Do Your Job!

A common theme to be sure at Reservation. A cook is only as good as the job he is doing presently. It is amazing to be in this environment surrounded by people that are really becoming a surrogate family for me. For the first time in my life I feel like I am in the right place surrounded by the right people and it is truly inspiring.

So I keep a notebook at work (right by my side) to take notes of what I’m doing and learning. Every morning I have now started putting a little note at the top of the page. This days was; “ I LOVE THIS JOB!”

What follows are the notes from my day as an example of how I keep track of what I’m doing;

Jus
Receive Meat
Put away Pastry
Roast Bones
Make Sun Dried filling for Chicken,
Puree Garlic
Peel 80 Pounds Yukon
Got my locker today
Put away produce
Cut Frisse
Make Hummus
Cut Yukon fries
Make Smoked Ketchup
Make Roasted Aioli
Make Chive Double Cream
Prep Omelette Station
Peel 2 more buckets potatoes
Plate Cheese
Plate Meat

Moreover so that you know this is also in conjunction with my assigned prep list now, which is;

Receive, label, Date and put away all receiving
Roast Beets, Garlic, Spaghetti Squash
Quarter Romaine
Peel baby carrots
Dice Bread
Halve Cherry Tomatoes
Put Nicoise Olives,
Shave Spaghetti Squash
Chop Romaine
Cut lards of Double Smoked Bacon
Cut Croutons
Make Truffle Vinaigrette
Peel Potatoes, Onions, Carrots
Mire Pois
White Mire Pois
Clean French beans
Puree Garlic
Grill Corn
Clean Scallions,
Herb Salad
Cut Fingerlings
Gauffrettes Russet Potatoes AND OF COURSE

Stock, Remi and Jus!

Now some of this needs to get done every day and some if it just a few times a week. But soon it will squarely rest of my shoulders to get all this done. Sounds a little daunting to some I’m sure but it is what I was born to do and this is where the journey begins.

These are the things that need to get done day in and day out for service. As the Apprentice Cook I am really making sure that the line has everything prepared for service. On top of which I have to do anything else that is thrown my way to prepare for functions with L. He is a machine. A Banquet and event machine. It is crazy watching him work, and for that matter, everyone there work. They all know what their doing, if they don’t they ask, and they do their job. Though at times they ride me a bit (its all part of the experience and getting your mind ready for more) to watch them work is a little daunting as I’m so slow and confused. I’m like a bull in a china shop and it frustrates me a bit. But to their credit they make sure that I just keep plugging away and doing my job. If I get a little frazzled I just need to slow down. Take a breath. Go for a smoke. Just get my head back into the game and then back to work.

Julia Child once said; “I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.” I started at 33 so there is definitely hope yet.

I hope you all have an inspired day.

A la prochaine

SDM