Small World

It's funny how things happen.  I'm taking a sanitation course in College to get my servesafe certificate and my teacher for that class just so happens to be the Heath inspector assigned to the Hotel I work at.  He showed up to inspect the hotel today and we passed,but he will prb be harder on me now because he knows I work in the industry.

Updates/venting

Well I started college,and it seems interesting .  Some of the stuff we are learning is boring because I know it all ready,but I don't mind.  I have to get into the habit of doing things there way rather than the way I do it at work.

The sous chef is still an asshole to be.  Yesterday one of the bartenders always like cracking jokes on me so I made a sarcastic supply when he asked me if he had food up in the window.  The sous chef told me"Shut up you always have a smart ass reply to things"  I got pissed.  First off if someone is always cracking jokes on me calling me names like (Cocksucker) etc... blah blah blah I'm going to be an ass hole back.  They exspect me not to stand up for myself just because I'm 18 and the youngest there,and I will stand up for myself I'm not going to submissive.  If your an ass to me I will be an ass to you,and thats plain and simple.

College

I havent really posted much,but I will be posting more soon.

I worked allot this summer,and next week I'm starting College

Culinary Managment.

I graduated High School Today!

Well I finally Graduated High School.  I'm going to college this September for Culinary Management. This Summer I will be working allot and gaining lots of experience which means more blog post.

Tired (Crazy Customer)

Well I worked 4 days straight Friday I woke up at 6 to go to school then I went to work at 3pm-11pm.  The bad part was that I had to wake up at 5am in the morning to work the breakfast shift the next day.  The good thing about working at a hotel is that you get free rooms if your working so I asked for a room and stayed upstairs and it was really nice. Saturday was busy,and then I worked Sunday as-well which was really busy.  The waiting staff couldn't keep up with my pace.  There was 1 of me and 3 of them.


I also worked on Memorial day and it was bussy we got slammed.  A lady was waiting for 20 minutes for her drinks and she had the nerve to come to the kitchen and she started yelling at me telling me she hasn't gotten her drinks yet.  I was like um I cant help you with that.  I just think that it was so funny.

Damn if I do Damn if I Dont!!!

Well I was working with one of the sous chefs the past 3 days and every fucking thing I do he gets on me about.  "How come you put the cheese on last,How come your so messy"  We have this dish Chicken Hibachi the chef wants us to make it a certain way,but the sous chef told me not to listen to the chef because "the chef only works the line once in a blue moon and I work the line 24/7"  When the chef works the line he noticed we do stuff differently then he originally told the sous chef to do.  I'm not going to listen to the sous chef I'm going to listen to the Chef  ,because the chef is my boss.


        I understand I'm messy and I have to work on that allot,but he keeps hounding me and hounding me on every fucking little thing "How come you walk like that blah blah fucking blah"  He really pisses me off and when I'm making something he looks at me and just stares just to try to intimidate me which really screws my movement up because I'm waiting for a complaint.  He complains to the chef about how I'm bad on the line,but the chef worked with me one day on the line and the chef said I was ok,but still obviously need to work on somethings,but I wasn't as bad as how the sous chef was putting it.   I like work but when I work with the sous chef I kind of loose my spirit for cooking.

Easter (Work)

Well today my job had a Easter Buffet.  The hotel Closed down the restaurant and we had a big Easter Buffet.  The kitchen staff was preparing for this for days.  I was put in the Omelet station which was fun.  People just come up to you and tell you what they want in there omelet and I make it and flip it to show off a bit.  Some people are annoying they take an hour to figure out what they want on the omelet which holds up the whole  line.   Anyway I guess I have to get use to not having any Holidays off if I want to make it in this Business,but I dont mind.

Waiters are Annoying

Well I was working the breakfast shift yesterday by my self and 3 tour buses were unloaded into the hotel and they decided to come and eat.  I moved my ass off and had all the food out in the window and then it took them 10 minutes to come and get it.  Then they start complaining to me telling me that they didn't know which was Which. 
         Get this there was 3 of them and 1 of me and they still couldn't handle it.   One guy complained because his over easy eggs were cold but that wansnt my fault.  The waiters like taking the plates down from the heat lamps and keeping them on the counter which in turn they get cold.  One guy left because he was waiting too long for his waffle but his waffle was sitting in the window for along time.
           
