Life after my first year at JWU

[Hobbes]

For anyone who has been following this post,

Good news, great news! I have been hired as a line cook in a restaurant called Ohba in Chicago's Wickerpark neighborhood. The food is simple and understated, which takes Japanese cuisine to another level of refinement by using other Asian and European techniques on the fare. Getting a job here is really no compromise, would have taken a job there if it was one of my first restaurants I went to. I am very happy to say the monkey is off my back (the monkey being not having a job and not having to make a compromise).

Thanks for all the support you all have been giving me and I'll keep in touch.

Hobbes

PS

As to the eguller LostinNYC who was questioning if she should enter the culinary field as a professional, in this post, and had concerns about trouble of employment you just have to be persistent and "know what you know." To know what you know is just knowing what skills you have and what skills you don't have and then communicating that effectively to potential employers via skill sets and word of mouth. Keep the faith.

Hobbes

[Jinmyo]

Congratulations, Hobbes.

[KateW]

Congrats! I'm so glad you got a job without having to compromise.

[Hobbes]

KateW I would love to hear how Ruby Tuesdays is treating you (or how you are treating them rather).

I am sure you are learning tons about organization and streamlining the back of the house, ie kitchen. I have heard that Ruby Tuesday's, or other chains are wizards when it comes to order. Restaurant Tru is a member of Lettuce Entertain Restaurant Group and I remember Rick Tramonto telling me that every LEYE restaurant (even his) has to proscribe to strict rules of corporate engagement when it comes to running the kitchen. Such rules include knowing all the weights and measures of your entire mis en place. Those organization skills will come in hand I am sure of it.

Take care

Hobbes

[KateW]

It's getting a little easier for me, but I've been there during pretty slow hours recently. I work peak evening hours tomorrow and Saturday, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Organization is rather challenging for me in all aspects of life, so I think that's why this job is so hard for me. But at least I'm not getting bogged down by "How is this plated?" or "What sauces go with this?" anymore.

Another thing that's hard for me is just remembering what I've got under the broiler, or what's almost done in the fryolater--out of sight, out of mind. Most of the fryolater timers don't work right, so you have to stop the timer and let almost everything cook for a couple extra minutes. "When it floats, it's done" is the general rule. Fries and onion straws are actually done on time. We cut into all the other things just to make sure.

It's fun to throw the other cooks off guard. Last night I almost sent off an Oreo tallcake without the Oreo crumb topping, and one of the cooks stopped me and I said "Oh %*^$, the crumbs!" He said, "Did you just swear?" I nodded, and he said, "Welcome to the club." I look really young and innocent for the most part and I enjoy surprising people with my dirty language once in a while.

One of the cooks there has sort of taken me under his wing and whenever we're there at the same time, he helps me with some organization tips, timing, speed, stuff like that. I really appreciate it. He's probably younger than I am

[tan319]

Hobbes,

Congrats on your new gig!

Hope you have a great time

Hi Kate!

glad to see you're enjoying yourself .

Cheers

[KateW]

Getting fed up again.

Tonight was a total bomb. I'm home now, it's 2 in the morning and like most nights when I work, I'm too wound up to go to bed. I haven't eaten since noon but it seems so bizarre to eat at 2 in the morning that all I'm having is a ginger ale.

Anyway back to the total bomb. I just got totally buried. We got slammed, I got lost, and it was all downhill from there. Or is it uphill? It felt like uphill.

I've been at this for a month now and they work me so infrequently that it's not really getting any easier when the going gets tough. I was actually hoping to get a break so I could just leave and never answer my phone when they call (thank God for caller ID) but I have more respect for my coworkers than that. And I never got a break.

If it's going to keep going back and forth like this, with some really easy nights and some really hard nights, I don't think I can take it. I get my confidence up when it's an easy night, I start thinking I'm getting the hang of it, and then BAM, Friday or Saturday night comes and I'm back to square 1.

I love to cook, but I need something a little more routine than this. Perhaps a more specialized cuisine, a smaller scale restaurant, a combination of the two...I dunno. I do really well with doing the same thing over and over, I think. But I don't know where I can find something like that. Augh...I just don't want to go back.

[Anna N]

Kate W.

First, I hope you feel a bit brighter and more optimistic after a good sleep. But secondly, your car won't run without gas and your body and brain don't do so well without food! In a fourteen-hour shift you need to take a meal break. Further, I used to think that I could get caught up if I worked through break periods but found I was much better off if I took my breaks and gave myself a chance to regroup my thoughts. You need to take better care of yourself if you hope to improve your performance. I really feel for you and honestly hope that you can get through this.

Anna N

[KateW]

Oh no, I made it sound like I worked 14 hours...I only worked about 8...I hadn't eaten since noon because that's when I had lunch at home, and I didn't eat dinner before going to work. Not bright, I know, but with my stomach sensitivity mixed in with my anxiety about work, I fear I'd be running to the bathroom more than working, or at least *needing* to run to the bathroom, but not getting a chance.

