Life of a pirate chef...
Wednesday, January 31 pm
Coming home from my shift at 12:30 am tonight made we feel like a pirate chef, carrying my knife case and swaying back and forth through the dark and deserted streets of San Francisco after an exhausting non-stop 10 hour shift. No, I did not have too much rum aboard the ship but being on your feet for 10 hours, having no breaks, and having to completely clean up your station (putting things away, making lists of what's needed the next day, clearing up and cleaning up things, washing down the station, etc.) after an already exhausting night made me want to just reach the comfort of my room to rest my aching feet and tired body.
As soon as I arrived for my shift today at 3 pm, Chef Eric told me that I would be in charge of setting up the cold station entirely on my own tonight and that Kevin, the chef coming in later, would not help me but just check afterwards that everything was done correctly. Well, I was a bit tired going in, but that perked me up and gave me an adreline rush. I had only been in that station a few times and now I was expected to fully prepare it for service, including one side with all salads and cold appetizers and the other side for dessert service. I thought I could do it but it was a bit daunting to not get any direction or support. The chef asked me if I remembered where everything went and I responded "more or less", to which he said "I hope it's more". So, off I went to see what sense I could make of the cold station... what needed to be prepped, what needed to be refilled, what needed to be put out for service, what needed to be turned on, what equipment, vessels and ingredients I needed, etc. I started out slowly and carefully, looking through everything and putting out one thing at a time, and was quite proud of myself that I knew where most things went.
When Kevin came in around 4 pm, he was pleased that I had started and was going to help me until Chef Eric said that he had to let me go and not help me but check my work. Everything was proceeding quite nicely until Kevin said at 4:30 pm that everything in the station had to be done for around 5 pm because they starting doing the "line-up" then. That's when the head chef goes over the menu, new items and specials with front-0f-house staff and starts asking for things to be "fired" so he can check them. Well, I was only a 1/3 done and so I rushed around like a mad woman in the next 30 minutes trying to get everything done, which was impossible. Kevin even pitched in to help me at times as it must have been that look of stress and desparation on my face.
We managed to get a lot of the station set up when Chef Eric said he wanted me to fire up a sample of all the dishes. Yikes! I had most things in place for all dishes but not all so I had to work even quicker and harder, running around if I was missing something I needed for a dish. I started preparing and plating everything at a nice pace when Kevin said that I had better hurry up as the chef is insistent on having everything fired up very quickly and presented at the same time, and would be upset if this is not the case. Great, so again, I turned up the speed and I was flying as I put out dish after dish for the chef and staff for tasting, hoping everything tasted ok and looked alright. As I worked, the chef would make comments on some of the dishes saying that it needed a bit more of this or that, and I had to remember everything without the luxury of looking at my notes or making notes. It's hard for me not to write anything done, which I usually like to do to remember, but I find the memory work is getting better by just using my brain more and more and by getting the physical and visual feel for things. I'm also trying to taste things all the time so I can understand when something tastes ok or not, and what it may need.
Well, I survived the line-up with few comments from the chef, which I was happy with, but now I had to finish setting up the rest of my station very quickly before the beginning of service. As I started to do this, orders starting coming up, and I had to do them while setting up. Now, I know the hard way why it's key to have your station set up on time and everything ready. For the rest of the night, I plated almost all the cold dishes in the pantry except when I had to run and get something downstairs or go to the washroom, and then Kevin would relieve me. He was doing prep work in the station while I worked.
The preparation of dishes became easier tonight but it was a fairly slow night. Kevin kept on saying that I haven't really worked a busy night so I'll really see then if I can handle it. It's almost like a test from your colleagues to see if you have the guts and thick skin to handle it all, and there must be some sadistic satisfication in seeing newbies like me suffer and not be as good as them. And, they keep on wanting to turn up the intensity and speed on you like an aggresive trainer wanting you to work harder or lift more despite your fears that you just can't handle anymore. But, saying this, I am really enjoying myself and learning lots. I believe they are giving me excellent training. I wondered why at first I was prepping and cleaning up the entire cold station as I would be leaving soon and it would all be forgotten, but I am learning lots that will help me in future restaurant and chefing work.
