Work
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You are currently reading a thread in /ck/ - Food & Cooking
You are currently reading a thread in /ck/ - Food & Cooking
Anyone work in the industry? What do you do?
I work in fine dining
>>7453539
fine dining here as well, m8
>rare scallops
>herb nage
>house cured shoulder bacon\
i forget which garnishes, it was from the cold side so i just cooked the scallops and bacon and passed it down.
more pics if anyone wants. post some of your shit, anon.
Not exactly but I design and build kitchens.
just quit and enjoying a break
was employed as a baker, but ended doing more pastry/dessert/breakfast chef.
was hotel resort, was both hectic and boring. some mornings getting ready for a 300 person function, others sweet fuck all
>>7453539
Working in a little bistro right now getting some money and experience and getting ready for culinary school in the fall.
>inb4 all the 'hurr that's a terrible idea'
I love cooking, I love working in kitchens, and I want to do it as well as I can. I'm really looking forward to going off to culinary school, getting some connections and a really solid base of skills.
>>7453539
That guy in the background on the right hand side looks like he's trying real hard to contain the urge to just kill someone.
>>7453691
More please
>>7453539
meee tooo~!
>>7453707
You, I'd like to talk to.
Have sat on many "round tables" designing kitchens.
Ends up being kind of more need than want.
What company do you work for?
You're not going to say, don't blame ya, but can you give a pic from the website and say something like, "hey! check out my SS line!"?
>>7453738
I mean, I design and build kitchens, but I'm on the purchaser side.
I'd love to hear something from your side.
>>7453738
I'm not going to say who I work for.
I work for a big company and we basically take on big projects.
If we get a high-rise contract all the kitchens are basically the same through the whole building, with help of architects we come up with uniform kitchens for the entire building, depending on the shape of the building sometimes the kitchens get mirrored on the other side so every bench top and panel gets cut opposite on the other apartments.
If you just want to renovate a kitchen at home you can go on our website and design a whole kitchen, after you pay a deposit your design goes directly to our CNC machines and gets cut out and a neat little package arrives at your house ready to get screwed together and become your new kitchen/bathroom/laundry/wardrobe
>>7453539
>all of those handles turned out to where someone passing by could just knock them over
>>7453761
Nope :)
It's fine, and I wouldn't here either.
you seem to sound like someone that i'd do work with. But what is it like working for the other side?
I'm used to having reps who go balls out for, say, Southbend or something like that.
Is there a way to do easy research on equiptment? What brands are trustworthy?
is it true chefs are bullies and belittle you like Ramsey Gordon
I want to get into the industry but not sure if I can handle that sort of bullshit and be able to just sit there and take it
>>7453781
BTW I spend up to $200k /yr. on equipment.
Not a massive account, but if you're legit and can price match...
>>7453539
I'm just starting, just got my servsafe license. Anyone have tips for someone who's looking to jump in the industry? I'm only used to prepping and cooked only recipes found online. Should I get more training?
Why are restaurants so awful? They're either big plates of weird and small ingredients or chains. I can't remember the last time I went to one and came out thinking it was worth my time. The food I make at home is much better and I don't have to put up with shitty expensive service and people who look down on me.
I used to work at an upmarket deli until I put my dick into the meat slicer.
We both lost our jobs.
>>7453539
fine dining
but im starting my own foodtruck. thank god my wife makes really good money at her job. the risk isnt as inherent.
>>7453787
I've had a chef belittle me like that on the first day. If it's work related, you can't really say anything. But this guy took it personally. I stayed calm, let him finish. Took off my apron and said "I won't work for someone who bullies people. Thank you for the opportunity, but I won't be working here any further"
He was fucking floored.
>>7454161
A guy doing a stage at my last place kinda did that too. Chef was screaming at a couple of us for something benign (which he does a lot, but he never holds a grudge or makes it personal, so whatever), and once he finished his rant, this guy started cleaning off his knife and just said "you're a real prick, eh". He continued to pack up and just trundled off.
I've been in a few kitchens and only two of the five had chefs that would yell. One was more fine dining, the other was essentially a pub, and the guy was just a grumpy idiot.
>>7453539
I code warehouse systems for restaurant suppliers. Does that count?
>>7453691
>scallops and bacon
always hated this combo
>>7454723
No you don't know the feeling of avocado between your fingers
>>7453787
He only appears like a bully on his USA shows. He seems much more chill in UK shows like the "f word". That's not because he hates Americans - its because suits in a boardroom at the TV network did some market research that told them that a British asshole = good ratings. I was watching a clip of him shooting crows with his son and he seemed like a great dad.
>>7453787
you have to be prepared to take a bit of macho bullshit in any kitchen, if not from the head chef than from someone else. when i started working in a restaurant the head chef/proprietor was an absolute lamb, but the guy training me, who was 4 years younger than me at 18 years old, was a huge fucking cunt.
obviously there are kitchens with nice people, but they're very busy places where you work to time pressure every day and you can't be nice every time something goes wrong, in fact the need for discipline might force you to do the opposite.
>>7453787
If you can't handle verbal abuse, long hours, seeing a lot of your own blood, and physical expectations that defy almost all labour standards, then don't get into the industry.
Even in my experience (mostly fine dining, a couple short stints in upscale pubs to get up there) almost everyone has stories of badly slicing their hands open, wickedly burning themselves, or so on, and then slapping a finger condom and glove on it so they can work the rest of the rush without whimpering. Hell, I know a guy who concussed himself and still came into work the next day.
And in most of my kitchens, there's always a bizarre reward/punishment mind game with some of the head chefs and FoH managers.
As a newbie, you're going to make mistakes, and people are going to get super pissed at you. It's trial by fire. Going to culinary school and entering the industry is even worse; it rarely prepares you for the pace or scale of commercial cooking. It's like the difference between a wizened NCO and a fresh faced 2Lt, except the 2Lt is a grunt like the rest of us. Those "chefs" tend not to last long, and get yelled at even more. Once they leave the industry, they realize they've spent a significant amount of money and life getting a qualification they have virtually no use for.
Of course, that's not to say cooking school is useless. It just doesn't have much use in the industry.
>>7454727
i'm not gonna wrap a scallop in bacon because that's passe as fuck, but it's a good combo.
>>7453728
He's probably pissed the lord gave him white folk hands.
