Staging in Spain

[Simon Sunwoo]

Hello Everyone,

I am taking this time to reintroduce myself to Egulleteers, now on the Spanish message board (thank God that the Spanish keyboards are more similar to American keyboards than the French) to inform everyone that I have made the transition from France to Spain, or from Provence to Cataluna to be more exact. Yes, I finally decided to pack up my now considerable belongings and see for myself where all the hype of the new Spanish Culinaria is coming from. No I am not at El Bulli, even though one day I might end up being a dead cat (you know what curiosity--anyway) but decided to go for the more "grounded" cuisine of Santi Santamaria at El Raco de Can Fabes. Thanks, in part, to Mr. Buxbaum, to what many of you have written about Spain and its emergence as a culinary tour de force, and to an old colleague/sommelier from my first year at L'Oustau de Baumaniere who now works for Chef Santamaria, I decided to make a reservation at El Raco de Can Fabes.

In my last post, Staggaire´s Story, some two years ago on the French message board, I was at the beginning of my culinary odyssey at the highly acclaimed, L'Oustau de Baumaniere, a once three but now two Michelined starred Provencal restaurant. In brief, I had read numerous books on becoming a chef stating the importance of grounding oneself as a cook in French technique, so I discussed this possiblility of doing a stage in France with my chef at the time, Wolfgang Puck. The story still exists to my knowledge on the French board, archived probably somewhere two years ago for those interested. Initially, I was supposed to stay for a short stage (pronounced the French way with a soft "a") for a month but the short stage turned into a 26 month job to which I ended up working as demi chef de partie (not going into the French Brigade system) in both Rotisserie and Garde Manger. In short, I advanced as high as an American staggaire could advance without taking over a "real" title. I wasn´t paid handsomely for my toil, nor was I ever embraced within the organization (not saying their was an anti-American sentiment--just that I wasn´t French), but what I experienced and learned, I feel to be invaluable. In the end, I had a very comforatable life in Provence, with many advantages and benefits, but I knew that it was time to move on. So with a higher appreciation for Provencal cuisine, wine and life (all pretty much synonomous), I decided I wanted to see the bigger picture of French cuisine.

So, I asked the owner of Baumaniere, Jean Andre Charial, for assistance in placing me into one of the many Parisian starred restaurants (Pierre Gagnaire being at the head). He responded by saying he would try and then I waited and waited and waited--to no reponse. Later when I wore out all patience, I asked him the possiblility of working in a three star in Paris to which he replied--en bref, je ne pouvais pas t'aider. The problem was I wasn´t European. That is exactly when I took matters into my own hand and initiated a new game plan. First, I would mail out a curriculum vitae to all the restaurants I wanted to work at, then follow up with a personal visit to all the restaurants and then if necessary beg and plead. All this was unneccessary in the end, when by chance an old acquaintance/colleague now close friend showed up at Baumaniere and mentioned he was working for a three star in Spain. My eyes lit up and so we got to talking and more talking...to which it was settled, I would eat there and present myself.

We made a reservation and thus the process was set in motion. I talked a friend, another sommelier from Baumaniere, into driving down and joining me to eat at Can Fabes. I think the conversation went something like, "hey there's a three star next to Barcelona, do you want to go" to which he responded "Barcelona, three star, party %&$/ yeah! You need to take off an extra two days" Well obviously the meal itself was extraordinary and with some interesting Spainish wines, a Gramada white and Penedes red, I was sold. The only real problem, apart from actually getting a chance to work there, was apart from some of the more--lets say inappropriate language I learned from the many Mexican cooks back in Santa Monica, I didn´t know a word of Spanish. That was OK by me and perfect revenge for my eventual return--now I will know what those guys are saying to me behind my back. Who am I kidding, it was never behind my back but straight to my face. Luckily Santi Santamaria speaks French and we discussed my background and such for a brief minute and that was it. I didn't hear back from them for what seemed an eternity.