I continued through the evening prepping, preparing, plating and once in a while Chef Eric would come around to check on some of my dishes, not only the presentation, taste, etc. but the speed at which I'm getting them done and if I'm co-ordinating with the hot station. It's not just a matter of plating things quickly but communicating with and watching the hot station so that the salads and other sensitive cold appetizers are made a la minute and in time to match the service of the hot items. I would continuously want to start preparing and plating my salads early so there was no delay when a hot item came up, but Kevin would keep on telling me to wait until the very last moment. I felt like a dog watching my master carefully and eagerly, and waiting for the ball to be thrown so I could chase after it. Kevin would say something like, "he looks like he's taking it out of the pan so start now." And, then I would run as fast as I could. Though, when I did that method, sometimes I would get interrupted by a dessert order or other distraction and would be a bit delayed to service my items at the same time as the hot items, and the head chef would insist that everything had to go out at the same time. Or, sometimes, a waiter would pick up one order for a table but forget to pick up the other order and it would be sitting there, and the chef would remind me again that everything had to go out at the same time. I tried to open my mouth to say it wasn't my fault but he was gone before I knew it and I just felt that I just had to take the responsibility for things, even when it's not my fault. Seems like the nature of the work and environment not to talk badly about anyone else but just take it, even when someone else is to blame. Kevin was whispering in the background that he knew it was the fault of the waiter, so we both knew but that's where it stayed. He told me afterwards that in this station you have to get used to being blamed by everyone for errors and people getting angry at you, whether it's your fault or not. He told me afterwards that when he first started he found so many different people at the restaurant angry at him for this or that and it was difficult, but as he grew more comfortable with the station and his work, any negative comments were just usually ignored or at least not taken personally anymore. Also, he said I should always work under pressure, feeling like the head chef is watching over me, so I am prepared for the heat and pressure on a crazy busy night or when things go wrong. It's almost like being always ready for war like a pirate.. see what I mean about pirate chefs?!
I tried to take notes along the way or look at cue cards I prepared with directions but it was almost impossible most of the time for several reasons, including the chef watching over you carefully preparing a dish and it just doesn't seem to be the right thing to do to be looking through your notes to find the right instructions. Also, almost all of my notes became covered in water and oil stains from handling them and keeping them in the station. Near the end of service, Kevin said that I was responsible for the prep list for the station and closing the station and this had to be started soon. This means that I had to look at the prep list for the next day and record the quantity and state of everything, telling them in particular what prep was needed to stock the station for the next day, what to check the quality of, and special things to note. This list is very important as if I'm missing anything tomorrow and didn't ask for it to be prepped during the day tomorrow, then it would be entirely my fault and I would suffer from not having it and the restaurant would suffer as they couldn't sell the dish. This would not be a happy situation. So, like with everything, I try to be super careful and organized, but the challenge is that I am always told to do things quickly and urgently so I can move on to other things to close and so that others in the kitchen can use the same list for their stations. I did my best with the prep list and I was thankful that Kevin looked it over for me in case I didn't indicate something properly, or missed something, or made other mistakes. He said that I did a good job and didn't change much, so I'm hoping everything is ok.
Next, we made some staff meals with left overs we were not using and asked staff if they wanted anything from our station. Then, I tried to "break down" the station and clean it up. Kevin was not helping me, and I thought it was cruel at first, but I know I had to learn and he explained later, after I had cleaned up the station entirely, that if we were working the station together he would be helping me of course. I was glad to hear that as staff started leaving as I continued to clean up as quickly as I could. But, there is a lot to clean up in the cold station and it makes it more challenging to be new to this all. I ended up one of the last persons out of the restaurant after I made sure the station was ok, and Kevin was around to check it.
I hardly had time to eat or drink anything tonight as I was too busy, which was good that I was not eating quickly as I worked, as most staff do so no one notices and so as not to take up time, as it's not as enjoyable eating delicious food standing up and certainly not good for the digestive system. At the end of the night, I was happy to see a variety of hot dishes come up for staff. By this time, I was starving and had to dive into the gnocchi, tempeh, roasted potatoes deep fried like home fries, and other dishes up on the service counter, and eat them while I was cleaning up. I would have preferred to sit down with a nice glass of wine but it's just not done. No one sits down for a meal and/or drink until they are finished working.
After clearing and cleaning up, I headed back to the hotel, which brings me back to the beginning. The streets downtown around Union Square and my hotel are quite deserted and there are lots of homeless people begging and sleeping on the sidewalks and many crazies screaming their heads off about this or that. I try to walk on the brighter and most popular streets so that I don't get stopped by them. That's one thing I miss about NYC and coming home late. It was always busy on the sidewalks and streets, and there would be lots of people downtown so I would always feel safe and secure taking the transit or walking home, even if it was very late. Afterall, it's not referred to the city that never sleeps for nothing. Like a lot of big cities, most things in the San Francisco core shut down quite early during the week days and especially in the off-season for tourists. The weekends are another matter as it seems that there are numerous tourists that invade the city from far and near to increase the population greatly and activity levels at all hours.
Well, for my next shift or act, I am in the cold station alone with just another intern. I'm hoping he's more senior than me at this but he's probably thinking the same of me. Stay tuned...
