How to make sous chef.

how to make sous chef.

"Cooks are made, and chefs are born...so I guess it's too bad you're just an asshole."
-cook shit talk

• Be, you know...better than everyone else. First things first, a "chef" needs to be a great cook. If you can slug it out with the other kids on the line, and do so with good technique and discipline, you're already halfway there. However, i'm amazed how many so called"chefs" i've seen/worked with that could barely handle a sautee pan. If you dont have "moves"...and can't step in and help out without making a mess of things, you need to go back to the pantry.
  
• Work harder than everyone else. As a sous, your days will last between 12 and 14 hours--sometimes more. As a cook trying to make sous, you need to do the same...and be prepared to not get paid to do so. When you go salary, you won't be pulling any overtime anyway. It's simple--come in early, stay late, never complain about your paycheck. Push yourself to your breaking point, then work another four hours.
  
• Never assign blame...but always accept it. Building morale becomes a sous daily responsibility...and there are many roads to take when managing your staff. A cook that can lead, while still knowing his/her place stands out. If you're pushing your staff to the point that you don't feel comfortable having a beer with them after service, you're overdoing it.
  
• Taste everything. No, seriously, everything. Your mirepoix. Raw veg. Cooked veg. Marinades. Spice mixes. That nasty falafel pita the waitress is eating. EVERYTHING.
  
• Take risks. You will fuck up. You will look stupid. But when your risk pays off, and you look like a genius, your confidence will build....and alot of what differentiates a cook from a chef is that confidence.
  
• Know everything...and keep learning. Read the paper, magazines, and blogs. (wink)

notes.

1. 403 covers. It's alot.
2. Top Chef. Really? Skin on sous vide salmon? Padma's voice overs make me want to stab my eyes out.
3. A sustainable kitchen is a happy kitchen.
4. I own a bunny now. Yes it would be delicious fricasee'd with gnocchi and spring veg...but she's just too cute.
5. Nopa 2 year anniversary = fun but windy party + 2 leftover kegs making their way back to my place

Ryan Scott's picatta. I thought it looked nice.


Late night.


Kozy the bunny.

Tag.

Tag...i'm it. Lindsey at Adventures In Dessert tagged me with this a ways back...so here it is. Finally.

5) I was a Boy Scout.
My time in this para-military organization can be directly connected to my interests in tattoos, Slayer, and fire.

4) My first week at VDV I almost got fired. Twice.
During my trail, I was on sautee. Being that the restaurant had just opened, the kitchen was packed with cooks. I handed off all my food to another trail, who plated. On a pickup, during a very busy part of the night, he over heated a plate and sent it...subsequently burning the chefs hand. I got screamed at for it...but still got the job.

Later in the week, I was at school killing lobsters when my knife slipped, and the tip pierced through the skin on my thumb. I had to get stitches, and was told I shouldnt work that night. When I called in, the chef told me two cooks had already called out. I went in, and the chef had me expo....which I had no clue how to do. We went down, and I spent half the night mixing up the lobster bisque and the curry sauce.

3) I do not act my age...in my off time. Video games, comics, skateboarding, and snowboarding occupy a fair amount of off hours.

2) I started my restaurant career in the front of house. Waiting tables, bartending, whatever...this is where I was introduced to the industry. (It's all Patrick's fault) I used to look at the cooks breaking down at the end of the night and think "That'll never be me."

1) I'm a klutz of John Ritter in 3's Company-esque proportions. Bumps, spills, drops...you name it.

Enough about me. Let's talk about you.

Tag: Jamie, Rachel (even though she won't do it)