Arts & Entertainment
Amuse Bouche: [My] unwritten rules of the kitchen
Published
3 years agoon
Posted By
AdminBy Scott Mechura EBS Food Columnist
Everywhere from articles on LinkedIn to Facebook, to conversations with chefs to episodes of Netflix’s’ “Chefs Table,” to clubs and diners, kitchens have rules.
Every workspace has its own character—its own vibe that makes it what it is. I’m not talking about rules found in a handbook or a human resource coaching form. I’m talking about rules that govern the work habits and culture of a given kitchen.
Any given chef or kitchen manager will no doubt have his or her distinctive set of rules to live by. But there are certain rules of the kitchen that are (and should be) fairly universal.
Here are mine.
- Always show up on time. Of all the stressful moments in a chef’s day, there is no more stressful moment than 10 minutes after a cook’s shift was supposed to begin and you don’t see them yet. Then you begin to wonder.
- My knives are my knives. Watch a carpenter or electrician take another person’s hammer or screwdriver from their tool belt and see what happens. The same goes for chefs and their knives.
- Working neat means working fast. Think of your cutting board as your desk top. How are you supposed to write or type if you have papers or files all over it?
- A task is not completed until it is cleaned up. In my first French kitchen, I was so anxious to please the chef that I would ask for the next task and he would remind me I was not finished with the previous one because my work station had not been cleaned.
- Never take another cook’s “mise en place,” or, ingredient setup. I’ve seen near fights ensue when one cook takes another’s chopped shallots. That was laborious time spent, and not for others.
- No towel snapping. I’ll admit, I enjoyed a good towel snapping fight. However, it was at my first job, in the 1980’s, when I was 15.
- Put things back where they go. How can you possibly expect to be productive when you are always looking for something?
- Never take it personal. There is always literal and figurative heat in a kitchen. If your co-worker is short with you, they probably have several things they are trying to keep straight in their head.
- Servers and bartenders are not your adversaries. You both have very different aspects of work that make each of your jobs either easier or more challenging. Respect that.
- Always take care of your dishwashers. They are the keystone to the flow of everything and without them, everything else crumbles.
- Never sacrifice quality for speed. I always coach young cooks to get it precise first, and the speed will inevitably follow. If you don’t have time to do it right the first time, how are you possibly going to find the time to repair it?
- Never leave an empty container or box on a shelf. This may be my greatest pet peeve. Inevitably, that same person who left the empty box on the shelf will then tell the person placing orders that they are out of something they didn’t order because they saw the box on the shelf.
- Never look when someone drops or breaks something. We’ve all done it. No one intends to do it. By looking you have now distracted yourself with something that never required your attention in the first place.
Scott Mechura has spent a life in the hospitality industry. He is a former certified beer judge and currently the multi-concept culinary director for a Bozeman based restaurant group.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome to come, if you don’t know who to bring come alone this is a great mixer event! This is an event hosted by Big Sky OUT as we work to provide queer safe spaces throughout the community.
Time
(Sunday) 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Cowboy Coffee
25 Town Center Ave. Big Sky, MT 59716