Anyone work in a kitchen?

[squat]

I just got a job yesterday as a cook at Bravo!'s Italian restaurant... I have no cooking experience, but the head chef liked me so he gave me the job; more or less. What can I expect? What do you think pay is like? I'm gonna find all of this out on Monday, but I'm just curious as to what you guys think.

Edit: I'm 18 years old, no rent to pay yet. I'm going to start paying rent to my oldest sister and move out to Florida with her soon. I'm also saving up to buy her old car (RX8) for 7 grand.


Also, I read in the handbook that Bravo! reserves the right to drug test me at any time they see fit. Does this mean that I'll get hit with a random one or only get hit with one if they think I'm on drugs? I just smoke a little grass here and there, and I don't particularly want to give that up. I'm not hoping to make more than $9-12/hour at hopefully 40+ hours per week.

 

[SevenSamurai]

I used to work in a Kitchen full of Iraqis, Kuwautis, Saudis etc who had fled to the US during the first war etc etc in highschool.

They used to call me a "Yahoodi" when I would screw up (I'm not jewish -they just find that to be the most insulting thing they can call you -lulz at fucking the hopelessly biggoted) I mostly prepped fish and veggies and got a tip share at the end of the night which I would promptly spend on guitar strings, skateboard bearings, and compressed charcoal. i met alot of watresses and their friends there -that was the best part -at the end of shift -there would be a lot of girls ready to go do something.

In college I worked at a vegan restaurant which was full of smug.

 

[Plutoburn]

Above all else, an efficient multi-tasker.

 

[FlowWithTheGo23]

How old are you? Do you still live at home? Honest questions...just wondering because I always hear that you start off in the cooking industry making nothing...obviously a concern if you have rent to pay.

 

[Oblivian]

Yes, I did. One thing to make clear - even if you like cooking, it doesn't mean you'll like working in a restaurant. With that said, you'll pick up a lot of good skills. The pay won't be very good most likely. The culinary industry isn't the highest paying gig, and you are starting at the bottom. If you are into partying/debauchery, there is a good chance you'll find some new friends.

 

[xilliun]

Above all else, an efficient multi-tasker.

This by far.

 

[squat]

Bump

 

[hohner]

Start doing coke, drinking well into the morning, and chain smoking cigarettes every chance you get. If you do that you'll fit right in.

Working in a kitchen means weird hours, lots of hard work, and not a ton of money. It can still be a lot of fun.

 

[Heisenberg]

There are no women on sherdog....













yes. In high school I worked in every facet of Boston Market. Prep, dishwashing, cashier, manager, etc. What did you want to know?

 

[2O9ESE]

I wait tables and sometimes I pick up shifts in the kitchen, but dont cook. I agree with everything hohner says with the exception of it being fun. Very hard work. Coffee helps

 

[Stump]

Tough gig, most likely. There are definitely easier entry-level jobs out there than the ones in the culinary field. It really depends, but there is a good chance you'll be working your ass off inside a steamy, hot kitchen during the most busy times for service - IE times when you might like to have some time off,like weekends, late nights. And you wont get paid very much. It depends on what minimum wage is around your parts, but probably not much higher than that.

On the bright side, you could potentially get access to all sorts of amazing foods and techniques, get to eat like a king, and associate with a pretty wild group of people in cooks and servers/bartenders. Probably the biggest thing in my opinion is the real-world skills cooking gives you. In addition to the obvious knowledge about food and cooking techniques, the level of mulitasking and planning you need to develop is very useful in life in general. Much of cooking is just robotic factory assembly of foods, but sometimes you get opportunities to flex a little personal creative muscle, and that can be really rewarding.

Cooks, experienced ones you find in the backs of kitchens are usually a bit weird, and almost always characters. Sometimes you get some horrible sociopathic nutbars who can only function in a kitchen because any other job with more face-to-face interaction would lead to them stabbing somebody. You also get some really cool people, with lots of travel experience and interest in the path less traveled. A lot of career cooks do what they do so they can maintain a felxible, mobile lifestyle.

You're going to need a shitload of instruction in the kitchen as a brand-newbian. Remember that and be very friendly and appreciative of help and instruction. Dont be a dick, you'll get to that later in your career.

Remember to drink lots of water if you're on the line and its hot. Wash your hands more than you see anybody else do it. Make friends with the bartender and key, older serving staff as soon as possible. Get good arch-support, non-slip footwear - spend the extra money and time and get good ones.