Got my first job!

[Toufas]

well, after 4 years in games programming studies, i stopped, and went to the hospitality trade. doing my hospitality management degree, and spending some time in the restaurant of the university, cooking for customers (set menu)

i got my first job in an italian restaurant (has 3 restaurants with the same name in the nearby area) and on my first day i was just frying things like chips and breaded mozzarela (hey at least it was fresh:P)

even though i know how to cook, i know what i like, and i have to find out what the chef likes, as its a totally different thing.

except observing what the others are doing, and always ask when i dont know what to do, instead of improvising (like i would do at home) what else i should do?

[fourfingersdown]

That's great you made the jump into the professional cooking world. The first, and possibly one of the most important things to remember is humility. There's a major difference between knowing how to cook, and knowing how to cook in a professional kitchen where the focus is on efficiency, ease of production, and utilization of "waste". Practice your knife skills and write down everything. If you don't entirely understand what someone is asking you to do, ask for clarification. Every chef has a certain way they prefer something to be done. It may be right or wrong but as a cook it is your job to do it the way the chef wants. Throughout your carer your figure out what method you prefer, but until your jacket says "Executive Chef" it's your place to do things as you're told. Most importantly have fun, if it suits you, cooking is the best job in the world. Never stop learning.

[Toufas]

thanks for the tips, that was my plan all along

reading kitchen confidential these days, and it seems like this book is like a work manual for starting chefs

[Daniel Rogov]

With apologies, for I do not recall who first said it, but the best words of advice to anyone new in the kitchen are:

1. Learn to say "Yes, Chef"

2. Buy two good pairs of comfortable shoes (so when the first get soaked though you'll still have dry shoes)

3. Realize that although the customer is not always right, he/she is always the customer.

Good luck

[ABC]

Just keep eating and tasting.

And remember that servers don't make it up- The guests are and can be difficult with their unusual requests.

The difference is the server who has to smile and kill them with kindness.

[Jakea222]

learn - and I could not say it any better than 4fingers - humble - learn watch ask questions. I don't know too many chefs that if some guy in the kitchen is watching and even writing and asks something that they won't explain what they are doing - and if they jump on you - go somewhere else. The industry is starving for people that give a crap about REAL FOOD and the way the establishment wants things done....but until your jaclet has a title - watch - learn

The yes chef thing -- well - I draw the line at that - we are first name in my kitchen, but the line knows that the Exec and the Sous are the boss