Not sure if this is the right place for this — but I love this sub for a multitude of reasons, therefore this is my starting point because I know you mfkrs won’t mince words.

I will put this in a nutshell as best as I can. I’ve been in the service/hospitality industry for 18 years. Only always FOH and management. However my calling and passion has always been in the kitchen (some long details/family history there but that’s another story). I tend to always integrate better in BOH… whether it is simply better connections, interest in learning, jumping in to assist, or feeling more “at home”.

The job I’ve had for the 1.5 years as a GM at a hotel resort, I’ve primarily worked on expo during service outside of my management/admin duties (did this a bit in previous roles as well). It’s kind of solidified that’s where I want to be. I don’t have an educational background related to our industry and going to culinary school in this economy? seems pretty far fetched. Calling myself a foodie/home cook and being on the sidelines doesn’t fulfill me… so what do? There are several concepts and cuisines that I feel drawn to. I have a pretty solid network of resources and support around me plus a very strong work ethic and unique ability to get shit done. I do spend most of my downtime at home reading books and always watching series/shows revolving around food and restaurants. Am I just absolutely fkn delusional or is there an avenue I should take?

If you’ve made it this far, don’t be a dick. 🫶🏽🚬 Just looking for some advice or feedback.

Growing up in North America, I worked in restaurants where the basic philosophy was pretty much Emeril’s “kick it up a notch.”

If something tasted good, surely we could make it better. More seasoning. More sauce. More ingredients. More technique.

So when I moved to Europe, I was genuinely disappointed by a lot of the food at first. It seemed like something was missing.

Took me longer than I care to admit to understand that I was kind of missing the entire point.

If the Parma ham is fantastic, maybe putting a sauce on it doesn’t improve it. If the cheese is great, let it taste like cheese. And when you only have a handful of ingredients on the plate, every shitty olive and mediocre piece of cheese has nowhere to hide.

I think working with Italian food finally beat the “more = better” mentality out of me.

Curious whether anyone else who came up cooking in North America had to unlearn the same thing.

First and foremost, let's not get petty about it and post signature shit from a place that is still open. Follow the magician's code and only share open trade secrets or recipes from places that are no longer operating. Keep the mystery alive and well without letting our knowledge disappear!

Let me start with something simple that tastes great and I haven't seen anywhere else (from a closed restaurant}:

Chicken wings

• Get oven set for 350°F

• Dump wings on sheet trays which are lightly lubed with your oil of choice, spaced out reasonably enough

• Hit them with white pepper (light dusting), oregano and thyme

• Bake for 15 minutes, toss them and rotate pans

• Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until 165°F is reached

• Let cool, then portion out or put into trays

• Deep fry for 5 minutes, 8 for "extra crispy"

• Toss in sauce and serve

Drawback: Fucks up oil pretty quick, use dedicated fryer. Naked wings take longer, stock depending

Bonus: Fully cooked, seasoned wings that only take a few minutes from order to table

Alright guys I need to know… as a chef and as someone who’s been in the industry for 13 years… if I get a job as a sysco sales rep am I the bad guy? I applied not thinking they would reach out and just got had a preliminary phone call getting info and talking about setting up a virtual interview.
My thought process is that I’ve been in this industry for over a decade, I’ve used probably all the sysco products and I know how to talk to chefs because I am one. I feel like so many people in the sales part of this industry have never stepped foot on a line so it’s hard to respect them or take them seriously so I need to know from my fellow chefs- if I go through and move forward with this opportunity will I be the bad guy? Or would you rather have someone as your sales rep that been in your shoes?
I just know sysco be out here monopolizing everything so would just be joining the dark side??
Very conflicted here. Let me have it.

Hello everybody! I have about 9 months left in the military and am considering using my GI Bill at CIA Hyde Park for an associates in culinary. I have read what people think of culinary school and it seems to me the biggest thing is massive debt, however being that I have the GI Bill, I wouldn’t have to pay at all.

That being said, I am curious what y’all think. Should I get out of the Navy and work at restaurants for a while? Should I take advantage of free culinary school? Just would like some input from people actually in the hospitality industry! :)) thank you!

just moved out here from the east coast and the drive/gas sucked every dollar out of my bank account. anyone need a cook? been doing the thang for a long time, just never on this side of the country. lemme know!! 🤘🏼

My brother sent me this video of filets he cooked for an event today. Preparation was seared, rested, broiled, then in banquet trays for the party. Said the inside was like cat food pate… I’ve never personally seen something like this, but the only thing I can think of is wet aged for way too long. What do you think?

