And, of course, since you haven’t gotten back to him, not even to let him know that you received his messages, there is a good chance that Rogelio has called up Chef in hysterics. And if he has called Chef, there is a good chance Chef will be coming in early. In fact, there’s even a chance he’s already there.
This is really bad, you think.
Your throat tightens as the cab draws nigh unto the restaurant’s back entrance.
The kitchen is the worst on Saturday morning. It’s packed with people, and the impending brunch rush has everyone buzzing around flustered. Prep cooks rig up mise en place, back waiters kit up jams and jellies, servers roll up silverware sets. Crumbs have begun to collect on the floor; dishes have begun to collect in the sink. Every surface is covered with something. And the smells—of vinegared water and broken eggs and scorched fat—are ever present and overwhelming. And the noise—an incessant babel of pots and pans and plates and stainless—is only amplified by the droning flurry of the intake hoods. It’s a veritable imbroglio. And service hasn’t even started yet.
You round a corner to find that Chef has indeed arrived early. He stands stern at the pass folding a stack of side-towels. He has his back to you, but something in his posture says he knows you’re here. Yet when you slip past him en route to the office, he merely leers at you out of the very corner of his eye, as if he barely wishes to acknowledge your presence. He looks livid.
Your limbs are stiff as you twist the chef’s outfit around you once again. The cotton of the coat is cold on your skin; the wood of the clogs is inflexible on your feet. It’s slow going today, and it’s not going to get any easier.
It’s nearing ten o’clock. The doors will be opening any minute now. Guests are probably already queuing up outside. You seize a Pedialyte from the minifridge, grab some gear—a knife, a spatula, a few spoons, a side-towel or two—and head into the thicket.
Before getting started, you must first interface with Rogelio. You find him in the back prep area slicing up day-old brioche for the pain perdu.
“Ay, Chef! I no see you coming!” he exclaims with an embarrassed grin. “I get scare and call Jefe Vryon,” he says. “Sorry, no?”
“No, no,” you say, extending your hand for the shake. “It’s me that messed up. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“Ah, is okay, Chef,” he says. “I think we gonna be okay now. We work together.”
“Good,” you say. “How we looking on the line?”
“Come,” he says. “I show you. I think we ready.”
Out on the line, it appears you actually are almost there. Despite your absence, Rogelio has succeeded in getting nearly everything together. He’s even managed to arrange it exactly as you would. All that remains to be done is the brown butter hollandaise, for which the ingredients have already been assembled. You slap a sauteuse down on the flat-top and get ready to make the sauce.
Just then, your section’s printer begins to make noise, as though your presence on the line were the cause. A ticket begins to emerge. You look to the pass. The printer there begins to activate as well. That mechanical buzzing sound fills the kitchen again.
They’re not wasting any time out front, you think.
You lock eyes with Chef. He raises an eyebrow, glowers all the way into you.
“Sorry I’m late, Chef,” you say, sheepishly. “It won’t happen again.”
He plucks the ticket from the printer. You tilt your head and wait for the call.
“Order fire,” he says. “Four-top: two duck eggs, one eggs lamb, one pain perdu.”
“Oui, Chef,” you say.
Pans hammer down. Fat splashes into them.
You slug your Pedialyte and force back the nausea.
Hopefully Stefan will be here to jump in for you soon. Today it’s your turn to hide out rolling pasta.
The printers begin buzzing again.
Another order spits out. And another, impatiently, behind it.
All you can do is put your head down and cook.
This sucks, you think. Fuck brunch.
But you do do it well when you do it.
SELECTED KITCHEN TERMINOLOGY
à la carte (of a menu or restaurant) listing or serving food that can be ordered as separate items, rather than part of a set meal; (of food) available on such a menu as separately priced items, not as part of a set meal
à la minute (of food) made to order; (of the cooking process) at the last minute
à sec (of liquid) heavily reduced to a syrupy consistency
accoutrements additional items served alongside the central component of a dish
acid a seasoning agent used to accentuate flavor, esp. citrus juice or vinegar
agnolotti a kind of ravioli typical of the Piedmont region of Italy, made with small pieces of flattened pasta dough, folded over any variety of fillings
aioli mayonnaise flavored with garlic
all day (of a particular food item) the total quantity that has been ordered by patrons or that remains to be prepared
amuse-bouche a bite-size hors d’oeuvre of the chef’s choosing given to a patron at the top of a meal, free of charge, in order to give the guest a glimpse of what is to come
