As I alluded to the post involving a train wreck some days are just a pain in the ass. Mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is however how you bounce back from these days that matter. In fact that bouncing back, that perseverance, is what separates those that say from those that do. If I could figure out a way to bottle it I would be a very rich man indeed (though I already am as a result of the love that I share with the most magnificent woman in the world).
The day was horrible. I could do nothing right. NOTHING! I burned stuff. I screwed up prep. My counts were off. My brain was just not in the game. I don’t know why either. It just wasn’t.
However, the very next day was the exact opposite. It was in fact a beautiful day for me as a person and as a dreamer who is on his path. I had decided that I would stay after work so that I could know how to work every station. It is the job of a Chef to not just lead the team but to be able to work any station, at any time and under any circumstance. Though I am not yet a Chef I am trying to hold myself to the same edicts as a Chef would.
I came in early that day and just started working my little tail off. An hour before service I was ready and able to help others with the things that they needed to get done. During service, which was strange, I handled about fifty percent of all the orders that came in. I did so by considering timing, speed and organization. Something that I also have written about lately.
As I have mentioned in numerous posts, in order for the ballet, symphony, or whatever you want to call the kitchen production, timing, organization and speed are mission critical. This is something that I have had a hard time trying to figure out, partially because I am so green (well maybe not so much anymore) in the industry, but also because there are so many variables to consider and my focus up until now has prevented me from being able to follow through to a standard that I would consider proper.
I recall a conversation that I had with Executive Chef and Sous Chef A during the summer at Reservation, which related to my ability on the line. I had asked if I could ever be as good as Sous Chef A on the line and the answer without any hesitation was no. At the time I didn’t know whether to be hurt or to be spurned to action. Well now I don’t have the time to consider who is better. I only have time to consider what can be done. YES CHEF! SORRY CHEF! ANY MOMENT CHEF! 30 SECONDS, etc. For my journey I realize now it is not about the competition between two people that allows one to succeed and the other to only operate at a sub par level. Instead it is the internal dialogue and push that propels me to even greater possibilities.
Again, I feel, though this may be wrong, that when I left Reservation, there may have been the belief that I was going to fall flat on my face. I remember that Sous Chef A and I had a conversation in which eh told me that if I failed at this move that it would adversely impact my ability to live my dream. At the time it scared me. To the point that I second guessed myself. But how is all this relevant to this blog post you all may be asking. Well let me explain…
Timing; When you are working six different dishes with different requirements for lets say two different table, it is absolutely crucial that you, as the line cook, figure out a way to get them all up at the same time. This stems from both organization and the ability to see what needs to be done and to prioritize it. Now I have only been working the line for three weeks and a couple of days. In that scant amount of time I have found my inadequacies and addressed them. I have seen my flaws and started working on them.
Organization; There is no set way to run a station. How I might run a station is going to be entirely different from how my Chef, or my old Executive Chef or even Sous Chef A would run a station. You need to figure out what works for you, in terms of work flow, in terms of reach ability, in terms of maximizing your production with the minimum of movement. This is something, in fact the one thing that I am currently spending a lot of my time on. Someday, truthfully, I hope that I am as good as Sous Chef A on the line. But not from a competitive point of view. Rather for the benefit of what I am trying to achieve and in deed to make our profession better through practiced execution.
I was able that day to figure out how my station worked for me. To the point that I was capable of working not just my station but also Garde. AND also helping with the multiple other stations. It felt wonderful and it caused me to see that I do have not only the drive to do what I am doing but also the ability to conceptualize what it is I need to do. As time goes by I know that I am only going to get better and that is such a rewarding feeling.
I am reminded of a conversation that I had with Director of Operation when he was still Executive Chef after I had dropped a full plate of scallops for a VIP dinner. He looked right at me and said; “Stop brooding. Get over it and move on.” Only after the dinner was complete and I had apologized for making such a mistake did he say to me; “Tomorrow is another day. Start fresh.” This is something that was in my mind the day after my train wreck. And I believe that this belief contributed heavily to my ability to push through and produce a better result. So for that; Thank you Chef! Valuable lesson. Valuable result.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said; “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely...”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Showing posts with label Speed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Speed. Show all posts
Monday, December 1, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Stagnation (or a note on manic thoughts that lead to elsewhere)
Stagnation.
stag·na·tion n
a condition of no movement, activity, development, or progress, or the process of becoming like this.
