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So I'm relatively new to this industry as well as being in culinary school full-time, is it a common side effect to constantly pray for the merciful release of death? tia
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May 13, 2015 02:14
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AVeryLargeRadish posted:I hope you didn't take out a loan for culinary school. gently caress no i didnt take out a loan, I go to the one at the local community college that a lot of local chefs recruit from. I don't pay for anything but books, knives, poo poo like that plus i get paid working for the school's catering business.
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May 13, 2015 02:56
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Oh yeah for sure i'm getting real experience while i go to school. I already have a BA and I used to be a social worker so I'm used to working grueling hours where it's more of a lifestyle than a 9-5 job.
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May 13, 2015 04:12
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Liquid Communism posted:Why in the name of little green apples are you trying to get into literally the worst industry in the world, pay/benefits/quality of life wise, with a BA in something else? History degree lol
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May 13, 2015 05:53
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Errant Gin Monks posted:My buddy got his history degree, quit the industry and teaches at a Highschool now and he is happier than he has ever been. I'm also an ex-con lol Edit: to be more specific I have always wanted to work in the industry and planned on going to culinary school right after college but i ended up becoming a social worker out of convenience, got addicted to drugs and went to prison for a few years. While I was inside I got a job in the bakery, worked my way up to head baker and realizes that once I got out I had a chance to actually do the thing I really wanted to do all along not to sound too corny. I've never desired a 9-5 type of life anyway. the great deceiver fucked around with this message at 06:16 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 06:08
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Simoom posted:are you clean now, and do you enjoy it? If the answer is yes, don't do this. On the other hand, you're gonna loving do it anyways, so I guess just keep an open mind, try to keep your dependencies under some form of control and make yourself useful in some small way. Any way counts. i can't cook for poo poo, but I've worked in 3 professional fine dining kitchens and have carved out a niche by being a human punchline. find your niche and work it, enjoy it, learn to hate it, get the gently caress out before you need surgery By clean do you mean totally sober AA true-believer? No, not at all. I still party but I just don't go back to my drug of choice which was heroin. I know full well what the industry is like and I'm prepared for the challenges it presents. I turned down heroin in prison, I'm sure I can do it in the workplace. I do have my heart set on working in the culinary field. Even on my worst days I still enjoy showing up to the kitchen or the classroom (maybe not tomorrow I have my practical final). Before I went to jail I worked as a social worker because I didn't want to work in an office and I wanted to do a job that would make others happy. As a social worker I accepted the fact that I was gonna work long hours for no pay and have my work life bleed over into my personal life. I've heard all the horror stories of being in this industry but I know it really is where I want to be. In other news I have my practical skills final in my food theory class tomorrow night and one of the components is the chef making you draw a card with a random dish on it and preparing it in 30 or so minutes. He hinted there's gonna be poo poo like pilafs, risottos and sauces. I hope I don't get hollandaise; even though it's not that hard it still intimidates me for some dumb reason.
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May 13, 2015 07:47
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Oldsrocket_27 posted:Let's be real, when it comes to cooking, if you aren't waiting out the years until your parents pass so that you can drink yourself to death in peace without disappointing anyone, then you aren't doing it right. I laughed but I wasnt sure if this was just a funny post or if it hit uncomfortably close to home.
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May 13, 2015 11:13
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Wroughtirony posted:lol @ a "former" drug addict who still uses drugs (just not heroin!) thinking a BOH career is a healthy life choice. Healthy choices have never been my forte
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May 13, 2015 16:35
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Simoom posted:It's cool to be all cavalier about this now but you should probably take it seriously because it's not interesting, new, admirable or glamorous to ruin your life for the service industry I know, it was a joke. I've been working very hard and have been doing the right thing for a while now.
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May 13, 2015 21:59
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Simoom posted:Hollandaise ain't hard at all and I hope you get it so that you can prove to yourself that it is not anything to be afraid of! I didn't get hollandaise. After all the knife cut demos and herb identifications and poo poo like that we had to do the cooking demonstration by drawing playing cards with random dishes on them. In fact, we had 90 minutes and we had to draw 4 cards and make four dishes. My cards were so laughably easy I would have accused myself of cheating if it had been poker. I had to hard boil an egg, make mayonnaise, make a pilaf and saute a chicken breast lol. I'll practice hollandaise on my own time to make sure I get it right.
