/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>11152340
chef de cuisine at the louvre mcdonald's

>>11152347
Fast food doesn't count. I'm talking about at actual restaurants

/prepcook/ early shift masterrace reporting in

>>11152340
Used to work at a place with 4-5 stations that did ~800 covers a night. Now work at a mom and pop start-up with 80 seats, one other cook who's never cooked before we opened, and the chef/owner trying to be off the line as much as possible. I drink a lot of cheap vodka because I don't get paid enough for bourbon.

>>11152340
Did 9 years as a line cook, one as line manager for a marche. Started in an Irish pub, ended in a Sonoran place. What exactly do you want to know? It's hot, grimy, messy, exhausting, stressful work and I miss it sometimes. Kitchens are a weird menagerie of people; you'll have an ex-Nazi dishwasher, a bleeding heart liberal cook co-worker with a disabled kid who's started two nonprofits, and the most libertarian hillbilly you've ever met. They all work together. They all get along. There's beers, curses, jokes, and food, and it all somehow works. No, I don't agree with some of my co-workers about their personal lives. And they mine. But we all somehow manage to feed 200+ people a night and not kill each other (though we may kill FOH any given night). We're comrades in the strictest sense of the word, and it's a good feeling, even if you can't wait to leave all that shit behind every night and have a shower and something from the microwave because fuck actually cooking at 1am; beer and sleep are more important.

Real non-meme question but literally why the fuck do people bother going to culinary school? I live in a university town and the culinary program is the most expensive one, and once they grad they just get shitty $13/hr jobs and will never pay off their loan. And literally all of them are some sort of degenerate.

>>11152379
Prep seems so much easier yet also stressful than the line.

>>11152401
This; culinary school is worthless for actual skill acquisition. It has one purpose: to make connections, and that's a crapshoot at best. Your best bet is always to start bottom-rung and do dish, then prep, then hope for your shot. At the very least you didn't lose any money in the process, and 9/10 chefs/managers/owners want experience over credentials unless those credentials involve sucking Gordon Ramsay's dick.

>>11152347
>Tfw louvre actually does have mcdonald in the food court, and it's the most popular one among others because it's cheap

>>11152401
I started as a server and decided i was done with people and asked to be trained on the line. Thats it. Now I can do saute, grill, you name it. No formal education required.
Paying for a scam culinary program is a joke

>>11152401
just work in kitchens during your summers while getting a real BA/BS.

Also specify if you're white. Being a white guy in the kitchen is the rare exception, not the rule

>>11152426
>connections
that's what the restaurant association is for.

>>11152520
>and that's a crapshoot at best
Read the whole post.

>>11152468
In the flyovers it isnt too rare, in NYC though, they are non existant. Ive never seen a long term white cook here. 70% mexicans, 20% other latinos and 10% africans

hipster burger and fries its ok

>>11152340
A local upscale Thai restaurant/lounge. Great fun, blasting music all day and cooking curry/manning the wok. 6 years as a cook

>>11152426
All of my coworkers laugh at people who come fresh from culinary school and make fun of them

>>11153165
this. white ppl will mow your yard if browns aren't around to do it for 4 dollars an hour.

>>11152426
I work at a pretty upscale place in DC upgrading from Chipotle to Cheesecake Factory to where I now currently work without ever going to culinary school while someone from my high school that I knew who did go to Culinary School is drowning in debt working at a Popeyes and trying to blow up as an instagram makeup artist.

Working in the kitchen is the ultimate blackpill because it teaches you it’s really just about knowing the right people

>>11153749
Working chain restaurants is the only way to get the real experience

I work at a hospital actually, it is fairly enjoyable though it gets very boring as we aren't allowed to listen to music. However it is pretty satisfying serving to people who are going through tough times, and the pay is really good.

reporting in before my 13 hour shift

>>11152340
I always dreamt of being a chef, and in high school basically cooked through most of Keller's stuff. and as a teen for my birthday I would beg my parents for books like Modernist Cuisine, and to take weekend courses at the local culinary institute.

But every time I said I wanted to be a chef, people would scoff and say it would be the worst fucking decision of my life, I'd end up drug addicted and broke like most of them, and it's hard, relentless soul-killing work, blah blah.

