What does a stagiaire do on his first day? For me it was a day full of wonderment, learning, hard physical labor, and a bombardment of information. I showed up 30 minutes early as instructed to get a head start and some acclimation with one of the 3 Sous Chefs. The Chef had told me to wear my Le Cordon Bleu jacket until they could order me a jacket with the restaurant logo. I dreaded appearing as some prima donna strutting around like I am someone special. Luckily, no one seemed to care. The Sous Chef was in charge today since the Chef was off. I was led around and introduced to everyone, then shown to the prep area. It seems that I am a bit of a novelty and a source of curiosity as word had already spread that "some airline pilot" was starting an internship. I did about 4 hours of chopping herbs, shucking peas, de-stemming spinach, etc..During this time, I kept my head down, mouth shut, and my ears open as I settled into the flow of the kitchen and got a feel for the different personalities. The kitchen is immaculate, well organized, and clean. I love it! My body felt the 4 hours of prep. I am definitely out of "kitchen" shape. After the prep, everyone began setting up their stations for dinner. One of the line cooks asked me if I was leaving after the prep, and I replied "I am staying until closing". I had not even considered leaving early as an option on my first day. I think this went a long way toward making a positive first impression.
Next, I was given the opportunity to sit in with the Sous Chef as he briefed the wait staff on the dinner menu, specials, and the amuse bouche. Without a specific assignment, I just hung around the line as the action picked up. I really wanted to observe the flow since this was my first time in a professional kitchen. The Sous Chef was the expeditor for the night so he gave me a little insight into what he was doing. He also allowed me to help with the construction of the amuse bouche. The amuse bouche was being handled by a another intern at the garde manger station, so I didn't want to butt into his turf. I was really just trying to stay out of the way. At one point I looked up and the cook at the hot app station waived me over and started teaching me how he was cooking his sauteed Scallop and lobster dishes. He had made a beurre monte that he was using for the lobster. He showed me his specific browning technique for the scallops. The Sous Chef then allowed me to torch the sugar on one of the custard brûlées. I then got some instruction from the meat station. As I went from station to station, I would take a detour to the veal stock pots and do some skimming (a task that I can do without messing anything up!). All in all it was a whirlwind of information for me. I was given a taste of almost everything that was prepared. Even the pastry chef made a chocolate plate for me as well as a soufflé for me to try. I felt fortunate that this crew was willing to be so generous with their time for a lowly first day intern.
After the service subsided, I helped with cleanup and helped repack the fish on ice, helped with putting things away, and organizing. As a final task, the Sous Chef pulled me aside and allowed me to help him take inventory for next day's order.
I left there feeling exhausted. After only one day, I have a deeper appreciation for what happens in the kitchen to create that beautiful plate that appears at the table. I was taken by the orchestrated dance I had witnessed on the line. A huge job made to look effortless by some very talented young chefs. Day 2 tomorrow....
Next, I was given the opportunity to sit in with the Sous Chef as he briefed the wait staff on the dinner menu, specials, and the amuse bouche. Without a specific assignment, I just hung around the line as the action picked up. I really wanted to observe the flow since this was my first time in a professional kitchen. The Sous Chef was the expeditor for the night so he gave me a little insight into what he was doing. He also allowed me to help with the construction of the amuse bouche. The amuse bouche was being handled by a another intern at the garde manger station, so I didn't want to butt into his turf. I was really just trying to stay out of the way. At one point I looked up and the cook at the hot app station waived me over and started teaching me how he was cooking his sauteed Scallop and lobster dishes. He had made a beurre monte that he was using for the lobster. He showed me his specific browning technique for the scallops. The Sous Chef then allowed me to torch the sugar on one of the custard brûlées. I then got some instruction from the meat station. As I went from station to station, I would take a detour to the veal stock pots and do some skimming (a task that I can do without messing anything up!). All in all it was a whirlwind of information for me. I was given a taste of almost everything that was prepared. Even the pastry chef made a chocolate plate for me as well as a soufflé for me to try. I felt fortunate that this crew was willing to be so generous with their time for a lowly first day intern.
After the service subsided, I helped with cleanup and helped repack the fish on ice, helped with putting things away, and organizing. As a final task, the Sous Chef pulled me aside and allowed me to help him take inventory for next day's order.
I left there feeling exhausted. After only one day, I have a deeper appreciation for what happens in the kitchen to create that beautiful plate that appears at the table. I was taken by the orchestrated dance I had witnessed on the line. A huge job made to look effortless by some very talented young chefs. Day 2 tomorrow....
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