01/22/2001

1/25/01 -The night started out with me meeting the, for lack of a better term, "Super Executive" Chef. He's a well-known Chef that runs three restaurants in the area but doesn't spend a lot of time in the one I'm at. In our brief meeting he mentioned Joh

1/25/01 -The night started out with me meeting the, for lack of a better term, "Super Executive" Chef. He's a well-known Chef that runs three restaurants in the area but doesn't spend a lot of time in the one I'm at. In our brief meeting he mentioned Johnson and Wales was a good school and I was glad to hear that. From there I mixed the dough for Madeleins, twice. I screwed up the first batch. I headed downstairs and talked with the Executive Chef (the chef that is there on a nightly basis) for about 15 minutes and then he threw me behind the line to observe. Compared to the last place I was at, this line is huge. There were 10-12 cooks running the line at any given time. The place seats 400 so I'd imagine we could turn out 300-800 dinners on any given night. The last place I was at had 140 seats and 200 was a busy night. I think the most we had cooking behind the line on a regular night was 6. So the new place is quite different. The volume is going to be great experience. I spent a couple hours watching the best cook, trying to remember everything he threw into every dish. Next week the Chef is going to start moving me around the line, cooking where I can. At the end of the night the Chef gave me some advice I thought I'd pass on. He said, when I'm in school try to work at a high volume place. He said my cooking skill will come through school and working on a daily basis, but it's the speed that really counts. Once I have the speed/volume down, I'll be much more valuable to the line. He also mentioned, if I can afford to stage (work for free) while in school, I should do it. He said to find the nicest restaurant in the area and offer to work for free if they can't pay. The experience of working at a well-respected place will benefit you greatly in the future and working for free shows the Chef a little more dedication. Unfortunately, unless I run into a boatload of scholarships, I don't think I'll be able to afford staging. 1/27/01 -Got to the restaurant bright and early and started with the pate a choux as usual. Threw the apple galettes into the oven. This time I assembled the brioche and baked it off, usually I just bake them but we needed them asap for lunch. Made a batch of Zabaglione after the Brioche. After the Zabaglione I made 33 fig tarts (a few extra for the Super Bowl party I was going to. Free labor has to have some perks, right???) and 25 apple tarts. Today was the most time I have put in on a Saturday. I got in at 8:45am and left at 2:15pm. -Logan

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