>>7454851
>you have to be prepared to take a bit of macho bullshit in any kitchen
This is why I only work in kitchens led by women now.
hey, what's up OP
can greentext your day as a pro cook?
>>7453691
Awful plating, you should never have something laying off the edge of the plate like that, especially not a limp piece of bacon (that doesn't look very special anyways tbqh)
I don't but my brother went to Johnson and Wales and works as an assistant manager at a Rhode Island sort of "nice sandwich place/TGI Fridays mix" as he calls it. I've thought of bartending, but decided on being a writer/museum curator as my career. May pick up bartending if I really need the money
>>7454731
Sure I do. I use avocados in my cooking all the time. I don't come here for the fast food threads.
>>7455239
Lolwat. Even if you want to go into the more obscure plating theory, there's nothing wrong with having overhang. In fact, it's a stylistic choice that's encouraged by some chefs. Even some of the French Laundry's food incorporates overhang.
Limp bacon? That looks well cooked; firm enough to achieve that effect, yet not fried into oblivion to the point where it fucks the flavour profile.
The main error with that plate is the sauce smear (top left) beside one of the scallops.
Speaking to colour theory, they could have improved it by brightening it up a little. The citrus there is a great start, but I think the contrast (flavour and appearance-wise) would be enhanced by taking it further with the addition of something like bright blood orange.
and also, tl;dr; fuck off, it looks like a nice plate, it could be served in most fine dining restaurants, and they obviously take some pride in their work. i'd be happy if that plate came across my table.
>>7455234
Degenerates are not welcome here.
Professioal cook here. I cook at a Jamaican restaurant right now. I started working in a pizza place/Italian restaurant at 18, learned how to cook from a great chef and pizza man. After that I worked as a diner cook for a few years, then Denny's then a breakfast counter.
Now Im at the Jamaican place and do catering from home on the side. Having a party? I can do anything from pancake breakfasts, pizza parties, holiday dinners (thanksgiving, etc), bbq, jerk chicken jerk pork and on. I learned a lot crom the Italian place, diner, Denny's, all the places I worked really, I have a pretty big menu to draw from.
As for working in the kitchen. It is hot, hard work. Often dangerous (i have many pizza oven burns and cuts on my hands from when I was learning knife skills at the Italian place). It also is usually a very masculine place with a lot of hurled insults.
My ex had this friend, this gay dude who thought himself a good cook. Went to cooking school, always talked shit about how Im not trained when we would hang out. This is back when I was slinging eggs, hash and pancakes (i did more, just a simple explanation) at the breakfast place. This dude gets job at a steak house, put as prep man, slow as fuck gets yelled at, Mexicans mke fun of him being a sissy. He lasted a week, cried every day. Went to cooking school and was too soft for the kitchen.
>>7455302
i work in restaurants. all the chefs were "degenerates".
stop judging people please, this is not /pol/
greentexts are welcome
>>7455320
like, 90% of the people who go and get a formal education in cooking end up being fucking useless in a kitchen. It can be used as a tool to enhance your cooking, but coming out of a program doesn't change the fact that you had exactly as much practical experience coming out as you did going into it. I'm glad he crashed and burned.
Ever looking to get into fine dining? How long have you been cooking in total?
>>7455289
it looks like very little thought has gone into it imo. it's that unfortunate combo of clumsy and geometrically obvious, the sauce bleeds out at the edge and the bacon and herbs look errant. not to mention the fact that it's a single, large piece of what looks like quite cremated bacon.
>>7455338
Yeah, he is now a bitter, jobless fag who still shows up at the bar on the weekend and talks shit. He used to complain about all the chopping, the washlng pots and pans, sweeping and mopping. We all have been throuh that, he seemed to think he should be on par with the chef or at least ranked higher than he unschooled Mexicans who were there years cooking.
Im not one for fine dineing man. I like a diner/breakfast counter/Dennys's type cooking. Its all about speed and knowing a great variety of stuff. Im all about the 80 guest count hours and the 8 minute checks while making everything from seafood to steak to burritos to a wide breakfast menu while still watching the oven for my apple and pumpkin pies.
Oh, Im on my chef's weekend, Tuesday and Wednesday off.
>>7455347
Eh, I always feel as if there's three standards to plating. Fine dining, good fine dining, and all the cheap stuff. Everything you listed (except maybe the sauce bleed) is acceptable in normal fine dining, where you have to compromise the specific nuance for efficiency. The fact that he's posting and taking pride in that plate means that he's somewhere at that level, and that we should be giving him constructive feedback; rather than tearing the plate down because it's not something it's not intended to be.
Condensed, precise, vertical, and elegant is where modern plating is going, but that's yet to bleed down to the majority of the fine dining world. Certainly, I've worked at highly acclaimed restaurants where we're *told* to make it look rustic (where rustic isn't just a word for sloppy, but is rather the intentional and precise incorporation of many of the elements in that plate in order to fit with the restaurant's theme).
>>7455390
Eh, condensed isn't really the right word for it. Compact? Concise?
canada cu/ck/ here. I recently started my baking career at tim hortons. it's really just assembling food and heating a bunch of shit up but I do enjoy playing with the fondants, making custom donuts and learning how to work in a kitchen getting a little creative. It's not stellar but a good jump from general labour. I envy the fine dining chefs in this thread because cooking/baking has always been really fun to me despite burns and cuts. Do you guys think something like this would help me get a job at another more hands on restaurant like a steakhouse later on as something like prep cook?
Hey guys. I don't usually come to /ck/, and I was thinking of making my own thread, but decided to post here instead.
So, I've been waiting tables at a fine dining restaurant for a few months now, and I'm beginning to notice that many of our customers are requesting their meals gluten free. A few of them have (or say they have) celiac disease.
Anyone here know what's the deal with the gluten free trend and how serious or prevalent legit celiac disease actually is? I'm just curious since I haven't encountered it this much before.
>>7455632
short answer: some people do it just to be trendy and other people get really sick when they have gluten (skin rashes, hair loss, GI problems. and vomiting to name a few)
>mfw just promoted from dishwasher to cook
>>7455234
>03/09/16(Wed)02:26:00 No.7453714
not op but micheal gibney wrote a good book about this. its called sous chef.