Basically I gave up hope and was planning to stay the rest of the season, til the end of December at Baumaniere (it being the beginning of June), and during their annual closure (January and February), make my assault on Paris. Fine, that will buy me time, I thought til one day out of the blue some three months after we had dined there, I get a call from Javier Torres, head chef at Can Fabes with not only a job proposal but a real position (chef de partie--something unattainable at Baumaniere) and a real salary. I obviously grew very excitied and maybe prematurely called everyone about the news. Well after a month of not hearing from them and then hearing from the chef but with nothing definitive, I conitinued to do what I was all too tired of doing--wait. In this time, I started to wonder--well they know I'm American, they know I don´t know how to speak Spanish, they know I was never a chef de partie in a three star restaurant--this is just too good to be true.

Well eventually before my grand depart, we hatched out some details--well one, my start date--Sept. 30-- the rest was up in the air. I knew lodging would be provided, what I didn´t know was that I would share a room a bit larger than the one I had at Baumaniere (where I was living single) with not one but two other cooks--who have both since left. I have an empty bunkbed to look at when I wake up now. I knew I would be fed one meal a day. What I wasn´t prepared for was the 14 hoer work days which ended in scrubbing the kitchen from figurative head to toe, the overworked cooking staff who threaten to and then actually quit without notice, the relentless amount of tedious repetition necessary in achieving consistency in the upper echelons of fine dining followed up with more attentiveness to details, details, details. Yes, I am now chef de partie, garde manger, but for the last month I worked like a staggaire with chef de partie responsiblities. That is to say, there is nothing beneath me in terms of what is required of me. If I need to deshell 15 kilos of buy de mar (crab) and make sure there isn´t a milligram of shell in the final process, I need to do that. I don´t know if any of you have done this before, but in short, its a pain in the ass. Ask me to deshell five kilos of shrimp everyday, thats fine, but deshelling--index finger by index finger of every gram of meat--doing it again-- and then again--five solid hours is fairly torturous. I remember writing in my last post about my Baumaniere hell week (basically a week without my chef de partie--who was in the US at the time-- which had me working 14 hour days)--well I just signed up for a hell year.

I did this in my last post--a shameful plea for pity. Well there is no looking back so to speak. Again, not to make things sound worse than they are for cinematic affect, I work like a dog for around 75-80 hours a week just to say I worked in a three star restaurant. One might ask, "well are you learning at least", to which I have to smile a sardonic, contemptuous smile and say, "I'm learning a lot" but what I really want to say is "I'm learning to work and work hard." I think in the end that is the difference between great restaurants and good restaurants. We could call it quits after lets say the tenth hour and have satisfactory results. I would honestly say that half the customers would hardly notice the difference, but we don´t quit . We could call it quits after the twelth hour and none but a few of the customers would notice the difference, but we don't because we, the people in the kitchen, know the difference. I think this is of vital importance. Before, I asked, "is it really necessary to do _____, noone will know the difference" but every effort in the kitchen is noticeable, even if it is only incremental. Someone kick me off my soapbox for heaven´s sakes.

Of course, I am here for the same reasons many of you come here for--the search for quality. Its here and here in abundance. I have never seen so many mushroom hunters come in with prized "oy de reys", cepes (with heads so dark and bodys so heavy) and many varieties I´ve never seen before--it raining about everyday now, definately paying the price for the heat wave of the past summer. The produce is excellent, coming either from our weekly run to France or from the numerous farmers, ranchers and food artisans from the region. I love working with all the fresh seafood and the suckling pigs, beef...well basically everything we get is incredible. Although the hours are long, and this is where I do my customary about face, I love what I'm doing here. It is worth the price. At least I can say I work long tedious hours along side with Santi Santamaria--he being infatigable as well.

As far as my opinion of Santi Santamaria--I am falling in love with the man. He is generous to a fault (mis en place takes big hits), and absolutely unfaltering in his pursuit for perfection. An absolute pleasure to work for, even if he has his darker moments--naturally. I just hope some of his passion for eating and living rubs off on me.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank eGullet again and to Robert Buxbaum again for organizing such a gell informed site. I live for this kind of stuff and although I seem to be longwinded in my account of personal events, I hope it gives some insight into the "other side" of restaurant life. Being an English major, I always ponder the bigger questions of dining, such as a wonderful article about deconstructionism and El Bulli. The last time I spoke to an old professor at UCLA, I asked, definately ignorantly, what seems to be the next thing after post modernism (the reinvention of the classic) and are we seeing signs of a Hegelian thesis, antithesis to synthesis pursuit towards "zeitgeist" (seems very foolish in hindsight) and he responded by saying there seems to be something seen as postcolonialism. Just to get a head start on new restaurant trends, I am wondering, the more and more food attains the level of art instead of craft, can we take modern discourses of art and apply them to trends in restaurants? That is, are such discourses driving influence in fine dining? It seems to be one way in analyzing what Ferran Adria is doing and thus the following trend he has caused? I am sure this subject has been done to death already, but if there is a new era of postcolonialism, does that mean that a new trend for restaurants is to revert back to more "traditional" values and although we cannot discount the effects of multicultural "fusion" we need to pay more heed to the colonized and less to the colonial powers?

