As much as I felt like a clutz last week, last night I felt like an old pro at the restaurant. Funny thing about the restaurant is that unless you screw someone over, mistakes are usually forgotten and forgiven with each new day. I had a clean slate today and I was determined to do everything perfectly. It was a very slow night, so everyone played catchup by stocking up on their mis en place for the upcoming week. It was a relaxed night free of the usual stresses of a fast paced kitchen. Everyone was in a good mood. There has been a reshuffling of the kitchen hierarchy and the new Sous Chef is an excellent people manager and I credit him for setting this relaxed tone. He gets the job done without intimidation.
As I walked in, I was happy to see the garde manger finishing up the herbs. No herbs for moi today. The Sous gave me a verbal list of assignments and the first on the list was artichokes. I can now say that I am not afraid of turning artichokes after turning 2 cases of them (approx. 40 large ones)! I tried to do my best on each artichoke. Coincidentally, I had practiced turning about 20 French carrots at home in the morning, so my hands felt pretty gnarly and wretched after finishing the chokes.
Next on my list were some small tasks: cleaning chanterelles, bagging 40 qts of veal stock, drain and re-soak sweetbread with milk, etc..
"Mark, can you assemble the Mac and Cheese ?" was the Hot apps request. I had done this before and luckily I had taken notes (as I do for everything I do in the kitchen)
because all the ingredients of this appetizer have to be weighed out on a scale in a very specific proportion. It's officially a truffled lobster Mac and cheese. Expensive ingredients require that there is no waste, hence the use of scales. It was to be my last chore of the night.
Throughout the night, the same thought kept running through my head. Two weeks ago, I had approached the Chef with my news of getting the winery job and had asked him for advice. "Chef, do you have any words of wisdom for me"? He said "Keep your eyes open, take mental notes of everything, don't ask the same question twice, and cook with integrity".
On the surface this seemed like generic advice, but in
retrospect they were wise words. Cooking with integrity. This means that when I turn 40 Artichokes , I don't accept mediocre results. Or if am assembling the Mac and Cheese, that I redo it if I mess up the proportion of the ingredients even though I am the only one who knows that it's done incorrectly. An easy concept, yet one that requires an immense amount of self discipline to apply to every little task in the kitchen.
As I walked in, I was happy to see the garde manger finishing up the herbs. No herbs for moi today. The Sous gave me a verbal list of assignments and the first on the list was artichokes. I can now say that I am not afraid of turning artichokes after turning 2 cases of them (approx. 40 large ones)! I tried to do my best on each artichoke. Coincidentally, I had practiced turning about 20 French carrots at home in the morning, so my hands felt pretty gnarly and wretched after finishing the chokes.
Next on my list were some small tasks: cleaning chanterelles, bagging 40 qts of veal stock, drain and re-soak sweetbread with milk, etc..
because all the ingredients of this appetizer have to be weighed out on a scale in a very specific proportion. It's officially a truffled lobster Mac and cheese. Expensive ingredients require that there is no waste, hence the use of scales. It was to be my last chore of the night.
Throughout the night, the same thought kept running through my head. Two weeks ago, I had approached the Chef with my news of getting the winery job and had asked him for advice. "Chef, do you have any words of wisdom for me"? He said "Keep your eyes open, take mental notes of everything, don't ask the same question twice, and cook with integrity".
On the surface this seemed like generic advice, but in
retrospect they were wise words. Cooking with integrity. This means that when I turn 40 Artichokes , I don't accept mediocre results. Or if am assembling the Mac and Cheese, that I redo it if I mess up the proportion of the ingredients even though I am the only one who knows that it's done incorrectly. An easy concept, yet one that requires an immense amount of self discipline to apply to every little task in the kitchen.
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