>>7453539
i work the smokers at a bbq restaurant. wouldn't quite call myself a pit-master but i make some kickass food
>>7455664
>Promoted
more like demoted. Dishwashing is the best god damn job in the cooking industry. I would be doing that for the rest of my life if I wasn't an Engineer.
dishwasher, cook, sous chef, pastry chef, head chef, executive chef, R&D chef
doing R&D for a living is pretty great. also make bank.
dont ask me any questions everyone on /ck/ is a dickhead and i won't give serious answers
this thread has been a massive fucking disappointment. all you had to do was post food pictures, good god
>>7455632
>how serious or prevalent legit celiac disease actually is?
pretty serious for the people suffering from it, not very prevalent (less than 1% of the population).
>>7455664
the rest of yall know when i durn to yah
>>7455880
You know, in all my years cooking I never once took a picturr of food. First time I saw someone do it I was still cooking at Denny's came ou the kitchen and sat at a booth for my break. Saw some fat chick at a table taking pictures of the last check I sent out. I walked over and asked if everyting was ok. Seems it was she was taking pictures to post in facebook or some shit I forgot. Since then I associate food pictures with fat fucks.
>>7453691
>pool of green liquid
>limp looking 'bacon' hanging off edge of plate
>shitty garnishes
>scallops sliced to thick
0/10 wouldn't feed to dogs
I work at local restaurant. I cook, clean, take orders, serve, stock...
I love it.
i work the counter at a tiny moroccan restaurant. i'm pretty bad at customer service but usually i'm the only one working the front house & the owner's never in so i'm free to be as much a dick to the customers as i want. not that i usually have any problems. our food's real good. would like to figure out how to move to bartending eventually though, or go back to school.
used to be a mass catering chef, mostly did desserts
now cocktail bartender because alcohol and hitting on chicks is fun
20+ years in the restaurant biz. Started at the bottom and worked my way to the top. Never worked for a chain. Mostly fine dining and catering. AMA.
I dropped out of uni so I could flip burgers for minimum wage. It's soul crushing work.
pastry chef/ baker ! love the job hate the people
Fine dining as of last week. And today's a good day
Can someone explain to me why anyone who isn't a felon would want to work in a restaurant?
>>7455922
i have nothing to do with the tumblr culture of taking pictures of food, but fuck half the premise of the OP involved it
>>7456196
So, do you work at a Disney park?
>>7456535
It's part of a passion for the trade. And a goal to become a chef and work our dreams.
>>7456539
Yes sir.
>>7453787
Don't believe the hype (well, all of it).
I was a sweetheart and everyone loved me (well, that's what they told me), but when I got pissed off about something going wrong, they listened. Not because they were scared, but because they felt bad for disappointing me.
THAT, in my opinion, is how a chef should lead. Providing your employees with an atmosphere where they can grow, learn, and have fun is a HUGE part of maintaining a steady staff who WANT to work with/for you.
As a former cook, I try (tried) to be the person that I would WANT to work for.
After 10 years of being an exec chef, I had to step out. Too much. Had to take a break. Knife for hire now. The lack of responsibilities is really refreshing.
There are ex chefs who are complete pricks. In my experience they are the ones who are unsure of themselves and are trying to compensate for it by putting on an air of infallibility. But that's just the few that I've worked for. I could tell stories... lol.
>>7456555
Same, but I'm not in F&B.
>>7455865
Why
>>7455605
Quit your job, become a prep cook at a good gastropub, or even a fine dining restaurant if you can swing the interview. Steak houses tend to have small, well paid, hardcore staff. At tim's you're mostly reheating stuff. Go get a job at a restaurant that cooks from scratch. Being a canadafag, there's a number of good baking franchises in the country that bake from scratch... dunno if Cobbs bread is outside of Alberta, but they're super good.
Tim's baking is better than zero experience, bu that's not saying much.
>>7456130
>bad at customer service
>thinks he has a future bartending, or doing any serious front of house position
Stop fooling yourself. You're a shame upon the industry.
>>7456535
Because I can earn $15 an hour plus boatloads of overtime (love those 80 hour weeks) as a summer job, after two summers' experience. I take to stress very well, so there's really no reason not to. I actually enjoy the work.
>>7453728
>trying real hard to contain the urge to just kill someone.
welcome to working in a kitchen
we all feel like this at least once. if you don't you're the one who the guy wants to kill because you're a slacker. it's all good though. Usually after the roughest rushes full of cussing and angry yelling we'll all be in full bantz mode within 30m of the line calming down.
fucking FOH though, they don't seem to get that we don't have 5 minutes to listen to them talk. They need to learn to speak their point a hell of a lot faster
>>7453765
you stupid fuck they're like that because the guy working that stations will be grabbing at them constantly. You don't have extra time to turn shit around each time especially when you're working over a hot as fuck surface
>>7453539
I made meatloaf for 60 tonight
>>7455865
>mfw have engineering degree but went directly into kitchen work after school
you dun goof'd. engineering is for fags. What are you gonna work on? designing the next useless tech gadget? Being mentally exhausted so the higher-ups who went to business school can buy bigger boats?
>>7456136
how good are you at sucking cock?
does your boyfriend get jealous when he sees your boss's jizz in your fag moustache?
how many years of anal-stretching did you need to do until you could take two dicks at once?
>>7456598
>Too much. Had to take a break. Knife for hire now. The lack of responsibilities is really refreshing.
This
Working a station is fine for me.
>>7456892
So what was the challenge? Do it blind-folded and in under 90 seconds?
Take your 4 burger patties and go feed 60 starving children.
>>7455239
>>7455289
>>7455347
>>7455390
i think the plate looks fine, especially as a tasting portion. we just opened 6 months ago and until this spring menu the tasting menu was changing almost daily, since it was just myself (sous), the exec, and a garde manger in a 24 seat restaurant that does 3 turns on friday/saturday and two turns on weekdays.
we 've hired an additional person and have nailed down a good, set a la carte menu so we can focus on a new, well constructed tasting menu for each week.
we plate things differently all the time. some work, some don't. here are some more pics, senpai
here's one i ran on the regular menu a few weeks ago.
