 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. As food fanaticism and celebrity chefs continues to garner mainstream attention, a bevy of new folks are vying for a spot in professional kitchens every day - hoping to sous-vide their way to top toque and make lasting grill marks on the culinary industry. If you're one of those ready to be thrown into the gastronomic gauntlet, Andrea Luz Bergquist, the executive chef of Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster restaurant in the heart of Harlem, offers up some ground rules. Five Things All New Cooks in the Kitchen Should Know: Andrea Luz Bergquist 2. "Cooking is different from other professions, in that you often pick the restaurant that you want to work in rather than just applying to work anywhere. New cooks should carefully pick a kitchen that suits the direction they want their career to go in." 3. "All new cooks should research the restaurant extensively before their first day. They should study the menu online and also learn what they can about the chef they’ll be working with." 4. "You need to come to the kitchen with the right attitude - upbeat, energetic and focused. When you get given a task, try and complete it as efficiently as you can." 5. "In other professions being outgoing and talkative is desirable, but in the kitchen we’d prefer you to concentrate and stay pretty quiet. I don’t like it when new cooks give their opinion on the food, and I also don’t like it when they complain. A girl trialed for a few hours recently and then complained that she had sore feet. I didn’t hire her as I need people that are prepared to do ten-hour shifts from day one, without complaints." Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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As a chef i have been through the ringer in restaurants, terrible customers, inexperienced staff and the gauntlet of the industry, this job is only for those of us who are delightfully mad, we are cocky because we know we are that good at our jobs, we cook everyday and nobody can tell us that we can't cook because its those of you that can't cook that are the reason the restaurant industry is booming. No two jobs are alike so you can't compare apples to oranges other then the fact that they are fruit. I love this business and can't see myself leaving it.
And I thought there would be actual COOKING tips, not how to become pompous.
Some people thrive on pressure. Like ER docs that work in busy urban hospitals. They get a rush from the fast pace and pressure. Me, I'd rather be on the eating end of the restaurant – but I do know how hard the job is so if I have to wait a little longer for good food then so be it!
I worked at a very very high end french restaurant in Dallas for 6 months to see what it was like because I had always thought of opening my own (I have an MBA). It was the worst experience of my life. This place has the most amazing food you will ever eat, but the people running the place felt obligated to make sure your life was hell while you were there. If you didn't do anything wrong, then they just upped their standards to impossible levels.
There is a fine line between operating a very well run, efficient restaurant and one where all your employees are miserable. I was part of the latter. It's very much a hazing ritual as well, as the people who run the place went through similar experiences at top restaurants in NYC and California. It got to the point where their power led them astray and they began berating me verbally in the dining room about which storage drawer one of their 10 different types of forks goes in (no exaggeration). That was the line for me.
You better have real training as a chef and be ultra ultra efficient in the kitchen if you want to survive in that type of environment. It's a really tough gig and you will become jaded and hate food by the time you are done with it.
Interesting, but with my back, I doubt I could survive one day in her kitchen.
If you dont have a sense of urgency in the kitchen, and stay focused on the task at hand, probably true in any job, you really are ripping off the establishment- one other thing, how about a sense of competition, and really looking out for your chef, and making your boss look good, these are all things that are a given, impress me, show me you care about the food you are producing, or get the heck out of my kitchen!!
Their is a difference between "rules" and personal requirements. I've known a handfull of chefs and most of them like to hear what a veriety of people have to say about dishes. That includes patrons, from the point of view of purely taste, and kitchen staff, for constructive criticism and suggestions on how to lower the cost of the plate in question.
Most of the "rules" that she lists are more of personal suggestions rather than rules. 2,3,&5 are all suggestions. While most kitchens will expect that you can construct the dish given to you to prepare, it is not necessary, or altogether possible in many cases, to know to a T the exact composure of the dishes. They will make sure you know how to make them per the sspecifics of the kitchen you're working in.
Number 2 bugs me the most of all.... a large portion of the big time chefs out there started out in the kitchen as a form of work that they happened to enjoy and worked on up. Those of you who watch Iron Chef should note that that is much of the case with the guest chefs. Their wasn't really much of a choice to it at all. Those were the regional kitchens that were available rather than what they particularly wanted.
