The way I was brought up or trained so to speak in restaurants was in a very “classique cuisine” setting. I wouldn't trade it for the world and never have nor will take it for granted. Especially now seeing the green pea shoots that they are churning out if culinary establishments. From the start of French cuisine and a big help from Escoffiers brigade system, this is how in principle all kitchens still function and work to this day. It has so many positives, The structure, the appearance, Its power to have or rather produce a respect and pride in what you do and whom you do it with. The foundations and philosophies of the brigades system are, I find the pinnacle to communication, respect, and in essence curates a team spirit effort while one works in kitchens. Even with all these pros there is the fact that it is an old school system and with the change in social culture.. even kitchen culture it may be time to look at revising it a bit. For example not all restaurants have their own pastry chefs anymore, or the person plating your appetizer is also responsible for your dessert plating during a dinner service.
This has become quite a norm, and that leaves to question what are the more sought after positions on that hierarchy ladder? I find it has broken down the communication, and certain respect for these now open ended positions and no one is taking full responsibility when something goes awry. This also has led to a lot of these younger generation cooks moving up the ladder way quicker then I have ever witnessed in this past decade alone. That and the knowledge of shortage of cooks at high end restaurants concerns me.. because how good or consistent is the food actually when the sous-chef is just two years out of culinary school. They run up the ladder with no proper training and don't have a solid foundation nor structure in what they cook, how they cook it.. or even what they like to cook having no repertoire of their own. Now I'm not saying that sous is not talented, but I'm not concerned about talent I'm concerned about the knowledge that this person carries around with him or herself in the knife bag. In full honesty these new kids on the block have it a lot lot better then I did or the generations before us. It is way easier to find employment at restaurants of high caliber then it ever used to be, back in the day you had to fight to get even a good placement to stage or train if you had the privilege of attending a culinary school. Now you can just sign up by email. I would love to hear a story of a millennial that went to Hyde Park with daddies money and knock on a back door of a michelin starred restaurant for a week straight just to get some face time.
I’ll Wait.
If you’re out there... I owe you a glass of wine and please send me you resumé.
Yes, I will admit the classic setting of a kitchen is harsh and the systems that are so stone solid do come with a heavy dark cloud. There are chefs out there that have exploited the system mostly stemming from their own ego and even lack of confidence. These places can be very hard to work at even if you are just planning to be there for a short while to bump up your resume.. I understand. The old school ways of the kitchen are in so many ways even with all the good that comes from it, a very damaged, beat up arrangement. There is a lot of “head down” no one can say a word. You're a number on the wall, manipulation, overworking, The ‘who ever can get ahead of the other’ backstabbing. Yes competition is good, and yes absolutely 'keep your head down' for a couple years first to learn and find respect for what you do... or as I'd like to say "pay your dues!"... but not when it is unhealthy to the establishment or even its employees. This often makes the individuals in these work environments become prone to find the nearest bottle or pill they can get their hands on just to make the long hours bearable, let alone the demeaning yells. Life for quite some time in kitchens the last three decade or so have not been all to healthy. It has led to a lot of unspoken mental illness in the industry that we have been almost trained to not acknowledge.
Problems as such have had and will keep having a huge toll on the industry and we need to have a conversation about this. Some very strong people have come to the forefront such as Kat Kinsman, Daniel Patterson, even Anthony Bourdain and it heartens me that they have opened up and started a real dialogue on the subject. For some, myself included just getting the basic health care for us is often financially impossible. I still scrape up the random cents to go to therapy at least once a month, I have no shame in telling you, that yes I go to a shrink. Yes I was also very embarrassed about it at first never having told anyone that I go, but in more ways than one I have realized it has helped me immensely. Weakness in any form for the longest time in this industry has been very unpopular. I believe that this stems directly from the old fashioned ways that the kitchens have been run.
Yet the complaining and whining that tarnishes even the good part of this old system need to stop, If you can not bring a solution to the table even in the smallest of ways then please reconsider being such a strong opponent to this system that has done a lot of good, even for you that young cook complaining about it as you manicure your drink after service at the nearest hole in the wall adjacent to your job. If it wasn't for this system and these amazing chefs that came before you, that are at large responsible to paving the way...for you to call this a respectable career choice. Think about that and find some respect for it before you bash it harder then a veal schnitzel. We need to come together and hear each other out, respecting what other individuals have as opinions and thoughts on this matter. I too believe that there should be better pay and even benefits, maybe even all around better working environments. There are a few establishments out there the do this well but all in all, its rare. So lets be kind to one another especially starting in the kitchens, ask your colleagues from time to time on how they are doing.. theres no shame in that. There are more of you ‘crazies’ out there then you can imagine as we all know the kitchen is on of the last places in todays society where this ‘misfit’ culture is still embraced. That is one thing I pray doesn't get lost..the creativity and the wild characters that this profession procures. So don't denounce and shy away from the subject. Learn and educate yourself in this field and be open to speak about it even if it is difficult.
Lets Help Each Other, Unite, Lets Care.