Slapped into Reality

Boy, did I romanticize what commercial cooking would be like. . . so wrong.  Oh, so wrong!

First assignment - Twitter.  Beautiful kitchen, in fact a very new kitchen.  Twitter does a great job of taking care of its' employees and adding another kitchen was just another example of that.  The problem is that the staff is not very organized.  Too many egos confined in one place!  Another part of the problem was that there was absolutely no time set aside for a kitchen tour, no hard instructions or sneak preview into the expectations of the day.  The Party Staff should build in at least 20 mins (paid) of time to get acquainted with the kitchen and staff.  Time spent running around like a plucked chicken, is time not well spent.
I was fortunate to have a wonderful team/station leader - Marissa.  Marissa was also fairly new in this role, but was clear on her responsibilities and worked her food/menu plan as best she could considering the poor support she received from management.  They were awful, and treated her as if she were the enemy.  Someone should tell Chef Lance this is not Top Chef nor is he one of them.  He is really full of himself.  I left there vowing never to return.  I understand through a fellow Party Staff employee who worked there the day after I did, that they eventually sent Marissa away in tears.  What a loss.  She is definitely an asset to that team.  I hope this gets back to the CEO.  Someone needs to know what's going on in that kitchen.  It's hard work; but if you enjoy cooking, it should be a labor of love. .

Day Two, Three & Four - Crow Canyon Country Club. The Event - Annual Easter Brunch for over 500 people!  This was a needed change from Twitter.  The Chef, the staff - everyone was wonderful and patient with me.  Even in moments when it was felt I was moving a little too slow, I was always offered an alternative way to do the task at hand.  Never yelled at (would have been at Twitter), but rather coached.  My guardian angel there was the lead cook, Evon, and Anita Marie who was an associate from Party Staff.  She shared her knowledge and kitchen tips with me and guided me in times when I was unsure.  Once she understood I had been out of the kitchen for 2 years - and never in a 'batch cooking' situation - she kept an eye on me.
Taking a break this week.  That was alot!!!! Now, that I know areas of weakness I'll work on those points.  I have reconnected with the Arts Institute, Culinary, and will be working as an Apprentice in their in-house cafe with Chef James.  I will be a sponge!  I have also learned that understanding a few Spanish words and phrases can go a long way BOH (Back of House).  So, I will also be looking for a class before I leave in June.

All for now.  I'm beat!

Let's Try it Again

Hello, everyone.

I’m finally getting back where I belong.  My 2 week assignment at Morgan Stanley turned into 2 years!  I will not lie; I really enjoyed my time there.  The team I supported was the best group of people any Admin could ask for.  However, the burning desire to get back in the kitchen would not go away, and because I could not be converted to an FTE, there was no reason to fight it.

So goes the adage, ‘be careful what you ask for’ because ready or not you might just get it!  On a whim as I was surfing the Net for job opportunities I stumbled on an Ad for Open Call-like interviews for the Hospitality industry.  Sounded interesting, so I showed up after work.  The Party Staff.  I applied, they loved me and the rest is history.  The staff there is amazing.  Reviews on Glassdoor aren’t so good, but so far it’s been a great experience with regard to the way I have been treated as an employee; as a person.

My first assignment is in a few days, so I’ll get to see first hand how the process works through to being paid.  I am very optimistic this will be a positive working relationship.  Yes, the pay is low, but that’s the nature of the beast.  If you are not clear on that, hospitality really isn’t the field for you.

As it stands, I have short-term Cook assignments on calendar at Twitter, Charles Schwab and the Crow Canyon Country Club.  Not bad, huh?  We will see if what that say in the reviews is correct – that schedules change constantly.  In the meantime, I also plan to register with Acrobat, a similar agency in Sacramento.  I’d like to keep busy until my assignment in June.  Oh, I didn’t mention that, did I?

Well, I’ll be 1 of 2 cooks at Camp Concord in S. Lake Tahoe from June 15 – August 31.  Really excited about that.  It will be a real hands-on learning opportunity for me.  Afterwards, I’ll get back in school.  I'm about 70 units in, so I don’t have very far to go to get my BA in Culinary Management.  No distractions or derailments this time around!

I’m making good connections through LinkedIn with local Chefs, and many have graciously agreed to have me job shadow and/or apprentice.  Yes, things open up, but you have to stick your head in the door.  No one or no opportunity is going to come looking for you sitting at home watching Judge Judy and stuffing your face with TV snacks.  You have to get out there and stay active in your craft.  And read, read, read – The NY Times Magazine, what’s trending in the food industry, who’s who in the Chef world, explore unfamiliar territory with regard to foods and see what others are doing.  Get addicted to the cooking shows, esp. the challenges because there you’ll discover ways to prepare foods in a variety of ways.

There are some really good home cooks out there.  Follow them on InstaGram or Twitter.  We are multicultural now – just meat and potatoes, salt & pepper won’t cut it.  Our palates are primed for new flavors and sensations.  We now eat foods we never even heard of.

Take this 15 year Chef, Flynn McGarry, who prepares $160-a-head dinners out of his parent’s house.  He’s a genius.  He prepared a dish using St. John’s wort.  Really??!  Puffed trout skin?? WTF.  Watch this kid; he’s talented.

All for now, my lovelies.  I try to update my blog after every new experience or job assignment, so stay tuned.  And please, leave me message.  Let me know you’ve been here!  Thanks, ChefV