Number 5 is actually quite laughable really. Depending on the kitchen you're working in, some of the chefs may encourage talk and communication to keep moral up and things running smoothly. It's called multitasking. The last kitchen I worked in, the chef encouraged singing with the radio that he kept in the kitchen.
The only real rules that I see on the list is 1 and 4 for the stated and obvious reasons. Safety is a must and if you can't work effciently, then you don't belong in a real kitchen.
What a waste of time reading this. I don't ever want to eat in a place where this chef works.
i have a lot of respect for Chefs and for Cooks and it is mainly because they serve...ME. I am a wonderful cook, my spouse and i have cooked for as many as 125 people, no not for free, they had to pay. I have seen the extremly unreasonable way customers and kitchen help conduct themselves. have you ever worked in a kitchen and an employee approached you and said; now where are the knives? makes you want to jump into the gravy, doesnt it.
1) Really? The number one most important thing you could come up with is don't wear nail polish? EVERY COOK IN THE U.S. KNOWS THIS ALREADY. If you don't, then you've never worked in a kitchen. If you've been allowed to wear nail polish in a kitchen... then everyone of your managers should be deported to Antarctica.
2) No argument here, although for those who "choose" the kitchen they want to work in, be wary of the pay. Chances are you'll be screwed for quite some time even if it is the right fit.
3) What kind of advice is this? I think I read the exact same comment on Yahoo the other day in some fluff news piece on "Things You Should Do Before Accepting a Job Offer". Be more original if you're going to get published on some silly CNN blog about cooking.
4) Doesn't this apply to every freakin job on the planet? Again, terrible choice for your list of 5.
5) This one I'm 50/50 on. First and foremost, I don't care what you think... a quiet kitchen is a KITCHEN IN TROUBLE. You prefer to have everyone shut up and do their work silently? What the hell? Have you ever even worked in a restaurant before? COMMUNICATION IS GOD IN A RESTAURANT. Don't like it when someone gives you their opinion? Tough. Sounds like you don't like to be criticized or even offered suggestions. This is one of the main problems with the new crop of chefs we see... everyone thinks they're the next Charlie Trotter or Gordon Ramsay and are above reproach. Well guess what? Feedback, input, opinion, and OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION with your staff are more valuable than your fragile ego.
I do however agree that if you can't handle standing for a few hours, find a desk job. Don't even bother giving me an application to consider if you suffer from this malady.
-B
Hah – a tiny nail polish chip is the number one deal breaker? It doesn't affect the taste or make you sick. How about worrying about cooks washing their hands after bathroom breaks / smoking / picking their noses or when they sneeze or cough all over the food? Use the same spoon to taste the salt, mouth to pot / sauce pan over and over again? Potential nail polish chips? That's your problem? Your priorities are off.
There are soooooo many losers giving advice out there. And people say that security guards are failed cops & military wannabees who desire control and power.
So what does that make tyrannical chefs? The sickly boys and girls that couldn't find acceptance among their neighborhood peers that hovered around the kitchen and suffered Mommy's or Daddy's biting comments and insults and general lack of support? "NO, NOT LIKE THAT...GOD YOU ARE TRULY WORTHLESS AREN'T YOU?!"
Yep...I see RIGHT THRU people like that. It's obvious. Be a BOSS and not a TYRANT. There is a GREAT difference between the two. And PLEASE...do not give me the 'but this is a different environment' CRAPOLA...NO. IT. IS. NOT.
Professions are indeed different. People are NOT.
Ten hour shifts and pressure....no wonder Chefs have a high suicide rate.
I have eaten all over the world ... In some of the greatest spots known to man ... My hats off to the chef and their staff. And I have worked in a proffesional kitchen too. While earning my way through college. Again, My hats off to the proffessional chefs of the world.
