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AW1

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Any other Chefs on here former or present? 

 

The situation in this city is now at critical point with the shortage of chefs even outwith the festival. Doesnt help the fact the amount of cowboys on the circuit either and badly run kitchens we have here. Will quite gladly network with other Chefs on here and see what your viewpoints are in regards to the industry right now. I'm freelance through my own LTD at the moment  because it's easier with a young family. 

 

Hearing a few rumours of a chef day of action soon that will bring the city to its knees, everyone is fed up of the pay and the crap we have to put up with in Edinburgh. Honestly it's the worst place I've ever cooked, the food can be very decent and we've got some of the best restaurants in the UK but deary me I'd rather work for Lothian buses right now 

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luckyBatistuta

I pick up loads of you guys at the end of the day. Can’t believe the amount of hours you have to do. Pretty much every single one of the folk I’ve picked up smoke. A lot of them say they only do it to escape the madness of the kitchen for a few minutes. Couldn’t do it myself.

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11 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

I pick up loads of you guys at the end of the day. Can’t believe the amount of hours you have to do. Pretty much every single one of the folk I’ve picked up smoke. A lot of them say they only do it to escape the madness of the kitchen for a few minutes. Couldn’t do it myself.

Smoke weed?

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25 minutes ago, Del Monty said:

Chef day of action that will bring the city to it's knees... Lol

It will the amount that are involved in this. What I mean is it will bring the hospitality industry in this city to its knees for a day not the city in general etc. 

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38 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

I pick up loads of you guys at the end of the day. Can’t believe the amount of hours you have to do. Pretty much every single one of the folk I’ve picked up smoke. A lot of them say they only do it to escape the madness of the kitchen for a few minutes. Couldn’t do it myself.

Its the only break we get mate. Yes it's what I signed up for in the first place the hard graft etc but it's not the 1920s. We are the only industry that hasn't evolved on all fronts. 

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3 hours ago, AW1 said:

Any other Chefs on here former or present? 

 

The situation in this city is now at critical point with the shortage of chefs even outwith the festival. Doesnt help the fact the amount of cowboys on the circuit either and badly run kitchens we have here. Will quite gladly network with other Chefs on here and see what your viewpoints are in regards to the industry right now. I'm freelance through my own LTD at the moment  because it's easier with a young family. 

 

Hearing a few rumours of a chef day of action soon that will bring the city to its knees, everyone is fed up of the pay and the crap we have to put up with in Edinburgh. Honestly it's the worst place I've ever cooked, the food can be very decent and we've got some of the best restaurants in the UK but deary me I'd rather work for Lothian buses right now 

 

 

Dont say that, You've got a full life infront of you. Dont give up on life. 

 

 

oh and get a more powerful microwave they cook faster.

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Good luck mate. My brothers a chef and I know the strain and stress he is under every day  If workers from all industries started to stick up for themselves employers would soon back down. 

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hearts related nickname

Currently a chef.  

Took on a head chef position last year (my first) and went into the festival a month later  Was impossible to find staff. I ended up only having 2 days off in the month, with working days pushing 12 hours.

I get why people look being a chef and say they couldn't/wouldn't do it. But, for me when it hits Saturday night rush, full restaurant and your knackered but you still manage to put out consistent quality. Sitting down after with a cold lager and a smoke, there's no feeling that compares to that.

Being a chef is class but not in Edinburgh and definitely not during the festival. That amount of strain messes with people

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12 hours ago, AW1 said:

Its the only break we get mate. Yes it's what I signed up for in the first place the hard graft etc but it's not the 1920s. We are the only industry that hasn't evolved on all fronts. 

It's an ongoing joke in hospitality that people take up smoking just to get a break. Chef work is stressful. 

 

However, I will say that far, far too many chefs take their shit out on the front of house staff. Too much of an "us v them" mentality and in my experience, some of the chefs behaviour is tantamount to bullying. 

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5 hours ago, hearts related nickname said:

Currently a chef.  

Took on a head chef position last year (my first) and went into the festival a month later  Was impossible to find staff. I ended up only having 2 days off in the month, with working days pushing 12 hours.

I get why people look being a chef and say they couldn't/wouldn't do it. But, for me when it hits Saturday night rush, full restaurant and your knackered but you still manage to put out consistent quality. Sitting down after with a cold lager and a smoke, there's no feeling that compares to that.

Being a chef is class but not in Edinburgh and definitely not during the festival. That amount of strain messes with people

 

How much were you paying them?

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2 hours ago, Normthebarman said:

It's an ongoing joke in hospitality that people take up smoking just to get a break. Chef work is stressful. 

 

However, I will say that far, far too many chefs take their shit out on the front of house staff. Too much of an "us v them" mentality and in my experience, some of the chefs behaviour is tantamount to bullying. 

To be fair mate I've worked all over the UK in all different types of kitchens and I can only count on one hand front of house staff that were actually good at their jobs. Another thing is this is the only industry where an unskilled worker (front of house) can get away with telling a skilled professional what to do. There's a pretty good reason why some chefs bark at them. 

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23 minutes ago, AW1 said:

To be fair mate I've worked all over the UK in all different types of kitchens and I can only count on one hand front of house staff that were actually good at their jobs. Another thing is this is the only industry where an unskilled worker (front of house) can get away with telling a skilled professional what to do. There's a pretty good reason why some chefs bark at them. 

There's ways and means of dealing with people though. You can tell colleagues that they're doing things wrong or need to slow down service without calling them useless ****ing *****. I feel chefs sometimes forget that the floor staff are only responding to customers requests, which is the floor staffs job. They're not deliberately putting check after check through to piss you off. And if the food is pish or taking ages or there's been a mistake with the order, it's the floor staff who take the shit from the punters. They essentially get shit from both punters and chefs. 

 

Don't get me wrong, chef work is a bitch. But front of house staff are not unskilled. Dealing with pissed up punters, customers who are wanks and complaining arseholes without losing their rag is not an easy job and require a lot of diplomacy. Both jobs require skills. Just not the same ones. I know a lot of floor staff can't do kitchen work but there's also a fair amount of chefs who lack the people skills to deal with the punters. 

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5 hours ago, Morgan said:

@TheBigO 

 

Have you seen this thread?

I got out! Ha ha. Still work with lots of chefs but im in sales now.

 

When we found out we had a 3rd kid on the way, my 80/90 hour weeks just werent going to work for us.

 

There are good guys out there like Stuart Ralston who gives his brigade great working hours etc but its few and far between.

 

Edinburgh has sold its soul to the nationals. Ivy, Gaucho and all them, and they dont bring progression with them. Bottom line is king. They also mean the local supply chain is broken.

 

Hats off to all chefs. I'm always hearibg other guys in sales etc moani g about chefs bein assholes etc, but i just say walk a mile in their shoes and see if you're smiling.

 

Recruitment is the hardest thing in the industry imo.

Edited by TheBigO
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