/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.15639722]

I applied at a nice bistro, got an interview and the chef seemed to take a liking to me and invited me for a stagier for a few hours on a slow night. This caught me off guard, I'm not a complete stranger to decent restaurants and even less so to scratch cooking and classical french cooking but I'm not a culinary student and I had to ask him to actually explain a stagier to me, which he simply described as an audition. I've pretty much just been hired and trained at any kitchen I applied, or they just never contacted me after the interview; the few who weren't interested. I'm perplexed

Does anyone know what I should expect? From what I've read, which is pretty much all the resources online about staging (usually done at multiple-michelin starred restaurants by culinary students as a final assignment, making this seem even more strange as its not THAT nice of a house nor am I a student) sometimes its a several month long internship (I know its not that), sometimes they cook a meal for the chef or the entire crew from the ingredients available in the house, and sometimes its simply the opportunity to observe, whether to learn or so the applicant can simply see if they would fit in / want to work there. I'm kicking my socially anxious self in the head for not asking what to expect, all I know is he told me its an audition, and that 'you can bring your knives or use our house knives' so naturally I'm bringing my tool roll.

>pic unrelated but is the first dish I made that caused me to have the epiphany I wanted to cook for a living, nothing special at all but I'm glad I still have it
was working maintenance at a retirement home and they just threw me in the kitchen one day that cooks 3 meals from scratch from one person and I had a blast, I wish I could still work there I've never learned anything so fast in my life. Honey curry glazed chicken, classic shroom pilaf and steamed broc.
>tl;dr wtf happens at a one-day stagier

[Anonymous No.15639749]

>>15639722
it was a busy ass weekend at the kitchen im in now so I haven't had much time to but I've been studying their menu as hard as I can with flash cards. I kindof have a feeling I might just get thrown on the line and made to fend for myself. This is not made easier with the plethora of unique products this guy uses, some of which I've never even tasted. Neither does the fact that its almost a 30 item menu and thats excluding the brunch menu lol. Brunch menu is basic enough that I'm not too worried about memorizing it, im to show up right before dinner service anyways.

[Anonymous No.15639805]

>>15639722
You are looking for validation. No dice.

Go to your audition and do what you know which sounds like not much.

But you seem teachable so good luck!

[Anonymous No.15639822]

>>15639805
how am I looking for validation asking people who probably know more than me for advice

[Anonymous No.15639835]

if you get fucked and get thrown in the line while staging, you probably don't want to work there. if they ask you to prep or clean the kitchen you probably don't want to work there. a good chef will just want you to observe and maybe help mise ingredients out at the most. it's your choice to do more than that

[Anonymous No.15639861]

>>15639835
this put my mind at ease anon, thankyou. The uncertainty was keeping me awake these last few nights, had no idea what to prepare myself for mentally. I've seen chefs that went to culinary school and had atleast 5-10 years work experience afterwards just get thrown on the line day one and even they looked like headless chickens, no way I'd survive that. Good to know that's not normal, or at least not a thing you should accept.