In the kitchen stagnation can be an attitude killer. It can be a drive killer. It can kill passion and create circumstance. In the kitchen stagnation can be something that creeps up on you like a stalker in the night and takes from you that which you hold most sacred. Stagnation can be that dream killer. Stagnation can be a vivid, horrible and transitional moment that leads to thoughts that lead away from where you are.
Stagnation in short, is where I am now. Although to my Executive and Head Chefs may not see it quite the same way I am at that moment. Where reality and dreaming come to a head. Where I need to consider what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.
You will notice I’m not saying that I am going to abandon my dreams. That I believe any less in the fact that I am going to be, that I was destined to be, that I am becoming a great Chef. It merely is an illustrative term which for me describes the fact that I have learned almost nothing in the last month.
For the first few months I was a flurried student of the subtle kitchen nuance. Everything from cutting a certain cut to sharpening my knife was new to me. And exciting. And I must admit that a brunoise or a ceramic sharpener still excites me for my Mac Knives.
I’m sure that none of you look at what I am doing as a period of stagnation but that is because you are not living my reality every day. I am hungry. I WANT TO LEARN. I am capable of learning at a level that is far different from most people. Not better. Just different. I am a voracious reader. I am a student of life. I read books like Anthony Bourdain smokes cigarettes. I can process knowledge like John F. Kennedy processed the Cuban Missile Crisis. I am capable of so much more than I am doing now and that leads me to this horrible, insatiable, empty feeling of stagnation. But for the moment I take it with a smile and the knowledge that come September it all changes for me.
I think the reason that I am expressing this is so that anyone out there who is in pursuit of his or her dreams can understand that there are going to be moments of extreme elevation. Moments where the world seems so small below you because you are advancing at an unbelievable rate. And then there are the other times. The times when the taunts and jabs from your coworkers makes you feel small. Unimportant. Worse than shit on the bottom of the shoe. As if YOU don’t matter one lick.
One thing I am coming to understand and ADMIRE is that the kitchen is its own beast. The people within it operate to the beat of their own drum. Sometimes those around you share that perversion and at others not. BUT, the most important part is to remain true to yourself.
While I may be in a period of stagnation I think that is to be expected. Here I am a 33 year old newbie reaching for the stars. I have all the ability in the world to process knowledge but am in a period, I believe, where that knowledge is being put to the test.
Take for instance the grill. Ultimately all I can learn from the grill is how to do my Mise en Place. How to organize and set up my station. How to read a board. Speed. Timing. Delivery. These are all things that I have learned and that each week I fine tune from one to the next. I can appreciate what I am doing now without complaint but it bothers me that I am out of the kitchen. Out of my home. Away from the place that I pick up all kinds of knowledge that I am not being taught but rather stealing. I use the term stealing because it is not something they want me learning yet or even considering. But I pay attention. I look around. I watch. I LEARN.
So while I know that for myself I am in a period of stagnation I too know that others have been in the same spot that I am currently. AND I ADMIRE THEM. I can name them. I can learn much from them. But for now I am relegated to the minor leagues and my own personal hell. Which ultimately will bring me back to the kitchen.
I believe the line goes; “The winter of our discontent.” Only it is summer. I long to be back in the kitchen full time. To be able to show what I have learned. To work a station. TO SHOW WHAT I CAN DO and not out of some delusion of grandeur or ego.
I will be back with another post shortly. In the meantime consider this; Da Vinci once said; “Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation ... even so does inaction sap the vigour of the mind.” No one could ever accuse me of inaction. At least that is something. Right?
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
What’s holding you back? GO!
A la prochaine
SDM
stag·na·tion n
a condition of no movement, activity, development, or progress, or the process of becoming like this.
In the kitchen stagnation can be an attitude killer. It can be a drive killer. It can kill passion and create circumstance. In the kitchen stagnation can be something that creeps up on you like a stalker in the night and takes from you that which you hold most sacred. Stagnation can be that dream killer. Stagnation can be a vivid, horrible and transitional moment that leads to thoughts that lead away from where you are.
Stagnation in short, is where I am now. Although to my Executive and Head Chefs may not see it quite the same way I am at that moment. Where reality and dreaming come to a head. Where I need to consider what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.
You will notice I’m not saying that I am going to abandon my dreams. That I believe any less in the fact that I am going to be, that I was destined to be, that I am becoming a great Chef. It merely is an illustrative term which for me describes the fact that I have learned almost nothing in the last month.