Last thing on this mental self pleasuring exercise, what restaurants do some of you see in my future? If one were to open a quintessential California restaurant, one would hope to have Mediterranean influences, Asian influences and of course exposure to other Californian/Pacific Coast restaurants, but what other restaurant, region would round off my culinary career? Pierre Gagnaire? Tuscany? Piedmont? Pais Vasco?

Will be looking in anxiously,

Simon

[Bux]

Simon, it's great to hear from you again. I hope we hear more this time, although it doesn't appear you'll find yourself with much spare time. By the way, it's "Bux" to you. "Mr. Buxbaum" is far too formal for eGullet. And, of course I play far too little a role in organizing this site to take much personal credit.

It's difficult for me to say what other restaurant would round off your culinary career. There are many that could contribute and after a stint at Can Fabes, I suspect you will be a great position to absorb the influences in shorter time. Certainly Gagnaire and Passard are interesting. Bras is another and quite different from Gagnaire. Gagnaire and Bras would be a formidable combination of experiences. I trust that while you are in Catalunya, you will get a chance to experience Barcelona and a few places in the provinces. We were impressed by Can Roca and Sant Pau in Catalunya. I trust there's time and money in your budget to eat at both. There are four or five worthy places in the Pais Vasco and I should be writing about my meals there last week rather than answering posts, but you will read that soon and hopefully my photographs will come across on the net as well. Without a doubt, I'd recommend the food at Las Rejas which seems so much more deeply rooted in Spain than most of the other impressive restaurants. It may not be an easy place to get to without a car. I'm not suggesting a stage at any of the Spanish places, not until at least you've got what Santamaria has to offer under your belt, but these are places whose food it would be worth tasting.

[pedro]

Simon, thanks very much for your post. It makes me appreciate even more the effort of the people working in the trenches.

The meals I've had at Can Fabes, rank amongst the best meals I've ever had. I'd have a hard time choosing between a meal at Can Fabes or at Berasategui. Perhaps Can Fabes is more balanced, allowing less if any space to errors, which could mean sacrificing some imagination. You really can feel a quest for perfection there. The results of the apparent simplicity of Santamaria's recipes is simply amazing. Having dined there always around summertime, and having read your description about mushrooms (and imagining game and truffles, hmmm), makes me think seriously about going there one of these weekends. Certainly, you've chosen one of the finest places in Spain to work in.

I don't have enough knowledge about the cooking scene outside Spain to give you a sound advice about how to complete your cv. However, if you consider staying in Spain, I would suggest you to look to the other side of the force, and try El Bulli or Mugaritz.

[pedro]

There are four or five worthy places in the Pais Vasco and I should be writing about my meals there last week rather than answering posts

Bux, you should be doing both.

[paulbrussel]

Simon, how very nice and interesting that you are now at Can Fabes. Do enjoy!

I can admit I was there last month and I was very much impressed by it's perfectionism. Of all the 8 degustation meals I had in those couple of days in BCN, the one at Can Fabes was by far the best, although not the most exciting in a way. And I will certainly go back.

In a couple of weeks I will fly for a day to Girona to El Celler de Can Roca where I will have lunch and dinner the same day; I hope to update on that restaurant which doesn't seem to be very expensive. It is easily to reach by train from Sant Celoni.

Hope to hear from you again!

[Bux]

Without checking my credit card bills, I recall Can Roca was most reasonable in terms of quality to price and very solidly a two star restaurant on any country's scale and particularly in Catalunya where El Bulli tips the scales. It's a five to seven euro cab ride from downtown Girona to Can Roca.

