08.21.06

Shifting My Role…

Posted in The Story at 11:50 pm by Chef Matt

The following is a complex set of things to explain, so I will do my best to try and explain it all in a way that keeps it in the light I really see it in. In its entirety, this is all a positive series of events that are occurring, and even though there are parts that sound bad at first, trust me, this is all for the best.

I have now been at Cafe Tirolo for 5 weeks. I know, it is hard for me to believe as well. I have gotten the morning prep down perfectly, to the point where I can usually set-up all of the lunch items for multiple stations and some of the dinner items in just the time it used to take me to do about half the morning work. The sandwich station is not much of mystery any longer - that took me about 2 days to figure out all the nuances of. And there are soups and sauces that need to constantly be made throughout the week that I am now entrusted with on a regular basis.

However, it is the busy line work - the heavy lifting of the restaurant at its busiest times, if you will - that continues to elude me. It has been 5 weeks, and I am still struggling on the line. No matter how you slice it, this is not good. So much so that the new owner has realized that I should not currently be earning a full-on line cook’s pay just yet, and has bumped my hourly wage down by $1/hr since my skill set is stuck at the level of prep cook and sandwich maker. For this, many other restaurants quite possibly would have fired me, but I was spared the axe. (Pay attention to this point any would-be chefs out there! The early jobs are hard, and you may not get such understanding treatment!)

(This was the part I warned you about that sounds really bad… but it does get better…)

However, my boss - the new owner - was able to figure out what the problem was. (Thank God!) The problem was that the old chef/owner, Vic, was never letting me work on the line. I have always been the outsider looking in on all the fast-paced work of the line. I have tried to learn what I could by watching what was going on in front of my befuddled eyes at mach 16. When I try to mimic these actions, I of course fail since I have never really tried any of them myself, nor have I received any sort of instruction on how to do them. In short, I wasn’t “getting” any of it because I wasn’t doing any of it.

The new owner has now changed things, so that Vic works on prep cooking (which he enjoys since it gives him more of a rest). I now work with Miriam on the line. Just the two of us (unless it gets super-busy when Vic can come in). I was fully in agreement with my new boss about how my skills were not where either of us wanted them to be, and this would be a great way for me to advance my skills quickly. Today was the first day of this new schedule, and I have to say, I think I may have learned more today about timing of dishes and how to make more menu items than on most any other day I have worked so far.

Some see the glass a half empty. Some see the glass as half-full. I see it as water that I need because I am always so damn thirsty in the hot kitchen!

In addition, I am now a full-time full-timer. That is, I will be working double shifts every day that we are open for lunch and dinner (M-Th). So while I am taking a minor pay cut in my hourly wage, the number of hours I am being given has just increased by about 18 hours/week, so at the end of the day, I am actually now taking home more money.

And finally, my boss has agreed that once I get my skills in line - when I can work the line like a pro - my pay will come right back up to where it belongs. In short, she has given me a goal, and some serious motivation. And I don’t like backing down from challenges.

So it is time for me to play in the big leagues. Hell yes, I am now full of doubts. I have just been “called out” in the least subtle way imaginable. In short, it is sink or swim time for me.

I plan on swimming myself.

Like I said, I am positive about all of this - I have a goal, and I’ll let you all know when I get there.

Matt

P.S. And I know I still owe you all a recap of New York! It is coming - I just thought this was a little bigger and more on-point with the story-line of becoming a chef…

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