen off and you have to use a towel to twist the dials or a wrench and get the flame at the right height (there are always things like this in professional kitchens I’ve seen that don’t seem to bother the chefs at all; the equipment is professional and sturdy and it if still works with a few adjustments then life goes on as normal) and there are various pots and pans with things sautéing and boiling, usually belonging to the chef or sous chef, so you have to be sure to use a burner immediately once one is free and move off of it if you’re finished, just like a runway. Having a pan or pot there waiting to cool or waiting for your mis-en-place to be finished is not acceptable etiquette and you will be told so in appropriate kitchen language, which usually involves swearing. You need to move your food on to a tray and on to the cooling rack or use a cold water bath to bring down the temperature before putting it away in a container in the walk-in fridge.
#2. My chopping has increased in speed and accuracy. I still have a long way to go but there are great noticeable improvements from when I first started... I noticed this in the speed at which I can cut a 10 quart container vegetables into small dice and the accuracy and consistency of the pieces, which I had to do the other night for a new dish they are preparing to replace the stuffed yuba (tofu skin). The new creation will be a pastry that is filled with a variety of diced vegetables. Also, I have more of a rhythm now and can feel and hear this rhythm when I’m cutting a lot.
#3. I am able to follow recipes and directions for a recipe without much help in finding things, or how to do things, and don’t need a lot of help to get the final tasting right. If I can’t get the final taste right for a dish or sauce, I can usually guess what it might need and will tell the chef or sous-chef this when I ask them to taste it.
#4. I can set up and hold my own on a cold pantry station or garde manger station. If I had stayed longer, I could have worked the hot line but that was enough stress and challenge for me at this point in my chef career.
#5. The speed and creativity I use for plating has greatly improved. Chef Eric lets us plate however we like for most dishes in the cold pantry as long as the size of the portion does not change and everything is on the plate, and this allowed me to experiment and get creative with my plates, which was a lot of fun.
#6. I understand first hand that it takes a lot of drive, initiative and determination to work in the restaurant business under long hours and stressful conditions, and that it’s important to be in top form and always shine among your colleagues.
#7. I gained a lot of culinary skills and knowledge while at Millennium, but most important, I learned a lot about myself (that I could apply the same level of determination, enthusiasm, creativity and people skills that I used for my previous work to my chef work with fairly good results) and gained a tremendous amount of confidence in being in the kitchen, on the line, serving to the public, and working with great chefs, which was and still is a bit intimidating for me. It’s one thing to present a report to your boss or supervisor, but another thing to have to present the final dish for review and tasting.
After finishing with my prep work, with a little help from my friends in the kitchen, Chef Eric said I would be helping Chef Ethan who hasn't done the cold pantry station for a while and introduced me to him as the "expert with the cold station" that would assist him. Now, that's a switch and intimidating! I said something stupid in return that I can’t remember as I was surprised by the comment and wasn’t sure if he was joking, though one part of me knew he wasn’t and was embarrassed and proud at the same time as Chef Ethan has been working in the hot station since I have been there and is really a good chef. There would also be another intern in the station with us. So, we worked together to prep the station and plate up a number of dishes, which came back to me quickly as I started plating them. This time around. it was more relaxing in the station, not only because there were more people to help out, but because I had done it before and it was coming back to me easily so I could use any extra time on extra special plating for each dish. I had a good time knowing that this would be my last time in the station and realizing that I had learned a lot to be showing the chef taking over the station for the evening and the intern what to do, or checking that things were done the right way, or reviewing things that would need refilling, or answering questions. I was no means top chef but it felt good. And, speaking of the Top Chef program, some people from our restaurant have tried out and have made it to the next stage of presenting a video of yourself. They don't even get to food and cooking for awhile. There's a lot of interest at the restaurant as the last series was shot in San Francisco and had local restaurants and people in it.