I have been working for the past 5 years with Gualtiero Marchesi, at l'albereta, franciacorta... i am also a Chef, did culinary institute in switzerland 5 years, and worked around the world . Now in NYC... i agree in some of her policies, but i not hiring someone for a comment?? Instead she should have given a suggestion about wearing more comfortable shoes or other things..... plus about painted nails,NONSENSE everywhere i worked i always used non-latex gloves, maybe she uses her bare hands, which in any up-to-code restaurant would be a major critical violation...
Wow...tips from Red Rooster in Harlem? May as well have had tips from the night manager at a McDonald's.
This isn't the burger joint, it's Marcus Samuelsson's place. There is a world of difference between McDonalds and what Samuelsson does.
terribly disappointed ~ i thought it meant it was going to be about normal people just learning to cook. *sigh*
But not on the first day and no complaining of sore feet. Get a good pair of Birkenstock professional shoes, they are worth the money. Your feet will thank you.
She sounds like the manager I wish for my enemies.
Thanks for the "interesting" and "helpful" article.
"Andrea Luz Bergquist, the executive chef of Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster restaurant in the heart of Harlem, offers up some ground rules" ... what a joke
You need to work in a kitchen just one day. You're wrong, it is NOT a joke. It is hard work.
From some of the comments that I'm seeing a lot of people shouldn't be on a computer, let a lone in a Professional kitchen. I worked the line as a line cook during the early 70's and it was insane. But it was great. I have never worked so hard so fast for so little money. I never had trouble with the Chefs. I did what they wanted, as fast as I could, and as perfect as I could. I never got into a cat fight with anyone. And I'm not an immigrant worker. But now all I see out there are ego's running into each other. I'm glad I'm retired!!!!
This is an attitude across the board. We are living in an age where people are confrontational and think of themselves instead of the team. Your work ethic is from a different era and one I admire. Here's a quote for you that seems to fit the article. BTW, I'm glad I'm retired, too. I worked in a dental office. Very intense.
"If a task is once begun, never leave it till it's done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all."
WillowSpring,
Thank you for your reply, And your Quote... It's to bad that more people can't follow that... Thought!!!
Cooks/chefs really need to get over themselves....you cook food for chrissakes....not rocket science
This is news???? A 2 year old could have written this garbage.
Pretty much sounds like she is a legend in her own behind.
#6, if you're American, forget it. You don't have the work ethic, stamina, or temperament to survive anything but a "hobby" (i.e., short-lived) restaurant. If you can't work like an immigrant, and you don't speak Spanish, you don't belong.
This woman is a piece of work. I'm scratching the Red Rooster off my list of restaurants.
Have you've been in a professional kitchen for 16-18 hours a day:)
no, I'm not that stupid
I have been in this business since I was 16 years old. I agree with all her comments, with the exception of #5 . I believe cooks should give there opinions if something is wrong, makes it sound like she's dictatorship. Complete quite makes it sound like your working a in a cublicle.
Not giving an opinion on the food? The rest of the rules sound, that just sounds like someone doesn't like criticism.
im curious about the hot seat. I've been a cook for almost 8 years now ive done the grunt work to kitchen maneger and now im working in a hospital doing batch cooking which i dont mind but i would love to get that restraunt feel again but where im at no one is really hiring. not sure what the hot seat is but i would love a chance at it. i've only had one year in culinary at a community college and loved it but didnt have the funds to continue but got the knowledge i needed though. and to the ones that are talking crap about how she talked about the people she worked with is true if you cant take the heat get out before you get burned cooking is not the easiest job it can be if you know what you are doing... I would like a chance at the hot seat what ever it is...
They forgot they pay horrible.
Wait, no mani/pedis for chefs????
Memo to Opi: Next time you come up with a yummy shade, call it: "I'm not really a head chef"
To be a good professional cook or chef takes total dedication to the whole restaurant/kitchen environment. You must be sanitary, educated, fast,neat,work well with others for long hours, that may include nights weekends and sometimes holidays this is just a portion of what makes a good cook, and the more you complain about your sore feet and achey back the more you will fall behind and no one want's to work with a wyner. Most of all you must absolutely love the job or you might as well get out while your still young, huckleberry!!!!!!
This is a pretty weak article.
