Last Wednesday the regular season began at Stonebridge Country Club. I went in at 10am to help Chef Pete prep everything, then learned how to put together the stuff on the menu. Since it’s early in the season, we’re running a very limited menu – hot dogs, burgers, chicken sandwiches and fingers, and a daily special or two – so it’s pretty easy to do. Also helps a lot since there are only two people running the kitchen for now (we’ll be bringing in more people shortly.)
In preparation for what I know will be a hot kitchen, I ordered a few pairs of cargo pants from Chef’s Wear. The pants I had from NECI never really fit well, and the material didn’t breathe. They were also houndstooth, which to me screams “culinary student!” I ordered two just to check size – a pair of basic black for events where I have to look professional, and a pair covered in hot peppers. They fit fine, so I wore the peppers on Saturday, meeting with the approval of everyone there, especially Chef Pete who said “now you look like you work here!” So I ordered more – another pair of peppers, some in camo, and one with orange flames on it. I also got myself a pair of Crocs, which are rubbery sandals that are very comfortable. Now that I know my feet like them, I’ll be getting more colors to mix and match. Hot pepper chef pants, one red shoe, one yellow shoe, and a golf shirt with the “Iron Chef” logo on it. Ladies and Gentleman, I present your Sous-Chef. Allez cuisine! The only thing missing is a baseball cap with a propeller made from spoons, but Paula will be working on that.
Since Thursday I have been running the line mostly solo, with Chef stepping in when needed (Saturday was pretty busy but with him running the fryers it went pretty smoothly.) The typical line setup is one guy pulling tickets off the printer, putting down meat on the grill, and calling out the orders to the guy on the fryers, who cooks anything to be deep-fried and sets up plates with rolls, lettuce/tomato/pickles, slaw, etc. For right now it’s slow enough that one guy can do all of that, but as it picks up there will be two people running the line. I don’t mind doing it myself for now because I really need to make sure I know it (like, stop forgetting to put bacon on the chicken sandwiches.) Basically for now, until we get more menu items going and more people in there, I’m a glorified short-order cook.
Looking back, it was almost two months before I was able to run the Inn’s kitchen myself, although Brian was still there in the beginning in case I got in over my head. It wasn’t until much later that he felt comfortable enough with my abilities that he could take an actual day off once in a while (although he did come in on my first solo night to test me out.) I can’t help but wonder if that actually hurt me – knowing he was there to rely on meant I didn’t have to become self-sufficient as fast, so I got lazy. This time around, I HAD to learn it fast. I was given ONE DAY to become “the man.” Chef Pete was doing a charity dinner on Thursday because he didn’t expect the course to open so soon, so it was left to me to run the kitchen alone that day, after only one day of actual preparation. I managed to pull it off too – even though Chef Pete told me to call if I needed anything, I didn’t have to bother him. I had worked in that kitchen twice before (Easter Brunch and a wedding) so I already knew my way around, and compared to the panic that was plating 70 dinners, running a lunch menu was simple.
I have off today and tomorrow, then I am back in on Thursday to start prepping for the weekend – a baby shower and a wedding. Whee! I admit to being a little nervous since I’ll be running the line by myself since the Chef will be running the parties, and it will probably be a bit busier than last weekend, but hey, I am there to learn, and I won’t learn unless I am doing. Brian told me that I would fall at least once, and there’s a song that says “sometimes you got to get knocked down to get up”- I know it will happen, but I hope it ain’t this weekend.
I also found out that I am considered to be part of management. As the Sous-Chef, the line cooks (once we hire some) will report to me. I am responsible for training them and making sure they know what they are doing. Meanwhile, the Chef will be running banquets, weddings, and events from downstairs. Stonebridge hosts a lot of weddings and parties, so with me running the kitchen for the regular guests, the Chef can focus more on the parties without having to worry about whether the service to the club members is suffering. (That’s the idea, anyway.) I am also being included in day-to-day stuff like policies and procedures, and will be learning about menu planning, costing, etc. I drew up a chart for checking all the temperatures of our refrigerators and freezers on a daily basis (Health Dept loves to see stuff like that when they come around for their surprise inspections.) Chef Pete is going to be teaching me everything about running that place, so if he decides to move on or they reshuffle things so he can be the Food and Beverage guy, I will be able to take on the role of Chef. Two weeks ago I was saying “tshyeah, riiight!” Now that I am there, doing it, I can sorta see it as an attainable goal.
I am getting along great with everyone this time around. When I worked at the Colby Hill Inn, there was no secret that Cyndi (one of the owners) did not like me. At ALL. Brian kept telling me not to take it personally, as they pretty much just brought in interns as cheap labor (and helped the Inn look good to the school so Chef Adrian would continue to come down for Chocolate Lovers’ Weekend) but most days she didn’t even pretend to be friendly. Within two minutes, she could demotivate me to the point where I questioned my skills as well as my desire to be in culinary. (I felt a perverse pleasure in finding out that she is now working a full-time job outside the Inn, and sincerely hope that someone is giving her shit for a change.) This time around, I decided that I was going to be on good terms with the owners, and so far I am. “The ‘bridge” (as it is called) is owned by Ron and Cheryl – he’s ex-Marines, she’s a former wedding planner – who opened the place after selling their chain of quick-lube shops to Jiffy Lube. Very friendly people, and they seem to like having me around. (Cheryl has commented on a few occasions what a nice guy I am because I occasionally help put golf carts away and offered to help people with their computer problems on the side.) Another good thing is that there is no “front-vs-back” war between the wait staff and the kitchen staff like you see over-sensationalized on those so-called “reality” shows. Everyone helps each other out, and is really close. The Chef doesn’t yell at the waitstaff for not picking up orders fast enough, and the waitstaff doesn’t yell at the cooks for not putting up the orders fast enough. Even though it’s seasonal business, and everyone knows that the place is being sold, almost everyone from last year came back for this season. One of them is bringing in a friend to work tables, which means she likes the place enough to bring in others.
