With the growth of the Food Network, more people than ever are interesting in fine dining, and in the people who create that experience. Many of those people are referred to as executive chefs. But in reality, an executive chef is more involved in management and supervision than in actual cooking in a restaurant ("Cooks and Chefs" ¶13). Executive chef is a job that requires specialized training and years of apprenticeship and business skills, as well as a love of food and cooking.
The idea of a master, or executive, chef, came about in the eighteenth century. The chef jacket is based on a military uniform, white to show cleanliness. One of the legends of the origin of the tall white hat, or “toque,” is that the famous chef Carême, put a cardboard tube in a women’s hat, and others started the same thing. Some say the tall hat helps workers find the chef in a crowded kitchen (Pack 1). Throughout history, and even today, French training is important for serious chefs (“Cooks and Chefs” ¶1). The French chef Escoffier organized the first “brigade” which put in a military-type structure in a kitchen with the executive chef as general. Other brigade ranks are the sous chef, the chefs de partie, the demi-chefs and apprentices. Kitchens are divided into stations like the grill, sauces and pastries (Pack 1).
Today many executive chefs have some formal education and training. The most famous school for chefs in the U.S. is The Culinary Institute of America. Founded in New Haven, CT in 1946 to provide training for soldiers returning from World War II, the school is now located in Hyde Park, NY and also has campuses in Sonoma County, CA and San Antonio, TX ("The Story of the World's…..” 1). Another famous cooking school is Johnson and Wales...
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Stephen Boos has worked in the food service industry for over 30 years. He started as a bus person and subsequently trained as a chef’s apprentice. Steve’s mother believed that a college education was something that everyone should receive. She felt that a college degree was a good investment in Steve’s future. In 1976 at his mother’s insistence, Boos moved to Northeastern Ohio to attend Kent State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After graduation, Steve began working for East Park Restaurant as a line cook. Using his education as a foundation, Steve made a point to learn everything he could about running a restaurant, from cutting meat to the bi-weekly food and beverage orders. His versatility, keen business sense, and ability to control costs resulted in Steve’s promotion to General Manager, as role he has held since 1995.
Management keeps Ehrenreich and other employees under surveillance. They monitor the behaviors of the employees for any signs of theft, drug use, sluggishness, or anything that might be concerned worse. The managers and assistant managers are what some employees’ think are “class enemy”. Most of the management is former cooks or clerks that have crossed over to the other side. Ehrenreich views those former cooks that as “corporate as opposed to human”. Assistant manager are paid only about $400 a week and follow the directions of a corporation that exists far away from the actually location of the restaurant. Management only job is to ensure that money is being made and to not cut the employees any slack. “You give and you give and they take”, Gail another employee informs Ehrenreich. Gail vows to never work in management again for this reason.
When choosing a famous culinarian I probably should have chosen someone a bit more famous like Paula Deen, Gordon Ramsey, or Anthony Bourdain; (at least that way I would have a plethora of bios, summaries, and different multi medias to work with) who mind you are all amazing chefs and have made great names for themselves. But they are all “cookie cutter” chefs. They each have amazing talent and great TV personalities. But what have any of them done to enhance our industry? what have they done to revitalize a dieing breed? The only thing any of them have done is enhance their own bank accounts and pawn off basic knowledge that should have been passed down from generation to generation. Unfortunately in our fast paced culture no one has time or energy to do anything more than watch people cook on TV and re-heat pre made dishes that have been so processed im not sure they are anything but flavored calories. Its a sad brave new world we live in, which brings me to the main topic of this essay: Alice Waters. I doubt many of you have ever heard of her. She is most famous for her restaurant in my home town of Berkeley California, called Chez Panisse. The restaurant menu changes daily based on whats in season and available. Unfortunately before I can get into all the juicy fun facts about Alice (like how drunk she and mom would get at the bar) Ill have to give you a quick dry briefing on who what where when and why our heroine exists.
He aspires to logically persuade his audience about the insanity of the way in which food is processed and stored. He comments on the ways by which the imperfections in the food are masked in the kitchen. The author reiterates his experience at the hands of older male chefs and the things he saw and felt while training in the kitchen. He endeavors to debunk the myth that cooking in a large kitchen is anything but noisy and infernal, as portrayed by movies such as “Ratatouille (2007)”. The essayist intends to draw his audience’s attention to the fact that eating is an interaction with the natural world. The writer discloses a story about his son to illustrate the degradation of the definition of food in society today. He prefers to reason with his audience purely through logic. He strives to make his audience see that they both literally and metaphorically digest the planet through
Geoffrey Zakarian success was not something that was created over night it was something he learned from the best. Zakarian was trained traditionally under some of the finest French master chefs (Chef/Proprietor, “TOWN”). Zakarian took success by the neck as he started at the restaurant Le Cirque (a Manhattan restaurant) and was named Chef de Cuisine (Chef/Proprietor, “TOWN”). In 1987 he became the executive chef at ‘21’ Club then in 1990 he was hired, same position, at “44” at Royalton (Geoffrey Zakarian). In 1995 he opened the Blue Door at Delano Hotel in Miami, Florida (Geoffrey Zakarian). Zakarian kept opening establishments and getting hired in high positions from that point on. He graduated the Culinary Institute of America (Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian) and within 15 years he made several trips to Europe working briefly in restaurants like Pierre Orsay in Lyon, the Porchester in London, Auberge de lilll in Alsace and more (Chef/Proprietor). Now about 20 years later we know him as a food personality, he is on Chopped, 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Best Thing I Ever Ate and Iron Chef America.