NO REAL INFORMATION!
Andrea is very pretty ... but needs just a little attention to the eyebrows. Looks may not matter in the kitchen, but they do when you are posting your picture online.
Rule #6
Take yourself WAY too seriously
Yeeesh – lighten up; it's food, not surgery
A passion should never be taken lightly. Great chefs become great by self discipline and rules such as those. If she took everything lightly she wouldn't be where she is today.
Cooks or chefs should not have freckles. They can fall off into the food.
I guess gingers shall be banished from the kitchen, right?
LOL! Welp! That leaves me out! Good thing I work in engineering – not chef-eneering. LOL!
The #1 THING CHEFS should know is NOT TO USE SHMEAT when they cook! If they all read NOSHMEAT.COM imagine what food quality we could have!
I read it. It's largely BS based largely on the practices of a small percentage of the meat industry. The bit about grass vs. corn for the cows looks like it may actually be accurate. As for the rest, take it with a grain of salt.
LOL!! Next someone'll push NOSALT.COM for all to read and discover that it, too, will be full of schmaltz. Such a waste.
i'm a cook. i cook. i cook everything. i cook this. i cook that. i cook you. i cook me. i cook everybody. because i'm a cook, i cook. don't try to compare me. i'm not normal. i'm a cook.
amen
I've always wondered how a chef can be any good and also smoke 2 packs of cigs a day. All these dirty humps competing on shows like Iron Chef smoke so much they couldn't taste the difference between a wedge of lemon and a piece of toast.
Yes! Every time I watch one of those shows I think about how filthy the contestants are!
I'm confident anyone leaving a "she sounds harsh" comment has never worked in a kitchen once. Cooking at home is an entirely different animal. I always thought Food Network's "Cook With Your Kids" promos would be much improved if they were based on old-school (re: French) professional cooking–screaming at your kid "fire two fish, 1 filet medium rare, 1 special, sauce on the side–NOW, Johnny!" or "#@!& it, Johnny–where's my garnish?!" and "You worthless piece of $#@!one, Johnny–I can't even trust you do wash the *&@! dishes!"
Fact: People who never worked in a kitchen think the above fantasy is weird and harsh. People who have worked in a kitchen are thinking, "There's no way chef would know Johnny's name."
It is almost always the case that the harshest critics are the ones that have the least first hand knowledge about the subject...
with most professions, you pick where you have to work. and just like most professions, in a bad economy, chefs must apply everywhere and take what they get. and like most professions, chefs can only apply to the level that they're suited for. Like culinary arts, most professions look for someone who's hardworking, and willing to bust more than 8hrs. So it sounds like cooking is really just like every other professions.
If only it were. Nobody is in this industry for the money, because unless you're on tv you hardly make enough to get by. Nobody sits in chairs for hours, we stand the entire 10+shift 6 days a week. We endure kitchens that lack air conditioning throughout the entire summer/fall, pushing out enough dinners to make your head spin. We get screamed at by our bosses and coworkers when work is less than perfect. Literally screamed at. I hear so many crude disgusting conversations go on every day about myself and the wait staff, but nothing can be done about it because "that's a kitchen". We deal with owners who know nothing about food, but insist we do things a certain way even though the dumbest of culinarians knows it's wrong.
It's a careful balance between insanity and passion that keeps a kitchen going. I understand other jobs are high stress, and no job is perfect..but working in kitchens is anything but similar to order professions.
You do understand you have to be a tad on the insane side to work in a kitchen..... It's a pre-req
yes might i add that doctors work 36 hours straight on 1 shift, under screaming patients who for the most part don't know anything. at least your boss knows more about food and taste.
oh might i add, there's 0 margin for error, and ummm, if you make a mistake, you get sued for millions.
so what part of cooking is special?
@Kate did you even read the last part of my comment? Nowhere am I claiming it's the hardest job out there, nor did I say other jobs don't have higher levels of stress. I was comparing it to office jobs, and that they're just not the same. So before you get all high and mighty I'm a doctor and my job sucks more, actually read what I wrote. Every profession is special if whoever is in it has the passion to make it special. I wasn't trying to say what's better than what, just saying each profession is totally different.
