PART EIGHTEEN: UP AND ABOUT BEFORE THE ROOSTERS WAKE UP

5 am Breakfast begins

Getting up early, a disaster for a night owl

I am a night owl,  Getting up early was never my strength. The sound of the alarm clock in the morning was and still is no music to my ears. But, I wanted to become a Chef, I knew that one has to work early or late and sometimes early shift than late shift within the same week. But I was an apprentice, so I had the same shift for a week or two, sometimes longer. In that regard I was lucky. So my time began when I had to work alongside with the breakfast Chef. Back in those days, the breakfast Chef would be a apprentice in the second year working unsupervised having a good basic understanding. My day began at 3 am, a real dilemma for a night owl. 

Setting up for breakfast - ready to go at 5 am

I had to be at work at 4 am to set up the buffet and turn on the stove, deep fryer plus the oven. The restaurant opened at 5 am and the first guest would arrive for breakfast shortly there after. The breakfast buffet had all the cold items and we in the satellite kitchen would cook all the breakfasts to order. That was the norm in that hotel. As a guest you would help yourself to cereals and milk, fruit juices, croissants and rolls, butter, home made jams and marmalade's, fresh fruits, smoked fish and continental meats, muesli and yoghurt's. Then you as a guest could order a warm cooked breakfast like fried eggs and bacon, hash browns, sausages, cooked mushrooms, baked tomatoes, baked beans and the like. The guest had 2 options, a continental breakfast off the buffet or a full a la carte breakfast from the buffet and a cooked breakfast included. 

Guests could also have breakfast in the room. They would place an order the day before and we would cook the breakfast in the morning to the specified time the guest wanted his or her breakfast. A waiter or waitress would then bring the breakfast with coffee or tea to the room on a room service trolley. (like you see in the movies)

Breakfast is a important task for a Chef. With a fine breakfast you give the guest a perfect start for the day. Breakfast is also the most important meal for the day. Therefore breakfast had to be perfect. 

The hotel where I did my apprenticeship was near the International Airport Zurich, the gateway to the World. The Banking capital of Switzerland was less than 10 kilometres away from us. The guests staying in our hotel where business people, bankers and many diplomates from around the World. We had actors, singers, plus celebrities from around the World staying in our hotel. Everything we cooked had to be first class and the best there is. We had many well known International Hotels in the region like Hilton, Sheraton, Grand Hotel Dolder Zurich (under the top 10 hotels in the World), plus many more. The competition was huge. 

One Day as a breakfast chef in a big hotel

Getting up in the morning was the worst part, knowing the roosters where still a sleep. 

4 am, turning all cooking appliances on, getting the breakfast buffet ready, getting all items for the cooked breakfast ready in the kitchen. 

5 am to 10:30 am, cooking breakfast orders, replenish anything on the buffet, and finally packing everything away before lunch service would start.

11 am, going for a lunch break. 

11:30 am back in the production or main kitchen and getting everything ready for next day breakfast.

11:35 to 3:00 pm preparing all platters for the breakfast buffet like fruit platters, continental meats, smoked fish, grapefruit halves garnished with red cherries, bowls with muesli, joghurt's, all the jam's, marmelade's and honey, butter- and margarine portions, bread baskets for the freshly baked croissants and rolls in the morning. Preparing all the items for the cooked breakfasts like cutting bacon, unpacking and portion breakfast sausages, trays of eggs for fried eggs, mixed eggs with seasoning for scrambled eggs, tomato halves, mushrooms, baked beans, rolled oats for porridge, chopped parsley and parsley bunches washed for garnishing, finely cut chives, small breakfast steaks. 

Everything was well wrapped with cling wrap and placed on a trolley. The trolley with the preparation was put into a walk in cool room for the next morning. 

Next week I talk to you about my experience in the cold larder as a chef apprentice. Have a fantastic week, enjoy life and great food.