A Week of Firsts

1st First - Sous Chef

This week it was my turn to be Sous Chef, which in a nutshell means delegating tasks to teammates, being responsible for all the food we produce that week and in general being the fall guy if something is not right. As Sous Chef, it's your responsibility to make sure everything is right whether you have anything to do with it or not. Prepare to take the brunt of the blame, and you will be good to go as Sous Chef.

2nd First - Restaurant

This week was our first dinner and lunch service at the school's restaurant which is open to the public. Wednesday night we were responsible for feeding the hungry mob who I hope had no idea that it was our very first service ever and that many people only just picked up a knife and an apron less than a month ago. Thursday, we fed a hopefully equally unknowing group at lunch. Service went well for our first time, but I learned a few things:

1. The Chefs are unforgiving on mistakes made during service. You better bring your A game or go home.
2. I like the adrenaline in the kitchen during service. The pace is fast, furious and exciting.
3. Emotions run high in the kitchens and tempers flare.
4. People like a fast lunch and a leisurely dinner. I never realized before how that impacts the people cooking the food in the kitchen. I certainly do now.

3rd First - Filet

I've got gutting a fish down pat these days. Belly, fins, gills - check. It is the fileting of the fish that needs practice. I fileted my first fish ever on Tuesday - a big ol' Salmon, see below. I didn't do half bad actually. It was just the fish for lunch service on Thursday that threw me for a loop. I'm not sure if it was the fact that it was the second time in my life that I have fileted a fish or that in my head I knew it had to be done well because there were actually people out there waiting to pay for something to which I was about to take a freakily sharp knife. Either way, my heart jumped a little when I saw Chef walk into the Garde Manger where I was prepping the fish. "What iz this," I was asked. "Just trying to filet the fish, Chef," came my reply. "Well, why you cut off zis part? This is the money. Don't cut zis part off." He was right. Restaurants are in the business of making money, not butchering fish. But, hey, it was only my second fish to ever filet people. Give me a break!



Mr. Salmon, I'm coming after you.



The official first filet.


We took our salmon and did several things with it:



Covered it in this awesome salt mixture first.

Made this cool dry marinade of seeds, herbs, spices, etc.

Took the salt off some of the filets and covered them in the herb mixture where they will stay for three weeks.

We smoked some of the other filets using this little box, some fire (provided by Chef) and an oven.

With the rest of the salmon, we made tartare.

The tartare, plated and finished with some brunoised "veg."

4th First - Fire

During our first dinner service, a Belgian girl from the other group was standing over the stove when something was being flambéed. Well, they must have been using Everclear because the fire that erupted out of the pot was at least 5 feet tall and she was caught in the middle of it. It appeared that her hair might have caught fire for just a second before she was able to step out of the flames and realize that her ear was burned. She was fine, but it was scary for her and I'm pretty sure her ear was not appreciative either.

5th First - Slice

There's a reason why your mom always told you not to play with knives. Sweet Kyoko from Japan cut her finger today pretty badly. The worst part is that the bandage job that the school nurse did was astonishingly terrible. I think one of my toddling nieces or nephews could have done a better job than that. We are lucky we have Leo, our resident doctor. As Kyoko squeezed my hand with her non mangled one, Leo removed the bandage and took a look at the cut. Being the curious doctor's child I am, of course, I snuck a peek myself. It didn't look good, and poor Kyoko's face was as pale as Nicole Kidman in winter, eyes glazing over from the sight of blood and the pain. Leo stopped the bleeding and re-bandaged it for her and we all insisted she go home.

Kyoko and her poor finger!

--- On Friday, we had our regional meal for Normandy, which is a daylong event. So, it was a demanding week to be in the position of Sous Chef, and I am totally wiped out as a result. In fact, I'm fairly certain my landlady had NO idea what I was telling her this evening in my garbled, mumbling French after coming home from school. When tired, I can butcher the beautiful French language at times. My brain just won't compute anymore.

Needless to say, it was a brutal week for all involved (including Chef Stephane who was witness to our many mistakes)! I think we are all ecstatic that it is the weekend, and we can rest and stay out of the kitchen. Now, if I could just stop smelling like a fish, that would be the icing on top.