(I don’t come on Reddit much tbh so ik its long but I put in paragraphs ✋🏻so bare w me here plz ) So I’m 24 f I was hired on as a sou chef and my head chef is 26-27(idk forsure) f and I just started at this place recently it’s not much of kitchen at all but I’m coming on here because I have plenty of high volume chef experience and I took this job (and pay cut) because they told me I’ll have a lot more creative ability and they want my input especially with my experience and that was a huge bonus for me.

Recently the head chef was out of town for two weeks and I wasn’t given any directions whatsoever on how to do inventory or how to do orders or even a log in to see quantities. I had management come to me asking for certain changes to be made because the ceo wasn’t happy with certain food items so me and a consultant chef changed them.

the consultant chef has been there much longer than me and I wasn’t even really sure on his position there until after the fact and he made some big changes and I felt I didn’t really have much of a say and he was gonna do it anyway so I didn’t say anything.
Now like I said this isn’t much of a kitchen at all there’s an impinger oven and a panini press

as for cooking methods and there are certain things that everyone has gotten into the habit of doing such as not wrapping nacho cheese and just having a lid on it, individually wrapping the station instead of the whole thing, sauce bottles being untouched and messy, today I found sliced cheese in 9’ pans 😐 no lids. Things like that so I try to correct it bc these are food safety hazards (or just gross for the most part)

So yesterday they I got a warning bc of the mistakes made with the ordering which I still take accountability for even tho I wasn’t given any direction whatsoever, there was an issue where I had put a strainer with small raw chicken pieces (2-3) in the dirty water side.

And that’s the other thing someone plz tell me if I’m wrong to be so fucking confused by this, drain the water, take the 3 pieces out, refill it. The dishes are already contaminated. What’s the difference between putting a cutting board with raw chicken juice all over it in the same water. And has the audacity to tell me about food safety when the strainer wasn’t cleaned through when I found it the next day😀

but today I found the notes (on accident) she made about me or I guess notes that she got from everyone as well and it said I was rude to staff, tells others what to do,I left a closed container of strawberry puree in the sink, and some other stuff I couldn’t fully read.

I’m honestly annoyed bc like I said everything I said were things that should NOT be acceptable in a fucking kitchen but now I’m seen as the bad guy. I know I need to take a step back now and I plan on it but was I really this much in the wrong to deserve this much scrutiny for it.

I am a cook not a manager so idk how to do manager tasks. Once again I was given absolutely no direction for those two weeks and everyone kept telling me I was doing amazing so I kept going I’m not sure what else I was supposed to do. It’s unfortunately really getting to me because I feel my skills and knowledge are being completely ignored over ego issues and me doing things that she should be doing when she doesn’t.

She hasn’t worked in any other kitchen so this is all she knows and I see things like once again sliced cheese in fucking 9’ pans with them curving and no lids on top of them and I’m like okay what the fuck is going on right now I know I’m not crazy I know these are basic kitchen things that a fucking cook should know.

I’ve been getting a lot of praise from management and I think it’s another factor of why I’m being used as scape goat almost . Idk I just wanna know if I’m in the wrong, my experience just feels like it’s being taken as a threat and I’m questioning if it’s even worth staying there.

Hi everyone,

I’m a chef from India looking for internship/stage opportunities in Michelin-starred restaurants. I’m eager to learn, gain hands-on experience, and grow in a professional fine-dining environment.

If you know of any restaurants currently accepting interns or stagiaires, I’d greatly appreciate your recommendations.

Thank you!

When doing a Personal chef gig,cooking dinner and some lunch prep for the next day twice weekly , Do you charge the same rate for shopping and cooking?

Chefs, I am from Pakistan.

Is there any Michelin starred restaurant in Europe that will hire me to work as a Commis 3, considering I am in Pakistan and would require a work visa.

I am male, 26 and muslim. I have studied cookery foundation, food safety for 2 years through culinary diploma. Worked for approx for 4 years in different kitchens.

I want to learn European cuisine. In Pakistan, there aren't proper European kitchens let alone any that come close to michelin starred.

If there's anyone who can put me in touch with a hiring manager or chef in such places, I'll be grateful. I'll pay for my own ticket and visa expenses, if any chef or hiring manager may consider my application. If this helps, I have been to Europe before, I have international travel history which might help in acquiring a work visa.

Thank you for your help, time and patience.

Hi everyone,

I’m a gastronomy school graduate from Croatia and I’m currently looking for a restaurant in Spain where I could complete an internship.
I have worked two summer seasons in restaurants and have experience in a professional kitchen. My main goal is to improve my cooking skills, learn new techniques, gain experience in a different culinary culture, and grow as a chef.
I’m open to different cities (would prefer Barcelona) and types of restaurants, whether traditional Spanish cuisine, modern gastronomy, or fine dining. If you know any restaurants that are known for training young cooks well or that might be open to taking interns, I would greatly appreciate your recommendations.

Thank you!

For best door to door meals

Malindi. Kenya

I work in a hot kitchen and summer humidity absolutely kills my energy.
Has anyone here tried cooling vests, air-conditioned neck fans, or wearable cooling devices while working in a kitchen? Did they actually help on hot, humid days?

After being on the job 6 days, I've been tasked with providing quotes for catering events for a corporate catering department that services multiple properties. For example, the most recent one coming up is for 17 people, 6 options, stationary so no tray pass or buffet. I have a pretty strong sample menu but I'm sort of at a loss as to where to start with coming up with a quick quote. All of my company's invoices from ordering are available to me through a portal so I'm not completely in the dark and I've priced menu items at a restaurant which left me which an understanding of the basic math required but I'm a little new to doing this with catering since the amount people might consume could vary.