I got that waiter back unintentionally because I had a plate on the flat top and I put the eggs on to it and it was hot I mean hot.  If you put water on it it would evaporate thats how hot it was.  I took the plate not realizing it was that hot and I put it up in the window and ran to put my hands in some ice and then the waiter 1 minute later while I was a way and the waiter took the plate with his bare hands and ran it out to the customer,but he didn't get that far he slammed it on the counter int he waiter station and started screaming.  I was cracking up laughing.   Even though it was unintentional he asked me "how come you didn't tell me it was hot"  I said I just wanted to make sure it was hot"


 

Nice day

Well I have been working about 5 days in a row its hard because.  I wake up at 6AM go to school I get out at 2:30 then I have to be to work at 3:00 until about 11 then go to sleep and do it all over again.  My feet hurt from standing,but I like it and cooking is addictive. 

     One of the sous chefs that I work with was trying to find everything I did to be wrong,but I understand I do need to learn allot more.  When we get busy I'm kind of all over the place,but I have to get in my head Quality over time Quality over time.  He told me I should reconsider being a cook and I just let that pass right threw one ear and out the other.  I'm not going to let him put me down and make me doubt my self.


I went to an open house for college and I am going to get an Associates degree in Culinary Management in a local County College,but I'm not sure if I should then transfer to Johnson and Wales and get a bachelors.

Its my Birthday

Today is my 18th birthday time fly's by so fast.

Good day

I went to this thing called "Taste of Middlesex" different resturants and hotels go there and basically give away free food.  The place sold 600 tickets.  We served them spinach garlic Mash and Montreal coffee seasoned steak with our gravy sauce.  People loved it.  They had a camera crew there the mayor was there and a whole bunch of important people.  I also saw my Principal and some other teachers which was really weird.  She didnt know I worked for a hotel and she was shocked I could see in her face. 
   It was me and the lady sous chef and when the camera crew came over we stepped back and let the GM of the hotel speak hopefully this exposure will make us busier.  They had allot of good restaurants and food there.


When I got back I had to deal with the ass sous chef and he heard about last night
http://lifeofayoungcook.blogspot.com/2011/03/terrible-day.html



I told him I haven had an order sent back in a while and you learn from mistakes.


"He said I haven heard anything good about you since you came on the line  do you want ot got back to the pantry permanently"  I just said what ever because its all up to the chef .

Terrible day

I burned a tray of bread stick,Made salty mash potatoes and got an order sent back.  The guy ordered a Delmonico Steak and he wanted it Med Rare,but he said it was on the rare side.  One of the female sous chefs got upset with me because it,but then when she did an order her steak got sent back too so I dont feel so bad.  I will make mistakes I'm not perfect.


I'm going to a food convention with my Hotel tomorrow.  I have to clean my chef coat to make it nice and white and we will be serving people food with many other restaurants.  I have to smile too I hate smiling.

Student teacher

We  have this new student teacher that is doing her intern at my school and she teaches us or tried to teach us.  She went to Culinary School,but is majoring in nutrition.  She think she knows everything.  She knows I'm a cook at a hotel I told her and such and everything I do she always compares to my job.  She asked me how do I triple a recipe I said "Just multiply it by 3" Then she was like"no that's wrong when ever you work on the line you need to learn how to double and triple recipes and bla bla bla"  First off in a restaurant you make things in bulk and if you need more salt you add more salt if you need more liquid then you add more cream or water depending on what your making. I dont know how she can compare this silly class to a Restaurant. I'm thinking who the hell does this lady think she is?  First off she even told us she is only a waiter at a Diner some where and she isn't a cook or anything,but it seems like she is telling me how to do my job all the time.She has no experience on a line at all.  She was telling me when I go to work I should always use a a thermometer even for the burgers? WTF when its busy as hell I will definitely not have time to stick a thermometer in every damn burger.  I understand for steaks but for burgers?  She also tells me that steaks should never get cooked to rare and a whole bunch of other crap.  I get trained by a professional chef everyday I definitely dont need her to dictate to me when she has never worked in a restaurant kitchen ever as a cook.   Don't get me wrong she does know her stuff,but she needs to know that I have experience too.  I always say Just because you can fly an airplane on a computer it doesn't mean you can fly a real airplane.  Shes leaving next week and I'm really really happy about it. I work for a Hotel and am getting trained properly I know I'm still learning and will always learn,but she doesn't give me credit for that.

Smooth night!

Last night the owner of the hotel came in and had dinner with some of his dinner partners.  They had a 5 course meal. The chef and the sous made everything but I helped put it together. 
          
The chef made me try duck Liver and it was disgusting the taste isn't that bad,but the texture just makes me want to gag.  For there Appetizer they had Duck Liver and duck breast with a cranberry reduction sauce. 

