PART SIX: MY BEGINNINGS AS A CHEF APPRENTICE IN A FINE HOTEL KITCHEN

The Main Kitchen - the center hub of food distributions  throughout the Hotel

A quick introduction of the makings of the Hotel catering services

Every Hotel has a number of kitchens. Here is a breakdown of the kitchens for you.

1. Main Kitchen- all deliveries for the catering is brought into the main kitchen. We had a loading bay right next to the main kitchen where everything from linen to equipment and all food items were delivered. 
2. Satellite Kitchens - Most big Hotels have one to five restaurants attached to the hotel where the hotel guests have a choice to eat at the Hotel without going out. All the restaurants have a separate kitchen, like a short order kitchen where meals are cooked to order.
3. Function Kitchen - Some larger Hotels have large function room facilities for fairs, large meetings and business seminars, weddings to funerals and everything in between. The seating capacity can range from 20 people too 3000 people. In the Function Kitchen everything for the event is prepared and served from that kitchen.
4. Room Service Kitchen - in a lot of hotels you can have room service 24 hours a day or less. All meals for Room Service will come either from the main kitchen or one of the satellite kitchens of the Hotel.
5. Staff kitchen (Canteen) - All the staff working at the Hotel can range from 50 to 500 staff. A working shift is normally 8 hours but generally can be as long to 12 hours a day. Staff can go to the Canteen and eat something on their break.

The Kitchens are divided into sections. Mainly the Main Kitchens, Satellite -, and Function Kitchens have different sections. The reason for that is; the type of foods prepared.

Pastry section - preparation of all sweets and breads

Hot Section - preparation of all cooked base sauces, rice, pasta, soups for the satellite and function kitchens

Cold section or larder section - where all salad dressings, pre made mixed salads, terrines, pates, mayonnaise and all cold food based meals are prepared.

Fish and Seafood Section - As the name states, the coldest part of the main kitchen where you clean and filet fish and clean, cut different seafoods.

Butcher or Meat Section - Here all the meats are trimmed, boned, cut and portioned for all the satellite kitchens and function kitchens.

Fruit and Vegetable Section - peeling and cleaning all vegetables and leafy salads and the preparation of fruits for fruit salad or for any other sweets the pastry section needs.

Dishwashing Section - this was an exclusive area for cleaning all pots and pans and all kitchen related items and utensils. A storage area for the washed equipment is part of that section. Absolutely no food prep is taking place in that section. Also a storage area for all cleaning and sanitising chemicals.

My first few weeks working and learning in the Main Kitchen

My life changed overnight when I began my Chef's apprenticeship. First, I was on my feet all day long. My feet were aching for the first few days. Especially, standing on the one spot for hours sometimes, peeling 100 kg of carrots or peal 3 bags of onions, garlic and the like. For the first month I was working in the vegetable section. Also part of my job was; to stack all the new vegetables and fruits delivered into the walk in cool room. I was shown to rotate everything. Old in the front, new into the back.

The Main Kitchen I worked in was the center for anything related to foods. The total area of the Main Kitchen would be the same of a 2 bedroom house. You come in to the main door, a wide door with plastic flaps stopping insects coming into the kitchen and to stop the heat or cold and dust to come into the kitchen. 
First on your right was the Executive Chefs office. That is where I reported into work and where I had to report out going home directly to the Executive Chef.

Going passed Chef's office, there was a dividing wall. On the left was the Pastry section. A fully equipped bakers and pastry kitchen with stand mixers, dough rollers to refrigeration and freezers. Ice cream makers and a lot more including a stove and two big ovens.

On the right of the dividing wall was the Hot section with all the bulk boilers, benches, stoves and ovens and fryers.

As you continue walking further into the kitchen, you come to the cooler part of the Main Kitchen. To the left is the larder section with all equipment and benches for the preparation of all cold foods and entrees and cocktail party foods. On the right in the middle was the meat section where all the meats where prepared and portioned including vacuum packed and dated. 

Next to the meat section was the vegetable section with two big sinks and preparation area. Next to the vegetable section was the fish and seafood section with 2 large sinks, ice machine and preparation area.

Every section of the Main Kitchen had their own walk in cool room.

Part of the Main Kitchen is the dry goods storage area where all flours, rice, pasta, dried fruits and everything that is not refrigerated, is kept. 
There is a big walk in freezer constantly on minus 18 degrees celsius, located behind the walk in cool rooms. You can only access the freezer through a door located in the meat cool room. 
In all my working life as a Chef going over 30 years, this kitchen I made my apprenticeship was the best designed and equipped kitchen I ever worked in all my career. apart from maybe 2 or 3 other kitchens. 
Below are a couple of photographs from my place of apprenticeship. The Holiday Inn and Moevenpick, Zurich - International Airport about in 1980. Plus a Logo of the company attached to Holiday Inn in Switzerland, called Movenpick. 

Next week I will talk about the company Movenpick. Many people know Movenpick from the Ice Creams they make and still make today. This company was attached to our Hotel Holiday Inn. Until then, enjoy and love life.