>4.5 oz butter poached salmon, poached med rare
>potato/black pepper gnocchi in a creme fraiche/dijon pan sauce
>yuzu foam (agar/versawhip) sweetened with some simply syrup
>fennel fronds/basil/dill herb salad
>tapioca chip
>seafood "sausage" torchon, i think from scallop/salmon seared on the flat top
i wasn't crazy about the placement of the "croquette" but otherwise i think it was a good looking dish
>>7456984
same week, fucking around with teh salmon/croquette/herb salad.. tasting portion with a stinging nettle curry and white asparagus, different plating
>>7456986
tasting main from last week. another dish i put together (except for the XO sauce, i didn't make that, the chef did for something else previously)
>wagyu ribeye
>baked then fried sunchoke
>XO sauce
>blanched/butter sauteed fiddleheads
>morels roasted w garlic/thyme and sauteed w fiddleheads
>charred wild leek
it was heavy. probabkly needed some brightness, but it was a good fucking dish. especially as the main in a tasting
>>7456989
>geoduck/scallop crudo
>buttermilk from house butter
>lemongrass/herb oil
>lemon gel
i have lots of pics but it's hard to take good quality ones being busy. it's a good gig, though.
>>7455302
lol just about everyone I know in the food industry are "degenerates" even fine dining pros.
fuck off
>>7456128
me also. just got home from a closing shift.
Work my butt off in a casual dining restaurant. I do just about everything for that place
>>7456989
i dont know about this plating dude. I bet it tastes amazing but it looks fugly.
keep doin what your doin tho. wish i had your job
>>7456995
So much alcohol and drug abuse in that industry. Probably where you find the most functional alcoholics per capita.
>>7453539
I run a food blog for high end restaurant reviews. I had business cards made up and always wear a suit. I let the host/hostess know who I am and slip her one of my cards. I'll let her know my number is there if she's cute. Then I sit down and typically get complimentary wine and a spread of dishes aimed at impressing me. From there I try each one, eating most of what they give me if it's tasty, while jotting down notes in my binder. Then the waiter will usually bring me a dessert sampler, again free. I should've mentioned the owner or whoever is in charge will check on me occasionally and I chat him up about his establishment's history. Once the meal is over I talk to the owner again and tell him thank you for the experience and give him my card and let him know when the review will be up. If I ever get a bill I always rate much much lower because its ridiculous that I'd have to pay. I like my job. I think it's an important one that many people take for granted. Not many people can do what I do as well as I do and as often as I do. it's a grind but I do it for the people.
>>7456989
what is the honest appeal of this shit?
you pay $12+ for like 4 bites of food and the plating is fucking pointless
unless you're a women, I don't see how you could like this
>>7457011
yeah i agree.. i don't think it was as bad irl but on the photo it's so dark. either way, i don't love it.
it was one of the better things i've eaten in a while, though. 8/10 taste wise
>>7457034
life is pointless when you think about it.. everything is pointless.
because it's fun and tastes good? why listen to music or anything?
>>7457049
that's a really shitty answer and nihilist point of view that is ultimately irrelevant to the question asked
>>7457049
it's just ego stroking. I'm not spending the kind of money they ask for unless the ingredients are worth it. it's all nonsense. like payin 50 dollars for a steak
>>7457055
i mean, obviously the point isn't for sustenance. there's a pizza hut a block up from our restaurant and you can get enough pizza to eat for two days for $20.
it boils down to a few things: people want to see things they've never seen before, taste things they've never tasted before, and they want to do it in a social setting with other people.
that's my best answer. it's unnecessarily pretentious and pointless but a lot of people seem to enjoy it seeing as how fine dining is a big thing.
idk how to answer your question any better
>>7457034
>$12
I've got some bad news for you: shit like that is way more than $12
>>7457056
What you're looking for is "diminishing returns".
The different between a 20 dollar steak and a 50 dollar steak is pretty profound. The difference between the 50 dollar steak and the 100 dollar steak, not so much.
Try comparing the most expensive burgers in the world. The previous most expensive cost $200, then to up the ante some faggots took theirs, covered it in gold leaf and some other shit, and charged $2000. They're both kobe beef burgers with truffle oil and some other shit. The difference in the $2000 is minute at best.
Quality exists if you pay for it, but the rabbit hole is as deep as you want it to go. If you want to spend money, there are people that will take it.
>hurp I never waste money on anything!
Well, enjoy eating chicken, rice, and veggies until the end of time I guess.
>>7457081
>Well, enjoy eating chicken, rice, and veggies until the end of time I guess.
Jokes on you, I only have to eat them until the end of my life, not the end of time!
>>7454770
Watch his first show boiling point. Hes a complete dick to everyone but that's because he expects perfection.
>>7456895
>>7456895
>Being mentally exhausted so the higher-ups who went to business school can buy bigger boats?
Yeah for 6 figures a year sure. What do you think a chef does? 80h a week in a cancerously aggressive environment with no social life getting payed minimum wage so that one chef out of every 3000 can have a cook book and a Micheline star.
MFW it took me 7 years killing myself in this industry to realise that cheffing is for suckers. Too be fair I had a lot of fun and learnt some cool shit, but damn its a shitty career, honestly.
>>7457032
That bait is too subtle, you need a dead horse to lure out 4chan zombies, not a worm on a hook. Next time try this one;
I run a food blog so I can scam free food from restaurants. I printed off some buisness cards and T shirts to wear so they know who I am. I rape the waitress when no one is looking, fuck women. I get all my food for free otherwise I give them shit reviews because I'm entitled FUCK IM AWESOME. No one is better than me at this and I deserve free food. You fuckers should thank me, you don't know how hard it is.
>>7457293
>I run a food blog
>not "I'm a yelper"
>>7457275
It's really no wonder that so many cooks and chefs lose their fucking mind or turn to drugs. You really need to enjoy shit to survive in the business. You need to wake up at 8AM, because you stayed up at work until 3AM, and not thing "aww shit, I have to cook again today".
I just volunteer at meals on wheels. I am one of the head cooks in the kitchen I work at. I am apparently alright, but I know that I am probably not the material for a commercial kitchen.
I am passionate for volunteering with the fact that I do pay great attention to the small details and look towards the larger picture, but the other volunteers are fucking jackasses who go there to pat themselves on the back after finishing 5 hours of standing around pretending they've helped someone eat a meal that day.