Coming home from my shift at 12:30 am tonight made we feel like a pirate chef, carrying my knife case and swaying back and forth through the dark and deserted streets of San Francisco after an exhausting non-stop 10 hour shift. No, I did not have too much rum aboard the ship but being on your feet for 10 hours, having no breaks, and having to completely clean up your station (putting things away, making lists of what's needed the next day, clearing up and cleaning up things, washing down the station, etc.) after an already exhausting night made me want to just reach the comfort of my room to rest my aching feet and tired body.
As soon as I arrived for my shift today at 3 pm, Chef Eric told me that I would be in charge of setting up the cold station entirely on my own tonight and that Kevin, the chef coming in later, would not help me but just check afterwards that everything was done correctly. Well, I was a bit tired going in, but that perked me up and gave me an adreline rush. I had only been in that station a few times and now I was expected to fully prepare it for service, including one side with all salads and cold appetizers and the other side for dessert service. I thought I could do it but it was a bit daunting to not get any direction or support. The chef asked me if I remembered where everything went and I responded "more or less", to which he said "I hope it's more". So, off I went to see what sense I could make of the cold station... what needed to be prepped, what needed to be refilled, what needed to be put out for service, what needed to be turned on, what equipment, vessels and ingredients I needed, etc. I started out slowly and carefully, looking through everything and putting out one thing at a time, and was quite proud of myself that I knew where most things went.
When Kevin came in around 4 pm, he was pleased that I had started and was going to help me until Chef Eric said that he had to let me go and not help me but check my work. Everything was proceeding quite nicely until Kevin said at 4:30 pm that everything in the station had to be done for around 5 pm because they starting doing the "line-up" then. That's when the head chef goes over the menu, new items and specials with front-0f-house staff and starts asking for things to be "fired" so he can check them. Well, I was only a 1/3 done and so I rushed around like a mad woman in the next 30 minutes trying to get everything done, which was impossible. Kevin even pitched in to help me at times as it must have been that look of stress and desparation on my face.
We managed to get a lot of the station set up when Chef Eric said he wanted me to fire up a sample of all the dishes. Yikes! I had most things in place for all dishes but not all so I had to work even quicker and harder, running around if I was missing something I needed for a dish. I started preparing and plating everything at a nice pace when Kevin said that I had better hurry up as the chef is insistent on having everything fired up very quickly and presented at the same time, and would be upset if this is not the case. Great, so again, I turned up the speed and I was flying as I put out dish after dish for the chef and staff for tasting, hoping everything tasted ok and looked alright. As I worked, the chef would make comments on some of the dishes saying that it needed a bit more of this or that, and I had to remember everything without the luxury of looking at my notes or making notes. It's hard for me not to write anything done, which I usually like to do to remember, but I find the memory work is getting better by just using my brain more and more and by getting the physical and visual feel for things. I'm also trying to taste things all the time so I can understand when something tastes ok or not, and what it may need.
Well, I survived the line-up with few comments from the chef, which I was happy with, but now I had to finish setting up the rest of my station very quickly before the beginning of service. As I started to do this, orders starting coming up, and I had to do them while setting up. Now, I know the hard way why it's key to have your station set up on time and everything ready. For the rest of the night, I plated almost all the cold dishes in the pantry except when I had to run and get something downstairs or go to the washroom, and then Kevin would relieve me. He was doing prep work in the station while I worked.
The preparation of dishes became easier tonight but it was a fairly slow night. Kevin kept on saying that I haven't really worked a busy night so I'll really see then if I can handle it. It's almost like a test from your colleagues to see if you have the guts and thick skin to handle it all, and there must be some sadistic satisfication in seeing newbies like me suffer and not be as good as them. And, they keep on wanting to turn up the intensity and speed on you like an aggresive trainer wanting you to work harder or lift more despite your fears that you just can't handle anymore. But, saying this, I am really enjoying myself and learning lots. I believe they are giving me excellent training. I wondered why at first I was prepping and cleaning up the entire cold station as I would be leaving soon and it would all be forgotten, but I am learning lots that will help me in future restaurant and chefing work.