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May 14, 2015 07:00
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I know this isn't a big deal compared to what most of you guys here do. I'm the guy that was posting a number of pages back about being an ex-con, ex-junkie 3 years clean trying to break into the industry. I was offered some encouragement and a lot of ridiculing, most of it deserved. Today I found out that I got straight As in my first semester of culinary school AND i just got hired on to my first industry job, weekend night shift dishwasher/prep at the main restaurant in a large restaurant group in my city. The chef told me I'm about to become the kitchen's bitch and I guess I'm ready to become the kitchen's bitch. I worked in the kitchen in prison which was pretty fast-paced and filled with guys who had worked in the industry for a lot of their lives so I have some background besides culinary school. At least in a professional kitchen they can't throw me in the SHU if I gently caress up haha. I start tomorrow at 4, kinda nervous but mostly excited.
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May 30, 2015 05:24
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Errant Gin Monks posted:Work your rear end off and take your lickings. You will do fine if you work hard. I believe in you, good luck man. Thanks a lot man, I really do appreciate your kind words even if you do have a Seahawks avatar. I'm gonna kill it today, I already feel it.
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May 30, 2015 15:08
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Willie Tomg posted:If they were all on fire, the only culinary school grads I'd waste a perfectly good squirt of piss on are the ones who have some kind of Hard Life Experience like yours. I'm as confident as I can be--y'know, not knowing you personally and all--that you'll be great because of that attitude. That, "hey, at least they can't throw me in SHU" attitude. That is going to be the thing that carries you above the drek, the tumors, and the goddamned product-stealing gently caress-- Thank you for that post, it meant a lot to me. When I look at the 18, 19, 20 year olds in culinary school with me I like them as people but they just don't understand work. They don't understand waking up at 3am to work in a prison bakery for 12cents an hour. I don't let it get me bitter but I make drat sure that I don't forget where I come from. Anyway my first night went great. I worked my rear end off, made no major mistakes to speak of and impressed the executive chef so much that he offered to hire me full time within my first 2 hours there. I very graciously turned him down because I really want my culinary degree and I can't work and go to school full time. Today was a morale boost- I think I can cut it in this industry.
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May 31, 2015 08:38
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Day 2 of my first culinary job: I wasn't scheduled today but I came in anyway to do the chef a solid in appreciation of taking a chance on me and giving me a job. Was busy all day because some girl was having a graduation brunch and then we had to clean everything in preparation for a health inspector visit. I worked my rear end off nonstop today, part of me feels dead and part of me feels totally loving alive, I'm sure a lot of you longtimers know what I mean. One of the line cooks who works the saute station has been getting very friendly and somewhat protective of me. I think his spider-sense went off because he briefly mentioned being in jail a few times so I think he recognized something in me as far as having a history goes. I think this spot i'm at is a great launching point for me since it is a well established restaurant that has been around for a while and is the main establishment in a group that own several other restaurants/nightclubs. Soon they're opening a hip gastropub live music venue type of deal which is where I REALLY want to get into, hopefully I can eventually make my way over there. Maybe it's because I had a few drinks after work but I don't mean to humblebrag but just barely over 6 months ago I was faceless federal inmate #xxxxx-097 and today I am a straight A culinary student and making inroads into an industry I really want to be in. Feels good man
the great deceiver fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Jun 1, 2015 |
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Jun 1, 2015 06:50
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Simoom posted:your story is the light at the end of the man and his dog posting tunnel. Haha i lurk this thread every day and i enjoy man and his dog's posts but i guess i'm not jaded enough....YET. Anyway thanks a ton for all the positive support guys, it means a lot to me. I don't go back to work until friday and I don't start summer school until next monday. I have four days off and I don't know what to do with myself. Obviously not drugs lol
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Jun 1, 2015 16:47
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Secret Spoon posted:I talked to them at the end of the night, this poo poo can't happen. One of my guests started with 300$ bottle of wine to go with the apps and that's not unusual. I was livid with them. This is a line I give cash and buy beer or whatever for. I take care of these dudes because I don't need 50k after taxes and I know they work their asses off. We probably lost about 30k this year off of tonight's service. We aren't exactly doing 300 covers a night, it's a slower place. But I won't and can't accept that kind of poo poo. Wow it's stories like this that make me scared of this industry. In other news I got my first legit paycheck in 4 years tonight. The prison ones don't count because I was forced to work and 12cents an hour is not a paycheck, it is slavery. I am working my rear end off in the dishpit but I think they are eyeing me for prep sooner than later. I already do a little prep work and it has become very, very obvious that I am the only dishwasher who understands what phrases like julienne and demi-glace mean. The place I am at is a good place to start out, it is the main restaurant in a large local hospitality group in my city. It's a good place for me to meet people. There's not too much creativity going on with the food, though, it's upscale american comfort food bullshit. Like $15 chicken and waffles or truffle oil tater tots or macaroni and cheese with pork belly, that kind of stuff. Tastes good but not interesting. I don't foresee myself staying here after I finish culinary school even though it is a very comfortable corporate gig. All full-time employees get benefits and paid vacation. I hope this doesn't sound arrogant or naive but I already wasted a large chunk of my youth as a drug user/dealer and a convict and I would like to go for something more interesting and creative when I finish. I figure gently caress it, most people are afraid of failing and I've already failed far more than most so what the gently caress is there to be afraid of?