Yesterday, I found out one of the waitresses is married to the former head of the Weare Area Chamber of Commerce, whom I know from back when I ran my own business. (Small world, but I wouldn’t wanna paint it. – Steven Wright.) Even though she and I had not met previously, it feels like working with an old friend.
Unfortunately, the owners fell upon hard times and had to file for Chapter 11 last year. In June the golf course is being auctioned by the bank, but this is actually going to be good for the rest of us. A consulting group came in to assess the place and help make it more profitable, which means upgraded kitchen equipment, improvements to the course, new offerings, and hopefully more traffic. We’ll be expanding and improving the menu and working to make the restaurant stand on its own as a place to eat even if you don’t play golf. That will mean more events, which means more staff, which means more responsibilities, which means more headaches and mass consumption of Advil and Tums…
I have been asked what a typical day is for me. Here’s yesterday – slow by normal standards, but pretty typical: I went in around 10:00am, knowing that everything was pretty well prepped and stocked from Sunday night (because I am the one who did it all, and if I can’t depend on me, who then?) I passed the US Foods truck on my way in, so I knew the delivery was already there. Clocked in, turned on all the equipment in the kitchen, then went down to check in the delivery. Put that away, grabbed rolls from the walk-in so they wouldn’t be frozen when I needed them, then went upstairs and made more cole slaw, sliced some tomatoes, and made sure nothing had gone bad overnight. Made fresh batter for the chicken fingers and the fish, re-heated the corn chowder, and heated a dozen hot dogs for the bar (they have a steamer out there.) Tossed a hot dog on the grill for myself (part of this nutritious breakfast!) and ate it with some cole slaw. Restocked all the salad station bins – onions, olives, pickles, lettuce, etc. We’re not doing salads, but it’s the perfect place to keep burger and nachos fixins so it’s all kept cold but is still at arm’s reach.
Service starts at 11, although we occasionally get to-go orders around 10:30 so people can take their food out onto the course with them. No sooner had I put out the first batch of hot dogs for the bar, I was asked for six more. And then six after that. By 1:00 we had gone through almost three-dozen steamed hot dogs (I predicted that we would go through a lot because of the Red Sox game.) First actual kitchen order comes in around 1:00 – two grilled hot dogs. Around 2:00 I get an order for a chicken pasta special and a fish sandwich, then some time later I do some burgers and chicken sandwiches, then I get an order for the Artichoke Dip and Chips special. That was it for orders, save for the occasional employee who wanted fries.
Most of the time in-between orders is spent making sure we stay prepped. It’s not enough to have extra tomatoes in the reach-in, they need to be sliced and stuck in a container so if we run out while filling orders we can just grab the backup and keep going. During the past few days, the “rushes” don’t last more than an hour if that, but once things really get moving we could be filling orders non-stop from 11 to 2. There is no time in there to stop and slice more tomatoes, or make more cole slaw, so we have to make sure it’s all done and ready before the orders start pouring in. Once the orders stop, I clean anything that doesn’t move. The more cleaning we do during the day, the less there is to do when it’s time to go home, which is important. By that time we’ve been there about 10-11 hours so we’re pretty tired, plus the sooner we get out, the less wages the owner has to pay out come Friday.
There is occasionally time to chat with the other people there, but we’re told not to make a habit of it. Don’t want to give the members the idea that all we do is stand around and talk, even if that’s all there is to do for the moment. If there is other work to do, then of course we should be doing that, but if everything that can be done is done, then a little 5 minute break is not out of the question. (I was told to take them when I can get them, because once the season really gets going, there won’t be a lot of time for breaks.) Usually when I go to the bar to get something to drink (we get free soda while working) I take a minute or two to talk to whomever is bartending that day. I am also asked to help someone do something (take things down into storage, etc) which, while still technically work, is a nice chance to get out of the kitchen for a few minutes (it gets a bit warm in there.)
Towards the end of the night, I do an inventory and prep anything that will be needed for the next day. Some things are better to do the day of so it’s fresher, but if it can be done the night before, it means an extra smack of the snooze button the next morning. Then I wash all the dishes, wipe down the equipment, and then take out the trash, which means I get to go for a ride in a golf cart since the dumpsters are across the parking lot. Then around 6:30 I make dinner for the owners, and around 7 I shut everything down and start the final cleanup. I always clean as I go – I send out 4 orders, then immediately clean up after it so the line is spotless. Makes it a lot easier at the end of the night, and no one wants to see a messy food prep area. Clean off the grill, strain the fryers, dump away anything that won’t keep overnight (and we try to minimize that by not making more than we think we will need), finish the dishes, sweep, mop, and get outta there by 7:45.
During the slow days, we wash our own dishes, but when it gets really busy (like this coming weekend) we bring in a dishwasher who takes care of all the washing, sweeping and mopping, and taking trash out.
This is only a seasonal job, so I don’t get stuff like benefits, vacation, or overtime. However, it is hourly, so if I work 50-60 hours a week (which I may very well do) I get paid for every hour. I also get a discount on pro-shop merchandise as well as free golf. One of these days I need to learn to play I suppose. I don’t even know the terminology – what’s a bogey? What’s the difference between a birdie and an eagle? Are there ducks?