I don't think eating would have helped...I still would have been totally lost....

Edit: PS, I got about 2 hours of sleep last night...I kept having nightmares about work and when I wasn't having nightmares, I was wide awake.

Edited July 19, 2003 by KateW (log)

[Hobbes]

If it's going to keep going back and forth like this, with some really easy nights and some really hard nights, I don't think I can take it.  I get my confidence up when it's an easy night, I start thinking I'm getting the hang of it, and then BAM, Friday or Saturday night comes and I'm back to square 1.....

Augh...I just don't want to go back.

KateW cooking in restaurants can be so stressful I know from personal experience. It many times for me felt like I was trapped in a vortex of stress and effected my confidence an how I felt physically. But with time I found that "this back and forth" between easy nights and hard nights will get less and less and there will be more nights you can handle, I did not say easy mind you. I just think that stress is a part of our job and it takes great skill to get a handle on it. I have not figured out the perfect remedy for stress but I always feel better when I am "in the weeds" with stress or keeping up with dupes I just stop for a second and take a breath, really right in the middle of service just for a few seconds. I also drink tons of h20 and eat and take breaks, or a break when I can, I find all this helps me a little. We have a hard job and I hate shows like The Restaurant which I feel are going to portray not "the nitty-gritty" of restaurant work but of the fantasy that our jobs are glamorous. Yes, I did watch The Restaurant last night and I remember that one of the waiters said that in NYC that the 2nd most stressful job is being a waiter. Now if only a waiter had to tackle fire and grease every night and see what they would say. As Anna N said in her post, I feel the same way, "I really feel for you and honestly hope that you can get through this."

Take care

Hobbes

[KateW]

Well last night I got a call from Ruby Tuesday (I thought we had caller ID for a reason, but my boyfriend picked up the phone anyway ) and they asked me to come in today from noon to about 4. So I said yes, and immediately started stressing out. I knew I was gonna be the only one cooking, because that's how it usually is during that shift on weekdays. It is DEAD for the most part until about 5 or 6 so they only need one cook on grill and one on pantry until then.

So anyway, I go in, and there's a cook there who is always trying to mess with me. He says "Hey, you're working grill and pantry by yourself today." Well I don't know the first thing about grill; they don't cross-teach unless you want them to. Pantry does pantry and grill does grill. So I laugh it off but inside I'm panicking. What if he's not screwing with me this time? And I know they wouldn't do that to me...but I'm paranoid.

I made a sampler, and then there was nothing else, and another pantry guy comes in. Turns out nobody knew he was working today. So he takes over cooking and I go do some prep work. Then the guy who is kitchen manager/grill today says, Well, do you want the afternoon off? (Is this a trick question?)

After making sure they really don't need me, I take off.

And that was my 45-minute work day.

[KateW]

Just an update--I worked the last couple days, and did some cooking by myself. I just get very overwhelmed easily and it's a character trait, not just a problem I have at this particular job. All I need is a gentle push in the right direction--ie "Now drop this and that and that and don't worry about this for a few minutes because it's an entree and you have to do the apps first"--something like that, but I know it can be hard to have to hold someone's hand in this fast paced environment.

I was by myself on pantry except for another new guy last night, and he seems to um, have a problem with authority (especially when I'm the authority I suppose)...at one point, I was supposed to be calling in the tickets and he was supposed to be dropping the food, but he was looking at the tickets and dropping stuff before I had called it and it screwed us up a couple times. He said "She's being rude and bossing me around"--said this to the manager!--and was told that yes that was my job, to boss him around, and that he should do what I say. I wasn't being rude for the record--I think what I said was "Start the FOS"--maybe I didn't say please or something, but everyone there tells me I have to quit being so nice...

Later on we were in the walk in and he apologized. Whatever. I didn't like him the first time I met him and I still don't. He acts like he's too good for this job, or something. Like I said, the manager heard the whole thing.

They switched some things around which screwed me up more than it helped but I think I'll like it. They put some things in a better order where someone in the corner can reach everything they need without having to walk to the other end of the line. It makes sense but threw me off a little at first!

I don't work again until Saturday--I'm cooking, and then Sunday and Tuesday I'm doing salad bar. Shouldn't be too bad, unless Saturday is hell, which is usually is...(sigh)

When I'm there all I want to do is quit but when I come home I remember the good times and the funny stuff that happens (There's ALWAYS something). I suppose I can make it through another month.

Do you guys think I should work there on weekends when school starts again, or look for a job that is more what I want to be doing? I don't have a job history yet, so I'm wondering if longevity is important at this point or if I should try to find a job more well suited for my interests.

[tan319]

Do something that is more what you want to be doing.

[elyse]

From what I gather, the former just isn't happening though.

????????????????????????????

Which part isn't clear?

It's a mystery to me...

Maybe that I'm bugging you with my view of corporate restaurants.

I hope not,though.