So I never did take an apprenticeship after high school because of all these damn chefs and cooks telling me this. It wasn't just one or two but all of them. So I remained a NEET for like 5-6 years, doing nothing with life, lost wondering about the future but eventually got a job as a jr sysadmin, which I hate.

On the weekends I still cook, I'm back to basics currently in an Alice Waters/Judy Rodgers phase; But aside from these little moments life has no enjoyment for me.

>>11154291
It really is a shitty job anon. I wouldn't wish this garbage on anybody else.

>>11152400
>We're comrades in the strictest sense of the word

wagecucks actually believe this. nigga u fell for the ruse.

>>11154291
Anon cooking is not to have a good life and i'm not the first to tell you that. I was in a similar scenario as you, dropped out of high school and spent 2-3 years of my life working labour jobs and hating myself. I worked for some of the worst bosses i had ever meet, layed turf, dug holes all day, lugged around cement all day and each day i went home and said to myself this is shit so sooner or later i quit.

I became depressed for 5 months and then soon i was thrown a job at a fish and chip shop. I was told to do the prep, make the batter, stock the fridges, take care of the fries and so on. I spent the happiest days of my life their making batter, cutting tomatoes, chiffonading lettuce and so on. i'm now a apprentice in a Chinese restaurant and these are still the happiest days of my life. Its not a fabulous life and nor is it a clean life but its an enjoyable one and remember not everyone is destine for a good life.

Server here. You guys can't ever make my table's food right, and take FOREVER. No wonder I make 3x what you make.

>>11154875
Yeah alright have fun normie.

>>11154875
ive never met a line cook that wasnt a high school drop out, they probably cant even read well enough to see whats on the ticket

>>11152401
>but literally why the fuck do people bother going to culinary school
most cooks are fucking retarded and taking money from retarded people is very easy. why do you think they pick a job that doesnt pay a decent wage instead of going into STEM like a non dipshit?

I'm the sous at a country club. It's a good gig when All your pieces are in place. But unfortaintly with the pay rate I'm allowed to give.my employees it's hard to keep them.motivated and around. Been fighting for hire wages for them for a while now.

>>11154875
Country club sous here....you wish

A fast food thread died for this.

>>11152340
Used to be the main cook when I had to when my dad was in the hospital. Worst time of my life. Worked 12 hour days 6 days a week. Really though... it reminded me of playing starcraft.

>>11154291
You didn’t have the balls in the first place

>>11154875
Ok too bad you beg for staff meal you vulture

>>11152340
Does anybody else here have the problem of rampant work banter spilling over into their daily lives? I told some fellow he was full of shit at a bar last night and we almost came to blows. Meanwhile it’s coming left right and center where I work and everybodies fine.

>>11155699
Shoulda smacked that Turkey he was full of shit

>>11154875
>3x as much
Complete bullshit. I make a very good hourly as a line cook at my restaurant.

And the kinds of servers who say that shit are always the worst ones who can't ring in an order right and then whine to the cooks the fix it on the fly.

>>11154922
Almost all are from Mexico or South America.
I'm the only white guy in my kitchen.

I just want to be a server, guys. We have a massive 6''3 black transsexual server with an ugly surgically modified face, huge fake boobs, and a huge fake ass. Dumb as rocks, angriest person that I know, and everyone at work hates her. I've seen her go off on guys that reject her. outside of work I've seen her get into physical fights. It's hilarious how her voice reverts back to a deep man voice whenever she gets aggressive. It's like watching a parody cartoon character or something. It's a miracle that she still has a job with us, because she's terrible at it, fucks up tickets every day, and she's received multiple warnings from our FOH manager for being a bitch. But she(male) still makes at least 2x more money than I do. I know I can do the job better, but it would take time to warm up to it since I'm pretty autismo around people that I don't know. I'm also kinda scared to work beside her, without having the line as my barricade. She's an absolute fucking unit and, if I were to make one wrong move, would drop me easily.

>does (s)he still have a penis?
I have no idea. It would be easy to find out because she's in love with me. But I really don't want to find out.

>>11156157
the boss is probably scared of being sued for "discrimination" if he fires her/him. I do not envy you.

