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A Day in the Life of a Las Vegas casino cook's helper

ScoopKW

By ScoopKW
in Restaurant Life

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wokkingtall

wokkingtall

Posted
Posted

But other than that, it's been another boring week. I really need a banquet for 5,000 to get the blood pumping....

This was a great read - a wonderful glimpse behind the scenes of the Vega$ hotel(s). I hope the thread hasn't gone completely dead and that ScoopKW will return at some point....

  • 4 weeks later...
ScoopKW

ScoopKW

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Yeah. Problem is that where I work now, if I describe what I do everyone in Las Vegas will instantly know what kitchen I'm in.

I now work for one of the celebrity chefs. Nearly every foodie has heard about the restaurant where I work. Many of you post reviews about it in the West section of egullet. (And thanks for the positive reviews.) So I have to be considerably more careful. I'm not allowed to write about the kitchen. It was one thing when I was just another cog in a big corporate machine. Now I'm part of a crew of roughly a dozen cooks. It wouldn't surprise me if someone at one of our sister restaurants reads egullet.

So the dishing about being a cook in Las Vegas will have to wait. I do have some stories, though. That's for sure.

  • Like 1

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

And everyone -- chefs and cooks -- wear black leather kitchen shoes. Black. Not orange Crocs. Not sneakers.

Black leather kitchen shoes. Good thing Birkenstock makes a pair. I won't wear any other shoe.

ScoopKW

ScoopKW

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Nobody where I work wears steel-toed shoes.

Also, I don't have anything nice to say about Le Cordon Bleu. (Apart from the school in France. Plenty of nice things to say about that place. Not so much the other locations.) Where is your husband attending? There may be better options.

And everyone -- chefs and cooks -- wear black leather kitchen shoes. Black. Not orange Crocs. Not sneakers.

Black leather kitchen shoes. Good thing Birkenstock makes a pair. I won't wear any other shoe.



Do your shoes have steel toes? I'm curious because my husband, who recently retired, is taking basic cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu starting next week and has been told he must wear steel toed shoes. We haven't been able to find any black ones (he wears a size 14) but did find a pair of CSA approved steel toes shoes that look like running shoes. They are also non-slip. After some to and fro-ing with the school they are allowing them - but I am wondering if kitchens actually require steel toed shoes. If your Birkenstocks are like that, it gives us another option to look at. (BTW this is a course he is taking for interest - he has no intention of working in the field, therefore doesn't need this type of shoe for other than wearing at the school.)

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

Well, ScoopKW I appreciate your answer although I wasn't asking for your opinion about the school. But, since you ask so nicely, he will be going to the school in Ottawa, Ontario and it is the only culinary school in town other than the local college so options are limited. I have attended classes at both and Le Cordon Blue, at least here, is superior to the local college. Plus, since he will not be working in the industry he doesn't want to take forever to learn the basics.

I should add that I really, really enjoyed reading your thread. You are a very good writer.

OliverB

OliverB

Posted
Posted

fascinating read! Always love the behind the scenes stories, especially in gigantic operations like a casino. Way more interesting to me than what's visible to me as a visitor. Hope we get to read some more!

And congrats on the new job, even if it steals our stories, that's really great!

"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

ScoopKW

ScoopKW

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Here in Las Vegas, the local community college is vastly superior to Le Cordon Bleu. Having never been to Ottawa, I certainly cannot speak about the campus there. But I have worked with graduates from the San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Scottsdale campuses. They're usually not the best co-workers. And that's putting it generously.

All I'm saying is "buyer beware." In the Southwest, they're just another diploma mill. I hope the Canadian campus is more akin to the original in Paris.

Well, ScoopKW I appreciate your answer although I wasn't asking for your opinion about the school. But, since you ask so nicely, he will be going to the school in Ottawa, Ontario and it is the only culinary school in town other than the local college so options are limited. I have attended classes at both and Le Cordon Blue, at least here, is superior to the local college. Plus, since he will not be working in the industry he doesn't want to take forever to learn the basics.