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond to this. I've hardly been online at all, and forgot about this thread.

tan, you're not bugging me at all. Or were'nt, anyway. It just seemed to me, that Hobbes was unhappy about not working, and paying bills, and that a job was needed. The restaurants he preferred kept telling him he needed more experience, and without working SOMEWHERE it's a catch 22. Corporate or no, he needed to work someplace for this experience. And at the very least, everyone knows you'll work your ass off even in a setting like... well, wherever. And better restaurants like to know you've worked your ass off and are begging for more.

Hobbes, congratulations on your job! I hope you're enjoying it. How is it going? Is it everything you wanted?

Kate, don't you love apologies in the walk in?

[KateW]

Kate, don't you love apologies in the walk in?

Yeah, I knew he wouldn't want to bruise his ego by apologizing out in the kitchen

[SobaAddict70]

Ditto.

I was in a similar situation to what you and Hobbes experienced except that I'm a career paralegal. When I began, I was overwhelmed to the point where I questioned my ability to perform on a competent basis. Thankfully things have gotten easier over time.

Have faith in yourself, do what you want to do but also keep in mind that you need to do what needs to be done. The rest will come in time.

Cheers,

Soba

Edited July 28, 2003 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[Hobbes]

The job at Ohba is good due to the very talented Chef running the helm, he is a wild card. He not only runs the culinary side of the menu but the pastry side as well. In the interview I was offered a rotating tour of the Brigade starting with prep and then going upward towards the hot line. Ultimately this is not what has transpired. The pastry chef at Ohba left all of a sudden (a month ago) and left the assistant to run the program. The assistant wants to leave and go on to the culinary side. So they bring me in to fill this hole in pastry without my knowledge. So I am working pastry with a limited background in the pastry arts. That is ok I can deal with this surprise but it is not what I expected and not the best station to be suit my skills. I can give much more in the way of dynamic work if I was on the culinary side because that is what I know best of all. There is also no head pastry cook to run the helm at Ohba (full time besides the executive chef) so it is kind of frustrating not to have a chef, like on the hot side of the line in pastry, this reduces the amount I will learn. BTW I am also the only hired member of the pastry station (that is once I am trained in all that is pastry at Ohba). I'll stick it out and learn as much as I can, hey it will be fun and most likely I'll be moved out of the pastry station soon enough (I hope ).

ttyl

hobbes

Edited July 28, 2003 by Hobbes (log)

[KateW]

The manager on duty yesterday has heard me sing the praises of salad bar and said if I just wanted to do salad bar, he can offer me Saturday and Tuesday. I think they're both closing shifts, so Saturday would be like 5:00 to 1 a.m. and Tuesday would be 6ish to around midnight. Other than that he said "We would just call you in if we needed you" (for cooking too, I assume). This would work, unless I have night classes. Then I wouldn't be able to do Tuesdays. But I won't know until September 7. I was thinking, depending on my school schedule, I could get another part time job, either just for Fridays and Sundays, or if I am going to school in the morning, I could pull an evening shift somewhere. BUT, I don't know if I like the restaurant atmosphere. I am leaning towards a more focused job, something specific, but I don't know exactly what. I have been looking at the job of personal or private chef, and it's hard to find really specific information on it. It sounds interesting though, and I really enjoyed the part of nutrition class where we learned how to cater to specific dietary needs. I think something more personal and "real" cooking is more my speed, but naturally there is a lot I don't know about it. I definitely want a job that includes creativity and I don't think I will find that in a restaurant, unless I own my own, and this is not one of my goals.

Well just wanted to update. Any input is welcome!

[herbacidal]

i get the feeling you need more work on prioritizing, and handling the workplace stress, etc. of a restaurant than anything.

your culinary chops and experience are gonna develop, so i'd be focusing on a restaurant and not the personal chef thing right now.

unless after you graduate you want to go straight to personal chef-ing.

in that case, the restaurant experience might not be as useful, although to clients it might look better.

i'll go back and recommend the restaurant, any restaurant would be better than personal chef right now for you.

[Raynickben]

KateW: I graduated from the CIA a decade ago and reading your posts bring back so many memories of the beginning years. Based on my experience I learned THE MOST from working in a hotel kitchen. I traveled from station to station so I got to work in Baking/Pastry, Garde Manger, Catering/Banquets, Grill, Fish, Sauces/Stocks, and I did a heck of a lot of prepping for all stations so my knife skills really improved. I highly recommend a busy hotel kitchen for your education.

Good luck!

[Jinmyo]

That's an excellent suggestion Raynickben.

[chefette]

Quote Hobbes: "not the best station to be suit my skills."

So, perhaps this addresses more of what skills you have not cultivated?

what would you say your skills are?

[herbacidal]

i think raynickben's idea is awesome, and perhaps the best.

[KateW]

There are no hotels that serve meals in my area, but I can look into the ones in Providence. There are some nice ones there.

[Jinmyo]

Kate, the bigger and better starred the hotel, the better. I did a summer at the Royal York in Toronto (um, almost thirty years ago). Not what I would or did do as a job, but excellent experience.