Really a Chef???

[cheesecake]

the whole forum has calmed down, and nobody's making the mood too stabby anymore, but who's to say what's the difference between a cook and a chef? in Australia, the difference is a peice of paper, Australian "Chef's" are apprenticed for four years, and attend colledge for 1 day a week for 3 out of the four years, but when it comes down to it, "chef" is a respectful form of address...we call only ONE person in the kitchen "Chef" and that's all it means, the chef is the commander, captain of the ship, wrangler of overstretched, underpaid, knife-wielding individuals, and thats the skill in being a "chef". but to get there they must learn the cullinary stuff to back it up, they're a teacher too.

but that's all of my rant. what do i know, i'm not a "trade cook" yet....

[shahar]

"Chef"'s means nothing more or less than "manager". He's the manager of the kitchen. In a big kitchen, yes, you can have a "salad chef". If truly he manages a team of "salad cooks".

The point was I believe that the term had been diluted. For people, like me, who worked very hard many years to get to the point of calling ourselves chefs, seeing it used as a substitute for cook can be a bit ahrg ahg aggravating.

Speaking of which I've been seeing more and more shops and supermarkets making their employees wear chef jackets. I hold my uniform a sacred white token of the cleanliness of my temple of work. And eighteen year olds who can't spell cucumber walk around in dirty unbuttoned jackets selling hair products.

Ahrrg and double ahrrg!

I will start out as always by saying hi folks ! Foodi here !

As for you Botanique and why I hadn't mentoned you in my posts ..you knew I was saving the best for last ! Can we call ourselves fellow flexers?? I think I don't want to make you mad and meet you in a dark alley anytime soon!!! lol
When I saw Tony go down I said the same thing ....He's got to recover ...I mean there's probably 15 episodes left he can't go swimmin wit da fishes this early ! But Jr's in the deep doodoo. There fittin him fer some new shoes ! In the first episode ...one guy murders somebody and then commits suicide and then tony gets shot ....way to start off the season with a bang !....pardon the pun...
Thanks Momo .....I'll send you a photo of my latest effort on the biscuits! And look me up over at the baking circle of King Arthur Flour fame. My screen name over there is "Grizzlybiscuit " There are a lotof experinced home bakers there who aren't pro's or anything but they know a lotta stuff that's not in any of the books and there is an extensive recipe archive too!
And now for ChefM and whoever else was thinking about what is really a chef ?? Here are a few of my thoughts as some you have surmised I have many ...lol
What Really is a Chef??? IMHO....

1. a person who loves his/her craft unconditionally
2. Is willing to share his/her knowlege with anyone who
shows a little respect and some desire
3. has no illusions about his/her abilities and shortcomings
and knows he/she doesn't know it all and will never stop
learning
4. can many times be the first one in and the last one to leave
but also knows that his/her work will never be done and tomorrow
is another day !
5. knows that part of why he/she is there is to improve the
qualitiy of life for those around him/her on the job and in
the front of the house
6. has the ability to inspire his/her staff to go beyond their own
perceived abilities and leave work for the day feeling good
about themselves and their work for less pay in most cases then
they would like
7. Is no longer chasing recipes but just trying to understand
food concepts and stay genuine and still separate him/her
self from the herd
8. realizes that everyone is different inside and can't be
motivated the same way
9. also realizes that developing a quality rapport and
maintaining the dignity and respect of coworkers is crucial
to his/her and their success
10. knows when to reprimand his/her employees when they
don't measure up to his standards but will also praise them
when they succeed(too many supervisors out there just
spittin vinegar and no honey) A little pat on the back once
in a while goes a long way more than they know!
11. he or she is never satisfied and always asking him/her self
how can "We" make it better ???
12. has to instill every day to his/her staff that we all support ,
look after and back each other up and succeed and die
as a team
13. knows that life is always happening for all his/her employees
before and after work and allows them a bump or two in
the road with a little breathing room
14. He/she knows that it's not always the brightest light that will
succeed and some of the shiniest diamonds lie in the tall grass
and will only be found with patience and nurturing ....
15. Sets the tone each and every day when he/she walks in the door for
respect and dignity of others,attitude,work ethic(no shortcuts to
greatness),tanacity and makes sure they all have a little fun without
taking it too seriously but give their all
16. allows a small window for his/her staff to be able to express themselves
and contribute and feel like they belong and is still able to maintain
his/her own vision
17. He or she may not always be the best cook or baker in the back but is
usually the most well rounded and keeps the ship running smoothly,
efficiently and keeps everybody happy out front
18. A chef is a great listener and is smart enough to know a quality
suggestion from an employee no matter who & where they are on the
food chain ....
19. A chef is head babysitter,psychologist,Emergency room Dr,substance
abuse counseler,Security guard,purchasing agent,family counseler,
accountant,sleep deprivation specialist,computer wiz,dishwasher,cook,
storeroom clerk,gard manger,baker,gas man,loan officer, human
resource annual evaluation payroll negotiator,saute and breakfast
cook,broilerman,butcher,fish monger,banquet chef,prep & vegetable
cook,chauffeur and taxi driver,bouncer,front of the house diplomat and
social director and always the humble and hungry Artist
I'm sure there are many more but these all stand out to me ...
Foodi4 as long as I breathe

Quotes:
There's no limit to what a man or a women can do as long as they don't care who gets the credit !
Only when all of the those around you are different will you truly belong !

