Exhausting job
Yes, I'm back at an Italian place. It is so much like Piccolo Mondo. Actually, it's just like Piccolo Mondo, except about 4 times busier. 4 times busier is.. a very huge amount. I don't remember how many cooks read my LJ, but to give you a sense, we went through 3 cases of lamb racks yesterday, and another 2 today. That's CASES of lamb racks. We are searing off 100 pounds of Osso Buco every other day. But that's just the numbers. The culture, the actual minute by minute experience of it is unbelievable. I've been cooking for 7 years, but I'm totally back in boot camp. I'm SURE that this is going to make me a stronger cook.


But anyway, the insight that I wanted to share was the speed that this job is passing by. I started what seems like a short while ago, but I need another haircut already. The job is difficult enough that I'm totally absorbed in my microscopic part of the big picture. It's weird. I don't know who does the ordering or when. I don't know who puts away the orders when they arrive. I only found out where the dumpster was tonight. Every day I'm just running to keep up.

Two cases each of broccoli and cauliflower into florets, four heads each of red and savoy cabbage sliced and braised, 30 lbs of carrots diced, broccolini, rapini, roasted tomatoes, spinach, roasted butternut squash, 4 soups and garnish, mashed potato... i have about 30 minutes to get that shit done before I have to blanch all the veg in a big rondeau of water. No steamer! GAH! Oh plus all the regular mise en place- fill yer inserts, bottles, seasoning, yadda yadda- luckily a lot of that can be done on the fly as you're blanching veg.

Anyway, i'm totally not bitching, it's hard but kinda fun in a sick self-destructive way. Hopefully it will die down a bit in the new year. The kitchen is definitely the hottest I've ever worked in. It's at least 40 degress now, but they tell me it is MUCH worse in the summer. yikes.