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Jun 6, 2015 10:21
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Shooting Blanks posted:The more interesting and prestigious the restaurant, the less you will be paid. There are exceptions of course but good luck. Oh yeah I get that for sure. It's the age old sell out vs not sell out which is made a little harder for me because I stumbled into a very comfortable corporate gig in a very uncomfortable portion of my life. Part of me says go for it because gently caress it I've already been lower and poorer than over 90% of the American population and at least I'd be doing something I like but the other part of me knows I won't be 27 forever. It's still way too early for me to even be stressing on things like this but it can't hurt to consider it I guess.
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Jun 6, 2015 11:09
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So I basically got moved from dishwasher to prep in about a month, that was pretty cool. The place I'm at turns into a bottle-service type nightclub after 10:30ish so I'll still help wash glasses and stuff during that time until my shift is over. I got my first taste of how ridiculous some poo poo is in this industry last night. On weekends our kitchen closes at 11:30 so at around 11:15 we're winding down, starting to clean up and getting ready to close up shop. OH WAIT here comes a 14-top at 11:25. The hostess seated them and basically everybody had to stay late because they ordered TONS of food. I made overtime and it was all good but who shows up at a restaurant with 14 people and no reservations 5 minutes before the kitchen closes? Oh yeah they were all Sikhs too, not that it made a difference it just kind of made it even more bizarre since we're kind of a hip downtown/clubbing spot.
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Jun 15, 2015 00:15
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So I just got home from my shift that I believe marked my one month anniversary of actually working in the industry as opposed to just going to culinary school. To celebrate my milestone I had to work a shift where we hosted a politician's birthday party (we are across the street from the state capitol building in Sacramento) with 60+ guests. I feel like I stared into the depths of hell tonight.
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Jun 20, 2015 09:38
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Goddamnit I had just gotten to promoted to prep and the dude they hired to replace me in the dishpit thew a temper tantrum last night and walked out because the work was too hard after less than TWO days on the job so I got kicked back to washing dishes just so we could get through a busy Saturday night. Also they hired the number 2 sous chef's son as a dishwasher for a summer job and I had to train the kid in 30 minutes and the little brat didn't want to hear anything I wanted to say, just wanted to sneak out back for a cigarette/weed while his dad was busy on the line. The place I'm at actually isn't a bad place to work at all and isn't as poorly run as I'd make it sound but it was just a particularly lovely weekend, for me at least. Mostly had to do with the executive being off-site on some sort of catering/party gig or something for some political VIP, I'm not really sure. Like I mentioned earlier my restaurant is right across the street from the California state capitol so we live and die by politician/state worker business.
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Jun 28, 2015 17:22
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Vorenus posted:Hahaha. If someone can't handle the stress/effort of washing dishes they had better hope they can find a way to get on SS disability because if you can't handle that I really don't know what you can handle. TBF, the pay usually sucks but wow. poo poo this dude didn't speak a lick of English so SSI probably aint an option for him. From what I understand he cut his finger and went crying to the sous, the sous chef said bandage it up, get a glove on it and get back to work. The guy kept throwing a fit and the sous chef said "what do you want me to do, take you to the hospital? you cut your finger" at that point the dishwasher said gently caress this this work is too hard and stormed out of the restaurant mid-shift like a straight up bitch. I don't even know what the gently caress. So now not only was I in charge of helping the night dishwasher keeping the pit going but I also had to do basic prep poo poo like boiling pasta, making mashed potatoes and portioning poo poo out. I pulled it off like a boss but they goddamn well better have a new dishwasher hired ASAP, this kitchen is way too big for one person to cover 2 jobs.