I continued through the evening prepping, preparing, plating and once in a while Chef Eric would come around to check on some of my dishes, not only the presentation, taste, etc. but the speed at which I'm getting them done and if I'm co-ordinating with the hot station. It's not just a matter of plating things quickly but communicating with and watching the hot station so that the salads and other sensitive cold appetizers are made a la minute and in time to match the service of the hot items. I would continuously want to start preparing and plating my salads early so there was no delay when a hot item came up, but Kevin would keep on telling me to wait until the very last moment. I felt like a dog watching my master carefully and eagerly, and waiting for the ball to be thrown so I could chase after it. Kevin would say something like, "he looks like he's taking it out of the pan so start now." And, then I would run as fast as I could. Though, when I did that method, sometimes I would get interrupted by a dessert order or other distraction and would be a bit delayed to service my items at the same time as the hot items, and the head chef would insist that everything had to go out at the same time. Or, sometimes, a waiter would pick up one order for a table but forget to pick up the other order and it would be sitting there, and the chef would remind me again that everything had to go out at the same time. I tried to open my mouth to say it wasn't my fault but he was gone before I knew it and I just felt that I just had to take the responsibility for things, even when it's not my fault. Seems like the nature of the work and environment not to talk badly about anyone else but just take it, even when someone else is to blame. Kevin was whispering in the background that he knew it was the fault of the waiter, so we both knew but that's where it stayed. He told me afterwards that in this station you have to get used to being blamed by everyone for errors and people getting angry at you, whether it's your fault or not. He told me afterwards that when he first started he found so many different people at the restaurant angry at him for this or that and it was difficult, but as he grew more comfortable with the station and his work, any negative comments were just usually ignored or at least not taken personally anymore. Also, he said I should always work under pressure, feeling like the head chef is watching over me, so I am prepared for the heat and pressure on a crazy busy night or when things go wrong. It's almost like being always ready for war like a pirate.. see what I mean about pirate chefs?!
I tried to take notes along the way or look at cue cards I prepared with directions but it was almost impossible most of the time for several reasons, including the chef watching over you carefully preparing a dish and it just doesn't seem to be the right thing to do to be looking through your notes to find the right instructions. Also, almost all of my notes became covered in water and oil stains from handling them and keeping them in the station. Near the end of service, Kevin said that I was responsible for the prep list for the station and closing the station and this had to be started soon. This means that I had to look at the prep list for the next day and record the quantity and state of everything, telling them in particular what prep was needed to stock the station for the next day, what to check the quality of, and special things to note. This list is very important as if I'm missing anything tomorrow and didn't ask for it to be prepped during the day tomorrow, then it would be entirely my fault and I would suffer from not having it and the restaurant would suffer as they couldn't sell the dish. This would not be a happy situation. So, like with everything, I try to be super careful and organized, but the challenge is that I am always told to do things quickly and urgently so I can move on to other things to close and so that others in the kitchen can use the same list for their stations. I did my best with the prep list and I was thankful that Kevin looked it over for me in case I didn't indicate something properly, or missed something, or made other mistakes. He said that I did a good job and didn't change much, so I'm hoping everything is ok.
Next, we made some staff meals with left overs we were not using and asked staff if they wanted anything from our station. Then, I tried to "break down" the station and clean it up. Kevin was not helping me, and I thought it was cruel at first, but I know I had to learn and he explained later, after I had cleaned up the station entirely, that if we were working the station together he would be helping me of course. I was glad to hear that as staff started leaving as I continued to clean up as quickly as I could. But, there is a lot to clean up in the cold station and it makes it more challenging to be new to this all. I ended up one of the last persons out of the restaurant after I made sure the station was ok, and Kevin was around to check it.
I hardly had time to eat or drink anything tonight as I was too busy, which was good that I was not eating quickly as I worked, as most staff do so no one notices and so as not to take up time, as it's not as enjoyable eating delicious food standing up and certainly not good for the digestive system. At the end of the night, I was happy to see a variety of hot dishes come up for staff. By this time, I was starving and had to dive into the gnocchi, tempeh, roasted potatoes deep fried like home fries, and other dishes up on the service counter, and eat them while I was cleaning up. I would have preferred to sit down with a nice glass of wine but it's just not done. No one sits down for a meal and/or drink until they are finished working.
After clearing and cleaning up, I headed back to the hotel, which brings me back to the beginning. The streets downtown around Union Square and my hotel are quite deserted and there are lots of homeless people begging and sleeping on the sidewalks and many crazies screaming their heads off about this or that. I try to walk on the brighter and most popular streets so that I don't get stopped by them. That's one thing I miss about NYC and coming home late. It was always busy on the sidewalks and streets, and there would be lots of people downtown so I would always feel safe and secure taking the transit or walking home, even if it was very late. Afterall, it's not referred to the city that never sleeps for nothing. Like a lot of big cities, most things in the San Francisco core shut down quite early during the week days and especially in the off-season for tourists. The weekends are another matter as it seems that there are numerous tourists that invade the city from far and near to increase the population greatly and activity levels at all hours.
Well, for my next shift or act, I am in the cold station alone with just another intern. I'm hoping he's more senior than me at this but he's probably thinking the same of me. Stay tuned...
posted by Caroline at 12:40 AM
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