6 Days on the Line

Mango with Pastry Cream on a Sable,
Passion Fruit Coulis, Sorbet in a Chocolate Cup

It's hard to encapsulate a one-week internship into a single post.  I've been sifting the experience in my mind the past few days, taking advantage of the fact that my life suddenly seems to have calmed down after a week of craziness.

Jacques Cagna turned out to be a great learning experience, both in what I got to do and my departing impressions of the restaurant business.  The kitchen was tiny, but the staff was dedicated. 

They were gracious about letting me taste and try things: extra morsels went to me, pots of sauces were mine for the tasting, I could ask all the questions I wanted.  In other words, they spoiled me:  the extra plated foie gras, an apple blossom with caramel and cinnamon ice cream, the sesame amuse bouche, seared scallops, escargots in fingerling potatoes, seared rock shrimp, roasted duck, guinea fowl, and the list goes on and on...all for me!

But work came first.  And let me tell you, I didn't stop working:

Day 1 (Monday): Cleaned giant boxes of mushrooms, watched the service, helped clear the pass (they use a dumbwaiter because the dining room is upstairs), garnished a few things, mainly salads.  Tried to stay out of the way and was unsuccessful no matter where I stood. 

It was a full service that night, and I made one slight mistake sending up some dishes too early.  I thought I was being punished when the chef had me cleaning walls and floors a few minutes later, but realized that the service was over and everyone was breaking the kitchen down.  One of the sous chefs took pity on me and I never had to do that task again- probably because I had no clue how to do it well.  Forced to wear a toque for the first time- it's uncomfortable!  Known as "Mademoiselle."

Day 2: Prepared escargots appetizers, started helping in service again.  Summoned downstairs to help the patisserie chefs make apple roses.  Ended up making 45 apple roses.  Told pastry chefs I wasn't learning pastry at school, and they were surprised that my blossoms turned out well.  Funny guys who liked to practice English on me.  I loved the quiet atmosphere of the pastry kitchen, but missed the hustle and bustle of the line.  Still known as "Mademoiselle."

Apple Rose with Caramel Sauce
(served with Cinnamon Ice Cream)

Day 3: Finished and wrapped 4 trays of foie gras terrines, made phyllo shells.  Helped on the line for the first time, next to Bala, the fish sous chef.  Learned how to plate scallops and move things onto the pass/salamander.  "Mademoiselle" with Christine sprinkled in.

Day 4: Finally was entrusted with working on the stove itself. Grilled scallops all night and assisted sous chef with plating. Table of 11!  Scrubbed the grill, washed pans, learned to take the heat.  Fingers definitely got singed.  They know my name now!

Day 5: Full service, but a friend from school was working on the line that night, so I worked the pass instead and helped with plating.  Ended the night plating desserts, using piping bags and squeeze bottles, but shied away from making quenelles of ice cream.  It seemed too perishable a product for me to attempt plating during a busy service.  I got the traditional French greeting of bisous on the cheek from one of the sous chefs. Yes, I think I've made it!

Day 6 (Saturday): Atmosphere of the kitchen was different- it was going to be a crazy night and everyone knew it.  Staff meal was a mere 10 minutes, everyone was hard at work and moving very quickly.  I got to kill and poach lobsters (snap!), learned how to make quenelles of tomato confit for the escargots, plated lobsters, grilled scallops, scaled a gigantic fish, and ran up and down the stairs with needed ingredients. 

Table of 14 tonight- all hell broke loose for awhile.  Sauces spilled over, chefs were moving at warp speed.  But the rhythm was there, and we finished with nary a plate sent back. 

Ended the night helping patisserie chefs plate desserts again, then the head chef was nice enough to open a bottle of rosé champagne for us to unwind after the preceding pandemonium.  I felt at home in the kitchen, showed the chef's cute daughter what I did, and even endured playful yanks of my ponytail.  Left with a feeling that I'd helped accomplish something huge, but also amazed that people could do this day in and day out.

Other interesting things:
- Staff meals ranged from hot dogs and gyros to delicious choucroute and platters of extra desserts.  I liked the simplicity and the civilized ritual of all the chefs sitting together for a meal before working.  Not sure if it was for chefs only- the dining room staff ate separately and the dishwashers never ate with us.

- French language skills can improve drastically when placed in stressful situations.

- Exhausted after a full service doesn't quite encapsulate how tired you are.  No wonder so many chefs are alcoholics and smokers.  My feet hurt and my back ached.

- Remember that not all kitchens are like this one- the people and the hierarchy can be much more difficult.  I was lucky to have enjoyed myself, plenty of people have hated where they staged at.

I plan to go back in January and see if I can fit 2-3 nights / week into my schedule.  The experience was invaluable, I'm comfortable there, I loved the camaraderie, and I still have much to learn.  But doing this for a living, permanently?  The adrenaline rush was great, but I don't think I can make a lifestyle out of it. 

Still, it's a nice change from the corporate world: nobody was complaining, backstabbing, or gossiping about the other departments.  Even the dishwasher helped during peak periods to get the soups and appetizers out.  This kind of relationship between staff is so much nicer!

I apologize for the lack of pictures.  It's a given that things were moving too fast during service for photo ops.  The few that I do have are of desserts- enjoy!

Bon appétit!

Comments

[ben]

WOW that would have been a blast!
Desserts look just yummy!

In that top picture what is that cake type thing?

[Linda Mathieu]

I used to work in the operating room-sounds like the stress level was the same for both places, although not much chance of someone dying in a restaurant-one hopes. I never got to eat with the surgeons either.

[MrLittlePants]

Congratulations on a job well done! Sounds like a fun and intense situation. I worked in France as a teacher and that was stressful enough--I can't imagine the pace of a tiny kitchen.

[Jack]

wow, I don't think I could enjure such stress. I'd definitely pass out.

Lucky for you to have on-the-job training.

Good luck...

[Chez Christine]

ben: It's a sable biscuit topped with fresh sliced mango, served with sorbet in a chocolate cup. I didn't get to really sample this one so I'm not sure what all the flavors are!

Linda, MrLittlePants, & Jack: Yes, it was interesting seeing the hierarchies and the stress levels. Glad I survived!

[Ray Oropeza]

Just found your blog and it's been very interesting to read. I will be attending LCB in Lima Peru in a few weeks of the change in life, culture and language for 2 years. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.