‘Just get it done, son. We always find a way.
No matter what the scenario, there is always a way.
When your section is wiped, start early.
Rostered at 10, just start at 7 if we need to.
Who’s gonna help? the crew? If needed to, if not, just take it. Who’s getting in the way, you say, just play. Play hard, don’t hurt though, their feelings don’t count, yours never mattered when it come to getting it done.
At least were starting to get paid for it now, though.
It is amazing what a sense of urgency can do for a chef. I can find myself doing a 20 item prep list, in the same time it will take me to do a 10 item prep list. Always depends on pressure.
Why did I do this to myself though.
If I could just be a focused, no fuss, bull at the gate all of the time, I could be like the Elon Musk of cookery. Once I’m done with what I need to get done, I could maybe go invent a flavor machine!
Imagine a vending machine, one where you could simply chose your flavor, or many different flavors, tap your card, and out pops a puffer with your desired flavor.
I reckon if Elon musk was a chef, that’s what he would do. Maybe?
Probably not though. In reality he would be grinding out 80 hours weeks, in an under staffed, under payed, under resourced kitchen somewhere, making money off the back of a crew of chefs working 70-80 hours weeks, who get payed for 40.
Yet the fact that I procrastinate, and still get it done, is why I continue to procrastinate, when the pressure is off.
That’s how one gets it done, beast mode. When I need too.
Your customers don’t care if you worked 70 hours and only get paid for 40. The Karen’s of the world want to pull your dish apart, make there own combo, insist on having bread without gluten, and if they don’t get what they want, they’ll fuck you up all over social media, and laugh with their friends about it.
That’s why we employed beast mode, or the ones that made it did, anyway.
I’m not the sort of work mate that wants to discuss anything outside of what is happening outside of the job I’m doing. When the heat is on.
That’s how I was trained.
Senior chefs would threaten to deep fry your phone is you got caught fucking around on it back in the day.
‘if you cant take the heat, get the fuck out’. That was the status qou!
I smashed it, as many others have before, and I only really ever succeeded in running a country pub as a head chef.
My intensity was never a reflection on anybody, if only it was what was required to get the job done.
Doing the work of three sections, with a first year, with the pedigree born in a hotel restaurant.
I find it odd, or more ironic even, in this day and age of everyone feeling that they deserve to be happy 24/7, while its always someone else’s fault if they are not, that I, and other chefs are expected to do intense things, but not be intense about it.
Why would I pay credence to a baby strait outta high school that feels scared because she/he just docket dropped me with 20 pax. I’m dealing with it, and I don’t want to talk to you about ‘Karen’s’ Shitty attitude out on the dance floor sweet heart.
Suck it up!
And if you feel scared about something, maybe you should stop doing things that you know are wrong, as you wouldn’t be scared otherwise.
Beast mode is a thing of the past now. For this chef anyway.
The physical attributes are but a myth.
I could take someone’s soul without saying a word, without touching another.
There is place there. People talk secret recipes, how do you do this? How do you do that? Is it drugs? Is it secret juice?
It’s no secret. Yet only those that go there know what it is.
You wont ever know unless you go.
Be careful though, getting back is the hard part.
You gotta be hungry when your belly’s full 😋
All I had to do was go beast mode.
He’s still there somewhere, but we don’t need him anymore.
Check out me socials here-
Tales of a Tassie Chef 