[burmaball]

My post will undoubtedly echo the sentiments of some earlier posters but I thought I'd throw this out there anyway. I am a cook, pastry cook, traveller and writer. I will be in Spain for a month and a half early next year and would like to spend some of that time (two weeks or so) staging in a great restaurant there. The names I see over and over again are those mentioned here on egullet. Given that I have no connections with any Spanish chefs but a real desire to dig my heels in somewhere and work would anyone have any advice about how to make this happen?

Would it be most appropriate to write letters to the restaurants? Would it be better to call them directly? Are there certain restaurants that are more open to stagiaires than others? Should I just show up and roll up my sleeves?

Also, I think to myself, wow, Arzak, wow, El Bulli, but I'm just as keen on restaurants that are doing what they do well, regardless of fame and Michelin stars. Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot in advance, and thanks also for the great posts that occur here every day. I learn so much each time I log on.

[Bux]

Do you speak Spanish? Few of the Spanish chefs seem to speak English. Many of the ones in Catalunya and the Pais Vasco speak French. It doesn't hurt to write and I'd knock on doors if I was in the area, but if you knew someone and had an introduction, you'd have a better chance. Perhaps you'll get some advice from those who have done it here. We've had a few people write about their experiences. I'm not sure how all of them got their stages.

[pedro]

I am a cook, pastry cook, traveller and writer.  I will be in Spain for a month and a half early next year and would like to spend some of that time (two weeks or so) staging in a great restaurant there.

If you're specially interestend in pastry and desserts, I would say that Jordi Roca at Can Roca is perhaps the most creative in that area.

[paulbrussel]

If you're specially interestend in pastry and desserts, I would say that Jordi Roca at Can Roca is perhaps the most creative in that area.

Not the chef of Espaisucre?

[Simon Sunwoo]

Burmaball,

I know your pain. It is quite a daunting thing to knock on doors, but that is my advice. I was lucky because the first place I staged was due entirely to my connection with Wolfgang Puck. Í got in because of a phonecall he made on my part. I stayed because I rolled up my sleeves and worked considerable hours. Most Michelin restaurants are bombarded with stage requests and most are unwilling or unable to process the paperwork necessary to ligitimately hire non Europeans. The Japanese have an association which does all the red tape, but we Americans are much less fortunate. That said, there are always exceptions. The hardest part is getting started. I would do all the above, send resume, send letter of intent, email, follow up with a phone call during non service hours and finally just drop in dressed and equiped to work. At least you can ask if they´ve recieved your resume/letter and thats a starting point. Remember, you have to do all the work. If you sit back and wait for them, they will eventually forget about you (the big starred restaurants will at least). Curiously, what is your background and what is it you wish to achieve by staging? I know this sounds a little deflating, but stages of a month and a half seems to short. You will inevitably be doing menial tasks for long hours and lots of cleaning. The downside is you might even have to pay for your own lodging. I hate to end on a negative not so, for all its worth, the benefits definately outweigh negatives. I would do it all over in a heartbeat. Good luck.

Simon

[Bux]

Burmaball says he is interested in staging for two weeks. It's very doubtful anyone would offer pay or even lodging for that short a time. I've heard chefs say the first month a stage is in the kitchen is lost time and it's not until the second or third month that the kitchen gets any benefit from the labor. I'm sure that's a self serving comment and not the truth, or at least not quite the truth, but a two week stage will be seen by the restaurant as a favor to the stagiaire. Many starred restaurants charge for that privilege and it doesn't matter if they are hosting an amateur cook or a visiting chef. Of course that doesn't apply to visiting dignitary chefs or exchanges. I think the task at hand is convincing the chef, one is a worthwhile candidate for a favor. Anyone got any suggestions as to how to do that without previous connections?

[Bux]

If you're specially interestend in pastry and desserts, I would say that Jordi Roca at Can Roca is perhaps the most creative in that area.

Not the chef of Espaisucre?

I've split off a discussion on Can Roca and Girona into it's own thread. It's here.

[burmaball]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions - thanks also particularly to Simon for giving me the heads up. I realize that two weeks is not much time, but I'll be travelling for about six weeks and I thought that two weeks spent in one place, doing something pretty intensive would be worthwhile.