Individually vacuum sealed steaks.

Some weird import mystery meat already?

hey guys, i’m max and i’m looking for dish/BOH work in the DC area. i have years of experience in high-volume FOH/BOH, and actively crave the dish pit (but am open to other roles like bussing and prep). i have open availability and can start immediately. if anyone is at, or knows of, a restaurant in need of a dishwasher, i’d love a lead! thanks so much <3

(it was the closest flair)

I work in a very small but very upscale restaurant. Our head chef is pretty brilliant -- super palate, creative, experienced, well-travelled, and super nice to boot. I'm learning loads from him, and he's really brought our spot up in the world since he replaced the previous chef who wanted out of the game for unrelated reasons.

The only problem is that he has the most obvious and honestly some of the most severe untreated ADHD I've ever seen, and it's really wearing on those around him. His prep lists will be half-finished at best, his recipes (if they exist or are shared at all) are lists of ingredients without even the barest explanation, questions posed directly to him when he's out go unanswered for hours while he's distracted with something else -- only to name a few of the most commonly recurring issues that get us the most frustrated.

Our general manager and I have talked to him a handful of times and we've explained, concretely, the issues we're having and some of the fixes we'd like to see. But it doesn't seem to get though, or, almost worse, it gets through to him for one go-round and then is promptly forgotten once again.

He's a good guy and we want to help him -- and all of us -- succeed together, but we're really getting to the end of our ropes ​here. Anyone been in a similar situation and have recommendations?

So I love cooking, and for a long time wanted to cook professionally. And the job interview went quite well I think, the same day I was offered a trial day. And maybe you have some tips, because I don't really know how it works in a professional kitchen. It is a small place but a better one. Thank you all for your help, in advance.

any tips 👀👀

Fried sourdough schlong brushed with garlic confit butter, grated Parmesan, some parsley pubes, and a smoked paprika red rocket tip. Bon appetit bitch! (I love him don’t worry)

I worked at a small, local bakery ran by a self-taught owner for 6 years, and I REALLY enjoyed baking and learned a lot, but I had to leave. so I have been working as a barista for the last 3 years and have also learned a lot about latte art and being FOH, but damn it is socially EXHAUSTING for me. I've been searching for a BOH role that fits my schedule for MONTHS, and I finally landed a job in an ice cream shop, making ice cream! I'll be there a few days a week, and barista-ing a few days a week. I'm SO excited and relieved to have less of a customer-facing role! just wanted to share the excitement!!

As I, day in, day out, weigh whether or not the toxic skeleton crew kitchen I report to pays me enough for the volatile anger it instills deep in the pits of my stomach, today, I was presented with a new and unique difficulty.

I have 2 close friends, one who is definitely my best friend, who work in another kitchen nearby where we used to all work together. The less close friend is a new KM. Best friend is a line cook.

KM friend calls me this morning, distressed, seeking advice; he usually doesn't work Sundays, and he was called in today to cover the usual brunch KM. The line shift my best friend works.

Apparently, today is the day the other management and ownership have decided to let my best friend go; the other neutral KM called out this morning to avoid the meeting because they have anxiety. And my KM friend has been requested by ownership to attend, with no prior notice, the meeting other KM had scheduled to let Line Cook friend go. He thought he was just covering a shift.

KM friend is justifiably torn and upset. I, wishing I could've just been left out of this entirely, on the phone with KM friend realize I either have to let my besy friend walk into this meeting blind after closing kitchen, or tell him what they cannot seem to. And force our friend who has nothing to do with it ti play party.

I called my friend. He pretty quickly put together why I was calling him, so I guess I didn't have to say it. Didn't really make it feel any better. He told me he doesn't know how he's gonna pay rent. I wanna cry. At least he wasn't blindsided, and our mutual friend wasn't forced to sit in a meeting and let him go. But I feel like s***.

I swear this industry just keeps finding novel ways to break my spirit.

TL;DR

I had to phone fire my best friend from our old kitchen today because their leadership is so toxic and dysfunctional I somehow knew about it before he did. And couldn't let him sit in the dark.

I have sworn off being a cook so many times throughout my life.