While in the pantry, I had some good discussions with Chef Ethan. He said he is totally impressed and fascinated with the cooking approaches and food of Eric. It beats all the more classic French and non-vegetarian places he’s worked at and he’s never seen the amount of attention that Eric gets from guests and the amount of requests he gets from people to sign his cook books that they can buy at the restaurant. Dave and I went to the restaurant a few years ago and have a signed copy from the chef, and we were impressed that he signed it. It was actually reading this cookbook and finding out that Eric went to the Natural Gourmet that got me thinking about going there. Ethan said it took awhile to get used to working with Chef Eric as his style is so different from all the other chefs he's worked with. He's worked over seven years in the kitchen, often in French restaurants with chefs that were militaristic and very strict (you had to say "yes chef", "no chef", always be at attention and never talk back), extremely demanding, temperamental, and negative (from one chef, he got only two nice comments in the one and a half years he worked for him; in other places you only had two hours to prep everything for a station from start to finish and if it wasn't done you would be fired). At 21, he found he was on the way to becoming one of these types of chef he calls “a-hole” as it was the only way he knew how to be, that's until he started about a year ago at Millennium with Eric Tucker who is kind to his staff (i.e. if you want to attend a concert and need a certain night off, no problem), let's them take risks, encourages staff to be creative, and is right there to help if needed. When he comes on the line to help out when there's a crunch, he asks you what is the status of things and asks to be directed how he can help. He wants you to take the lead and responsibility as he says it's your station. This is certainly not the case in most kitchens. I asked Ethan if he was nervous when Eric comes on to the line. He said you just can't think that way or you'll be dead. At 22, Ethan seems like a great chef and it will be interesting to see his progress as he advances and grows older. Imagine when he’s 30 years old, he’ll have 15 years of experience already. He said that when he was young he was put in a special school as people didn't know how to deal with him as he had a hard time sitting still, listening, and learning in class and teachers labeled him a special needs kid. Now, look at him. Certain industries require a certain breed of people. Chefs need to have an incredible amount of stamina to stand on their feet for long hours and work for long hours every day without breaks, they need to be super vigilant and hyperactive to handle a multitude of tasks in rapid speed and concession without forgetting, and they need to be creative and observant to notice the details of the dish they are preparing and presenting. By the way, Ethan’s grandmother was Canadian, from Montreal I believe, and when he found out that I was Canadian he said no wonder I was so cool because he likes Canadians and finds that they are so cool. Now, that’s nice to hear that I’m cool and us Canadians are a cool bunch, especially from a Californian.
The Natural Gourmet requires us to have an evaluation form filled out for each internship. It’s a bit intimidating to show it to your supervisor as it lists everything from punctuality and attendance to teamwork, speed and accuracy, taste of food, presentation, and areas for improvement. You don’t know if your supervisor will take the form seriously or not, and whether they do or not, will they be highly critical and negative. At Candle, the manager filled out the form in a few minutes with the cold prep guy I was working with who spoke no English, and brought it back to me at the bar without comment. So, I was a bit apprehensive when I showed Eric the form and he said that we would discuss it later that evening.
Of course the evaluation was conducted in the same manner as my entire internship to date, in a professional and caring manner. Chef Eric brought me into the private dining room with my internship evaluation form and said he likes going over it one-on-one with interns to tell them how they are doing. I was anxious about how I did (I know I worked hard and did my best but sometimes this won’t cut it) and curious about what one of the top chefs in North America would think about me.