My background is mostly in pastry - right now I am a pastry assistant at a wonderful restaurant in Maine. I'm not sure if I want to continue doing pastry exclusively -- I just love food and cooking and its myriad faces. But I'd be pleased to find a restaurant that would take me in for that amount of time. I don't expect to be paid AT ALL although if I could stay somewhere for free, that would be wonderful.

I'm not sure if anybody has any more to add to this discussion, but if you do don't hesitate to post. If people have names of places that would be open to me coming in for a short time I'd love to hear what they are.

Thanks again.

[hwilson41]

Dear eG'ers;

There seem to be (at least) two distinct 'layers' here on egullet; one is mostly pros and writers who know all the lingo, etc.; the other is amatuers and novices like YHS who enjoy food and cooking at various levels but know about such things only vicariously. Just finished reading loufood's good fortune re El Bulli. All sounds really great (and my heartiest congrats to her). One minor problem. I haven't a clue what a 'stager' is or does. From the exchange, I gather that it is a job that doesn't pay (not my idea of a really great job ), but to be at El Bulli I gather it's worth the 'slave' conditions. Could someone please enlighten one of the unwashed (moi)?

1. What is a stager?

2. What does a stager do?

3. Why on earth would you work for nothing?

Any and all help (preferably with a minimum of condescension) would be appreciated.

THW

[tan319]

1- A Stager(Stagiere?) is someone who is an intern of sorts. You would call them that in other business', I believe.

You are accepted to work in a kitchen, usually a prestigious restaurant, to learn under a chef and to soak up the technique and information available to you as you watch and work and learn.

Sometimes you're paid, nominally, other times you pay them ( this was the case of a place I investigated a stage in. 6,000 euro for a 6 month committment. I think it included room and board). In other cases you work for free.

In exchange you get to put that worked at said establishment, which probably isn't going to hurt your career, if you know what I mean.

2- The Stagiere does whatever is assigned them. In the case of a loufood, after her work at Ducasse, maybe her next place is going to give her more to chew on then someone else.

In an eGullet Q&A, former French Laundry sous chef now Chef of SUPER happening restaurant Trio, said when he did his stage at El Bulli,that he was surprised how much the stages were involved in actual cooking at El Bulli. Not just prep.

3- Sometimes experience is worth FAR more then what you can earn hourly. Getting in young, before all of the responsibilitys of life and families more or less force you to work for as much as you can make, is worth it's weight in gold, IMHO.

Loufood, as well as some others on these pages, are going to walk away from these stages so enriched (hopefully!) and full of good ideas and techniques, having worked with some of the most well known and BEST chefs in the world, that no amount of money could have made it more worthwhile.

[hwilson41]

Ted;

Thanks for the help. Internships I know about first hand, and have supervised a few myself. I probably should have made that connection, but until I started reading eGullet, I had never even heard of a stager or stagiere. Anyway, thanks again for the explanation.

THW

[Louisa Chu]

Ted - six thousand Euros for a stage?! WTF?! Where?! Why?!

Yeah, a stagiaire is like an intern - and yes, in all professions, not just culinary. But in culinary, all levels of restaurants - not only prestigious, Michelin-starred, etc. - some of my friends asked to work in smaller restaurants in hopes that they could do/learn more. Businesses are required by law to reimburse stagiaires for transportation to and from - nothing more. But no one should ever - ever - pay for a stage. At the Plaza, stagiaires are paid nominally, have full uniform service, a meal allowance in the personnel restaurant, and the transportation reimbursement.

What does a stagiaire do? Almost impossible to answer generally - it depends on the restaurant and the stagiaire. I know some stagiaires in some houses that only clean and do the most basic prep. At ADPA I asked to turn all stations. On my very first day I started off in garde-manger leafing parsley - by the end of the day I was sculpting caviar onto langoustines - I've deveined the Landes foie gras, cooked the Brittany blue lobsters, deboned the Bresse chickens - I'm very - very - lucky that I'm allowed to do some things that even some of the other chef de parties have not yet done in the other stations.