argan oil a nutty, aromatic culinary oil expressed from the seeds of the argan tree, native to southwestern Morocco, used for cooking, seasoning, dressing, and finishing
aromatics those ingredients that impart lively flavor or fragrance outside the normal range of lingual taste (which is limited to the flavors sweet, sour, salt, bitter, umami), chiefly alliums (e.g. garlic, onion, leek), hard-stemmed herbs (e.g. thyme, rosemary, bay), and spices (e.g. coriander seed, cinnamon bark, cardamom pod)
arroser to baste a given food product (usually with melted fat and aromatics) during stovetop cooking in order to accelerate the cooking process and/or enhance flavor
atelier a workshop or studio, esp. one used by an artist or designer
back waiter an FOH staff member who delivers food from the kitchen to the dining room, clears plates between courses, fills water glasses, and assists the chef de rang
bain-marie a container holding hot water into which a pan is placed for slow cooking or keeping warm; a double boiler (owing to the vessel’s cylindrical shape, bains-marie are frequently used as storage containers for smallwares)
bar mop a heavy cotton towel used for cleaning work surfaces and to prevent burns while handling hot pots and pans in the kitchen
BEO (Banquet Event Order) any documentation detailing the requests of a large party reservation or private dining client
beurre blanc a semi-stable emulsion of reduced white wine and butter, usually flavored with shallots and vinegar or lemon juice, often accompanying seafood
bistro a small restaurant serving simple, moderately priced meals in a modest setting
BOH (Back of the House) the kitchen; also, the kitchen staff
Bonnet stove a custom-made cooking suite made by the French equipment manufacturer Bonnet, often held to be the top of the line
boquerones mild white anchovies marinated in vinegar and olive oil with garlic and parsley; a common Spanish tapa
bottarga the dried, pressed roe of a fish, usually either tuna (bottarga di tonno) or mullet (bottarga di muggine), that is produced and sold in blocks, which can be shaved or grated into various dishes
boudin blanc a pork-based “pudding”-style sausage common in French, Belgian, and Cajun cuisine, which typically contains liver, heart, milk, and sometimes eggs and other ingredients
bouillon the strained liquid that results from slowly simmering ingredients in water (in practice, bouillon differs from stock in that it is usually seasoned and reduced to a slightly more viscous consistency)
braise to sear (food) lightly and then stew slowly in a closed container until tender
brigade de cuisine the quasimilitary kitchen hierarchy delineated by Georges Auguste Escoffier in his c. 1903 opus Le Guide Culinaire
Brinata a white soft-rin
d sheep’s milk cheese from Tuscany (aged twenty days)
brunoise (in knife work) a perfectly cubical vegetable dice of a size no greater than 3 × 3 × 3 mm
C-fold towel A rectangular leaf of paper toweling that has been folded twice lengthwise so that a cross-section resembles the letter C
Cambro a brand of kitchen equipment (CAMBRO®) whose name has been adopted in common vernacular to denote any of several storage containers made by said company, most commonly the CamSquares® line, available in 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 18, and 22 quart capacities, or the Camwear® hotel style food pan line; “pass the stock through a chinois into a 22-quart Cambro”; “put all your mise en place into ninth Cambros”
cake tester a steel pin one inserts into and removes from a given food product to assess its doneness (based on any residue or residual heat the pin carries with it when removed)
canapé a small piece of bread or pastry with a savory topping, often served with drinks at a reception or formal party; in the common vernacular, “canapé” is used interchangeably, if erroneously, with “amuse-bouche” and “hors d’oeuvre”
caramelization the process by which the sugar molecules in a given food product (either native or supplementary) are heated to the point at which they relinquish their water content (roughly 340°F) and proceed to fragment into the isomers and polymers responsible for the characteristic caramel flavor and color; the noticeable results of this process (the term “caramelization” is often mistakenly used to refer to the Maillard reaction)
cartouche a disc of parchment paper with a hole in the center meant to retard the evaporation of moisture from a pan of cooking food without generating the same level of condensation that a conventional lid would
cassoulet a bean stew usually made with bacon or other meat
caul fat (usually of a pig) the amniotic membrane enclosing a fetus; the lining of a pig’s stomach
cazuela a shallow round earthenware cooking vessel
cervelle de veau veal brains
chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) an edible woodland mushroom with a yellow funnel-shaped cap and a faint aroma of apricots, found in both Eurasia and North America
charcuterie cooked or cured meats that are served cold, e.g. terrines, rillettes, pâtés, galatines, boudins, hams, confits, etc.