          They then had  a beautifully decorated salad.  I dont remember want kind of soup they had,but they had Filet Mignon and Spinach mash potatoes with vegetables stuffed in a zucchini ring.  I wish I took pictures,but the night went smooth. 

               The chef said I had to eat the whole duck liver because that was my penalty for forgetting to turn on the steam table a while back,but hey it was a rookie mistake and I wont forget to turn it on again.

Co Workers

Some of the other cooks complain that I'm too messy.  During a busty service I'm at my worse.  I try to keep my side of the line clean and neat,but to others its messy.  Any way the other day me and the sous chef had an altercation with one of the banquet cooks.   We have a Corporate buffet menu and things needed to be prepped up for that.,but it was Friday and she wanted me to prep things up for Monday. She wanted me to cut the broccoli and chicken and we  were telling her that we could do all this Sunday night (Restaurants slow day),but shes the type that likes to have everything prepped up a week a head of time which makes no sense to me.  Shes also very rude she always yells at me and tells me to use my head and have common sense,but maybe its just her Asian  accent that makes it sound likes shes yelling.

I'm a hard worker

For the past few days I've been working my ass off at work.  Friday I worked 2 till 11 and we were busy until I got in all the way until about 9.  We have never been that busy before.  Than Saturday I worked from 11 to 11 and it was busy when I came in so I had no time to set up or anything I just hung up my coat and helped the cook that was there in the morning.
                   

          Since we are a hotel we do wedding tastings (When a couple comes in to taste a preview of the food at there wedding.)  The line cook thats usually there when they come in usually does this,and I was there so I prepared Miso Marinaded Salmon over a pilaf of rice and some vegetables,and after they ate the meal the chef went out and asked them how they liked it and they loved it.  They said the salmon was cooked perfectly and I smiled as he was telling me and the chef said   "Its because of me thats why it was good"  Even though I cooked the Salmon.   Well he tell me how to make the marinade and he did help me plate it up and stuff,but if I was a chef I would have said the same thing to the rookie cook.  The chef is a good teacher though and he is very patient so when ever he jumps on the line I learn allot.


                           Later on that day one of the other cooks came in and it was just him and I a two man line,and it got busy.  It got really busy everything went smooth.  The other cook was yelling at me and I yelled back at him.  The waiter got mad at use because as soon as we sent out the appetizer we made ther entree and we thought 15 minutes would be a perfect amount of time for that table to finish there App but they were still eating and the table complained saying they didnt want the entree because it had been sitting in the window a while so we had to make it fresh So I was like"What the fuck"  The waiter said" Do not say fuck bro its your guys faults"  Me an him always get in arguments and he pisses me off I have to keep my calm with him,but after everything was over we all apologized to each other and such. It was  a busy day and the bad part about it is there were only 2 cooks 2 dishwashers and 2 waiters.  All the Managers went home so there wasn't anyone expediting.

TGI Friday??

Well I work for a hotel and they have  a Restaurant that is run by the kitchen staff.  I heard that they might close down the Restaurant and Lease out the space to TGI Fridays or some other Chain Restaurant.  Which means some cooks might loose there jobs,because they still need some cooks for banquets.  Or TGI Fridays might hire us?  I dont know if I wanna work for a franchise bcause all of there stuff is already premaid and alls you have to do is microwave it and then BAM its done.  I dont know,but we will see what happens down the road.

Culinary School

Well I want to be a chef. I know after most people get out of Culinary school they dont become chefs automatically you still have to work your way up there in this Culinary Industry Chain.  I dont know what I should do.  I want to get a degree in Culinary arts and a minor in Hotel and Restaurant management.   I dont know if I should get as bachelors Degree or an associates.  Should I got to Arts Institute or a Community College.  There are  a million things going through my mind.  I dont want to spend 80,000 on a school because when I come out I will be in debt.  So I guess I should go to a community College because I guess chefs look at experience more than a degree. 

One man Line (Breakfast shift again)

 
     


     

           Well today I woke up at 5:30 again for another breakfast shift today.  Today was busy and I mean busy.  I know this isn't allot for some of you experienced line cooks,but I did 73 covers by myself and I think thats good for a 17 year old who is only 9 Months into the trade.  As soon as breakfast was over I began to pack up and put the lunch stuff up and then two pilots came in (Pilots have some sort of VIP deal with the hotel) and they wanted breakfast at 12:00 So I was like alright I guess so.
            