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Jun 29, 2015 00:59
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Willie Tomg posted:Getting jerked around to your previous position so you can carry some tumors, or denied a higher position because you're reliable in a lower position and not quickly replaceable and thus forced to watch a parade of dunderheads carousel through your kitchen when you know you can do that job is a time-honored tradition of the industry. It means you're part of the group. Welcome, friend. Haha thank you  Makes me feel betterAlso to whoever said the person that couldn't wash dishes might as well wrap it up and collect SSI- I worked as an office drone for the state of California for two years to put myself through college. Washing dishes in a large kitchen is 100x times harder than state office drone job, both physically and mentally. Still doesn't give the guy an excuse to punk out less than two days on the job.
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Jun 30, 2015 07:12
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goodness posted:All jobs should ban nicotine imo but people are too scared to do that. All jobs should ban nicotine and make weed mandatory. Actually from my two months in a kitchen weed is de facto mandatory but not default mandatory, probably wouldn't be the best idea in the world.
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Jul 1, 2015 01:57
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Had a guest send back a guacamole burger last night because he didn't like avocado. I'm not sure I understand unless it was like the lamest attempt ever to get a comped meal.
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Jul 11, 2015 21:14
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OK well I solved the mystery of the returned guacamole burger after talking to a waitress last night. Turns out the guest was, shall we say, elderly and was apparently out in California to visit his grandchildren. He wanted a burger and his grandchildren told him he had to get a guac burger cuz that's what we do in ~CaLi~  . The guy goes along to make his grandkids happy but ultimately sends it back because he doesn't like the mushy texture of avocado and goddamn it he fought the Krauts in '44 so we could be eating guacamole burgers today. He got a regular hamburger and was 100% happy in the end. The story actually makes sense now and if anyone should feel dumb it is the burnout grandchildren.
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Jul 12, 2015 14:34
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As long as the yolk is hot and runny it is so, so good. You should make yourself one because it is really good. Better with avocado too.
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Jul 12, 2015 14:57
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Trebuchet King posted:Best way to do a fried egg burger is on a homemade/made in-house english muffin instead of a bun. Other toppings are argument fodder but it is amazing how well the english muffin works as a bun. You gotta have a thick, porous bun no doubt. I'm a fan of ciabatta or the sourdough bun a local bakery makes in my city. The key is to get EVERY. loving. BIT. of the yolk.
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Jul 13, 2015 02:01
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CommonShore posted:Avocado/guac is one of the best substitutes for mayo in any context. If you've never had egg salad sandwich made more salady via avocado (and some scallions), you're missing out. Jesus gently caress that's horrible I went to to the local grocery store to get some stuff for a date I had tonight and avos were like .60 a piece. Long live the Bear Flag Republic.
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Jul 13, 2015 08:38
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The Maestro posted:I don't think I've ever seen avocados for less than $1/ea and I've lived in CA my whole life Well poo poo that sucks. I've seen em from as low as .50 to as high as 1.50 ea. I'm sure it depends on many things, none of them I am qualified to explain.
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Jul 13, 2015 10:42
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drat I haven't been to Red Robin since my grandma took me when I was like six, I think I need to go. edit: rip mexican lime farmers
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Jul 14, 2015 14:12
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So I'm the guy who posted my story in this thread a few months back, got out of prison, was going to culinary school, got my first restaurant job. Well I got hired as a dishwasher like 2 and a half months ago, got moved up to prep in like 2 weeks but moved back to the dishpit like 2 or 3 times because they couldn't hire anyone reliable. I've been working prep full-time for a minute and I just found out from the head line cook last night that they're trying to put me on the line ASAP. They had to fire 3 idiot line cooks in the past 2 weeks and the owners just opened a new restaurant and had to shift a ton of staff over there so they are severely short-handed. Now we're a pretty big restaurant. On Sundays alone we average 1000+ just for brunch, which I think is fairly large since this is my first kitchen job and I have nothing to compare it to. I would also be passing up a couple of the other prep cooks who have worked there way longer than me but I work harder than them and honestly know what I'm doing more often than them and it shows. Now they're gonna put me on the line and I'm terrified, I literally started as a dishwasher less than 3 months ago. I am positive I can do it but the idea of stepping out there and being responsible for tickets for the first time is daunting as hell.
