User blog:MPKnaub92/Home from Work: My Two Cents

A little bit ago, I just got home from work, and here's my scoop on it:

As soon as I stepped foot into the restaurant and after a nice little tour, I got jumped into the fire. No. Seriously. No pun intended. We had a party of over 100 reservations and only five other chefs (including me). These guys were so experienced and fast they were moving as fast as Sylph hyped up on adrenaline. I said to myself no way am I moving that fast yet. Safety first! And man it was unbelieveably hot in there. I mean it. Five minutes after standing in front of the grill serving up some steaks and deep frying some Calamari, it was like living inside Salamander's belly. My face was completely drenched in sweat. I think it's due time for a buzz cut. The important thing is the staff there is extremely friendly, helpful and funny. I had to grill five steaks, each with a different temperature: Rare, Medium Rare, Medium, Medium Well, and Well Done. I was sitting there with my head spinning, "Ohhh man you have to be kidding me." It's very difficult to keep the proper temperatures on your steaks, but then Junior jumped behind the grill and FLAWLESSLY helped me grill the steaks to the desired doneness without poking it or taking its temperature. The man is like a walking human thermometer; but I'm sure he's had years and years of training. I envy him. =P  Though they all have a second language except me. Ah well, that's easy to understand when I'm being talked to; anyone else they just start talking Spanish. They're accent is so damn thick with the loud ventilation system it's very difficult to understand them at times. I kept getting asked for the container of "TREENT". And I look at him like he had three heads. Suddenly, I follow his pointed finger staring at the box of SHRIMP. I'm sure I'll get used to the accents soon enough. And here's a fun fact. Did you guys know an oven can also be used as a CHAIR? Yep. A Chair. The head chef  saw my legs wobbling with exhaustion and he says: "Man, you look exhausted. Have a seat." *He pulls a turned off oven door down and throws a folded heat-resistant cloth on the inside of the oven door. At first I looked at him like he was crazy. I told him: "Uhh, I don't want to break it." And he laughed and said "Once you're 60 years old like me you'll have to worry about that, but for now you're young, your strong and your smart. Have a seat and relax." And who knew your common cooking oil can be sprayed from a bottle! So after the party ended around 2:30 - 3:00, we had some time to relax, catch our breath and prepare the dinner shift. I was told it was ONLY 15 people reservations. And just when you think you're finished, ready to remove that last dinner ticket, three more pop up in it's place. Ugh. I swear that happened at least five times. My advice working in a restaurant: Don't think about your sore, aching feet, and don't think about the last ticket; just keep sending and serving them out and you'll get out of there as quick as a flash. The kitchen is relatively small, but everything is neatly organized and literally arms reach away. Here's my highlight of the night:

Head Chef: You a wine drinker?

Me: ''Huh? Yeah, sure.''

Head Chef: ''*Stealthily looks around and pops out a bottle of red Cabernet Sauvignon wine; pours half a glass under the shelf in the work table.* Don't let the boss catch you. Only drink when he leaves the kitchen! And it's good for your heart.''

This man is so nice and awesome and encourages me to ask questions. He told me that in a few months if I keep plugging away at it, I'll be able to memorize and serve the entire menu based on my station! That's true; I didn't expect to learn every single frickin' item on the menu today. I just took it slow, relaxed, and enjoyed learning the ropes. He also told me never to be scared or nervous and to remain calm. This restaurant is very busy, but the service and chefs are exceptionally wonderful.' Sorry Ilias, no swiss cheese in this kitchen! It's an Italian joint, so the only cheeses we use are freshly grated Parmesan and Mozerella.' Today being my first day it was not rough or intimidating, but very tiring and sore. I'll be sure to type up a Microsoft Word document based on everything that I learned before my next shift and say "Ohhhh yeah! THAT'S how I did it!" And I put up one hell of a fight. My feet fell like they were about to collapse, my body drenched in sweat, and my muscles cramping up from all the movement; but I came out high and proud and possibly with a big nice chunk o' change in my pocket. Mina and Alma Elma and the four little ones were especially happy to see daddy home from work and just soothed his troubles away. I am proud and honored to call this restaurant my second home. My next shift is same time tomorrow at 11:00 AM, but hopefully it won't be as crazy as last night. It's only going to be me and another chef or two. At least that's as much as I can remember. I will keep you guys updated on how I am doing in the future as well as my future culinary projects. As of right now, I am just glad to be back home with my loved ones and monster waifu's, ready to relax and rest my eyes and get some sleep. Good night all!

--Chef Arakon