[cakerookie]

You can add me thats for sure............

[travisbickle]

Wow Food4life, I think you could've just gone with number 19 and been ok. I have worked for chefs who matched a third of the things you mentioned and I still found some of them worthy to learn from. Someone in a place of responsibility like a chef can't spin as many plates as you listed. That's why I think that a good chef will surround hiself/herself with good people who will take on some of the load without being told. I pride myself on doing that for my chef and I receive acknowledgement from time to time wich let's me know that my effort is not in vain and inspires me to work harder and to be more observant. To me, a chef is the captain of the ship and barring mutany, the chef is in charge. And he better be able to cook me under the table!

[Ma Facon]

The topic is " Really a chef " Well I can tell you this from life experiences, You will be recognized a chef the day after you pass by your peers. You will spend your life convincing yourself that you are one, And only your service that preceeds you will display the facts.





Get back to work, What else are you going to do ???

[Jim]

There's no limit to what a man or a women can do as long as they don't care who gets the credit

Any idea to whom we could credit this?

Very well said!

[Nick.Shu]

Dear, dear me. This topic is a perennial favourite isnt it!.

I could refer to past experiences et al but i wont. All i will say is that looking forward to the future suggests that this will be a career not for the faint hearted. Also all the indicators point towards the ones with the best training and background will be the most sought after staff. But i digress.

The honest truth, is that best describes "what is a chef" relates to the manager of the kitchen, the leader whom everyone looks towards for experience and knowledge to guide the kitchen to its intrinsic and ultimate goals. Clashes can occur due to differing management styles, opinions etc, but a good chef will know these things (heh, "winners dont use autocracy")

But anyway.....

[KyleW]

Originally Posted by panini

hello? music calms the beast. I will be in the kitchen tomorrow playing with friends, I will also be playing Bocelli very loud

I find that when I need a little calming down, a little Godsmack does the trick.

[Jolly Roger]

D*mn! I can't believe this is still going!!! After all the flack I received for my rather opinionated remarks and sarcastic comments, the group here just can't leave this alone. I have to be honest and report that when discussing this amongst a group of friends of mine, some career restaurant folk, some no where near a career in the foodservice industry, I got mixed remarks. The restaurant folk, after reviewing the site and my comments, agreed with the point about the term "chef" being used to liberally and one of my friends thought I was a bit rude. The group that do not work in the foodservice industry didn't understand, but recognized that I was just having fun and didn't seem to think there was any harm done. Whew! Boy am I glad I still have a few friends after all this. I'm still memorized at Chef M's inability to formulate a complete sentence and Food4life's hopeless pretenciousness. Food...I bet you could talk paint right off the wall and a dead man into a coma.

[foodpump]

Try 4-non-blondes, works for me....

[panini]

Kyle, Godsmack calms you down huh? I almost believe that.I choose stuff like Bocelli, because of the eclectic group we have. I move from Spanish Ballods to SlipKnot, to Matt Pond Pa, to TopoGigio Spanish humor to Gwar. Don't remark on the spelling, I just listen and then sometimes like just a minute ago when I was reading there is some annoying static

[Ma Facon]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

D*mn! I can't believe this is still going!!! After all the flack I received for my rather opinionated remarks and sarcastic comments, the group here just can't leave this alone. I have to be honest and report that when discussing this amongst a group of friends of mine, some career restaurant folk, some no where near a career in the foodservice industry, I got mixed remarks. The restaurant folk, after reviewing the site and my comments, agreed with the point about the term "chef" being used to liberally and one of my friends thought I was a bit rude. The group that do not work in the foodservice industry didn't understand, but recognized that I was just having fun and didn't seem to think there was any harm done. Whew! Boy am I glad I still have a few friends after all this. I'm still memorized at Chef M's inability to formulate a complete sentence and Food4life's hopeless pretenciousness. Food...I bet you could talk paint right off the wall and a dead man into a coma.

Why the sarcasm ? And your judging of other members is uncalled for. IMHO

[Nentony]

Anyone have XM radio in the kitchen. You can get it via your computer. Something for everyone. Panini, they have a mexican folk chanel. I swear I can smell corn cooking in the zocolo when I hear Mariachi music. Chanel 150 (stand up comics) can really lighten the mood.

Tony

[panini]

Nentony,
Yes, we have XM or cd's only. 150 is on sometimes if I'm playing late at night in the kitchen, though not so suitable for the younger Females. I have to stop when I hear lewis Black and shoot? the ney ney guy,
We have devoted hours of listening for each employee. So I'm VERY familiar with the Mexican stations.
We just don't have any good regular radio here.
ps Just wondering, the price is nominal, and I was one of the early ones to sign, so they gave us the boombox and such with 5 yrs, at $5 mth, but are you getting XM for free over the internet?
pan