>>7457065
Another aspect is they don't want to put work into a meal. That's the number one reason i ever eat out
>>7457055
The point is anon, that it's a luxury. There's no point in anything, but some people enjoy many small dishes so they can experience a wide range of dishes. Mark up in my region means that, in paying for food at a restaurant, only .15-.25 cents on the dollar goes to the actual food. The rest is labour, building, and profit. So from a pragmatic perspective, it's pointless to purchase anything more than the cheapest hot meal that satisfies you. However, people still go to fine dining restaurants. It's because fine dining is a social experience you enjoy with friends; not a means to access cost efficient nutrition. Offering many small dishes served over time with paired wine provides a background narrative, social cues, and a shared experience to social encounters; the last being one of three psychological requisites to friendship, and forming bonds.
Really, I could go on, but your writing style is similar to the dichotomy troll that's been floating around, so I'll just leave this here.
Don't pay for a tasting menu if you don't enjoy the experience.
>>7457413
>There's no way to get negative space on those
lol what
>>7456641
Where do you work I'm at california grill
>>7455228
Or he could be white in realistic blackface
>>7456759
before i moved there was a cobbs in Toronto. I want to cook, but every place I want to cook at require min 2-5 years experience. I should try anyways. The worst they could say is no. I just googled gastropub. would biermarkt qualify? their trappist ale and charcuterie boards are amazing
>>7457520
The reason minimalist plating looks good is because of the use of negative space; the white contrasts well with the food, and accentuates the care you put into building your plate. By using a colour which reduces contrast (eg; black), you reduce the impact of your negative space, which generally makes for a less aesthetically pleasing product. Of course, if your menu means that you serve a lot of white and super bright foods that pop off a black background, then it becomes the opposite; black plates would generate more contrast than whites.
Also, whoops - I wasn't referring to the cream/off-white plate there. Accidentally clicked that one. But that actually does serve as a good example of the negative space contrast thing I was just writing about. The chef used a dark food on a bright plate, so it looks gorgeous.
Another effect of black plates is that it tends to kill height and depth of your structures. Let's look at >>7456989 again. Notice how (even with a very high angle light placement) the shadows add depth to the perspective? The play of the shadows are a vital part of how our brains' depth perception functions; photographers and painters use this a lot, when they're trying to make a subject look good. A subject without shadow looks flat and unappealing. A subject with shadow looks 3D and aesthetically pleasing. Same concept with our plates.
So, let's take this and apply it to >>7456984. See how the vertical structure of the garnish (and, because it was plated long and relatively narrowly, the rest of the dish) can cast shadows in that harsh, near-vertical light? However, those shadows are only coming through against the black because it's such a ridiculously harsh light source. The front of house won't have those harsh lights (or at least, most establishments don't; and in any case, harsh shadows look crap anyways), so they won't benefit from the depth of field.
1/2
>>7458309
Front of house usually incorporates soft, moderate light; so you want to have plates that will show shadow in this condition.
In >>7456986, the gloss of the plate helps reflect light and create contrast for the shadows. Glossy off-whites make even better shadows (>>7456989 kinda shows this; there isn't too much vertical direction in the plate, so we don't benefit from the play of shadows). I tried giving a quick hunt for typical plates at great fine dining restaurants... Most of the plates incorporate this concept, but the online photos are all done by pro photogs under artificial conditions, so I feel like it would be kind of disingenuous to throw one of those at you. I did manage to find a shitty one done by an amateur in dining conditions though (attached). This is a plate from the French Laundry - The vertical structure is highlighted by the shadow in soft natural light. It looks great.
Anyways, the point is, matte black plates are fucking gross. >>7456984 incorporates bright colours (partially undone by the dark garnish) but the matte black would execute the colours.
tl;dr: matte black plates are awful most of the time, and you're usually doing a disservice to your food buy using that colour. Not trying to tear into any of these dishes; just trying to explain.
ew this was so long
Yeah I do. Chef at Wendy's
>>7458042
Gastropub is almost too fancy a word for it. it tends to attract snobs and hipsters. I more just mean a "bar" where food is as great an attraction for people attending. I know a load good starter ones in Calgary and Edmonton. Anywhere they take food seriously (funny enough, my experience is that the more good beers they have on tap, the better it is for a prep start) alongside their beer should be alright.
judging from the website, Biermarkt looks great. It's a high volume, classy chain with a decent beer menu and suitable dishes. You'll be able to get your feet wet with a wide range of cooking techniques. As a prep cook, your job is gonna be pretty shitty for a good long while, while you get brought up to speed in the kitchen, and it's an information overload. Be prepared to get yelled at, and to not actually do any cooking for a good while. Make sure to learn everything you can about the stations by watching, and to perform well at your own job. Showing that you're capable and able to meet your time goals is the most important thing.
How fast you advance mostly depends on the local situation and how you play your politics. If you hit it off well and aren't seen as a little bitch, you can usually expect to get your own station in 3-6 months. If you're super bad at it or if there's literally no openings in the entire city, then you could be stuck there a year before you get a station.
Bakeries tend to be small-staff operations with limited opportunities for training, and few people who can pick up your slack. They'll probably want you to have worked your own station first.
Be honest about your experience. Don't lie; they'll find out within minutes of seeing you working, and they'll respect you less for it.
I had a couple buds (awful cooks; they had no work ethic and were slow) come from Ontario, and say cooking is shit and pays bad in Toronto. Dunno how credible they are. It probably won't be better anywhere else, given that Alberta's in recession
>>7458361
but yeah, most people end up having to start as a dishwasher. If you do a good interview, have a well padded resume, and are generally competent, then you'll probably be successful in skipping dishwashing.
I know a lot of chefs who say they envy dishwashers for their lack of responsibility, but it really isn't something you'll enjoy doing too much when you're trying to work your way up the ladder.
>>7458376
oh! and tips for a good interview: ask questions about the menu, and maybe something about the interviewer... But most importantly, ask to see the kitchen. It seems to work like a charm.
>>7453691
>raw seafood
enjoy that liver infestation
>>7453787
It's often shit tier chefs that are like that. The best chefs I've worked under were commanding, assertive, and didn't care much for your feelings but were always constructive and helpful. Becoming a chef is considered "making it" and a lot of chefs will become lazy once they get a head chef position.
