My Life in Calgary
Everyday I wake up at 6am and hit snooze. Then I wake up at 6:08 and hit snooze. Then I wake up at 6:22am and get ready for work. I call Associated taxi, pack my kitchen gear and knives, put on jeans and a shirt, brush my teeth, comb my hair, wash my face, go back to bed, cuddle for a bit. Front buzzer goes signifying the arrival of my taxi. TD square please.
7 minute ride. $7.80 cabfare, $10 after tip. I'm not asking for a dollar back. That's gay. I don't want to sit there for 20 seconds while he awkwardly sifts through his coins looking for that perfect loonie. Must be how bums feel minus the excitement at the prospect of a meal or the humility of having the cab driver say sorry, he does not have any change.
7am. Grab my clipboard and start my counts. There are 7 portions of stirfry vegetables left. The par for the day is 25. 1 portion includes 1.5 ounces of celery sliced quarter inch at a bias, equal in carrots, 1 ounce of water chestnuts and 1 ounce of chiffon ade rainbow chard. I have to make 18 portions today. I count my pars: boiled eggs, house mix, romaine, burger tops, diced cucumbers, bruschetta, hashbrowns, baked brie, maple pepper bacon, apple pie, delmonico chicken, dry ribs, gruyere, cheddar, quesadillas etc. I count what's left, deduct it from the day's par and make my list. 7:30am.
Chop lettuce, chop carrots, chop celery, dice cucumbers, chiffon ade basil $ rainbow chard, core roma tomatos, grate cheese, slice red onions, julienne red peppers, glaze bacon, saute white onions, add portabella, bake hashbrowns, boil eggs, peel eggs, encrust brie, rush rush rush. check the time, 20 minutes left. portion the stirfry vegetables. no time for break. 11am. set up for lunch rush.
KITCHEN WORDS:
"Percy" - Percilla
"fire" - Make
"Not fired" - Chef did not ask me to make it. It's not ready.
"Mo-Meat" - Montreal Smoked meat sandwich with provolone, stone ground mustard on toasted marble rye
"PR" - Prime Rib sandwich on toasted sourdough with horseraddish cream and pepper aoli topped with two slices of provolone and placed in the salamander.
"Club" - ciabatta, mayo, cheddar, maple pepper bacon, lettuce, tomato, grilled chicken
"Cheddar set" - burger bun, stone ground ketchup aoli on bottom, garlic aoli, lettuce spun in a circle, tomato, 3 slices of red onion, pickle stabbed in a toothpick in an 'S' shape.
"Pickin' up" - Is it ready? we need to sell it now.
"sell" - going to the table with the rest of the order.
"Salamander" - industrial toaster
"Yo" - positive confirmation
"Recall" - say that again
"time" - how long
"hands" - turn around and catch this
"fresh up" everything on the bill for that table is ready for the expo to make final garnishing and send out.
Lunch rush starts.
"Percy fire Mo-Meat" "Yo Mo-Meat", "Percy Fire Spolumbo" "Yo Spolumbo" - put ciabatta in salamander, "Percy fire feature" "Yo feature", "Percy Fire Club no mayo, no cheddar with provolone times three" "Yo", "Percy pickin' up Mo-Meat" "Yo, 30 seconds mo-meat", "club up" (chicken is off the grill) "thanks" - make club sandwich. "Fresh up, club in window!" , "Percy fire oysters" "Yo Oysters" - schuck 6 oysters, place in star position on bed of fast melting shaved ice..."Percy fire three mo-meats" "yo" ... add aoli to oysters in pearl shape..."Percy fire three salmon breads, Prime Rib and pickin' up a cheddar set" "yo salmon bread, three all day, PR fired, cheddar set 10 seconds!" ... add 1/2 ounce julienne smoked salmon to edge of oysters, "Percy pickin' up tandoori" "No tandoori, not fired", "Club up!" "yo", "Percy hands!" - turn around to catch ciabatta bread flying from halfway down the line, add garlic aoli and slide it back... pinch two 1" pieces of chives for each oyster and place in aoli "Percy pickin' up oysters, two clubs and a PR" "Yo, oysters up, clubs 30 seconds, PR melting" ...
In 30 minutes I will make 8 Prime rib sanwiches, 5 oyster sets, 20 Clubs, 8 Tandoori sandwiches, 10 Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, 6 baseball steaks for salad, 10 burgers, and X amount of the feature. That's the "grill assist" station. The other stations are Side salad, cold side, apps, saute, grill, finisher and caller. the Kitchen makes a total sale of $3000 in 30 minutes.
Then we clean.
Dishes, coolers, garbage runs, mop prep hall, stock, label, organize. There's also 70/30's (recounting your pars and making sure there is 70% of your day's par for the night rush). Re-prep any items short, clean your station top to bottom, log out. 3pm. Walk home tired as fuck. Monday to Friday.
