[ChefRobin]

Well as it goes I have been given an extended open-ended non-paid vacation.....okay due to the economy the country club I was working for laid off a bunch of us. I went on a third interview with a four star hotel/resort, and was asked to make a few things. A few! I had to bake bread, muffins, cookies, two plated desserts, two fruit desserts, and decorate and stack a two tier wedding cake. While I have done tastings before, this seemed a little over the top. Is this normal or have I just been lucky before? Any suggestions on where and how to go from here? Although my family has never been as happy as they are now to have dinner on time every night

[chefelle]

Wow, Chef Robin! This does not seem normal to me. I've been asked to write a menu in a given amount of time. Demonstrate knowledge of cooking terms and techniques. Do some actual cooking and baking within a given amount of time. But never have I been asked to do as much as you were. I hope the job pays well for what you were asked to do!

How much time were you given to complete that massive list of tasks? Were you given formulas to work with or did you have access to your own?

I think I can safely say that what you were asked to do was far beyond what the normal interviewer will ask for.

I feel your pain and I am so sorry to hear of your lay off. It happened to me too two years ago. Because there were no pastry chef jobs in my area I opened my own patisserie. The economy is still poor in this area with little hope for improvement...although I love my work...it's really difficult to make ends meet. Wholesale desserts, breads, and pastries as well as wedding cakes have been my saviour this year.

It sounds like you have a great skill set...I am sure someone will snap you up in no time!

[ChefRobin]

I was given run of the kitchen with access to all supplies. No time limit, and one recipe for bread. Otherwise everything was off the top of my head. My kit was in the car along with my personal receipe book. I threw it in at the last minute. The one thing my husband said before I left was "no matter what, have fun" I did. It was like a mini-****'s Kitchen episode with no screaming or cussing. The facility was fantastic with a separate chocolate room, a walkin that you could roll a wedding cake on a table into, proofers, steam injected deck ovens for bread. I will find out sometime next week, where I stand, but this was an experience I won't soon forget. I came home and made sloppy cheesy comfort food.

[ChefToddMohr]

Robin-
The Universe is speaking to you. It's time to work for yourself.

After years of Executive Chef positions at Hospitals, Government institutions, and Corporate Cafeterias, I got tired of making other people rich while they treated me like I didn't have a life outside of their needs.

It was VERY painful for a while, as I went from 6 figures to 6 dollars an hour. But, if you have passion for baking and the skills to match, stop wasting your passion on someone else's goals.

For me, it's 12 years later and I've been on a path that I could have never imagined as a chef. I opened my own catering company, which lead to opening a cooking school, then DVDs on the internet, and now online cooking classes.

Be courageous, face the fear and do it anyway. You sound like a very valuable employee that shouldn't be made to jump through hoops to prove your talent. Shame on those people for taking advantage of your free labor.

Perhaps you should teach pastries, or partner with a DJ to offer your wedding cakes to his client list. Maybe there are a list of small, local stores that would pre-order items daily.

"My soul be satisfied with thorns, but gather them in the one garden I call my own." - Edmund Rostand.