Because I am a silly wacko, and because I know I can't possibly write everything about cooking and work all in one post, I will share this simple goofy story with you: One of the desserts we offer is plated with a squiggle of passion fruit sauce (prehaps a coulis? I am not sure. But it's on a squirt bottle and you make a zig-zag on the plate with it). The other day it ran out, and I had to refill two squirt bottles with new sauce. Since everything in the kitchen is labeled with masking tape, it was up to me as the refiller to label the new bottles. Others wrote "passion fruit" or "pas. fruit." I labeled my new bottles, "The Passion of the Fruit." It was my special kitchen homage to Mel Gibson and JC all in one.
Folks have written asking some questions about how I'm making the transition from geek to chef, and rather than reply individually, I thought I'd do a little public Q & A to share with all.
I am curious what steps you took to make the change. You're cooking in the kitchen of a good restaurant?
When I first arrived on Nantucket I met the owners of Fifty-Six Union through my aunt. Over the course of the summer, I talked with them about my interest in cooking and spent some time hostessing during August. Peter, the chef, recommended that before I head to culinary school, I spend six months working in a kitchen to see if I really wanted to do it. So I asked him if I could work in his kitchen, and he generously said yes. And yes, Fifty-Six is a good restaurant, and Peter is a graduate of the CIA.
[H]aving spent my formative years slaving away in a hot kitchen for my parents' Chinese takeaway, I can't imagine what on earth you like about it!
I like the energy of the kitchen, of being on my feet and being active. I love the way I get consumed in what I'm doing, almost lost. Last night I looked at the clock and it was 7 PM, a little while later (it seemed) I checked again and it was nearly 10! I'd just been in the moment, making salads and apps and desserts. I love the short life-cycle of a kitchen day. Unlike a software project that takes weeks to months to years (to even never!) to complete, in the kitchen the order comes in, you prepare it, and it's gone. By the end of the night, the "project" is over and the battle is won. I love the satisfaction of making something people enjoy. I made an apple tarte tatin for last night's dessert special. I plated an order and thirty minutes later, the server told me, "They loved the apple tart and were raving!" I love doing lots of things at once and figuring out the most efficient way to do it, and I love to be under pressure and make it all happen and get it right. I love sending out a perfect plate.
I just wanted to ask how you got into cooking.. did you need to take any formal training, or was it primarily on the job? did you take a pay cut?
I've always loved cooking and baking, ever since I was little. During college I always had food service jobs (made ice cream, worked in a pie shop on Cape Cod, etc.) and learned some skills there. And I've just been a passionate home cook, reading and learning as much as I could from doing and watching Iron Chef and other cooking programs. I've realized that I knew more than I thought and also that I have a long way to go. And yes, I took a pay cut. Cooks with no professional experience do not make the same salary as software engineering managers with 10 years experience.
If you have further questions, feel free to write! Obviously I have less time for posting than in the past, but I'll try. And soon too, a post about my first impressions...
One of my first tasks last night was prepping the shrimp for a dish we do called "Javanese Fried Rice." Around the kitchen though, everyone refers to it as, "Javi." I mixed the shrimp in the marinade, and then Ben told me to cover it, label it, and put it in the walk-in. With my black marker I wrote, "Java Shrimp, 9/13."
Later in the evening, as dessert orders were coming in, a ticket printed out that said:
Single scoop
!Toffee chips
Erin grabbed the toffee chips off the shelf and handed them to me to put on the scoop of vanilla ice cream. It took me more than a moment to realize that what I'd read wasn't "bang Toffee chips" (geek speak for "no toffee chips") but rather a request to add toffee chips to a dish that didn't usually come with them.
I have a lot to learn. Or maybe it's unlearn.
Exciting news! "Soups are back" at the Fog Island Cafe, or so claim the signs posted in their windows, enticing customers with an exclamation point and "thumbs-up" graphic. Ah fall on Nantucket...