Head chef I work with now is a real cunt. Hasn't been able to keep a sous for longer than 5 months and I've seen more walkouts under him than all my other gigs put together.
>late middle aged guy on sear
>cooking his whole life
>can man every station, is always ahead of the game, never has to scramble
>one day a steak from his station gets sent back, first time i've seen it happen
>head chef gets in his face and yells at him
>"are you fucking stupid? do you even know how to cook? why the fuck are you even working in a kitchen?" etc.
>guy calmly packs his shit and walks out
>head chef takes over sear and proceeds to fuck the station up and gets 4 steaks sent back for being over or undercooked
Also it was an open kitchen with a counter surrounding it for people to watch.
>>7458493
jesus that's awful
>MFW I make twice as much as cooks while doing 1/4th the work
>>7459201
hur dur
>>7453539
Chef for high volume high end catering
http://www.eater.com/2014/7/15/6186353/jacques-pepin-disses-gordon-ramsays-hells-kitchen
I'm a line cook at a fine dining restaurant, currently working the garder manger, first time on fine dining, first 2 months were tougher than I could ever have imagined.
Here's one of our amouse bouches, that change pretty much every day.
>>7457805
EPCOT Attractions
How long have you been in the company?
>>7459681
What type of clientele? The huge plate with dots in the very center honestly looks ridiculous, but I could see it served to heads-up-their-asses types.
>>7459753
This is just an amouse bouche, as I said. We serve a total of about 9 to 11 dishes, can get up to 12, in certain cases. Here is one of the entry courses we had for a week in the surprise menu, it made it into the main menu with some changes and a little more stuff later on.
But yea, we mostly serve rich assholes, 1 or 2 sundays ago, we supposedly had the Samsung's president's son, or some shit.
>>7459792
Maybe it's just your photos, because I'm sure it's great for a tasting menu, but the plating looks terrible.
>>7459808
What. That plating looks fucking godly. What the fuck are you smoking anon
And dont "hurr durr big platez" me
>>7459792
ya dun goofed!
>>7459892
Ssshhhh, it was 100% on purpose
>>7459892
Just a friendly ribbing, btw.
You forgot to put the foam down on that part of the plate first, obviously. But I'd like to know what I'm looking at. Care to elaborate?
>>7455632
My friend has a legitimate gluten allergy - when he eats gluten, he breaks out into skin rashes and hives, and he gets some ridiculously bad indigestion, to the point where he's puking bile for a night. Since he quit eating gluten, he's also down 100 pounds.
He takes as much care as he can in this situation, but so many places nowadays are so used to people saying they are gluten intolerant to be trendy that he still gets hit with it sometimes.
It's a stupid fad that is hurting a few people very harshly.
Step it up gents. Sold 26 of these bad boys at tonights service.
>>7459908
what green is that flowering bud
>>7459901
The foam actually goes last. Its a cherry cannelloni with foie gras terrine filling, ganache, cocoa sponge cake, cherries filled with foie gras mousse and sprinkled with gold powder, confit cherries. Frangelico liqueur foam/emulsion/whatever you wanna call it, and beets gel, as well as a few slices of it.
>>7459910
Looks kinda like a vagina, a very tasty one, but yea
i work in a local small-but-touristy-in-the-summer-town california style mexican restaurant as a line cook but i can do literally every job short of food ordering and thats because ive never been forced to do it. only thing is i dont have a big repertoire of fancy drinks so bartending can be annoying when rich people come in expecting me to know the whole score about martinis. its mostly a tequila bar bitches
>>7459927
Forgot the pic, zoomed out too.
>>7459927
>>7459941
okay, the plate looks pretty self explanitory then, but what exactly is the foie gras filling? and is the cherry infused in the chocolate shell?
same filling injected into the cherries with a needle on a siphon? and they look like they're coated with something before the gold is rolled on them.
what is "beets gel"?
>>7459955
>what is "beets gel"?
is it that lonely cube?
then what are the small balls?
>>7455664
Happened to me a year ago after 4 months of dishie. Honestly the best way to be introduced to the industry.
>Chefs already think your cool and know you put in the hard yards
>Patient and understanding to an extent as they've taught you from the start
>kitchen and wait staff already know your name
>Head chef takes you under their wing, you reflect their decision so they're super into making you the best
When you're driving to work not dreading it, it's a good day.
>>7459966
that is exactly me. glad to see there are others who have experienced that. i spent a year and a half as a dish bitch though
>tfw the dicer's busted and i need to cube up 10 pounds of roma tomatoes
HA HA HA
>>7453539
Cooking old-style food for old-style people
>>7459920
Loroco?
>>7453539
My old teacher/masterchef would be chewing your ass out for those rolled up sleeves. I know, because I used to do the same thing. Safety first!
>>7459958
The lonely cube is a tomato with thyme, chef's signature. Beets gel are the purple dots close to the gold sprinkled cherries.
>>7459955
No, the cannelloni is a piece of foie gras terrine rolled inside a cherry gelatin, the color is very dark resembling that of chocolate, now we've been using some beets mixed in the gelatin for a brighter color.
Here's another not as good looking amouse bouche we've served
>>7459966
>>7459972
I've been on dishes for almost a year now, and was just moved to the line last week. I still have some dish shifts, but I don't really give a shit as long as it's not every day. It took me a while to move up in this kitchen because I helped open it along with a solid crew of cooks that have all been there since the beginning. A few have left now, but after summer ended business slowed down a lot, so they didn't need any help on the line. Now that the busier seasons are coming up, they are training me on the line so that even if I'm on dishes I can help out if we get slammed.
>>7459985
lol good luck working in any kitchen at all with long sleeves.
>>7459986
ahhhh I see now.
but the cherries? siphon with needle? coated?
And maybe a description of what the plate is when posting a pic? Unless you're fishing for replies, smiley face.
>>7459993
We just carve out the seed from below, and put the mousse in with a pastry sack of sorts, nothing too fancy, aside from the ingredients.
Tee hee. It's a seafood tartar, I don't remember what goes in it, probably mussels and scallops, with a thin slice of strawberry on top and caviar, a piece of squid and a fried fish ravioli, strawberry couli on the side.
>>7460019
ahhh
for some reason I was thinking a foam mouse injected via siphon. That would be a pain in the ass I guess. Waste.
