The Chefs That Scream part II

part II

Part II
I remember working under a particularly hard sous chef in one of the best restaurants in the world. We’ll say his name was Chris, because it was. He was like the drill seargent from “Full Metal Jacket”. He took me aside one day because he felt his verbal assaults on me were going to be responded to with a physical assault by me (the idea had crossed my mind). He explained the pressure he was under: “Look, I have 20 cooks running around this place, and they all could get me fired. I have to look out for myself, then those three (pointing at the Sous Chefs) then after that I can try to look out for you guys “. So, while he could be really, really, really mean at times,
he also protected us from the chef. He was also one of the most talented and focused cooks I have ever seen work in a kitchen.

Fast forward to my first sous chef job at Town for Geoffrey Zakarian. He is a demanding chef, and we had one line cook that was not up to snuff. Coming fresh off being a line cook myself, I
tried to help and cover for him just like Chris did for me. One day Chef gave me grief about his messy station. I went to the cook and told him he to get organzed. He had the nerve to bark back at me. I was so tired of hearing shit for him and my Sous Chef ego kicked in. Let’s just say I lost my cool and as I was throwing his entire tool kit in the garbage, my mind flashed to Chris, and I thought to myself “I get you now. I really fucking get you now”.

Then there was Phillippe Feret, the consummate gentleman chef who was hardworking, knowledgeable, and humble. At Windows on the World where I first worked for him he commanded so much respect from his crew that the union was unable to recruit a shop steward until after his departure.
In 8 months at one of the biggest, highest-pressure jobs in New York, I saw him lose his temper once, on a food runner ( he deserved it). Even though his tenure was short and the reviews were not good, it was hardly his fault. He was like an officer leading his troops into a battle he knew they could not win. He kept a stiff upper lip, and with calm determination, he went about the business of trying to execute the most ridiculous menu ever created for a restaurant that size. He was not splashy, he hadn’t any tattoos, or any catchphrases. I worked for some of the biggest names out there. They were amazing people in their own way, but I really look up to this guy. If there was one I wish I was more like, it would be him.
I have seen him make an astounding wedding cake for a very fancy New York society wedding. His sugar work is legendary. Besides being a pastry expert he could bake bread, stuff his own sausage, make a great cassoulet, buttcher whole animals, you name it. The sheer breadth of this guy’s knowledge is mind-blowing. He’s the real deal. This is what inspired and kept the crew in line. It was not the stream of consciousness vulgarity and insults that other chefs employed. He didn’t need them.

I think, as with most things, it’s about balance. If you walk around acting like a hardass, ranting and raving all the time, people will tune you out after a while. If you don’t get upset all, people will not take the craft seriously and skip the details that make a good dish great.Ultimately what chefs & cooks understand is that the food’s the thing, not our egos or our feelings. It is getting the dish out there as perfectly as possible, as quickly as possible, and
making sure the customer is satisfied. As much as I can scream, customers can scream too, and
they do it on Yelp, or Open Table, etc., and who needs to hear that.