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!
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!
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