DISCIPLINE AND WHY THAT IS SO IMPORTANT?
When I started to work in the Main Kitchen, I knew thank's to my work experience in that same kitchen, how I conduct myself and who is calling the shots. I remember, when the Executive Chef Norbert Fontana walked into the kitchen we all where paying 100% attention on what he had to say.
Norbert Fontana was and is in my World still one of the most qualified and knowledgeable Chefs I had the pleasure and honor to work with. Norbert also held a certificate as "Eidgenossische Diplomierter Kuechenchef" which is translated: Federal diploma finish as Executive Chef in Switzerland. To give you an idea how hard it is to get this certificate, immagine that; 240 top qualified chefs throughout Switzerland go to the Executive Chef University if you want to call it that way. There, you go one to two days a week to school while you work as a Executive Sous Chef in a top Hotel 4 to 5 stars. The whole training goes for 2 years with tons of homework. ONLY 12 WILL PASS THE FINAL EXAM OUT OF 240 TOP CHEFS!!! there is no harder school and training anywhere in the World coming close to what you have to achieve and know in that school in Switzerland.
Also the Army is compulsory for every young man 20 years or older who is a citizen of Switzerland. Norbert Fontana was also a commander in the Tank division, a Elite Unit of the Armed Forces of Switzerland. You just knew never to be on the wrong side with him. He had absolute respect and discipline from all his chefs and staff of the hotel for a smooth running of the kitchen and the hotel.
I quickly realised working with up to 20 chefs on the same shift coming and going in and out of the main kitchen all day, that a certain discipline was required in order to run a kitchen linked to 4 other kitchens in one way or the other.
How about total obedience? I learned that when you work in a team, as us chefs, working as a team to prepare and cook foods, I needed to follow instructions to the smallest details. Been an apprentice chef, this was the way I learned and if I did not follow my instructions given to me 100%, I would have to stay back in my own time and do the work again. But I learned the hard way. Here is what happened:
One afternoon the Executive Sous Chef has given a job for me to do: I had to cut julienne vegetables, using carrots, zucchini, leek and celeriac. Julienne are fine batons of vegetables lot longer than the width of a soup spoon. I had to cut a large amount of it for a function. The julienne vegetables are going to be used for a clear consomme as entre of the function menu. About 2 hours later I am nearly done with it, the Executive Chef walks into the kitchen. He is inspecting what everybody was doing. He walked up to me, ask how I was going and took a small handful of julienne vegetables out of the container. He then started to line up every individual baton next to each other. Some of the batons where longer than others and some where a little bit thicker than others. I knew that I was in trouble. He took the entire container of vegetable julienne and went to the chef working in the hot section. He placed the container in front of him and told him to use the julienne vegetable for staff dinner tonight.
The Executive Chef came back to me and told me to do it again. I needed to learn to work exactly and that every vegetable julienne has to match by length and thickness. So instead me knocking off and enjoy a sunny day outside, I spended 3 more hours cutting vegetable julienne. The moral of the story is: "Do the task given exactly the way it has to be done, the first time!"
When I came out of school, where we were spoken to in a soft and well spoken manner, I soon realized that in a hectic kitchen when the pressure was on, words fly quickly. Especially during service hours, lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and dinner service from 5:30pm to 10:00pm. These are the times where meals ordered by the guests are cooked to order.
In the Hotel where I did my apprenticeship, we had 3 satellite kitchens attached to 3 different restaurants within the hotel. A crew of 3 to 5 chefs including apprentices would work in each kitchen. In those kitchens you may cook to order 100 to 300 meals per service. Timing and speed is of the essence. Total concentration and remembering the dockets the head chef calls out is a must. If you are too slow or give the head chef the wrong food he called out, you will get a verbal yelling in a rather less friendly way, I had to learn to develop a thick skin and don't take a yelling by the chef personally. Sometimes I felt like smacking the chef in charge but that would cost me my apprenticeship. I had a lot of respect of all the chefs in that hotel. I worked with some of the best chefs and if I got yelled at, I just say loud; "Yes Chef or No Chef". If ever one of us apprentices try to mouth back at him, we would get blandly kicked out of the kitchen or yelled at again in front of all staff but this time you would love to krawl into a hole and disappear.
Back in 1978 there was no political correctness. Some of the names we where called when the shit hits the fan where that bad, that I can not mention them here. Chefs are creative, passionate but also temperamental. It is a passionate temperament, try to reach perfection in a dish prepared and one of the chefs makes a mistake and still serving that mistake, a few swear words would fly. Just watch one of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen shows or one of his earlier shows where Gordon Ramsay was working towards the 3rd Michelin Star for his restaurant.
In a kitchen, no matter big or small, Teamwork is of the essence. Nothing is more important in a kitchen than working as a team. The outcome of the timing and quality of the foods cooked depends on it. I knew that I work well in a team and I always made sure to do a good job every time. Good team quality is a must for everyone that wants to become a Chef. Helping everyone to the common cause and help others so the team does not fall behind.
Next week I talk about the kitchen hierarchy, all the ranks amongst chefs and who is calling the shots.
Enjoy your week and love life and good food. Until next time. Chef Marc
Develop a thick skin - Language in the kitchen when the mercury is rising
When I came out of school, where we were spoken to in a soft and well spoken manner, I soon realized that in a hectic kitchen when the pressure was on, words fly quickly. Especially during service hours, lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and dinner service from 5:30pm to 10:00pm. These are the times where meals ordered by the guests are cooked to order.
In the Hotel where I did my apprenticeship, we had 3 satellite kitchens attached to 3 different restaurants within the hotel. A crew of 3 to 5 chefs including apprentices would work in each kitchen. In those kitchens you may cook to order 100 to 300 meals per service. Timing and speed is of the essence. Total concentration and remembering the dockets the head chef calls out is a must. If you are too slow or give the head chef the wrong food he called out, you will get a verbal yelling in a rather less friendly way, I had to learn to develop a thick skin and don't take a yelling by the chef personally. Sometimes I felt like smacking the chef in charge but that would cost me my apprenticeship. I had a lot of respect of all the chefs in that hotel. I worked with some of the best chefs and if I got yelled at, I just say loud; "Yes Chef or No Chef". If ever one of us apprentices try to mouth back at him, we would get blandly kicked out of the kitchen or yelled at again in front of all staff but this time you would love to krawl into a hole and disappear.
Back in 1978 there was no political correctness. Some of the names we where called when the shit hits the fan where that bad, that I can not mention them here. Chefs are creative, passionate but also temperamental. It is a passionate temperament, try to reach perfection in a dish prepared and one of the chefs makes a mistake and still serving that mistake, a few swear words would fly. Just watch one of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen shows or one of his earlier shows where Gordon Ramsay was working towards the 3rd Michelin Star for his restaurant.
The kitchen I am going to do my apprenticeship was very disciplined and you had to show respect and earn respect and learn to control oneself. We call this "Character Building".
In a kitchen, no matter big or small, Teamwork is of the essence. Nothing is more important in a kitchen than working as a team. The outcome of the timing and quality of the foods cooked depends on it. I knew that I work well in a team and I always made sure to do a good job every time. Good team quality is a must for everyone that wants to become a Chef. Helping everyone to the common cause and help others so the team does not fall behind.
Next week I talk about the kitchen hierarchy, all the ranks amongst chefs and who is calling the shots.
Enjoy your week and love life and good food. Until next time. Chef Marc
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