Comments on: Elements: Chef

By: luis

luis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Farias said “Sarah: Bourdain is certainly not “out of work,” nor does he suffer from lack of — or need for — culinary inspiration, nor does he need a second job to pay the bills. He was the chef at Les Halles; now he writes, travels and films. If we subscribe to the common definition of the word in the restaurant world — and to Tony’s definition of himself as he stands now — then Bourdain is not a chef anymore. ”

I agree with Farias 1000%. Aaron Sanchez said a chef is expected to do two things:
One: meet customer expectations.
Two: do it consistently.
That is the key to understanding what a chef is in my opinion.

By: bob mcgee

bob mcgee — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Ed,
Somehow it gets even colder when your chef preceeds the “chef”, with a “oui”.
As in, “Have we fired table 43 yet?”
Oui Chef

By: N. Farias

N. Farias — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Sarah: Bourdain is certainly not “out of work,” nor does he suffer from lack of — or need for — culinary inspiration, nor does he need a second job to pay the bills. He was the chef at Les Halles; now he writes, travels and films. If we subscribe to the common definition of the word in the restaurant world — and to Tony’s definition of himself as he stands now — then Bourdain is not a chef anymore.

Marie: I’m in the same boat, so to speak, with regards to being called a chef instead of a cook. I find a maritime analogy helps people understand: just because you’re a sailor doesn’t mean you should be called “captain.” Yar.

Ed: At my work, mistakes are met with terse grunts or tense, disapproving silence. I’m not sure whether sarcasm would be an improvement.

By: jason

jason — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I had a line cook preparing Keller’s rabbit terrine, and she had the smallest hands I’ve ever seen, so when some sinew got caught on the auger, she put her hand into the grinder. She didn’t know her engagement ring was on her finger til the surgeon found it during pre op cleaning. Three fingers later, she’d perfer her house burning down any old day.

By: Steven Morehead

Steven Morehead — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Sorry, being from Detroit I should have known better. Maybe that was taking this friendly discourse/ tongue lashing too far?

By: luis

luis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Sarah , Earth to Sarah!…

Sarah said…”I ask you all…
Is an out of work actor not really an “actor”?
Is a writer who is suffering from a creative block to longer a “writer”? Is a musician who works days as a paralegal because she can’t pay the bills with her saxophone, not a “real musician”?”

Sarah the real world is trial by fire. Sometimes you get burned and burned again. Sometimes you win. Everything else is bullshit, wether it is on a diploma or written in the constitution. I like you and maybe I have a different take on life. Don’t hold it against me because I am not wanting to make anyone mad or pick any fights.
Unfortunatelly it is like in the dino movies… ” life will find a way thing”.
I may have knowledge to do things but I may not have the energy or the right build and age to carry them out. This makes me not an artist nor an astronaut nor anything other than some old fart.
This is what Bourdain is fast becoming….not a chef.. just an old fart.

By: Steven Morehead

Steven Morehead — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Is a laid off UAW member still over paid and under worked?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I am enjoying this discourse, friends. The (playful) tongue lashing I would like to give Ruhlman is born out of my deep respect for people who actually work their way up in the brigade system to finally earn their due and befome a “chef”. It seems unfair to me that once an individual chooses to retire from the trade, people (like Ruhlman) believe that they should be stripped of that hard earned title.

I agree that having a culinary arts degree does not make one a chef (I myself have one), and that one can become a chef by the virtues of passion and hard work. But the word chef is not only a professional title; it is a badge of merit, an identifying characteristic that umbrellas a spectrum of skill, nascent talent, and desire to understand and build upon hundreds of years of culinary tradition.

I ask you all…
Is an out of work actor not really an “actor”?
Is a writer who is suffering from a creative block to longer a “writer”? Is a musician who works days as a paralegal because she can’t pay the bills with her saxophone, not a “real musician”?

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Sarah wrote:
“Um, doesn’t education have something to do with being a chef?”

It may a stepping stone but I don’t think you study “chef”, you study the culinary arts and hopefully with experience, developed skills, innate talent, hard work and a tiny bit of luck you can eventually become a chef.
I have met some kick ass sous-chefs and chefs de cuisine who started as dishies, never went to school and are ended up as chefs, because they had everything I listed above; but the formal schooling.

By: luis

luis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Sarah, when it comes down to it. Bourdain said it himself. He is tired of putting in the long hours and ardous work it takes to be a chef. Eating out sucks. Because I suspect the real chef is Emilio… who has to slave in the hot kitchen to prepare the meals the celebs won’t anymore. When you see what you get vs what you can make with little effort in your kitchen… well, eating out really really sucks.

By: Frances Davey

Frances Davey — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Bourdain on Rachel Ray, “Hey, it’s her world. I just live in it.” I hope I heard that right, because it’s incredibly funny.

Thanks again for the link Tags!

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I am a little surprised that the pejorative connotation of the word has not been related. In most of the kitchens I have worked it can a be a rather sharp barb as well as in:

Nice work “chef,” you executed the carbonization of that filet like a master.