>>11155364
Senpai ofc you make more than country club servers. They don't make tip, and country clubs make premium and can afford to pay their staff solid hourly wages.

>>11156029
3x as much SOME days, but in general 2x as much/hr is a safe bet. Plus the latest I stay is closing time, with 50% of days I leave soon after the dinner rush. But I will admit I have mostly worked with shit mexicans and college dropouts. Out of all the cooks I've worked with, maybe 10% I would deem adequate.

>>11156157
>her

fuck off with this shit already

>>11156157
by calling him a her you are just feeding their mental illness.

14 years boh experience, a decade in fairly high end (mostly 2 star and a couple michelin spots) kitchens in manhattan

i have to go to a podiatrist to get calluses thicker than a nickel cut off my feet once a month

it's hard to stay motivated to keep fit and not eat total dogshit like i did as a linecook, but it helps quality of life a lot. 5-6 years of powers whiskey mcdobalds and shin ramen is more than enough. and it's easy seeming super jacked because most cooks are skinny goblins or great big fat people (i hate fat cooks on sight)

sometimes the financials are disheartening, but that's what i get for dropping out of college and pursuing a career because i liked doing it and assuming id never be 30 and tired and would want to worry less about money. but it's not terrible. i live in manhattan and and im not racking my change jar every month anymore.

being a line cook was an awful blast. i was terrified all the time and with my best friends helping open a restaurant and getting screamed at constantly, or going down in flames, almost always hungover (which held my/our careers back kinda signficantly) making cool solid food that wasnt all gay, just sorta early 20s shit that's probably pretty universal but feels really special to you. learning a lot, being a dick, waking up naked in the east river

>>11152340
CDP in a 1* restaurant
Bloody good fun, phenomenal food (super stripped back French food with elements of Mediterranean and other continental food)
It's a really down to earth little place; we do everything from basics, and with no fuss or pretension. Today we had 70 covers at lunch, and the same for dinner; which is double the usual for a monday. We had 6 of us including the chef, and somehow smashed it all out, although a few wills to live were depleted seriously.
Some of the dishes on at the moment are really, really cool
Risotto nero - squid ink risotto cooked with hella bisque and garnished with prawns, chilli oil, and parsley
Deep fried calves brain, with sauce gribiche, an endive/mustard salad, and crisp parsley
and the signature dish is pretty neat but a little dated - foie gras/chix liver parfait with a muscat jelly and toasted brioche
good stuff, but completely different from the last place I was at (a nutty 2* joint)

>>11154875
Yeah but you’re a server

>hurr durr i make more than you by prostituting myself

>>11157215
>Six chefs
>Struggling to do 70
Unless your service goes for all of an hour then I don't see how this is happening, are four or you apprentices?

>>11159040
We are cooking to a serious fine dining level; there is one guy on hot starts, one garde mange, one on sauce and meat/fish, one on veg and garnishes, one on the pass, and one pastry. Each element (there are quite a fucking few) of every dish needs to be bang fucking on, and veg was back on quite a bit of mise. To top it off, all the covers came in between 7 and 930, including a table of 13

>>11159318
Not the best not the worst. I've seen harder why was veg backed on mise. Seems like someone missed something during prep

>>11152354
Don't be fucking racist, shitlord

>>11159318
I work fine dining at one of the top restaurants in Australia and I still don't think 6 people should struggle with 70 covers.
yell at your veg chef more

>>11159318
You're Just a Shit Cook m8

>>11152340
I do functions, its the best.

30 hours a week, make enough to comfortably live on. Do all the random functions that the 7 - 2 regular guys don't want to.

Generally start at 12pm or as late as 3, work till 7.30 or sometimes as late as 10. Some shifts are like 3 hours and cruisy af - get to read my book.
Some shifts I have to haul ass all the way to service, but its generally not too stressful.

Mostly do canapes, the odd banquet, buffet and sometimes tdh although they usually get more chefs on for that. Usually its just me on my own with the front of house staff which is very nice. Go in, make food for anywhere between 16 and 150 people, go home. Generally something different ever shift which is nice too.

This week I worked 4.5 hours monday, then have tuesday wednesday off, then work thurs, fri, sat.