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Jul 23, 2015 05:13
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Errant Gin Monks posted:You can do it man. Just jump in and get your rear end handed to you. It will all click pretty quickly and you will know this so for you, or it will fail spectacularly and you will know baking is your calling. Thanks. Yeah I'm sure I can do it, the stuff that we make in the restaurant is like 10x less complicated than the stuff I have to cook at culinary school every day. The only thing that's really making me nervous is they want to start me at Pantry and my place has a pretty elaborate dessert menu. I've managed to get more than halfway through school without taking a single pastry class, I'm doing that next semester. I'm sure I'll do fine, I'm getting tired of trimming loving artichokes and making mashed potatoes all night anyway.
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Jul 23, 2015 22:38
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I enjoy eating artichokes my primary and only issue with them is being the one who actually has to clean and prepare them.
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Jul 24, 2015 15:28
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I think shelling fava beans is the most psychosis-inducing prep job I have done. I hate them so loving much.
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Jul 25, 2015 18:40
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Willie Tomg posted:gtfo if this isn't your rollout on injury: Hahaha I totally forgot about that scene. My favorite part of that movie is right before the end credits roll it has a dedication to "the brave freedom fighters of the Taliban".  So I've been fabricating meat and working the slicer for the past few days because the cook who was in charge of that was showing up drunk every day. Working the slicer drunk, I don't really see a problem there. Just can't understand why she was let go.
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Jul 31, 2015 15:33
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Splizwarf posted:'Meat Fabricator' would be a pretty good resumé eyecatcher. Our main dish that we move the most of is chicken and waffles so I have to pound out like 150 chicken breasts every night. Without fail a front of the house staff will come in and say "lol way to beat your meat bro". It just gets funnier every single time. I hate them all.
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Aug 2, 2015 05:38
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pile of brown posted:"I'm taking this meat to pound town, are you next?" Last Saturday one of the super-hot skanky cocktail waitresses from the attached nightclub came in while I was pounding the chicken breasts and said in a really flirty voice "I really like the way you beat your meat". I replied "Thank you, I've had a lot of practice".  Didn't come out nearly as smooth as I imagined in my head.
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Aug 4, 2015 01:15
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Vorenus posted:You should have asked her if she wanted to see you shuck a clam? Oh my GOD I wish I thought that quick on my feet. Hahaha, that's brilliant I really might end up using that one. Thank you!
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Aug 4, 2015 10:21
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So I get a phone call from my executive chef this morning informing me that I have a check to pick up as well as that my services will no longer be needed. Apparently the owners of the restaurant group opened a new restaurant that is tanking horribly and instead of trying to fix it I guess that they decided that they should lay off 1/4 of the restaurant group's hourly staff. Keep in mind my kitchen was so short staffed as it was that while I was a prep cook I was also responsible for making sure the dishpit didn't get overloaded as well as helping out at pantry when tons of tickets came in. I was never disciplined and I never complained or asked for a raise. I was let go over the phone too, which I feel is cowardly as gently caress. I guess getting stabbed in the back is something to get used to in this industry. Guess it's time to look for another job, at least I have some solid experience now.
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Aug 6, 2015 08:24
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Turkeybone posted:Get on that unemployment ASAP -- no, for serious. Yeah I'm doing that today. In the meantime I'm not too horribly worried because my culinary school semester starts on the 22nd and I will be expected to work 30 hours a week at the school's restaurant. I'm gonna get on unemployment today and update my resume tomorrow and start looking for something- there's a million new restaurants opening in my city all the time and I'll only be looking for Fri/Sat/Holiday work. I appreciate the support guys but I'll be back on my feet quick. When I went in yesterday to pick up my final check my executive handed me my payroll check and then slipped me a handwritten envelope under the table with $100 cash and a note that I could use him as a reference any time. He very badly didn't want to fire me. Instead of being an rear end in a top hat about it I shook his hand and thanked him for the opportunity that he gave me.
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Aug 6, 2015 16:07
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