Alright, alright, alright... hello! Man, I can't believe I am saying that this little adventure in the city is about done. This flew by faster than any time in my entire life. I am now understanding why so many of my friends who moved here with an intention to be here a year or two, have now been here 5 or 6. New York has a way of catching hold of you and not letting you up for air. It is true, and now I see it.
Things have been great... super busy, as to be expected, but great. I feel like I am learning so much and have been so inspired by what is going on in the city. I have also realized that I knew more than I thought coming in to this thing. I think this experience has elevated my confidence of my knowledge of food, health and wellness...which I needed. It is very easy to be our toughest critics, and realizing I do know my stuff feels good.
The last few weeks have been filled with internship applications, volunteering and preparation for a final group project called Friday Night Dinner.
I applied and trailed at one of my favorite restaurants in the city and although it was some of the hardest work I have ever done (in any field), it was amazing. I was in class from 9 AM until 4 PM and ran 14 blocks to make it on time (early), to meet with my chef, Chef Hadley. I must say, I felt like an idiot. I put on my entire "chefs" uniform, hat and all, and walked into the tiny kitchen. Everyone was tatted up, had on backwards hats or bandanas, and here I am, walking in looking like a nerd in my school uniform. Talk about awkward. If I were to have had an ego, it would have been knocked down right about here... :)
Everyone in the kitchen was so awesome (but like the "cool kids" in highschool awesome). Chef Hadley had me work with a girl named Lauren, who was my age and had been working only about 3 weeks in this kitchen. She wore a bright pink backwards baseball cap, and had burns up her arms (total clue someone works in kitchens). She was a little bad ass and moved quickly as I tried to keep up. We ran up and down from the basement to the kitchen (me in my damn kitchen shoes), and prepped for the evenings service.
Hadley then handed me a mandolin and had me stand next to him and brunoise baby turnips. Now, if you have worked in kitchens, you would understand, Japanese Mandolins are the scariest little things to work with. One of my instructors once told me "If you haven't sliced your hand on a mandolin, then you haven't really used it." Well, I had yet to slice my hand open, and was not planning on doing it in front of this chef I am in awe of. So I started slicing the turnips (steady as I could), and then began to brunoise, as perfectly as possible, but as quickly as possible as well (ain't nobody got time for a slow blond in the kitchen). Chef carried on with his prep then walked over to look at my work so far... He didn't look impressed. However, instead of getting annoyed or rude, he carefully took a turnip and showed me with ease what he was looking for and I continued on....hand shaking, but I finished.
The restaurant doors opened. I stayed at the garde manger station. I prepped salads, garnished entrees, prepped the desserts, I felt like I was working in a real kitchen, because...well, I was. I From 4:30 PM until 12:30 AM, we worked, non stop. Seven people in a tiny kitchen, hot plates, sharp knives, sweat...yet it felt more like a dance. Hadley ran a kitchen like I had never seen before. Even though the restaurant was extremely busy, he prepared bites of certain menu items so that I would be able to taste and be familiar with everything. He was a real bad ass, as was his team.
Finally the manager came to the kitchen (around 11:15 PM), and asked us what we wanted to drink since there was only one table left....I said I would have what ever Chef was having... However, little did I know Chef didn't drank until the last bit of work was done... So I opted for a beer (I needed something to cut the adrenalin). We cleaned, and packed, and cleaned and packed until 12:30 AM. I finally was able to feel a little tired.
Chef sat me down at the end of the night. He asked, "What do you want to do with your culinary school degree?" For the first time in an interview...I felt no need to bull shit. Chef Hadley was an honest guy, and a man with integrity. I knew if I were to come up with some generic answer, he would smell it. So I told him: "Honestly Chef, I have no idea. I came to New York with only a months notice, I know I love food, and I know I am passionate about the culinary industry, but I am here to learn and be a sponge to figure it out." He smiled.
Chef Hadley said some words to me that I will never forget, and mainly because they came from him, someone I admire and respect. In a matter of one shift, he said he could see my work ethic and drive. He saw how I quickly adapted to a "live" kitchen with all new people, and he admired me for that. He offered me an internship that night. I, of course, was like a kid on Christmas. I not only made it through the longest day, but I worked next to a chef I admired, in an extremely popular New York restaurant, and felt good about my work, and was offered the internship.
It was a good day, and positivity filled me up again.
I know cooks get paid pennies (which baffles me), but I understand the "high" these guys get in a busy kitchen. Its addictive. One your feet, moving, thinking, cutting, mixing, talking to each other, it is like your brain on overdrive all the time. Its pretty damn cool. An evening I won't soon forget.
