So another day, another dollar. Got two days off and i plan on enjoying them and getting the house cleaned and in order. This week I was assigned another saute cook whom I have yet to work with and if I can be honest, the little tweerp has alot to learn and i guess so do I. Last night I was close to knocking him on his little ass because of something he said. I'm sitting here thinking, "dude I was running a full service Japanese Restaraunt when you were just learning about the birds and the bees." LMAO. Seriously was not in the mood for this little arrogant pipsqweak to mouth off but I kept my cool, barely. LOL all i can say is when it comes to working in a high volume restaraunt, talk is cheap and this dude is close to being broke. I've outworked and outlasted almost every worker that has worked in a position with me in regards to the kitchen, including managers so not too concerned with him becoming the top Saute cook; knowing only one position and not being able to work in various parts of the kitchen makes you pretty obsolete and I've run circles around this cat the entire shift, and still closed two stations in less than an hour...not easy for a rookie to do. LOL. But i have seen plenty of his kind and they usually hang themselves, so all I plan on doing is sitting back and watching him fall to the point that he realizes every player in the kitchen has to be a team player, then help him up if he wants it; if not, good luck to you and i'll start training another cook. I'm sorry ladies and gentleman but if there is one thing I can say confidently about myself is that when it comes to the kitchen, im pretty damn good. Am I a chef? Hells no. Do I have alot to learn? of course, who doesnt? Can I run my ass off in the kitchen working three stations at the same time as well as helping the point leader plate up food, yep. Did it tonight. So needless to say, when it comes to the kitchen, im not afraid of any challenger. Maybe I should go on Iron Chef? LOL. Probably not.
So on to the main thoughts for this post. The other night I was the last one to be in the kitchen finishing up cleaning. We had a pretty busy night and so after i cleaned my area the kitchen manager asked me to look over the rest of the kitchen before I left. The music was off and there was no one else in the kitchen, the bosses were in the office finishing up the night's paperwork. I can honestly say that in this quite moment I once again fell in love with the kitchen and felt at home like I havent felt in a long time. Maybe its because cooking is literally in my blood. Or the fact that my first job was at taco bell and subway, which gave me my first glimpse into life in the kitchen, and I was hooked. For anyone who knows me, i am a pretty energetic person and my mind is always moving and searching for new ideas, new challenges, new things to learn. Needless to say I can get very bored at times and if I dont keep myself busy, I lose motivation very quickly and this in turn reduces my overall performance. In plain terms, if i find the job boring then i'll move on to another one, with very little thought before quitting. The kitchen is a fast paced, up and down, constantly on the go, always something to do kinda place. It requires extreme attention to detail but also requires amazing speed. You have to be able to prep, cook, and plate the food in a very short time frame, all the while making sure that every dish you serve is up to the chef's specifications so that each guest has the exact same flavored dish each time they come in. If they order say, a shrimp and grits, their first time there and they tell the manager its the best they have ever tasted, (which has happened once or twice for me OH YEA) then they come back and order the same thing and its not up to par with what they expected based on their last experience. You have just damaged the reputation of the restaraunt by not being consistant with the product, and in this line of work, consistant outstanding flavor of each dish is crucial to the success of any restaraunt. This is just one of the many things required from those working in the kitchen, but its one of my favorite parts. The other part is being able to deal with stress and be able to overcome obstacles. Frankly when things are popping and orders are flying in literally every second, you really dont have time to take things personal or even think for that matter. You have to react. If something happens with one of the orders, you cant just stop and try fix it standing still so to speak. You have to make adjustments on the fly and still deliver outstanding food. I always tell people i train, if you cant handle the heat then get out the way. There really, in my opinion, is no time for emotions or anything else that gets in the way of serving guests great food. I love the excitment and energy during the extreme rushes that for my restaraunt, seem to last almost all day long on the weekends, but I also love the peacefulness of being in the back just prepping away making sure stuff is ready for the line cooks. In my career as a cook I have worked for fast food, a japanese short order restaraunt, a catering company, and volunteered numerous times as a cook for my old church's events, ranging from weekend retreats to special breakfast's and dinners. The times i remember best are just hanging out in the kitchen on the weekend retreats cooking with Josh and sometimes Steven, getting the chance to learn more about each other as brothers while doing something we truly enjoy, cooking and serving others. I used to be left alone to continue prepping the food between meals while the other staff either got some rest or participated in the events. These quite times with me left alone with just my thoughts and my soul really helped me understand life on the outside of the kitchen and gave me time to reflect on the deepest questions and struggles that I had going on at the time. What I wouldnt give to go back to that kitchen in Falcon NC and cook just one more weekend for my old church, to get the whole experience all over again one more time before I die. I got a reminder of this experience when I was left alone to clean up the other night. I once again realized that this was my secret place, my home away from home. This was the place that I came to escape life for a short time, knowing that while in the kitchen, I could do nothing about anything that was happening in my life at that time, and could truly focus on the moment. I guess you can say, the kitchen is my "sanctuary." It has become the place where I learn about myself, and others.
So I will leave you with this question. Where or what is your sanctuary?
Till next time, this is mike. love, peace, and chili grease.
No comments:
Post a Comment