For the first few months I was a flurried student of the subtle kitchen nuance. Everything from cutting a certain cut to sharpening my knife was new to me. And exciting. And I must admit that a brunoise or a ceramic sharpener still excites me for my Mac Knives.
I’m sure that none of you look at what I am doing as a period of stagnation but that is because you are not living my reality every day. I am hungry. I WANT TO LEARN. I am capable of learning at a level that is far different from most people. Not better. Just different. I am a voracious reader. I am a student of life. I read books like Anthony Bourdain smokes cigarettes. I can process knowledge like John F. Kennedy processed the Cuban Missile Crisis. I am capable of so much more than I am doing now and that leads me to this horrible, insatiable, empty feeling of stagnation. But for the moment I take it with a smile and the knowledge that come September it all changes for me.
I think the reason that I am expressing this is so that anyone out there who is in pursuit of his or her dreams can understand that there are going to be moments of extreme elevation. Moments where the world seems so small below you because you are advancing at an unbelievable rate. And then there are the other times. The times when the taunts and jabs from your coworkers makes you feel small. Unimportant. Worse than shit on the bottom of the shoe. As if YOU don’t matter one lick.
One thing I am coming to understand and ADMIRE is that the kitchen is its own beast. The people within it operate to the beat of their own drum. Sometimes those around you share that perversion and at others not. BUT, the most important part is to remain true to yourself.
While I may be in a period of stagnation I think that is to be expected. Here I am a 33 year old newbie reaching for the stars. I have all the ability in the world to process knowledge but am in a period, I believe, where that knowledge is being put to the test.
Take for instance the grill. Ultimately all I can learn from the grill is how to do my Mise en Place. How to organize and set up my station. How to read a board. Speed. Timing. Delivery. These are all things that I have learned and that each week I fine tune from one to the next. I can appreciate what I am doing now without complaint but it bothers me that I am out of the kitchen. Out of my home. Away from the place that I pick up all kinds of knowledge that I am not being taught but rather stealing. I use the term stealing because it is not something they want me learning yet or even considering. But I pay attention. I look around. I watch. I LEARN.
So while I know that for myself I am in a period of stagnation I too know that others have been in the same spot that I am currently. AND I ADMIRE THEM. I can name them. I can learn much from them. But for now I am relegated to the minor leagues and my own personal hell. Which ultimately will bring me back to the kitchen.
I believe the line goes; “The winter of our discontent.” Only it is summer. I long to be back in the kitchen full time. To be able to show what I have learned. To work a station. TO SHOW WHAT I CAN DO and not out of some delusion of grandeur or ego.
I will be back with another post shortly. In the meantime consider this; Da Vinci once said; “Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation ... even so does inaction sap the vigour of the mind.” No one could ever accuse me of inaction. At least that is something. Right?
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
What’s holding you back? GO!
A la prochaine
SDM
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Why 24?… All I need is another hour in the day PART 1 (file under trying to catch up)
So as you can tell I am so busy these days. I haven’t even been able to write my daily poems on butcher paper. From the moment I walk in to the moment I leave it is a non stop roller coaster ride of majestic proportions on the dream train of my life.
As I was yesterday I am currently trying to convince my fingers to type faster, to convince the universe to give me just one more hour in the day and my body to not succumb to its fervent desire to drop dead and sleep for three days straight. Adrenaline, coffee, cigarettes and PASSION are keeping me going but ALWAYS with a smile on my face because I can see clearly where I am going and how I am getting there.
This past weekend was INSANE. I have never worked so hard in my life. First off I figured out how to set up the grill properly, as I mentioned last week, it enables a more perfect workflow. Organization and speed are the name of the game when I am on the grill.
If you are not organized properly you will be in the shits from the second you open until the second you close. I know that many of you may think that I am just slinging burgers and that I even make the joke about McDonald’s but ultimately what I am doing at the grill is no different than what they do at Reservation. I am performing a food service that requires speed, accuracy and attention to detail. Currently I am planning a more perfect execution of my organization, attempting to figure out a better way to do what I am doing so that when I get into the shits I can pull myself out.
Speed is just as it suggests. I broke the record on the Grill on Saturday. We were part of the Luminato festival and the One City/ One Table celebration. As such we had approximately 60,000 people on site over the weekend. When you have that many people you have to plan ahead, be organized and execute with speed and accuracy.