No worries “chef,” the guest has only been waiting 30 minutes for their app, take your time.

Seriously “chef,” we like our basil oil brown, you didn’t get the memo?

“Chef,” don’t forget to break the monte, it was perfect yesterday.

In this sense it can be used interchangeably with other terms like greenie, Donnie Wahlberg (one of my faves), CIA (particularly good for a certain type of recent grad), young blood (a little less insulting), and so on.

In this era of PC, HR Gestapo tactics the hazing of newbs (still an important part of our industry) requires a little more subtlety, you can no longer tell someone they suck, but you can imply it with the right tone.

Passive aggressive to be sure, but there are occasions that demand a modicum of humiliation to get a point across, especially when other methods have failed.

By: Tracie

Tracie — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I read Tony’s blog about the awards and couldn’t hold back a giggle when I read about that bruise his wife gave you. Glad to know both Bourdain’s can and do kick ass.

Hope it’s getting less painful.

Lol.

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Hey, thanks for that post. I get asked all the time “so, how long you’ve being a chef?”. When I answered “Never.”, the person that asks looks dumbfounded…because they look at me, and I have a chef coat, and I have a chef knife and I cook…so they think I’m pulling their legs. I then go and explain that “chef” means “chief”, the one person who runs the kitchen and that I’m just a line cook or pattissier or prep, but that I wish someday to become a chef.
The thing that won’t help here in Puerto Rico is that you have all this crappy technical institutes encouraging all these kids to study to become a “chef”. So the general public is led to believe that a student of culinary arts is studying “chef”.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Um, doesn’t education have something to do with being a chef? I do believe that Bourdain graduated from the CIA, which in my mind will make him a chef forever. You, Ruhlman are a chef WANNA-BE. You are writer, a very good one. And one who has developed a late passion for the culinary arts. I can only imagine that in the circles you roll in, you are constantly feeling a little bit inadequate…but don’t take Tony’s career sustaining title away from him just cause you didn’t go to the CIA, too.

By: one swell foop

one swell foop — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

“Bradford Thompson, most recently executive chef of Mary Elaine’s in Scottsdale, ….. instructing two apprentice cooks. Though he would very likely address them in the kitchen as “chef” simply as a term of respect, another excellent use of the word.”

This statement troubles me because it may lead some readers to believe that it’s OK to address a random person as “chef” in order to show respect. Having someone like Chef Thompson address a cook as “chef” is a sign of respect. When my mother calls me a wonderful “chef” (I’m a home cook, my only back house food service experience was making and slinging dough at a pizza joint in college) it’s because she doesn’t know that chef is a title that you earn and she’s proud of my cooking.
In short, if you’re a chef, for real, sure, call someone who’s not a chef a “chef”. If you’re not, don’t until you’re a chef.

By: John

John — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I suppose he meant that the worst knife accidents happen with a dull knife.

Surely there are worse accidents that could happen than cutting your finger or something else. Like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoQFCVqdr0I

By: luis

luis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

There is an issue here somewhere. As I peel the onion of my own ignorance somethings stand out.
I read enough of amateur gormaids sappy restaurant reviews and saw enough pictures of meals at fancy restaurants to formulate the following opinion:
Very simple, I love simple protein and veggie stir fry’s. Less oil and fat and more flavor. You could spend a great deal of time improving stir fry’s and tempuras and simple fish and beef and pork dishes. No question that great restaurants are cooking great meals out there but imagine me going to a four or five star restaurant and looking at the pricey menu. Money is no object type situation. Menu is the issue. Nothing but nothing in that menu seems apetizing to me. NOTHING!.
The beautiful thing about “HOGS HEAVEN” in the keys was that for a mere $7.50 they would cook your clean and filleted fresh fish to your liking and throw in a couple of sides with it. Of course their salads were probably nothing to rave about but imagine tying up to their dock and having a real pint of real beer and having them cook the fish you catched that very day. I am a fan of that. In fact next time I am boating in their neck of the keys… I will take them up on it. Hell they might let me cook it myself once they get to know me better. I should have tried their loin instead of their poboy…fiasco.
But it was lunch not dinner. Seriously if you visit amateur gormaid and see his reviews on fancy restaurants…you would never eat out.

By: The Foodist

The Foodist — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

“We’ve been here three days and have only been able to walk around for about 30 minutes,” he said. Not a complaint, just a fact of the life of a cook. As any chef will tell you, they’re the real heroes of the restaurant industry.

Sad, but true. Cant help but laugh at folks when I tell them I’m headed to South Beach to work after graduation. “Oh the sun and the beach you’ll love it there” *Snicker* Folks the only light Ill be getting is from fluorescent bulbs in a kitchen while vacationers lounge poolside.

Such is the life of a cook, but I wouldnt change it for the world.

By: Sues is not Martha

Sues is not Martha — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Sooo true about the knives. Which reminds me, I need new knives veryyy badly!

Glad the Golden Clog awards were a success…I blogged about them the other day

Sues