(Taken outside of the Showbox a few nights ago)

5 lbs. onions 1/4 inch dice, 2 lbs. green bell peppers 1/4 inch dice, 1 cup fresh thyme-leaves only minced (that’s about 150-175 stems of thyme), 25 gallons crab bisque, 200 cookies cut 1 1/2 inches by 4 inches then placed on a baking sheet……garnished with fancy sugar……….then baked, cups and cups of minced parsley…….if it’s on the list then I’ll do it!!!

My job as a prep cook is in full-swing at Seastar. I can almost lift things off hot surfaces without flinching! The blisters are becoming calluses and my knife is becoming much faster.  I am still behind the pace of the other guys but I am starting to nail the recipes given to me and I don’t have as many people giving me their two cents before I finish something……it’s not a bad thing at all it’s just their experience vs. things I have learned along the way.

School taught me how to slice an onion. Seastar taught me how to slice it much faster. Two different techniques that are correct but one is much more efficient when you’re being paid to do something instead of paying to do something.  I am struggling a little bit with class because of that, the pace is horrendously slow but I try to be patient with it.  I’m not there to teach another student how to do something faster, I’m there to get my degree. That may sound a little harsh but I have different reasons for going to school than most/all of the other people there. I’m not going to get into it but let me just say this…..I owe it to a few people to make all of this happen.

My school issued chef knife isn’t holding up very well to all of this work. It chipped the other day and I fear it might have to be retired in another month. It’s not a big deal because I’m not thinking about replacing it with an expensive knife or anything like that.  This won’t be the first time I’m going to replace a knife and it certainly won’t be the last.  I laugh a little because a bunch of the guys in class are talking about all the different expensive knives they want to buy but the only thing I think is……who gives a shit, as long as it’s sharp then it’s fine with me.

I sharpen my own knives and I have gotten pretty good at it. Very unforgiving! A simple knick to the skin will send blood spurting out like it’s a scene in The Shining. It pisses me off when I knick or slice my hand because the first thing I think about is that I will have to wear gloves until the cut is healed. The reason why I cut myself is because I lose concentration for a second and that’s all it takes. It’s like a wide receiver in football that thinks about running before the ball is in his hand….he drops it, the crowd boos….I’m a Seahawks fan so I know this feeling.  There is so much going on in a kitchen that the level of focus just to cut a celery root on a slicer then dice into 1/8 inch squares requires a bunch of focus.  You either mess up the cuts and have to do it again, cut your hand, or you succeed and move onto the onions.

My second day at Seastar I was asked to cut up a pico de gallo that was going to go on a garnish for some sushi. I was just finishing up with mincing the jalapeno when one of my Chefs walked up to me and told another Chef, “Do you see what I see???”. The other Chef said, “yeah, it’s too big”.  Then the first Chef said, “he needs to make it again and we’ll use that for staff meal”.   Off by less than an 1/8 of an inch on all the  cuts. I have a ruler next to me cutting board that was given to me and it’s out at all times. It’s one thing to do cuts for myself at home and at school but when a customer is paying for the food then you better be right.

All this repetitive cutting is making me much more efficient with my knife. I can look at something then send the 10 inch blade down and then it comes out exactly how I wanted it to. Yes, it takes me a second or two extra than the next guy but when the product is done I  don’t have Chefs telling me I was off. They say good job and let me move on with my list. I get my own list of things to do now. The first week and a half I would be assigned to work with someone else but now when I come in I have a list of 4-6 things that I work towards then when I’m done I ask around to see who else needs help.  It’s so cool finishing the list early but I know that the things I’m finishing aren’t really ground breaking things either.  Making dressings, soup bases, sauce bases, and the first few steps to finishing a component on a dish……I get it….I prep and I love it.

Sorry for the long rant. Normally when I see posts this long my A.D.D. kicks in and I skip to the next one so I completely understand if you don’t get this far. Anyway, school tomorrow……have to finish some recipes.

Eric