Fine dining is cool. I don't miss it that much though. Too much pressure. I'd rather just do that kind of food for special pairing dinners. I do try to stay up with current trends. Just so I can remain relevant in my old age.
Sushi waiter. Pretty good at my job, have a lot of knowledge from several years of experience. Pretty good tips. I also party way too much with cocaine and booze, that plus doubles all the time means I perpetually feel like shit. Probably will be dead by 35 either by liver disease or motorcycle accident.
>>7460027
We don't really use the siphon for anything aside from sponge cakes, but it probably wouldn't feel to good to bite a cherry with aired filling.
>>7453539
I've been a delivery driver in the Eastern United States for 8 years. If a person doesn't tip me I usually fuck with their food.
I have: Eaten some of the sides like fries/onion rings, rubbed spit on the underside of a pizza, licked my fingers and double dipped them into the ranch dipping sauce,licked the top of the pizza, rubbed some chicken nuggets on my balls and put it back in the box, spat in some of the food.
If I don't get a minimum of a $3 tip and I get another order from the same house, their food is fucked with. Never been caught.
>>7460040
Yeah, that would be dumb.
I thought those cakes looked familiar... So they are made to order in chef mike?
The foam doesn't come from a siphon? How is it made, then?
>>7460052
What a disgusting waste of oxygen
>>7460054
the hazelnut foam, I mean
>>7460057
Hey, next time you order food, just think of me. A 42 year old, sweaty, hairy, slightly overweight guy dipping his balls into your food because you don't tip.
>>7460054
The foam is usually an emulsion and lecithin, to make it bubble up. The sponge cake we make ourselves,
>>7457275
good goy chase that money.
fuck being a chef, are you even aware there are other positions in a kitchen that don't require your every waking hour's attention?
>>7460075
Sorry to beg the questions about it,
but it's not done in a siphon?
Do you just whisk by hand?
I'm honestly interested about how foams are done for service... well, foams that aren't very stable.
>>7460105
they're just whatever liquid you wanna use seasoned, add a little bit of lecithin, powder or whatever, blend it with a mixer, to form the foam.
>>7460108
Okay. The 'sponge' cake is done in an oven, the cherries are force stuffed with force meat, and the foam is made in a food processor. Got it.
Sorry for all the questions.
>>7456888
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN2gpRcFKAQ
This will be you someday <:D
>>7460141
Gotcha. It's a cool trick. Fresh cake is... fresh!
>>7460147
no it won't because I already flip out at people who are being unsafe. where I work if you have the handle sticking out where someone could walk past and knock it off then it isn't on a hot surface but rather some retard left it sticking out on the counter. the stoves are designed with this in mind. if one had to turn the handles around that would be unsafe because you'd be reaching over flame to be able to grab them.
tl:dr you are a smug retard
>>7459681
how the hell is that an amuse bouche
>>7460147
Confirmed for never having worked in a high paced kitchen before.
Service time is entirely focused on service, unless it's an extremely slow night. Chefs working the grill are literally going between the grill and plating, if you somehow knock off a pan during such time you're either a 1st year (who shouldn't be on the grill in the first place) or you shouldn't be in a kitchen.
>>7453539
I'm a cook at a dive bar/pizza & sub restaurant. Drinking at 5:38am after getting home from a late close.
>working in the food/dining industry
no im not a moron lmao
>>7459792
Looks like 2 big puddles of cum on that dish. Gross.
Does being a coffee monkey count?
I've been stuck waiting tables at this small chain for about a year.
http://www.macados.net
Review the menu /ck/
>implying I'm shilling, I hate this place.
>>7460296
american menus are masive.
>>7460296
jesus fucking christ do your chefs realise quantity =/= quality? Or is this an american thing?
>all those sandwiches topped with a fucking 'build your own' section
>PB&J
If it takes me 3mins to make at home with common groceries why the fuck would I go there?
>>7460189
It doesn't look, but its in a tiny plate, that salmon is the size of half a finger or so.
>>7460678
In a way, yes, it is an American thing. Ingredients are cheap as hell here so we have a tradition of serving very large portion sizes. That's typical for most places, though it's not the case for "fine dining".
>>If it takes me 3mins to make at home with common groceries why the fuck would I go there?
I have no idea. Frankly that applies to most restaurants, in my opinion. But people are lazy fucks and eat out often, even for simple shit that's easy and cheap to make at home. McDonalds (and other fast food) is a great example of that.
>>7457032
> If I ever get a bill I always rate much much lower
You are a disgrace to journalism.
>service industry subhumans
>>7457081
Burgers are for kids and have no place in a fine dining thread
The fact that there are very rich people that have the palate of a 12 year old is why things like this exist
>>7457142
I lolled
>>7457142
chicken, rice and veggies will be served at your funeral
>>7456598
>I was a sweetheart and everyone loved me
That's because you're a girl. Different sex, different ballgame.
>>7460791
Don't feed the troll
>>7459903
Is your friend rich? Because so far all of the people I've met saying they have gluten intolerance have been wealthy and I'm curious if there's a weird sort of correlation or if a bunch of them are just full of shit. Never heard of a poor person that couldn't have gluten.
Waiter master race reporting in. $300 in tips tonight at my steakhouse, and got a free steak on the house for selling the most specials.
>>7462983
You need to troll more subtly. You're going on like what, 1 for 20 right now?
somebody post plates
Airline catering here.
Order and drink whatever you want, except the coffee. Restaurant coffee pots are cleaner.
>>7465257
Here's one I managed to sneak up today. Basically it was gonna be our busiest saturday night in months, 64 reservations. Right before service was about to start, we had 2 clients in that came early, the wildest rain started outside, everything was flooded, we ended up the night with 11 people, was a complete let down, but at least it kept me safe from the unavoidable splitting headache.
White people don't belong in a kitchen
Cashier/Server at a place with counter service
Wish people with kids wouldn't leave the table looking like a fucking warzone
Been line cooking for about a year now for a restaurant with a top chef winning chef. I also go to culinary school. My life basically consists of eating food, smoking, drinking, doing drugs and talking shit. I also cannot stop cursing it's annoying sometimes. I love being a cook and it has it perks, I do it because I love food and I have a passion for it. I also love the rush of getting slammed, the endless shit talking, constant learning, and the home away from home concept about it. There are so many reasons why I love it but it also is shit a lot of the times. I get bullied some days to the point of disbelief. The main chef hates my guts and always belittles me for everything I do. There's just a lot of bullshit you will have to go through when working in a restaurant. You have to be thick skinned and humble or you will not survive. Also the pay is shit, but I feel like you get payed from learning.