I did (with only fifty minutes of total help) over six hundred orders all on my own. SIX HUNDRED. I did not go to the bathroom from 12 in the afternoon until 10:36 pm and had absolutely no break. At one point I almost fainted because the sun was kicking my ass and found myself sitting on the ground for two minutes trying to get myself back into the swing.
I get conflicting advice from people as to the way I run the grill. Chef J says that I shouldn’t speak to the customer at all and essentially he suggests that I should just be a robot and serve. However, I think (most respectfully) that he is wrong. I serve the way that I live; I am charming, passionate, caring and considerate. I interact with the customer for two reasons, one it leaves them with a great feeling inside and two because while I am interacting with them they don’t mind that they are having to wait a few extra minutes for what they’ve ordered.
As I’ve explained before I only have one fryer and that as a result it slows my progress in orders. If you have an order for eight chicken fingers you have to make 32 chicken fingers and eight orders of fries. Well in a small fryer that doesn’t keep temperature outside it is not as easy as you would think. I let the customers know that it may take ten minutes. Some leave and say they will be back; others stand there and wait. So as I’m taking orders and making orders I talk to people. Ask how their day has been, etc. It seems to keep the beast at bay if you know what I mean.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should I be a robot or should I be me? I would LOVE TO HEAR YOUR COMMENTS!
So this is as far as my little fingers will take me today. I have to run to work and had to type as fast as I could just to get this out. I will try to get the rest of Saturday out tomorrow morning.
Calvin Coolidge once said; “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”
Be Inspired and DREAM BIG!
A la prochaine
SDM
As I was yesterday I am currently trying to convince my fingers to type faster, to convince the universe to give me just one more hour in the day and my body to not succumb to its fervent desire to drop dead and sleep for three days straight. Adrenaline, coffee, cigarettes and PASSION are keeping me going but ALWAYS with a smile on my face because I can see clearly where I am going and how I am getting there.
This past weekend was INSANE. I have never worked so hard in my life. First off I figured out how to set up the grill properly, as I mentioned last week, it enables a more perfect workflow. Organization and speed are the name of the game when I am on the grill.
If you are not organized properly you will be in the shits from the second you open until the second you close. I know that many of you may think that I am just slinging burgers and that I even make the joke about McDonald’s but ultimately what I am doing at the grill is no different than what they do at Reservation. I am performing a food service that requires speed, accuracy and attention to detail. Currently I am planning a more perfect execution of my organization, attempting to figure out a better way to do what I am doing so that when I get into the shits I can pull myself out.
Speed is just as it suggests. I broke the record on the Grill on Saturday. We were part of the Luminato festival and the One City/ One Table celebration. As such we had approximately 60,000 people on site over the weekend. When you have that many people you have to plan ahead, be organized and execute with speed and accuracy.
I did (with only fifty minutes of total help) over six hundred orders all on my own. SIX HUNDRED. I did not go to the bathroom from 12 in the afternoon until 10:36 pm and had absolutely no break. At one point I almost fainted because the sun was kicking my ass and found myself sitting on the ground for two minutes trying to get myself back into the swing.
I get conflicting advice from people as to the way I run the grill. Chef J says that I shouldn’t speak to the customer at all and essentially he suggests that I should just be a robot and serve. However, I think (most respectfully) that he is wrong. I serve the way that I live; I am charming, passionate, caring and considerate. I interact with the customer for two reasons, one it leaves them with a great feeling inside and two because while I am interacting with them they don’t mind that they are having to wait a few extra minutes for what they’ve ordered.
As I’ve explained before I only have one fryer and that as a result it slows my progress in orders. If you have an order for eight chicken fingers you have to make 32 chicken fingers and eight orders of fries. Well in a small fryer that doesn’t keep temperature outside it is not as easy as you would think. I let the customers know that it may take ten minutes. Some leave and say they will be back; others stand there and wait. So as I’m taking orders and making orders I talk to people. Ask how their day has been, etc. It seems to keep the beast at bay if you know what I mean.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should I be a robot or should I be me? I would LOVE TO HEAR YOUR COMMENTS!
So this is as far as my little fingers will take me today. I have to run to work and had to type as fast as I could just to get this out. I will try to get the rest of Saturday out tomorrow morning.
Calvin Coolidge once said; “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”
Be Inspired and DREAM BIG!
A la prochaine
SDM
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