I've been in the MET kitchen for 2 months now and in February I move to a different station until I learn the entire line. Then I can train to be a head sous chef while earning apprenticeship hours. I also have to save up and make time for school. hopefully by this september.
7 minute ride. $7.80 cabfare, $10 after tip. I'm not asking for a dollar back. That's gay. I don't want to sit there for 20 seconds while he awkwardly sifts through his coins looking for that perfect loonie. Must be how bums feel minus the excitement at the prospect of a meal or the humility of having the cab driver say sorry, he does not have any change.
7am. Grab my clipboard and start my counts. There are 7 portions of stirfry vegetables left. The par for the day is 25. 1 portion includes 1.5 ounces of celery sliced quarter inch at a bias, equal in carrots, 1 ounce of water chestnuts and 1 ounce of chiffon ade rainbow chard. I have to make 18 portions today. I count my pars: boiled eggs, house mix, romaine, burger tops, diced cucumbers, bruschetta, hashbrowns, baked brie, maple pepper bacon, apple pie, delmonico chicken, dry ribs, gruyere, cheddar, quesadillas etc. I count what's left, deduct it from the day's par and make my list. 7:30am.
Chop lettuce, chop carrots, chop celery, dice cucumbers, chiffon ade basil $ rainbow chard, core roma tomatos, grate cheese, slice red onions, julienne red peppers, glaze bacon, saute white onions, add portabella, bake hashbrowns, boil eggs, peel eggs, encrust brie, rush rush rush. check the time, 20 minutes left. portion the stirfry vegetables. no time for break. 11am. set up for lunch rush.
KITCHEN WORDS:
"Percy" - Percilla
"fire" - Make
"Not fired" - Chef did not ask me to make it. It's not ready.
"Mo-Meat" - Montreal Smoked meat sandwich with provolone, stone ground mustard on toasted marble rye
"PR" - Prime Rib sandwich on toasted sourdough with horseraddish cream and pepper aoli topped with two slices of provolone and placed in the salamander.
"Club" - ciabatta, mayo, cheddar, maple pepper bacon, lettuce, tomato, grilled chicken
"Cheddar set" - burger bun, stone ground ketchup aoli on bottom, garlic aoli, lettuce spun in a circle, tomato, 3 slices of red onion, pickle stabbed in a toothpick in an 'S' shape.
"Pickin' up" - Is it ready? we need to sell it now.
"sell" - going to the table with the rest of the order.
"Salamander" - industrial toaster
"Yo" - positive confirmation
"Recall" - say that again
"time" - how long
"hands" - turn around and catch this
"fresh up" everything on the bill for that table is ready for the expo to make final garnishing and send out.
Lunch rush starts.
"Percy fire Mo-Meat" "Yo Mo-Meat", "Percy Fire Spolumbo" "Yo Spolumbo" - put ciabatta in salamander, "Percy fire feature" "Yo feature", "Percy Fire Club no mayo, no cheddar with provolone times three" "Yo", "Percy pickin' up Mo-Meat" "Yo, 30 seconds mo-meat", "club up" (chicken is off the grill) "thanks" - make club sandwich. "Fresh up, club in window!" , "Percy fire oysters" "Yo Oysters" - schuck 6 oysters, place in star position on bed of fast melting shaved ice..."Percy fire three mo-meats" "yo" ... add aoli to oysters in pearl shape..."Percy fire three salmon breads, Prime Rib and pickin' up a cheddar set" "yo salmon bread, three all day, PR fired, cheddar set 10 seconds!" ... add 1/2 ounce julienne smoked salmon to edge of oysters, "Percy pickin' up tandoori" "No tandoori, not fired", "Club up!" "yo", "Percy hands!" - turn around to catch ciabatta bread flying from halfway down the line, add garlic aoli and slide it back... pinch two 1" pieces of chives for each oyster and place in aoli "Percy pickin' up oysters, two clubs and a PR" "Yo, oysters up, clubs 30 seconds, PR melting" ...
In 30 minutes I will make 8 Prime rib sanwiches, 5 oyster sets, 20 Clubs, 8 Tandoori sandwiches, 10 Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, 6 baseball steaks for salad, 10 burgers, and X amount of the feature. That's the "grill assist" station. The other stations are Side salad, cold side, apps, saute, grill, finisher and caller. the Kitchen makes a total sale of $3000 in 30 minutes.
Then we clean.
Dishes, coolers, garbage runs, mop prep hall, stock, label, organize. There's also 70/30's (recounting your pars and making sure there is 70% of your day's par for the night rush). Re-prep any items short, clean your station top to bottom, log out. 3pm. Walk home tired as fuck. Monday to Friday.
I've been in the MET kitchen for 2 months now and in February I move to a different station until I learn the entire line. Then I can train to be a head sous chef while earning apprenticeship hours. I also have to save up and make time for school. hopefully by this september.