Kate, you're a bit of a douche aren't you?
@Kate: Because this is a food blog – that's what makes THIS special.
What a powerhouse article! Do they pay for this stuff?
LOL!!!!!!!!!
bravo!
You are the perfect candidate for being a poster child for birth control. Go away troll.
The fact of the matter is, very few of you "office types" - regardless how many cooking shows you've seen on TV - could last a week in a professional kitchen.
you can say the same for those who work in constructions. There is a reason why some choose to work in an office environment.
"could last a week..." I think you meant, "could not last a week..." Indeed Jeff, with your writing skills it appears you couldn't last a week as an "office type". Seriously? You're playing the My Profession Is Tougher and Harder Than Your Profession Game? Is this the part where I tell you my Dad can beat up your Dad?
Jeff was saying, in the context of his sentence, "very few could last a week." If he meant "few could not last a week," it would not make sense.
Michelle needs to take some reading comprehension classes before she gets back to her "office job" later today.
Michelle ... rule #1 in office work: double-check your work.
@Michelle: You are a clown. I don't need any kind of a degree to tell you have a masters in being a fool.
Go watch your Julie & Julia kid. Quit being annoying and understand what he is saying w/o nit picking. And by the way, he's right.
yeah, great Mise, but who wants to even TRY to last in a kitchen? you sound so defensive and like you read Kitchen Confidential one too many times. is any non-chef here actually saying that they could make it in a pro kitchen? no. so calm down. you're not saving the world. neither are most of us. relax.
...and my favorite cook can last in an office job that requires, say, a mathematics or engineering degree? Not likely. Doesn't mean one profession/person is better or tougher than the other.
yeah, you're probably right. but in my one office week, i'll make more than you make in three kitchen months. and then i'll drop by said kitchen and throw a few bucks your way as i watch you cook for me and my friends. deal?
Yeah Yeah Yeah Dave, you are so highly paid with an awesome job. Whatever dude.
Duuuuuuddddde....really Nathan? And what are you? An unemployed surfer?
Having owned a small successful restaurant for a dozen years, I couldn't agree more with Chef Andrea. I've never met her or been to her place but her rules rule. If you can't stand the heat, start practicing saying...Welcome to Walmart!
wow, yes, because retail sales is the only job below cooking. i never knew there was so much ego in food.
that walmart comment is not necessary. has it ever occurred to you that people might say hi to "law school." so rather than doing the cooking, they get served the cooking.
Seriously, this isn't harsh in the slightest. Being a professonal chef is one of the hardest profession out there with zero margin for error. One mistep from a seemingly inconsiquential junion chef could result in a bad meal (or god forbid a bad review) that ruins your restraunt....
oh please. get a hold of yourself. SURGEONS have zero margin for error. I understand taking your craft seriously and wanting to do a great job and i admire that kind of dedication and skill, but get some perspective.
Exactly. You put the wrong sauce on the plate, the customer gets pi$$ed. You make a mistake in the operating room and someone can die. I think surgeons DO have the upper hand on this one.
You Don't think people can die if a chef screws up, ever heard of listeria?!
Well said.
are you kidding? doctors have 0 margins for error, if you spit in a plate, no one can tell
BD said "ONE of the hardest professions" not THE hardest profession. If anyone needs to lighten up (Francis) it's those of you who are taking things out of context just to beat up on someone. This is a food blog. Let's stay on topic.
My rules (I am not a chef!)
1. wash and clean all applicable things. hands, veggies, cutting boards, knives etc
2. too many cooks spoil the broth. really.
3. make use of fresh produce
4. don't over-cook, don't under-cook
5. serve your food hot
Good rules, I usually adhere to those as well when cooking at home. On top of that I'd add:
#6 Timing – Make sure everything finishes around the same time!
I'm just a home cook and this is the hardest rule to get exactly right.
and if you are thirsty, drink water. Got any more pearls of wisdom Susie homemaker?
Yes, never forget your mise en place.