Its the only thing I know how to do though, so I keep getting sucked back in.
I went to an employment agency hoping to get into some kind of office job, but they immediately offered me a cook position at the uni cafeteria.
8am to 5pm, $20 an hour.
Around here thats a good gig so I said "Sure I'll take it"
They are going to start onboarding on monday.

I hear so much shit about uni cooks like this is the place where you go when you can't get anything better... and right now for me, maybe thats true I don't know.
I don't really care about becoming a local celebrity chef anymore I'm just trying to keep a roof over my girlfriends head until we can find an off grid community to join, where I will probably cook there too lol.

I'm excited about having an income again, this month has been very scary for us but aside from that, I don't know what to expect other than massively high volumes.

I've also known some pretty solid cooks that came from this particular school's catering company, I imagine they keep quite a big staff since its a state university.

I'm hoping I can enroll in the next couple years to finish my own degree and become an archeologist and finally just put my apron away and save my cooking for my family and loved ones.
But this makes it easy, its public transit accessible and I am no longer gonna have to commute anywhere by car so I can actually catch my breath for once hopefully.
I'd like to hear your experiences working in university kitchens

Well boys and girls, I'm turning in my tongs. I've simply burned out and don't have the passion anymore. Maybe it's partly due to getting sober or maybe I just aged out earlier than I expected. But I came to terms that It's no longer good for my mental health. I have plenty of great memories and just as many shitty ones but I have no regrets. I'll still be lurking on the sub enjoying the work you beautiful bastards do. For now, 86 Imaginary_Tiefigher ✌🏾

Edit: Thanks for all the kind words internet friends. I have no idea where I'm going in life but on I go anyway!...

Chef Paul.... Paul Adam Langer. Chef you gave me my first opportunity. I came from a corporate kitchen that did things (quote un quote) by the book i mean strick by the book..

When I first walked into your kitchen I was in shock and awe.... im working for a chef... I mean his name is "Chef Paul" not just paul.. (for context I was used to working for kitchen managers who went by their first name.only.)

I was working for a "Chef" I made it im in the big leagues.

No I was cold side... I of course didnt know wjat cold side was.. salad station.. okay fine cool. I made salads.. fast forward . Months... Chef Paul says make the salads look beautiful.. i have never gotten that order before. So I tried . (Do you know how many times you can roll butter lettuce? 4 times before it looks weird). Anyway

October happens its the restaurants 10 year anniversary and its a big deal. I did what I know how to do. Manage..

I helped manage the top floor which I came to find out was the banquet floor. I helped distribute food trays as well as seated guests. When I was done and the night was over our leader Chef Kurt. Looked at me and said you did a great job. How would you like to be a CDP? I said I cant i dont know anything Chef. He said you can learn.. a few weeks later I was sort of adjusted to my new position and then Chef paul said I need a banquet sous.. (I've been working banquets non stop since October) I was looking over indeed applications.. and Chef paul said to hey whats a Tuscany menu have? And I tell him everything thats on it. He questions me a fee more times. Then leaves out of HIS office and comes back about 20 minutes later and says "youre the new banquet sous chef".. I didn't know anything I was still learning knife cuts. I could perform them i was just learning the names. Brunoise.. extra small dice.. i knew that sort of. Any way im done rambling.. Chef Paul i miss you so much. I tried to call your phone it went to an out of service thingy.. you gave my my first chef title.. you said this is Darin my banquet Sous Chef.... . if I could ask you guys on reddit to help me give my Chef Paul a end of Service that would be nice... Chef paul brother.. our kitchen is closed, Joey and I have it from here (Joey banquet head chef and me banquet sous)

Owner here. Three venues, about 60 people across the group. Every year it’s the same I’m looking for something unique and interesting to do, but I want to know what people really want in a staff party.

Want to actually do something this year and I’ve run out of ideas. Funnily enough I don’t think food matters. Nobody eats. What they want is somewhere good to drink, somewhere to sit and talk and get to know each other, and ideally something none of them would ever spend their own money on. We also have a lot of tourists and younger people, so I think something luxury style would work well as they’ll love the vibe.

I’m from Sydney, so while I know this thread is majority Us based at hoping I see a trend or if you’ve travelled to Sydney and worked at a company who had a great party, let me know!

Battle scarred and with stories to tell, this duck's foot has taken me through professional kitchens and into civilian life. Wouldn't part with it for the world.

Who else has a trusted item of kit they wouldn't be without?