RussellMagill

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RussellMagill › New article
8 years ago

No matter which position you hold in your kitchen, Commis, Chef De Partie, Sous, so on and so forth, it is very likely that you will see a Commis Chef come and go, maybe they'll even stick around for a while, for better....or for worse.

So here we are, we have compiled a list of the 5 most likely to run into Commis'.

1. Catering College Commis

Fresh out of whatever course he or she did, catering college or just a hospitality course. This Commis probably has quite a bit of interest within the kitchen, but they're going to remind you fairly often that they attended catering college. Prep the fish wrong? "But in catering college..." Turn up late for work? "But in catering college..." Set fire to the kitchen? "But in catering college.."

2. Wusthof Tin Opener Commis

"Hey, can you open a tin of olives?" "Sure, but I can't find the tin opener, this'll do". We all like to hope this never happens, but many of us have seen it. If it isn't your fresh faced Commis Chef then it's the Kitchen Porter that thinks nobody is looking. Any knife will do, even if it's taken from right in front of you. This Commis is going to have a bad day.

3. My own recipe Commis

It doesn't matter how many times you explain the menu to this Chef, you are ALWAYS going to be surprised by what he puts in the pass, you probably havn't ever seen this dish before. Heavens knows, maybe it's great, but it isn't what we were aiming for. Cold food in the pass? It's gonna be this guy, you told him a thousand times to check his food, he's in his own world, maybe coming up with a new dish?

4. Part-timer Commis

Who is this guy? Every now and then you see this stranger in whites, talking about whatever it is he's studying or doing with the rest of his time, you're not quite sure what to make of him. One thing is for sure, if you have a massive booking in or just need the extra pair of hands, this is NOT the guy to call, he's either busy or flat out rejects your call.

5.Sorry Chef Commis

It becomes ambient noise after a week or two, "Sorry Chef..", "Sorry Chef..". You send this guy to get fillets of smoked Coley and he comes back with tenderstem broccoli. The mashed potato is stuck to the bottom of the pot, the pasta falls apart in your hands....the fridge has cream cheese all over the doors. This Commis might throw out some perfect work now and again, but he stumbles into every wall on the way. You will find yourself letting out heavy sighs on a regular basis.

But lets not forget, we have all been there and there's a strong chance we have all made at least one of the aforementioned mistakes, it's a process and it takes time. Just try not to kill anyone in the mean time.

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8 years

ze2000 › XD you nailed it!

Actually this happens in every working environment, not only in the kitchen!

8 years

Borderline › hahaha

8 years

RussellMagill › New article
8 years ago

Working in Hospitality, at one point or another you are going to run into a Chef. Chef's come in a variety of breeds, some quiet and small, others, large and scary. And if you work alongside these people for long enough, you are going to have the privilege of witnessing something you had only ever seen on Television. A meltdown. A workplace nightmare. A fight. If you don't want to be caught up in the middle of any of the above, you need to be careful. Here are some phrases you should never, ever.....ever utter to your Chef.

1. "This table has been waiting for a long time.

A garunteed way to put yourself in the line of fire. We aren't preparing the food slow because we feel like having a little break, we have not forgotten about your table, and by no means are we sending out the food when you complain about the wait time, raw. Go talk to your customer, apologise if you must, then take the food when it's ready.

2. "That looks cold."

OK guys, let's throw our thermometers, probes and skill out the window. Clark Kent over here has magic eyes. You are likely to get some verbal abuse for this phrase, however a first time offence may only warrant having the piss taken out of you.

3. "There's so many people out there, I wish I could just come work in here."

No, no you do not. We would be very impressed if you managed to find the pilot on the range, go back outside and take the orders so that we can all go home.

4. "Stop being so mean to the staff"

In this case, the chances are the Chef is making some vague attempt at rallying the FOH staff into better service, maybe giving them a reason to get out of the kitchen and work. It's also a high possibility that this Chef isn't being mean at all, but by saying this, you're about to see mean. You also are now labeled incompetent, well done.

5. "Just do your job and cook the food"

THIS, this is a dangerous play. If you catch the Chef on a good day, he or she is going to flat out ignore you comment. If you catch the Chef on a bad day, you may well have a walk-out on your hands.  If you aren't the Head Chef and you're on the other side of the pass, you don't control the service, and you will piss a lot of people off by trying.

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