It is very rewarding to me and best of all I eat really well everyday.
Waiterbro reporting in.
Been at Denny's 2 years to get experience and to get my foot in the door serving at better restaurants.
Shit sucks, but the money is alright.
Recently got a job in a fine dining restaurant as a busser, hoping to get promoted to server soon. You cu/ck/s are the real MVPs, thanks.
>>7465725
Jesus fuck. Only 64 reservations? How exclusive or tiny is the restaurant?
64 reservations is a slow night at my job. We've gotten up to 210 before with the average being 100-120.
>>7465727
Jews belong in an oven, Beaners belong behind a wall, niggers belong in mudhuts.
What are you trying to say?
Sous chef reporting in. Started as a dish washer at a diner now I work as a sous at a country club and one of three sous at the biggest hotel in the city. It has it's ups and downs but a passion for food is what makes it worth it.
Shout out to servers who double check their tickets, who actually do their sidework and don't eat fries out of the fucking window KEEP YOUR GOOD DAMN HANDS OUT OF THE WINDOW FUCK
Currently studying but these last few years I've done a lot of different jobs. Construction worker, waiter, teachers aid for 7-12year olds, dish washer, bartender, hotel receptionist and some more I can't remember probably. The, well not worst, that was selling christmas trees, but most exhausting was definitely waiting tables. That pressure to always get thing 100% right really got to me, I wasn't particularly bad at it per se, but fuck up once and the 99 times you didn't won't matter. Also being the recipient of any and all flak from the guests, I'm not usually bad with stress but that job really wasn't for me. I'd happily go back to washing dishes, but I'd honestly rather be unemployed than wait again. Since then I always take care to try and be extra nice to my waiters, mad props to any of y'all out there, you are better men than I.
>>7457032
Gotta find the rest of my fishing equipment,,
>>7466722
those scallops look amazing
>make pretty good dish
>throw leaves on top of it that don't enhance the flavour whatsoever
what a good "art"
Head chef here. Fine dining. Before this I was chef at high-end ala-carte place, for 1 year, before that I was sous at a 2 tyre restaurant for 1,5 years.
This place only has 65 seats,but a kitchen stab of 3+dishwasher, so it is pretty chill.
To be honest, i like to make lunch and simpler food much more than i like to make sosa-infested-fancy-tall-bubbly stuff. A cheap and nice lunch dish with some surprises in it is much more fun. The guests show a different kind of gratuity when they get a nice lunch that will save the rest of the day!
Pic related, is lunch served quite a time ago.
>>7460241
I am part owner of a high volume catering company and make $60k a year so I don't have to deal with the indentured servitude that is working as a line cook at an upscale McDonald's
>>7466676
Its small, and exclusive, rather pricey, we can seat only 50 people at the same time, and each person will eat several courses.
>>7467294
seattle-guy?
>>7467360
No, whatever that is.
>>7467084
Thank you friend, I pride myself of presentation especially with scallops
Dishwasher here. It's part-time while I attend college. Been here 2 years so far, and it's pretty decent. I get a free meal per shift and my coworkers are nice people, so I can't complain.
>>7466240
Anthony Bourdain, is that you?
>>7469132
why would you wash dishes when you can do part time line for more money?
>>7470229
I'll be honest, I'm not confident enough to go on line. I'm 100% sure I'll hurt myself or someone else. I can just zone out in the dishpit, mindless repetition while listening to music can be pretty good. I do prep as well.
>>7457034
That plate probably cost over $60, but it prob was sold as one course of a meal rather than individually.
>>7453539
I used to be a line cook in a fine dining italian restaurant. It was a small family owned place and i enjoyed working there. The hours suck though. 6 days a week never getting a weekend or holiday off . Also no benefits and i was only being payed 10 dollars an hour. Im glad i finally got out of the industry. Doing construction now and making way more money plus benefits and normal hours.
>>7462831
I know this crackhead that doesn't eat gluten.
>>7470568
Does he actually have Celiac's or is it just another manifestation of his/her stupidity?
>>7471157
>Crackhead
What do you think?
>>7471167
I used to work with people who counseled druggies and homeless. I just figured one of them could easily have both a gluten allergy and the wherewithal to try to deal with it, since some of them like to fool themselves into believing they're living normal lives that can be managed without having to quit their addictions.
>>7457413
>>7458309
>>7458312
>>7459201
thanks for the feedback, dudes..
like i stated earlier, these pics are all from my busted ass iphone in the middle of service, so they don't really represent the plates accurately. i see what you're saying, though, and i appreciate the feedback.
what we kinda strive to do is to plate in a way that the diner doesn't really know what they're eating. abstract/avant garde i guess, and like i said, the chef lets us plate how we want to and there's no "set" plating for any dish. the only rule is don't make it look like shit.
here's a plate from the tasting menu over the weekend that, imo, could be sold at any michelin star restaurant. escoffier would jizz himself over it.
>pacific white sturgeon, sous vide to rare in duck fat/aromatics.. picked up in a pan with olive oil under it and a pat of butter on top w/salt in the oven and cooked to medium
>house made kimchi wrapped in blanched cabbage
>salsify confited in duck fat/aromatics, dredged in tapioca starch/cornstarch/rice flour and friend, salted and coated in burnt honey, rolled in parsley/dill/lime zest
>pan sauce made from kimchi juice, butter, lemon juice, salt
>>7472735
octopus terrine from last week's tasting.. braised and wrapped up to set in its own gelatin and charred w a torch
>carrot puree
>toasted cumin yogurt
>red watercress
>kumquat
>burnt honey reduction
the plating is a bit over the top but i think it looks pretty rad
>>7460678
there are places here in the USA where you can pay 10 dollars at a restaurant for cereal
>>7472735
It not being perfectly centered triggers my autism, but other than that it's a really beautiful dish. The cabbage is especially attractive.
>>7472770
lol, i know.. i put the sauce down first right in the middle of the plate, then realized everything else would be off center slightly.
thanks tho, it was quite tasty as well
