I can still recall those early days of culinary school like they were yesterday. I had just moved to South Florida to pursue my training at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, and my daily commute was a gorgeous 15-minute drive along the ocean. Not a bad way to start the school day.
I arrived ready to learn on my first day of school. I wore my bright white chef coat, white neck tie, white and very large chef hat, and of course the ugliest black and white polyester pants made, which no chef uniform is complete without. Along with comfortable kitchen shoes. I got used to the outfit; I had to. I wore it for the next 18 months in the blistering Florida heat. Memorable times for sure!
I can still remember something my teacher, a chef, said on day one that resonated with me, “if you’re going to wash dishes, you wash dishes in the best restaurant you can”. Which essentially means that if you’re going to work and get a practical education, make your time count by learning from the best. Do it in the best restaurants, under the best chefs. And that’s exactly what I did.
Those words stuck with me when I went to apply for my first real job – where I definitely made a first impression, and not in a good way!
east city grill and café maxx
Let me set the stage. I’m a young twenty-something, who has just moved away from everything familiar, to a new city, in a new country, and I’ve landed on my grandmother’s pull-out couch in her one-bedroom condo in a retirement community. I was living the dream! 
All joking aside, I cherish those years in Florida. I learned a lot and looking back, the time I had with my grandmother was amazing. She might have used different words to describe my stay, but all in all, we both survived!
I also survived my first job. I don’t recall the exact day I applied at East City Grill, but I definitely remember the exact time – word to the wise, if ever you’re applying for a kitchen position, never, NEVER show your face during a service – you will be yelled at! I arrived at 12:30pm, right smack in the middle of the lunch rush, and needless to say no one was receptive. I quickly left.
Two hours later I returned. It was much quieter and the cooks were having a bite near their stations. I walked into the back, trying to avoid eye contact with any of the staff, fearful of being harassed for having shown up during the busy lunch hour. I asked for Chef Oli – a renowned South Florida Chef, Oliver Saucey, but instead I got sous-Chef, Doug Zuk. He immediately said “dude, that was pretty stupid showing up during lunch service!” I guess I deserved that! But I managed to get the job right there on the spot!
Weeks later I learned that my teacher from the institute, the one who said those words which have actually stuck with me for decades, had called Chef Oli, a friend of his, before I had arrived. The job was mine before I ever stepped a foot inside the restaurant.
Thank you, Chef!
Yes Chef!
When $7.50 an hour is the going rate, I guess you can take a chance on hiring just about anyone, and I’m thankful they took a chance on hiring me.
For two years I worked hard at East City Grill, and once in a while, I was called up to the big time, and got the opportunity to work at the storied Café Maxx, in Florida’s Pompano Beach. I’d work on the cold appetizer station, where I could probably do the least amount of damage. My shift consisted of slicing Asian spiced Tuna, making a citrus Ponzu sauce and julienning (cutting into thin strips) multiple vegetables, to create the Asian slaw. I did that for six months. Every. Single. Day.
And I learned.
Which is exactly why coming in early, well before my shift started was so critical. I got to learn as much as possible from the people I respected. Chef Troy, and sous-Chefs Doug and Todd would be there every morning butchering the pork tenderloin, filleting the fish, making sauces and writing special menu items for that evening’s dinner service. Every second I spent observing those chefs, greatly expedited my own learning curve.
As a cook, when a chef walks into the kitchen, your eyes open up just a little bit wider, and your ears perk up just a littler bit higher. Your aim is to absorb as much knowledge as they’re willing to share. To learn. You also end up becoming a part of the incredible comradery in the kitchen, which has a ‘larger than life’ hierarchy. When the chef orders you to do something during service, you’re supposed to respond with “yes, chef”. If the chef asks you to sweep the floor, do the dishes, or do just about anything, your answer is always supposed to be, “yes chef!”
Unfortunately, the word chef is thrown around quite a bit these days. I’ve heard of cooks right out of culinary school call themselves chef, but it’s a designation you earn. I have seen the best in action; the ones who can create incredible food, execute a flawless service and ensure that the last plate of the evening is as spectacular as the first. Those people have earned their stripes in the culinary world, and the respect that comes with being called ‘Chef’.
I spent a tonne of time investing in my future. I took my teacher’s advice, and washed dishes in the best restaurants I could find back then. I learned from the greatest ‘dishwashers’ around and worked with some of the most talented chefs in South Florida, which set the stage for my career. It also set the stage for tried and true techniques and flavours that I still use in my kitchen today. And from what Tamar tells me, I’m still a pretty good dishwasher.
Thanks Chefs!
– Chef jw
