PART TWENTYNINE: THE EXECUTIVE CHEF'S RANDOM TESTS

KEEPING US ON THE BALL

Our executive chef was one of the best chefs in the country. He held the Masters degree in cooking of Switzerland. To give you an idea; the Masters degree goes for 2 years. You must hold a position as a executive sous chef or executive chef in a big and well known hotel. Only 5% of candidates will pass the final exams. Extreme hard and demanding 2 years of training and holding a full time job as well while one goes through the hard training. We could ask anything cooking related and our executive chef would have an answer without checking books first. He was a walking cooking encyclopedia to say the least. To have a trainer like him was sheer bliss for us apprentices. But he was very strict but fair. We found out that he would wonder into the main kitchen on not so busy days and surprise us with a random task. Like a mini test for him to see where we at with our training. He would keep us on the ball all the time. 

For example: The executive chef would call me or walk up to me and tell me to make a pot of fresh bouillon from scratch. He would then walk up to the next apprentice and ask him to take a chopping board and set it up on a work bench. Then he would tell that apprentice to prepare everything for a French Bouillabaisse soup. (A national French fish soup). He knew exactly on what level training we apprentices where and would not give us any tasks we did not know about. For us apprentices, the executive chef was like God. He knew everything and was everywhere. You could not fool him ever. 

We apprentices were learning very quickly, that he would get us to do test like tasks at any time of the week. No announcement, be ready for a challenge any time. Later, we realised what our executive chef wanted to teach and prepare us for.

Flexibility: to be able to do anything anytime and anywhere. No matter of time or place.

To be ready for anything: no such thing like surprises. In a kitchen anything can happen.

Be an all rounder: to be able to work anywhere in the kitchen at any time. 

Working exactly: have pride in the work and fulfil the tasks 100% all the time. No short cuts.

Mastering our skills: just like a sportsman/women; training and more training till perfection.

Ready for a challenge: there is no shortage of challenges. Making the impossible - possible. Wonders take a bit longer. 

Show passion and love: only a true chef has passion and love to the work he or her conducts.

Team player: as a chef one works always as a part of a team. 

I realised how to become a kitchen scout, ready for anything, anytime and never to be taken by surprise. Since that time, life in the kitchen became a lot easier. This would prove to be right throughout my career as a chef. 

Our executive chef tested us 2 to 3 times a month, out of the blue. We knew to be ready all the time for a new challenge. I am grateful till this day for his style of training. He made us what we are today. 

A big thank you to Mr. Norbert Fontana, Eigenössischer Küchenchef and the greatest Chef I had the pleasure to work with. I will never forget.

Next week I will talk about a in house Apprentice Chefs final test after 2 and a half years of training. Till then love life and everything with it. Cheers

PART TWENTYEIGHT: WORKING IN A LARGE BUTCHERY

ABATTOIR - NO WAY

In trade school we had to go into an abattoir. That was the shock of my life. We all walked into that abattoir somewhere in Zurich. It was a hot day and the smell was very bad. But then I had to witness how they got 2 cute goats, grabbed them, strapped them onto a wooden board and then cut the throats. The goats screamed and the blood was gashing out. I was in shock. I love animals and I am a real softy when it comes to that kind of stuff. Then we had to watch how the cows got stunned, then hanged on a hook and the cut split open. We could also hear the pics screaming in the background and by then I went outside and threw up. It was a bloody horror show. After that day I did not eat ANY meat for about 10 weeks. 

The head chef wants to send us to an abattoir to learn how to bone out meats

We where 3 apprentices in the same year of training. One day the Executive Chef calls us into his office. He informed us that we would go in turns for 3 weeks into an abattoir to learn how to bone large pieces of meats like cow shoulders and legs and the like. I just looked at him and replied that I will refuse to go to an abattoir not even for 10 minutes. He was not impressed and called me weak and I should harden up. Luckily the other two apprentices, one a girl, also joined me and refused also. The Executive Chef was not impressed to say the least. He made already arrangements with an abattoir to take us on one by one for boning training. I said bluntly into his face that if I wanted to become a slaughterer I would made a apprenticeship in an abattoir and not in a hotel kitchen. 

The Executive Chef send us all back to work and he would not talk to us for the rest of the day.

The next day I was working in one of the satellite kitchens. The executive chef supervised the service session for lunch. We did on a average between 100 to 150 lunches. After service, we apprentices had to go to the executive chef's office. He informed us that we would go to a large butchery to get some training on boning meat. We would go for a 4 week training one by one on how to bone out different parts of the animal carcass. Our small rebellion paid off.

Blood thirsty butchers build like giants

The day arrived for me to go and get my training in boning with a large butchery firm in Zurich. Time to start working was 5am. I met the boss and he assigned me with one of the butchers to get started on some serious boning training. We walked into a large walk in cool room where all the carcasses where hanging of hooks. The butcher grabs the first one and throws the whole carcass over his shoulder. Mind you the weight of one of those carcasses would easily be between 70 to 90 kilogrammes. The butcher was build like a gladiator and he was tall. He threw the carcass on a working bench. took a large boning knife and in seconds, he cut the carcass into smaller size pieces. He then placed a shoulder in front of me, showed me how to bone a shoulder step by step. After he finished to bone the whole shoulder he told me that I am going to bone shoulders for the next 2 days. So my boning training began. First it took me nearly one hour to bone a shoulder but with every new shoulder, I became faster and better at it. 

About 7 in the morning, one butcher called me over and there where 2 other butchers waiting with him. They then got a glass with fresh blood and offered me to drink it. I refused of course, I thought they are playing a prank on me. How wrong I was when I watched the butchers drink a glass of blood each in front of me. My eyes nearly popped out, I could not believe what I saw. They did this blood drinking ritual every day, believe it or not. They told me that drinking blood was good, giving power and good for the muscles. I must say, they where all build like a brick shit house. Big scary individuals to say the least. I thought to myself that those blokes where a bit strange. Now I know, drinking animal blood or any blood can be dangerous and cause serious brain damage. 

Breakfast break was about 7.30 in the morning. We all went to the staff canteen and breakfast was boiled sausages, bread, butter and coffee. I did not mind that, I was hungry by the time breakfast was served. 

During my time in that large butchery I learnt to bone whole carcasses. It was hard work but paid off. Sometimes we had to bone lamb legs whole, meaning not to damage the outside of the leg while boning out the centre bone. I had to bone countless chickens, turkeys and quails. The quails where the hardest to bone out. The small size and the tenderness of the meat was a challenge. We had to bone them whole so that the meat was left at the end in one piece. Delicate work and the knife skills put to the test. 

I enjoyed the time at the butchers, the working time was 8 and a half hours every day and early knock off times and every weekend off. I appreciated the training and I had a huge advantage knowing that skill. A lot of apprentices I went to trade school with, had no idea about boning. It was a requirement at the final exams and we will be tested on our boning skills.

Next week I talk about how our executive chef would give us random tasks to see how well we could fulfil those challenges. Until then, enjoy life and fine foods.