Work for nothing? Funny. Last week our new incoming chef, Christophe Moret from Spoon Paris was showing me and our two meat guys how to prep the Bresse chickens for the new dish after the reopening. I had on one side, one of my chefs, Julian, and on the other side, Rafael, who's just coming in from Pierre Gagnaire. While these guys are doing what seems to be magic tricks, slight of hand with flashing knives and meat, they expect me to keep up - and nudge me and coax me along. How much would you pay to learn from guys like that?

[Bux]

Ted - six thousand Euros for a stage?! WTF?! Where?! Why?!

Louisa, thanks for the correct spelling - stagiaire. I've been corrected many times for misspelling it, even here on eGullet.

As for a fee, it's my understanding that this is common. It's not unusual for for a three star restaurant to take in a stagiaire for a fee. More often than not, this is an arrangement between a restaurant outside of France and a three star restaurant in France and it's usually for a shorter stage of a month or two at the most. It's more likely to be a country club arranging for its chef to stage in France than anything else from what I've heard, although I could be off base. A top French chef in the states usually has his own connections and can secure a stage for one of his protégés at no cost. For management, the stage represents a chance to educated and inspire their chef and to bring a bit of prestige to the club or organization. In the case of a top chef getting a stage for one of his staff, it's partially a chance to bring some ideas into his restaurant, but as often or not, it's a reward given to a staff member who's been a good worker. A young cook can also get his own stage if he's determined, but it really helps to have a connection.

[Louisa Chu]

Bux - on paying for stages - I've only heard about that one company we talked about before where they'll place people in so-called stages for a week.

[tan319]

Bux - on paying for stages - I've only heard about that one company we talked about before where they'll place people in so-called stages for a week.

The place I'm talking about was also seeking a 6 month commitment. Perhaps the cash investment would make one less prone to skip out early?

I've heard of other places charging too.

I think I know of the company you're speaking of, Louisa.

French Laundry, some other high end joints also do?

Work for nothing? Funny. Last week our new incoming chef, Christophe Moret from Spoon Paris was showing me and our two meat guys how to prep the Bresse chickens for the new dish after the reopening. I had on one side, one of my chefs, Julian, and on the other side, Rafael, who's just coming in from Pierre Gagnaire. While these guys are doing what seems to be magic tricks, slight of hand with flashing knives and meat, they expect me to keep up - and nudge me and coax me along. How much would you pay to learn from guys like that?

That's why the idea of a fee for the place I was speaking of didn't bother me.

I'd rather spend 6k to learn from a master and their right hands then pay even more to learn things I would probably never use in my work at a school .

Just my opinion...

[tan319]

Ok,

I went back and looked at my e-mail concerning said stage.

It was 600 euro a month for 6 months!

Quite a bit less.

I apologize for the mistake!

[Bux]

Bux - on paying for stages - I've only heard about that one company we talked about before where they'll place people in so-called stages for a week.

I believe you're talking about L'Ecole des Chefs, which really deals with non-professionals looking to spend up to a week in a professional kitchen. The clients are usually people who have already been diners in this sort of restaurant, if not in the one they choose to spend the week. It's not really a program for professionals although I suppose it may be responsible for some midlife career changes.

We've had too thread on the program, the not so aptly titled Stagiaire Recommendations Sought and the follow up In response to queries ......... This program used to be run by Relais et Châteaux and still uses a subset of these restaurants.

As for professionals paying, I don't know anyone who has paid to do a stage. Most pros usually stay long enough to pay back their time spent learning, by working for free. I have been told that some three star restaurants do take foreign cooks in for a fee. Cooks I know who have done stages have all arranged for it themselves or had it done by their current chef, by some other connection in the industry or their school.

[Louisa Chu]

Ted, paying for something never means someone won't skip out early - how many people pay for college/culinary school and never show up for classes? And yeah, I asked the question about how much one might pay - but it was rhetorical - no one should pay to stage! And school and stages are very, very different things.

But OK, 600E a month doesn't seem totally unreasonable - since that covers your room and board - sucks though if you've already got a place to stay.

Bux, I don't get it - which restaurants take in foreign cooks for a fee?

[tan319]

I \Louisa,

I understand where you're coming from.

Just that these days perhaps people need to get some revenue whereever they can?

And you're totally correct about people investing $ money and still skipping out.