Scratch professional cook off my list! I love watching the cooking shows, Worst Cook in America, Chopped, etc. but no way would I ever want to work under that kind of pressure....cooking should be relaxing!
It IS relaxing if you are cooking at home. When you have a restaurant full of customers who ALL want their order first, you can afford slow service or cooks. Everything she says is right on the money.
"you can't afford slow service or cooks." Sorry...
I am currently working on a culinary arts degree here in Phoenix,AZ and look forward to the pressure. It's worth it if it's something your passionate about. Like they say nothing worth having comes easy. Plus it's been my experience that if you're staying on task doing prep. That you won't end up stressed out you just have to plan ahead and stay focused it's not so hard if you have the will.
Mcaswell82, it sounds like you will be well suited to the job. Best of luck to you!
Relaxing, thats for home cooks. I am a chef we want the pressure, it drives us. Most chefs are the type of people that need to move 1,000 miles a minute. Everything is a challenge, how well can we do it and how fast.....
I like how she refers to the cook with sore feet as "a girl". Enlightened...
Perhaps she referred to her as a girl because she was acting like a child.
girl – noun
1. a female child, from birth to full growth.
Or perhaps she was one?
"Cooking is different from other professions, in that you often pick the restaurant that you want to work in rather than just applying to work anywhere." Yes, because with most other jobs, you can't pick where you work and "just apply to work anywhere"? She sounds really full of herself.
And that would be an a typical chef........ gladly not all chef are as full of themselves
You try being in charge of getting all those different dishes cooked right, remember, some people "Want it their way" keeping it hot and out on time, or you'll hear about it. Think about how many that is. Making sure everyone is doing their job, while trying to do yours, all the while everyone running around each other at such a fast pace. Waiters running in and out, yelling orders, maybe complaints, bringing back dinners that you have to make over that throws you off. Also making sure you don't run out of materials. Not so easy.
"you try..."
um, no thanks...sounds awful.
I agree – that comment was immature. She is young and maybe a little full of herself. Almost every worker, from doctors to dishwashers, tries to find the right "fit". The place where they are appreciated the most and have the best work experience. Pay scales are generally pretty close from one employer to another in the same field.
Uh, what? For a chef running a professional kitchen, she is relatively mild-mannered and realistic.
I never knew food can cause so much anger.
#4: "... When you get given a task, try and complete it as efficiently as you can."
"Get given?" Really?
My thoughts exactly... Glad someone else picked up on that.
All I can say is "Center of Harlem" ... maybe when you "get given" a diploma from High School, you move onto college and have a real job ... we can see where that lead.
I'll gladly accept her "given Center of Harlem" diploma over the one you clearly did not earn.
Grammar Nazis are people who don't have any relevant points to make but absolutely need open their mouths about someone else.
And I can see that your comment has everything to do with the story.
I think you mean "need TO open their mouths".
Not exactly an informative article. I would say this does for any profession/job.
Yikes! Sounds like Andrea is a “pleasure” to work with…
Working in a professional kitchen is different than other jobs. The chef iIS in charge. Compared to the chef I trained under, Andrea's 5 rules would be a pleasure.
Most chefs are miserable assholes
The kitchen is not for the faint of heart and it's no joke. I haven't worked in a kitchen for many years and I still hold much respect for what it takes to be good. Not just survive, but be really good is more than most can muster.
LOL, wrong profession for my easy going demeanor then…
You have no idea. Most chefs are to a kitchen, what surgeons are to an operating room. They rule.
I'm sure that Andrea isn't so bad with her rules. As far as not complaining about the food on the floor I understand that. I'm sure she takes suggestions but not in the middle of dinner service. There is a time and a place to ask questions and make suggestions just as in any job.
Another rule: Head Chef gets first toke from the bubbler.
Too true, just mnake sure the hoods still on, and maybe turn the make-up air off...
"Throw some cannabutter in every recipe. The patrons will definitely be walking out feeling pretty damn good about their meal experience!
I just cooked dinner so where is the bubbler
the last point is the reason why I have been discouraging anyone to enter the restaurant business, working 60 hours a week for a salary of 40 hours, yeah right...