            I turned on the deep fryer  then I noticed that it wasnt working the pilot light was out,but it wanst lighting either.  Employees meal has to be out by 12:00 so  since it was so busy today I decided to  just fix them Chicken Fingers and French Fries so I had to run back and forth to the banquet side to do orders that had to be fried so I was rushing a round allot.  I went through 4 big trays of Bacon and 3 trays of Potato's. About 2 boxes of liquid eggs and allot of eggs and a metal bucket of Pancake batter.  I also set up the pantry made some fruit plates,and I cut half a bag of potatoes.

      So after everything died down prepped up the Breakfast box and refilled everything and made some more home fries for the breakfast cook  tomorrow.  The 2 cooks for the Night shift came in and one of the Top Line cooks  (The one thats an ass to me) Said "Oh you didn't prep up the lunch box.  MTV makes kids lazy theses days"  That really pissed me off I told him it was busy as hell and he still thought I stood around doing nothing for 8 hours what an ass hole.  I was really offended by that comment. Plus I didn't really even use the lunch box.  They use the lunch box for dinner.  What 17 year old do you know that would wake up and 5:30AM an work his ass off all day by himself.

         I stayed until about 2 PM because they needed help prepping up for tonight so I bagged up some Calamari and Trayed up some bread sticks for them. Then I left  I dont think a lazy person would do that

anyway I'm tired and I have to go to school tomorrow and then  have to get my Wisdom Teeth Pulled so I'm a little worried about that.

Breakfast Shift

Today I worked the breakfast shift which involved waking up a 5:00AM in the morning.  I was the only cook this morning.  So I have to open up the kitchen sign for delivery's and such. I first ask for the occupancy levels which it was at 60% today.  So I put in 2 trays of Bacon 1 tray of sausage and 1 tray of Home Fries.  I then set up the steam table turn on the flat top.  Today was steady so I kept up with the orders pretty fine.  Most of them were omelets.  When the Restaurant died down I set up the pantry side and cut some Romaine Salad.  Made some more Pancake batter and prepped up the breakfast box.  I did allot more things but I'm too tired to remember what I did.  I work the breakfast shift tomorrow too.  Good night

Tired

Well Yesterday I worked 3-10 on the line.  It was really busy from about 2:30 to about 8:30 and that never happens.  its because allot of people were in the hotel because there were several Banquets/Meetings going on.  Well we had a table that annoyed me they ordered a penne vodka,and steaks.  The table ate half of each steak and they didn't even touch the Penn vodka they said the shrimp smelled bad ,but we tasted it and it tasted fine.  I The chef said it was because I didn't cook the shrimp in the Vodka sauce I just laid them on top of the pasta. I think we was right,but I dont know why they only ate half of each steak.  Any way we gave them a free desert.  After the line died down me and another cook jumped over to help the Banquet side. They had to plate up for a sit down for about 150 people.  I was exhausted after that night.

Then after I got off that shift I went home and went to sleep at about 1130PM and I had to wake up this morning for the 6-12 shift.  It was just me by myself it wasnt really busy this morning ,but it was  steady.

My Wannabe Culinary Arts Honors Class

          Well I'm in high school and I enrolled in the new Culinary Arts class that we have and I am very disappointed with the class. One of the first things we made were donuts using biscuit dough.  One kid in the class had the nerve to tell me he for got how to cut a pepper and I showed him.  I told them I'm a cook at  a hotel,but I guess they thought I was bragging.
            What we are basically doing is we are learning about different regions in the world and learning about the foods and the teacher find recipes off of the internet and we make them.  We dont plate up the food we just sit down and eat.  I told the teachers that we should plate the food up and make it look presentable besides flopping down and eating  it but no one too my advice. I also told the teacher that we should be learning knife skills,but the teacher said since this is a honors class we should already have them.
        


        I laugh when I watch these people cut things and how they cut.  I mean your suppose to rock the knife and take advantage of its shape,but they just slame the knife down on the food.  The class is a joke to me and I Learn more at work in one day than I will probably learn in one month in that class.  I mean the kids in the class dont even know what a mirepoix  is or how to make sauces or stews.  Alls we do is  find a recipe make it and eat that's it.  Well I'm off to learn some new stuff at work.

Lobster Tail Soup!