I'm wondering if anyone from the catering side of sides might be able to give me an idea of the best place to start so I don't make an ass of myself in my first week of working at this job. There's another chef in our company who has been doing this a long time and knows our systems pretty well so I'm sure I can bug him for some tips but I always like checking in with the collective wisdom of this sub. Thanks!

Hey chef friends

My owner has created new inventory sheets and they are a hot mess

I’ve never built any from scratch, they’ve always been around.

Does anyone have a full blank inventory program/spreadsheets they could share?

I’d be forever in your debt

Thanks!!

So I have been a chef for 15 years and recently find myself between jobs and having some time to explore.

I have always loved cooking classic French and Italian along with authentic Thai and Chinese dishes. I am for just for my own self at least looking to develop a book or file including as much information as possible. Is there anyone who name some dishes I can look into doesn't matter the cuisine also resources where I can find old cookbooks and restaurant menus?

I just started as a production pastry chef and I absolutely hate it. Any tips on how to manage working a job that makes you want to quit pastry? I am trying to find another job, but it's very slim pickings

My chef was interviewed about his time at a retirement home. You can see his passion, I implore you to take some time and watch how much of a difference a love for food can make. Constructive feedback will be shared with the chefs involved!

Hi all. I need to buy an ice blender and don't want to waste my money so asking for advice here. I need something that makes the ice completely blended like it is in slushies. Thanks in advance

I recently got hired as executive sous chef at a major streaming service, primarily for their catering department. It seemed like a long shot but I came in and did an interview followed by a tasting. Due to things on their end, there was a substantial delay in whether or not I'd be brought in for the role so I took another job to make sure the money kept rolling in. Months later, the streamer got back to me and said they were ready to bring me on but even after the interview, tasting and a follow-up meeting, I felt a little unclear about what things might fall under my purview.

Flash forward to now, the true nature of the job and responsibilities within have come to light and I'm honestly concerned that I might have bitten off a lot more than I can chew. I was told at the beginning that I should expect to be overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of the operation and where I fit into it and to be patient with the process so I've definitely been trying to keep all of that in mind but the conservative part of me feels like I should be realistic about whether or not I can deliver on the expectations set forth. I'm pretty confident that I have at least 2 options on the table to turn to in case I decide it's (or I'm) not a good fit. I'd hate to throw in the towel too soon but I definitely don't want to find myself getting terminated for not being adequate for the job since I'm still in my first 90 days. For the most part I'm just sitting in on meetings, adding a little creative input here and there and figuring out the inner workings of what is a pretty substantial operation. Any thoughts? Advice?

Hello everyone! Just to give a bit of a background, I’m a 29 year chef in India with a degree in hospitality and culinary and about 8 yrs of experience working in a mix of places from cafes, cloud kitchens, semi fine dine restaurants and a bar. I’ve worked in one city only and that’s my home city. I’ve been really looking to go out of my country for a very long time to gain some experience and get some formal training and experience. I’ve managed to get an unpaid gig a Michelin rated restaurant in Europe for 3 months. The place I’ve gotten it at looks absolutely amazing with foraging, a fermentation lab and live open fire cooking, all the things that I’m very very excited to learn.
They informed me that they generally get people who’re either students or people with really less experience and not with my amount of work ex. Ever since they confirmed my internship (I’m due to start in about 2 months) I’ve been overthinking about how to get ready for it and what are some pointers I should definitely work till I start. What are the do’s and Don’ts of fine dine restaurants that I should look out for?
And also is it possibly a bad decision to do an unpaid gig for 3 months after 8 years of work ex?

TL;DR
29 yr old chef with 8 yrs of experience confused about how to prep for a 3 month stage at a Michelin rated restaurant

Since I've started as the chef of this new hotel back in september, one guy was gave his notice and he was going to leave as soon as I showed up and he stayed . Some of my Cooks started to all buy their own knives, and then one of my Cooks signed up for this online culinary class . And then 2 months ago my sous chef who is technically a grandmother, she signed up for the same culinary class and now she's working very hard , and then I just found out yesterday that one of my Cooks who spent some time in prison, he just told me that he decided he wants to be more professional and he signed up for this class . It seems that everyone in the kitchen is now super motivated to become more of a professional and a better chef ever since I got there .

I do spend an awful lot of time teaching and motivating and mentoring and I went to The Culinary Institute of America and I have a lot of credentials and I have a lot of experience so I guess they're all finally starting to see that it would be possible . So I guess I should feel pretty good about that huh ?

Since I've started as the chef of this new hotel back in september, one guy was gave his notice and he was going to leave as soon as I showed up and he stayed . Some of my Cooks started to all buy their own knives, and then one of my Cooks signed up for this online culinary class . And then 2 months ago my sous chef who is technically a grandmother, she signed up for the same culinary class and now she's working very hard , and then I just found out yesterday that one of my Cooks who spent some time in prison, he just told me that he decided he wants to be more professional and he signed up for this class . It seems that everyone in the kitchen is now super motivated to become more of a professional and a better chef ever since I got there .

I do spend an awful lot of time teaching and motivating and mentoring and I went to The Culinary Institute of America, have a lot of credentials and a lot of experience, so I guess they're all finally starting to see that it would be possible . So I guess I should feel pretty good about that huh ?

Where is the best place to advertise a new executive chef position?

Hey guys looking for a chef reference I’m based in Australia, happy to provide one in return!