Lewis, Edna and Peacock, Scott. The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great American Cook. Knopf, 2003.
Michael Twitty is a food writer and culinary historian best known for preparing, preserving and promoting African American food ways and its origins in Africa. He emphasizes how African food culture has made a great impact on the American South. His cooking helped him to learn about his identity and culture. He describes “identity cooking” a way to better understand him and his culture as a Jewish-African American. A project he developed called “The Cooking Gene” is what he explains as a means of “exploring my family history through food, from Africa to America, from slavery to freedom.” Race, food and ethnicity all have a more complex and cultural meaning especially when fused together. Different
The warming atmosphere is one of a kind. Behind the counter are the caring faces of not just a worker, but a friend. Regular guests are called by name, sharing stories of families and the past week with the welcoming employees. Sitting all around in tables and booths are patrons from every category. Beside the window on a high table to the left is a lawyer, to the right is a mother and her two kids. In a booth in the back is a construction worker still covered slightly in concrete from a road job he had been working on back on 19th Street. All of these, enjoying a delicious meal of their special combination.
Although Mr.Ramsey is a straightforward and occasionally harsh man, he is very knowledgeable in his field. The restaurants which he visits are often unclean with poor food and dreadful customer service. Often, Ramsey’s advice is met with fits of anger and dogmatic denial. A well known example is Amy’s Baking Company owned by Amy and Sammy Bouzaglo. The Bouzaglo company was becoming infamous for their bad food and customer service so they sought Chef Ramsey’s help. As his visit progresses, it becomes apparent that the biggest issue with the restaurant is the couple's complete lack of ability to take criticism. All four dishes the chef tasted were flawed in one way or another. For example, the ravioli, which Ramsey was told was fresh, was store bought. When Chef Ramsay confronted Mrs. Bouzaglo, saying it was “store bought crap ravioli,” she retaliated with, “they're not crap and they’re delicious.” (NokiaCatwalk 2013). After similar instances at the restaurant, Chef Ramsay walked out, for the first time in his career, without completing his job. To no one’s surprise, the restaurant was shut down shortly after.
On the run, Chef’s mental mantra becomes “running by standing still. Surviving without distinction or attraction of unwanted attention. The interior life is more of a comfort.
In order to get a greater sense of the food personality attributes, three episodes from each show’s current season were analyzed to examine the personalities’ mannerisms and culinary identity. These attributes and characteristics were coded and analyzed (see Table 2). Content analysis started with cursory examination of the television episodes. I posed two questions during my initial examinations: how do these culinary personalities present themselves as experts in either the domestic or public spheres, and how do these presentations adhere or diverge from the earlier outlined gender culinary stereotypes. This meant looking at the theme of the shows, setting, the appearance and mannerisms of the culinary personalities, and how well these shows convey the tone of the network. While watching, I took note of any personal anecdotes or memories given while the food was being
People are influenced by everything from jobs, music, fashion, certain people, even to different cultures. Chefs never seemed like the group of people one would expect to have an impact on the world, but they do. They change the way people see food and show that it is far more than just a way to stay alive it is sort of like a new way of life to say. There was one woman who changed the scene entirely, by graduating from the Parisian cooking school Le Cordon Bleu, publishing 19 books, airing 13 television shows, and having 8 DVD releases. Julia Child has been an inspiration for many cooks but has also influenced society as a whole while changing the way people thought about food and at the same time, revolutionizing the professional cooking industry for women.
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be a chef. However, if one has a passion for cooking it will pay off. I am a creative person and cooking has endless possibilities of creativity, such as the way you make it and the way you plate it. I want to become a chef and hopefully open a restaurant one day. To do that, you need to learn the basic skills. Julia Child once said, “No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”
Dan Bartlett (2014). Kitchen Brigade: Who Does What?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artinstitutes.edu/adv/files/kitchen_brigade.pdf. [Last Accessed 10 February 2014].
The movie “The Hundred Foot Journey” is a great representation of different cultures interacting as well as the different food habits. The movie is based on an Indian family who moves to Italy and wants to open an Indian restaurant across street from a famous Italian restaurant in the small town. The Kadam family wants to bring the Indian cuisine to a new culture and share some of their values. They have trouble expanding their culinary delights to the public because Marquerite the sous-chef doesn’t want any competition. Throughout the movie, secrets on certain dishes are shared and tricks to improve the certain style of food is greatly appreciated by both restaurant chefs.