2 answers
Josiah
Student
Lakewood, Washington
9
Questions
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Please give me a summarisation of what your day as a head chef or specialty chef might be like. Besides the actual restaurant presence and cooking. For instance, what do you do to get prepared for the day? Is there anything you have to to organize for the set up of the restaurant or day. Any money/expenses you have to keep track of, etc...
#Restaurant #chef #cooking #culinary-arts #culinary #culinary
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2 answers
Robert Mingus
Culinary Director
67
Answers
Poplar Grove, Illinois
Updated
Robert’s Answer
Josiah Y.
Before I retired I worked at a hospital setting, my day would start at 530am I would catch up on some paperwork, start cooking breakfast for 390 people, normally the line cook came in at 10 am. once breakfast was served, and to the rooms for patients, I would then start to prep for lunch and the line cook would help with it, since the different diets needed or if i had meetings to go to, food orders, inventory, budgetary things. After lunch I would take a small 15 minute break to eat, then would prep for dinner as the night line cook came in at 1130am. the cooks and I would prep for the dinner rush, I would let the line cooks serve that meal and clean up. I would finish my meetings, and paperwork as well as help the line cooks get out on time with their work. I would leave the hospital by 730pm or 8pm and start again the following day.
Know this though, a chefs life will have drastic changes in daily work, nothing is every the same, anyone can throw a wrench into your plans, if a cook calls off, guess who gets to work the extra hours on your days off if no one else can cover.
Being a chef has great rewards, mostly pride, never accept a gift from a customer that you cook for.
anything else I can help with please let me know
Chef Rob
Before I retired I worked at a hospital setting, my day would start at 530am I would catch up on some paperwork, start cooking breakfast for 390 people, normally the line cook came in at 10 am. once breakfast was served, and to the rooms for patients, I would then start to prep for lunch and the line cook would help with it, since the different diets needed or if i had meetings to go to, food orders, inventory, budgetary things. After lunch I would take a small 15 minute break to eat, then would prep for dinner as the night line cook came in at 1130am. the cooks and I would prep for the dinner rush, I would let the line cooks serve that meal and clean up. I would finish my meetings, and paperwork as well as help the line cooks get out on time with their work. I would leave the hospital by 730pm or 8pm and start again the following day.
Know this though, a chefs life will have drastic changes in daily work, nothing is every the same, anyone can throw a wrench into your plans, if a cook calls off, guess who gets to work the extra hours on your days off if no one else can cover.
Being a chef has great rewards, mostly pride, never accept a gift from a customer that you cook for.
anything else I can help with please let me know
Chef Rob
Doug Pini
Executive Chef
5
Answers
Salem, Massachusetts
Updated
Doug’s Answer
A Chef runs the kitchen, all aspects of it…planning, hiring, training, ordering, timing, cooking, sanitation, equipment, and critique at the end. He/She is the leader… the be all end all…total responsibility for everything
cooks and assistants cook, clean, and go home (don’t worry about the money stuff)
cooks and assistants cook, clean, and go home (don’t worry about the money stuff)