Château-Chalon a nutty, AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) vin jaune made from the Savagnin grape varietal in the Jura wine region of France near the village of Château-Chalon; also, a sauce made from wine of this sort (Château-Chalon is a traditional accompaniment for poulet de Bresse, a breed of chicken originating in the nearby Bresse area)
chef (usually executive chef) a highly skilled professional cook who has expertise in every area of the kitchen; the chief cook in a given restaurant or hotel
chef de cuisine (often in a restaurant that is part of a larger group of restaurants owned by the same person or persons) a chef who runs a particular kitchen or branch of a given restaurant group in the stead of an executive chef; usually the executive chef’s is still the primary name associated with the restaurant, but the chef de cuisine runs the operation day to day (e.g. Chef Thomas Keller’s restaurant Per Se is currently helmed by chef de cuisine Eli Kaimeh)
chef de partie the cook responsible for governing a particular area of production in a kitchen, e.g. fish or meat; usually a chef de partie manages several other cooks below him or her on that station
chef(s) de rang the chief liaison(s) between the kitchen and the front of the house (in a large restaurant, the dining room is broken into sections called rangs; the chef de rang is the person responsible to the kitchen for each of those sections)
chef plongeur head dishwasher
chine (as noun) the backbone of an animal, or a cut of meat containing this bone; (as verb) to remove this bone from said cut of meat
chinois a conical sieve with an extremely fine mesh, used to strain custards, purees, soups, and sauces, producing a very smooth texture
chit a short official note, memorandum, or voucher, typically recording a sum owed
circulator see thermal immersion circulator
collagen the main structural ingredient of animal connective tissue, which yields gelatin when boiled
combi an oven capable of producing a combination of steam heat and dry heat, prized for allowing users to precisely control the humidity of the air inside the cooking chamber
commis a junior cook employed by a restaurant (unlike a stagiaire, a commis works for pay, though their tasks are usually similar)
compression the process of vacuum-sealing ingredients (usually fruits and vegetables) in plastic in such a way that their cell structure is compressed in order to concentrate color and flavor (compression projects often involve the simultaneous infusion of an additional flavor, e.g. a spice, liquid, or fat, as the vacuum process forces the flavor into the item being compressed)
confit (as verb) to preserve, often in fat; (as noun) the product of this process
convection oven an oven that circulates the air around its chamber, usually with a fan
cook (as verb) to physically denature (food) by the administration of heat; (as noun) a person employed by a restaurant to do such work (cooks are those who have not yet graduated to the level of chef; while all chefs are cooks, not all cooks are chefs)
cornichon a pickled gherkin cucumber, usually of a dill flavor profile
cover an individual guest, often as part of a tally of guests: “we did seventy-six covers at lunch today”
croquette a small rod or orb of chopped vegetables, meat, or fish coated in bread crumbs and often fried
crosne a sweet root vegetable similar to the Jerusalem artichoke, distinguished by its grublike appearance
Cryovac brand name of a vacuum-sealing company, which has been adopted in the common vernacular to refer to any reduced oxygen packaging (ROP) process or apparatus
cuisine a style or method of cooking, esp. as characteristic of a particular country, region, or establishment
cuisson the method of cooking something; also, the results of said method
deli a round plastic vessel with an 8-to-64-ounce capacity, similar to the containers in which one receives prepared goods from the deli (these are also often referred to as quart or pint containers)
demi-glace a jus (typically veal or beef) that has been reinforced (i.e. cooked again) with wine, vegetables, and meat trim and reduced to a shiny sauce consistency
dice (as verb) to cut a given food product into cubes; (as noun) the resulting cubes
drop tray a rectangular tray made of thin-gauge steel upon which prepared food items are placed, or dropped, throughout service; drop trays can be used for seasoning, retherming, and presenting to Chef
dupe pad a pad of paper on which waitstaff write down orders from guests; the paper is often backed with carbon so that a duplicate of the order can be given to another (usually the kitchen) if necessary
emulsion a colloidal suspension of one liquid in another with which it is typically immiscible
en crépinette (of meat) wrapped in caul fat
enokitake a Japanese mushroom used for soups and salads (the cultivated enoki, aka straw mushroom, is remarkably different in appearance and flavor from its wild kin, Flammulina velutipes, which is pink in color with a larger cap and a stouter stem
entremetier a vegetable cook
evasée a saucepan whose circumference at its top is greater than that at its base, used primarily for evaporating liquids
extern a cook working in but not an official employee of a given restaurant; professional externships are required of most culinary school students
fabrication (in butchery) the reduction of a whole animal to smaller pieces
farce (in food) a filling of any sort
fat any natural oily or greasy substance, usually derived from animal bodies or plant products, that is used in cooking
fermentation the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or othe
r microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and the giving off of heat; the process of this kind involved in the making of beer, wine, and liquor, in which sugars are converted to ethyl alcohol
ficelle (French for “thread”) a small, very thin loaf of French bread
filbert a cultivated hazel tree that bears edible oval nuts; also, a nut from such a tree
fines herbs (pl.) a mélange of fresh chopped herbs, esp. parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil
fingerling a variety of potato having a pink, yellow, blue, or light tan skin and flesh, so named for its similarity in size and shape to a human finger
finnan haddie haddock cured with the smoke of green wood, turf, or peat
fire to begin preparing a given food item
flat-top a stovetop cooking surface made of cast iron or black steel that shields pans from open flame while still conducting the same amount of heat; flat-tops are preferred to conventional open burners because they help prevent inadvertent in-pan flare-ups and because they can accommodate many pans at once
floor the dining room; also, the staff of the dining room
fluid gel a relatively stable colloidal suspension of a solid dispersed in a liquid, which bears properties of both states of matter; typically fluid gels are chilled 1 percent pectin solutions that have been pureed into a more liquid form
FOH (Front of the House) the dining room; also, the dining room staff
foie gras a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened; by French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck fattened by force-feeding corn with a gavage tube, although outside France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding
fondue a thick sauce usually containing emulsified dairy
food service film industry nomenclature for plastic wrap or cling film
forceps pincers or tweezers, usually of surgical origin, that assist in handling food delicately, especially as compared to the more conventional tongs; often called metal fingers
gambas Spanish term for prawns
Garasuki a heavyweight Japanese knife designed for butchering large birds and small land animals
Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line Page 16