I should add that I really, really enjoyed reading your thread. You are a very good writer.

  • Like 1

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

ScoopKW we have talked to some chefs here about where to go to school and they are not universaly enamoured with Cordon Bleu graduates in general as they say that most of them were born with a silver spoon in their mouths and the work ethic can be somewhat lacking. That is not the case for the college types as they usually pay all or a good part of their own way. However, I have not heard anything negative about what was taught to them at LCB. Anyway, we have paid up, bought some steel toed shoes today and we shall see what he manages to learn. Lots, I hope. I'm looking forward to not being the sole cook!

  • 2 years later...
  • 1 year later...
Luis J

Luis J

Posted
Posted

ScoopKW.

 

I'm enjoying big time every post you write, and let me tell you something...keep doing it for six more months and you'll have enough material to write a book... and a good one. You can self publish it with almost no investment and you'll do fine, and yes, even as a published author, you can keep your actual job selling online. How do I know?

Because I'm an author and I wrote a book basically doing what you are doing now, I mean writing and essay here and there, most of the time fueled by the anger that culinary students provocated in me with their bad performance, lazy attitude and their lack of common sense (not all of them, but yes...many of them) , some other times by the absurd request of many customers, and well, this industry never ceased to give me material to write a 300+ pages book that is now on it's 6th edition in only 15 months, and as an independent author. (The book is in Spanish only, as you can see I'm not very articulate in English and my grammar s*cks).

By now I can retire from cooking and live on the royalties from the book...but I don't, I can't imagine a life where I'm not on my feet several hours a day in a hot kitchen surrounded by my fellow cooks, and also,  if I retire...where am I going to get the inspiration for the second book? :D

 

Best regards and keep on with the good writing, I'm looking forward to read your next post.

 

Luis.

 

  • Like 2
Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Luis J said:

Best regards and keep on with the good writing, I'm looking forward to read your next post.

Hmmm.  But he hasn’t visited for almost four years. 

Edited by Anna N (log)
  • Like 1
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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Duvel

Duvel

Posted
Posted
31 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Hmmm.  But he hasn’t visited for almost four years. 

 

Hope dies last ... 

 

(together with the non-smokers and vegetarians)

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Luis J said:

ScoopKW.

 

I'm enjoying big time every post you write, and let me tell you something...keep doing it for six more months and you'll have enough material to write a book... and a good one. You can self publish it with almost no investment and you'll do fine, and yes, even as a published author, you can keep your actual job selling online. How do I know?

Because I'm an author and I wrote a book basically doing what you are doing now, I mean writing and essay here and there, most of the time fueled by the anger that culinary students provocated in me with their bad performance, lazy attitude and their lack of common sense (not all of them, but yes...many of them) , some other times by the absurd request of many customers, and well, this industry never ceased to give me material to write a 300+ pages book that is now on it's 6th edition in only 15 months, and as an independent author. (The book is in Spanish only, as you can see I'm not very articulate in English and my grammar s*cks).

By now I can retire from cooking and live on the royalties from the book...but I don't, I can't imagine a life where I'm not on my feet several hours a day in a hot kitchen surrounded by my fellow cooks, and also,  if I retire...where am I going to get the inspiration for the second book? :D

 

Best regards and keep on with the good writing, I'm looking forward to read your next post.

 

Luis.

 

 

Luis, your English is fine.

I'd love to read your stuff.

  • Like 1
Luis J

Luis J

Posted
Posted
On 5/2/2018 at 6:45 AM, gfweb said:

 

Luis, your English is fine.

I'd love to read your stuff.

Thanks a lot for the kind words gfweb! :D

Luis J

Luis J

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

Luis, let's get your book translated! We'd all buy it!

I'm working on that :) hopefully in a few months JeanneCake.

Thanks a lot for the kind words! 

:D

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