Well, when words started pouring out of his mouth I couldn’t believe it. He said he was very pleased with my performance and thought I did a very good job. I was thrilled when I heard these words. He said that I showed a lot of initiative, always willing to work later, take on more work, help out where and when needed, and he said he like that. He also said that I learned quickly how to work in the kitchen and where things were, and was pleased about how I was able to set up and could handle the cold station very well. Wow, by now, by feet were not touching the ground and there was an ear-to-ear smile on my face. He said that I seemed to have figured out by now that kitchen work requires a lot of repetition and repetition, attention to detail, and long, exhausting days. So, he said he would give me top marks on overall performance, initiative, punctuality and teamwork and very good on the other categories of plating, taste of food, speed and accuracy, which will develop with time spent in professional kitchens. Ok, I knew I had worked hard and done my best, putting in over 120 hours in two weeks, and I was doing it for experience and to build my culinary skills and knowledge at a top restaurant, but what a bonus to get an excellent review and send off back to Canada! After the evaluation, I had the chance to ask him about his career and get some advice and tips as I embark on my career. He just said to keep on getting experience in professional kitchens and learning. His personal choice has always been kitchens and last would be personal chefing as he’s heard many horror stories about being like slaves to the needs and wants, sometimes strange and very demanding, of clients. He's from New Jersey and worked in NYC for several years before going to the Natural Gourmet and then coming to San Francisco to work and live. He's been here every since. By the way, while speaking to me, he was drinking a Moosewood beer, one of the brews that his bar stocks though he says he feels it’s not as good as it used to be.
After the evaluation and the relief from this, I finished packing up our station with the rest of the crew. Then, as I was leaving, I slowly looked through each room I had spent so much time in with fondness and some sadness. I had grown quite accustomed and familiar to the rooms and working in them. It was my home away from home, probably more than my hotel room as I spent more time at work than anywhere else. I had such a great experience and was pleased to be leaving the restaurant on such a high note with good memories that will be unforgettable. I just wanted to soak it all up for a few more minutes… the tatty cd-radio-tape player that is covered with food and finger prints, is temperamental and sometimes will play your cd or not, and always has something loud blasting from it while people are chopping and cooking… funny pictures and sayings all over the office walls…the walk-in fridges where I had spent many a time scrounging for this or that... the stoves with no dials… the cold pantry station… the hot grill station… and the beautiful restaurant and bar area. I said good-bye to most of my favourites, and then went out the door of the Hotel California. Despite what they say, you can leave.
So, you think my saga would end here but my life since embarking on this new path has been filled with amazing surprises and interesting connections to keep me moving forward on this path. I'm heading home and this Saturday I have my first professional gig working with the former sous-chef of Millennium, Bruce, at his new restaurant in Kemptville. No, I didn't meet Bruce through Eric but through Dave. Dave was mentioning to a friend that I was interning at Millennium and she said she is good friends with Bruce and Nicole (his wife is from Ontario and interned front-of-house, met Bruce, stayed on and they were married) and they had just opened a restaurant in Kemptville called the Branch http://thebranchrestaurant.ca
Small world! When I arrived in the Millennium kitchen the first day, I mentioned to Eric that I heard that Bruce had opened a restaurant in my area and Eric said he heard that but hadn't heard from Bruce in a while. Less than five minutes from that conversation, the phone rings. Who's calling? Of course, it's Bruce and Eric told him that an intern from his region was standing right beside him in the kitchen. Small world again! So,I had to connect with Bruce by e-mail, and when I did, he said that they were having a grand reopening celebration this Saturday as they made some further renovations and were closed for a while, and it would be great to get my help in the kitchen. Wow, how exciting and what a thrill! So, here I go, packing up my knives in San Francisco, and heading with my knife bag on to a new journey back at home. There are also several other connections and links that I have to follow up on when I'm back as I'm curious where they may lead.
I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it to share my thoughts and experiences. I’d love to hear from you. It’s been quite the ride and I’ll enjoy going through my entries once I’m back. I will try to update it, not on a daily basis, but on a regular basis as I head out with my knives in Ottawa and surrounding regions, and I hope to put up all my photos so you can see the photos behind all the stories, dishes and people I've mentioned over the past few months. I’m even hoping to transition my blog to a web site shortly to launch my new career and business in chefing.
So, stay tuned, you never know what you are going to get next....
posted by Caroline at 11:05 PM
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