Well Yesterday We were running low on Lobster Chowder,and the other cook nor I knew how to make it.  So I got a note pad and a   Pen and asked him how to make it.  He wrote it down for me instead.   First you had to saute your mirepox had some garlic then some other ingredients,and  then he told me to add Lobster bodies.  Well being to rookie that I am I went in the freezer and added (What I thought were lobster bodies) but they were lobster tails and I sauteed them with the mix.  He didn't notice it until about 5 Minutes and rushed to the pot and he just took Them out.  "I said Lobster bodies not Lobster tails,now go get some lobster bodies out of the fridge."  I found them this time. He told me they were 19 dollars a pound and I put 3 in.  He dint make a big fuss over it he just said "Now you know not to do it again" and he told me about his past experiences and mistakes. He enjoyed telling that story to the staff.  I'm probably going to have to hear that for along time.  Well the rest of the day turned out good,and the soup came out tasting good.  It wasn't really busy I dont know why.  Well I learned a valuable lesson. Now I can make that Chowder soup again with any problem.

Heres a pic I took a while a go of our Chowder soup.

Worked the line

I worked the line last night.  Excuse my spelling mistakes because its about  6 in the morning and I have to go to school soon.  Well Yesterday I came into work preped up my side of the line.  One of the other cooks left a note  saying   "Make Crab mix,and Travis(my name) the cocktail sauce looks like ketchup".  I'm like umm I dindnt even make any Cocktail sauce.  The cocktail sauce is in the pantry and I haven't worked Pantry since Monday so I dont know,but the chef  came over It told him I didn't make it,but he still said taste everything it doesn't matter.  I understood where he was coming from and I tasted it and it did taste like Ketchup iy had enough horseradish in it So I put a little bit more Conqac  in it.  I guess I was just a bit defensive since the other day someone blamed me for cutting the New York strips wrong and I had never even cut any New York Strips.  I got to work early that day I heated the sauces put them in the steam table and such.  We weren't that busy Yesterday,but I learned something.  The chef asked "What did you learn"  I said"Taste stuff the chef replied "Taste What"  I then said "Taste everything"  The Chef then said "Good I got alittle worried there"  Then the sous chef said "I stopped worrying about him I'm in acceptance now" funny moment I guess. I worked with the sous yesterday well hes really not a sous chef hes a cook too,but he acts as one.  He still nagged at me and such about the Mash being warm,but I understood where he was coming from.  Anyway I have to go to school now and then after school back to work again,but I'm happy because today is pay check day.



The picture is a New york Strip Accompanied with Garlic Mash and Vegetable's.

Worked Pantry Yesturday

Yesterday I worked Pantry. I get out of school at 2:30 get on my bus and get home by 2:50 and then I have to be out the door and get to work by 3:00.  I was told by the sous chef that the pantry box had to be cleaned out and restocked since no one really works at Pantry anymore. I cut Peppers onions changed sauces into clean containers.  I then made a fruit platter and chopped up some Garlic using the buffalo chopper trayed up some bacon.  We had no dishwasher yesterday so the sous went to go wash the dishes and I jumped on the line to help one of the other line cooks when it got busy.  I'm a JETS FAN so I had to hear about the JETs losing over and over again.  We also have a Bar tender whos mind is in the gutter and always compares everything we make to a body part. Wasnt really that busy yesterday so the other cooks were reminissing about High school and such.  Thats about it.  In my next blog I will write about working on the line more.

Heres a Random Picture!

First Blog Line cook? Prep? Pantry??????????????

Hello this is my first blog I'm 17 years old and a senior in high school.  I recently discovered  that I want to go in the culinary Field so I got a job at a hotel in may.  My position was a pantry cook basically I did salads for the restaurant and cold pastas for banquet.  I wanted to get experience around the kitchen so the chef moved me a round and I work on  the line and I do Pantry sometimes too.  I'm only 17 so you can imagine the stress.  I'm in high school and currently looking at what schools I want to go to and if I want to get an associates degree or bachelors in Culinary Management.  So as someone at my Job told me I'm low on the totem pole and im "the kitchen bitch"  That kind of pissed me off I do every thing that everyone else does I consider my self a cook,but he told me I',m prep  I work the Breakfast line by myself on weekends I dont think a prep does that.  I get hassled my him to move faster when we get busy I under stand where he comes from I know I need to move faster but hey I'm only about 7 months into this career and I'm still learning.  I'm consider my self a line cook because thats what" I mostly work on is the line,but I do do pantry some times too.   So I guess you can call me a "Roundsman" or swing cook,but what pissed me off about what he said was that he said I was just Prep.  I'm  a cook.  on my Scheduling it said Pantry/Prep,but I hardly do Pantry anymore.  According to the chef we dont have any prep cooks anyway that enough of my rant. I will try to post everyday.

Oh that a picture I took while working breakfast.