It is that "time of the month"( menu change) at work and I have been seriously doubting my abilities recently. We changed the menu on Thursday and that normally translates into two long days of changing and tweaking recipes. But it has been five days and I am still getting beat-up daily. Every dish requires 7+ components. So many things can't be made until service and that makes life extremely tough. I am in the weeds at 5pm every night running around trying to get all the prep done. Shit I am in the weeds at noon when I look at the prep list.
I like to be challenged it makes me feel alive and certainly helps with my short attention span. I hate giving up more then I hate Bon Jovi, but do I throw the towel in and ask for help? My boss told me I would hate him after having to prep this menu, I am starting to very quickly. Oh, his ass is on vacation so it is not like he is around to help. Today I am going in at 1030 and hopefully kicking this prep in the nuts. I will keep you posted.
One quick Pastry story. Our Blonde Pastry chef went to some pastry gathering and decided her bag was to heavy so she came up with the brilliant idea that she would CARRY her knife kit on the plane. That didn't work out for her
6 comments:
If someone has a master chef certification, I will always refer to him/her as Chef just like I refer to my doctor as Doctor. I will always refer to my executive chef as Chef. I will always refer to the executive chef of any kitchen as Chef if I am in their establishment. If there is Chef in the title of your position then sure, you are a chef. I respect the hierarchy.
What I call a Chef is someone who can turn others into better chefs than they are.
New Menu-4
cornstarch-0
I feel defeated and embarrassed that I can not finish the prep for this menu in 6-7 hours. I got to work at 1130 yesterday and was still running around like and ass from 5-7pm. I always aim to finish the prep by 5-6pm so I can have a few minutes to get changed, check email, do some extra prep for tomorrow, check the produce order, general restaurant things that I do not want to do at 11pm,
I am heading in at 10am on Thursday.
Don't forget to have fun with it.
i used to think that in order to be called chef, you needed your papers. you can go through half of medical school and you'll still know a bunch about medicine but you aren't a doctor, ya know? need the papers. but most kids coming out of culinary school get shit positions in kitchens, so even though they're technically chefs, they aren't REALLY chefs. i do know that in europe by the time people are calling you chef you aren't even really cooking anymore. so i dunno. i have never considered myself a chef, and i always correct people when they ask. i'm a line cook. if i opened my own place would i call myself head chef? nope. chief cook and bottle washer, maybe. but not chef. i've put a lot of years in on the line but when people see my tattoo and say "a chef's knife? are you a chef?" i say "nah...just a helluva cook."
Sous- I hated your comment at first, BUT after thinking about it all day yesterday and I feel I should find the fun in it. Good advice, Thanks.
We need the food to kick our asses. We don't get better by reading about it. We don't get better by talking about it. We get better by conquering it.
We just started a new menu tonight so we've been getting our asses kicked too. When I read your post I was glad I'm not the only one prepped the fuck out. We are catching up. I hope you do too.
Starch, I wish I could jump on a plane and come help you with your prep. I'd do that shit for free just to be cooking next you again. Good luck bro.
Post a Comment