I worked in the kitchen all day. At first I was just trying to stand out of the way because it's a machine down there. So many people all doing their parts.
Then I was assigned tasks in which I realized I handle a knife like a fool and was promptly given lessons. Let the knife do the work.
I prepared a broth with the vegetables I cut, chicken stock, wine, and fresh herbs while pan searing short ribs in olive oil. Lesson 2: don't be afraid of the hot spitting oil. Good advice because when I was afraid I plopped the ribs down from far away and splattered oil, when I wasn't I set them down gently as close as can be.
I touched a lot of raw meat, which if you know me, is way outside my comfort zone. I made sausage. I shoved raw fatback and pancetta into a sausage grinder. It was gross and fun.
It was really interesting to see the other side of the restaurant. If you'll allow me to get dorky for a minute it reminded me of Downton Abbey. It's easy to forget there's a whole world downstairs with devoted people busting their ass so the rich people can enjoy their meals upstairs.
Our chefs work so hard. My favorite is Mario, our sous chef, who is Dominican. I told him M is Dominicano too and that made him happy. He told me he's been married thirty years but it feels short because he loves his wife more than day one. He's the sweetest and he gave me a big hug and kiss on the cheek after we finished the focaccia bread.
Speaking of hugs, I got a really great one from our busser extraordinaire, Bernard. He is the sweetest phillipino man and the hardest worker. He was really excited for me to become manager and when I told him I was nervous he got a concerned look and asked why and told me not to be and then he hugged me. (: it's nice to know nice people.
I had a lot of fun with the guys in the kitchen and learned so much more about our food. It turned out to be a great day but I was exhausted and ecstatic to be off at 3:30! I went home and parked myself in bed with my laptop, caught up on some shows and slept the rest of the night.
