Day four: Where I get a taste of what it’s really like to be a restaurant cook
Posted on | April 23, 2009
Today, my group, had it’s live fire breakfast simulation.
It was hectic and interesting. And I learned a lot.
But not all of it was what I wanted to learn.
“This industry is all about timing.”
~ Chef Rushmore
Here is what Stern Girl and I decided we would cook (Other Guy was out of town for a few days and didn’t participate in the planning):
- Cheddar and scallion omelet: Two-egg omelet with shredded cheddar and crisp scallions served with three of our signature thyme potato pancakes
- Vegetarian eggs Benedict: A toasted English muffin topped with two poached eggs, spinach, and rich lemon hollandaise sauce and served with three thyme potato pancakes (these pancakes were supposed to be our signature dish)
- Two eggs: Two eggs, any way you liked, served with two slices of crisp bacon and three thyme potato pancakes
- French toast: Two slices of classic French toast dusted with powdered sugar and served with strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar
We were required to set up three stations. We planned to precook our thyme potato pancakes and bacon and prepare our hollandaise and strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar. So the actual live fire time would be fairly easy.
These were out three stations:
- Griddle: This station was responsible for making the French toast and, using the burner next to the griddle, wilting the spinach for the eggs Benedict. Stern Girl practiced making French toast yesterday and told us she thought it was easy, so she got this station.
- Eggs: Just like it says: This station makes all the eggs we need. Other Guy said he was an egg expert so he got this station.
- Non-cooking: This was the weird station, responsible for everything from expediting the tickets and plating the food to making the English muffins and helping if anyone fell into the weeds. I’m organized and creative, so I got this station.
Sounds pretty good, right? I thought so. But Stern Girl and Other Guy changed their minds and decided not to make the potato pancakes and bacon in advance. Preferring, instead, to cook them to order. And Stern Girl said she wanted to do it.
She also said she wanted to do the English Muffins on her griddle.
Problem #1: Stern Girl now had way too much to do. But Other Guy agreed with her so I was out voted, two to one.
Problem #2: The plan was to make the hollandaise right before service so my sauce would not have time to break. But, after I made the strawberries, we had a void of time where we had planned to make the potato pancakes and the bacon. So Stern Girl insisted I make the hollandaise even though it was still an hour and a half before service. I said it would break but she said that the chef said it would be okay. So I made it. And lived to regret it.
“We’re living in the age of foodborne illnesses, freaking A.”
~ Chef Rushmore
So, predictably, we were in the weeds in no time at all. As anticipated, Stern Girl was overwhelmed. To keep up, she was turning out undercooked food: Bacon still nearly limp, French toast soggy in the middle with raw egg, toasted English muffins that were not.
And, while Other Guy was turning out as pretty an omelet as you ever want to see (and a lot of them, and quickly, too), he was giving me truly dreadful poached eggs. As in raw yolk one end of the spectrum and hard boiled at the other.
So what was the problem? Turns out he had never poached an egg. Ever.
And, of course, my poor hollandaise broke.
She Chef fixed it. But it took her time. And that slowed me down. Which got me behind on the tickets.
Still, we did manage to get out a bunch of plates. So all was not lost. And I learned. Oh boy, did I learn.
Learn from your mistakes
The most important thing I learned is that I must find a way to convince people of things I know to be true. Like that we needed to precook the potato pancakes and the bacon. And that it was too early to do the hollandaise. And I should be responsible for the English muffins. Had I been able to, then I think we would have put out better food, faster, and more of it.
So I am open to suggestions: How do you convince someone to do what you know is right? I don’t want to make enemies here, but I’ll get a lower grade and, of course, I don’t want that either.
Suggestions?
Comments
4 Responses to “Day four: Where I get a taste of what it’s really like to be a restaurant cook”
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April 23rd, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
U go for it chef, takes me back! just keep pushing & remind your fellow mates its all about teamwork! Reverse psychology always works in pressured environments. Chef_pete on twitter!
April 23rd, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
I work in therapy and am constantly have to try to convince others… some times just stating the facts or reverting to that’s not the plan we agreed on works… sometimes you just have to let things fall and le them see for themselves
April 24th, 2009 @ 7:57 am
Eeee…Having to deal with difficult people occurs in every job. Due to the dependencies between line cooks and the hectic pace, I figured that necessity to co-operate in a restaurant kitchen would result in efficiencies
Something has to be done. This has to be addressed or things could get worse. It’s a live fire exercise. Any of you could get burned or cut in the disorganized haste.
Stern Girl sounds very aggressive. Fighting aggressive colleagues tends to be fruitless. Wait for her to exert herself. Then, calmly address her with facts.
The other guy doesn’t seem to have an opinion. He should follow the most prudent course of action…
BTW, some of us can’t live without poached eggs from time to time. My favourite: poached eggs on peppery greens with a vinegary dressing…Yum!
May 7th, 2009 @ 8:57 pm
Read the book “Verbal Judo: The gentle art of persuasion.” Will teach you how to be better prepared for every verbal encounter…is applicable to all aspects of life!