speaking of job search....

it's crazy! In my searches I have found nothing but headaches. There ain't much out there, and what is out there, they are looking for experience(at least 2yrs).
So, I'm still on the hunt.

By Flattop (Flattop) on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 10:29 pm: Edit

Snuff if you want experiance and to learn how to cook on the fly look at a dennys, waffle house type gig.My first ever cooking job as a a line cook for Village Inn (like Dennys). Pay sucked, but I got some valuable experience there. I learned to read a wheel, speak a lil spanish, to treat the good waitrons well when I found out they would buy you beer for kicking ass and speed to get yer ass outta the weeds. . Also learned how to train in a kitchen due to the high turnover rate we had. The big plus was I was a working cook.

We sat about 225 with full turn and a half dinner plus bar rush, dealing with what at times seemed to be a zillion menu items plus what ever the new marketing item of the month was.


No it's not the fanciest place to work but most will hire without experience and I've had more than one cook/chef tell me that they respected the hell outta us, because our ablity to put out consistent quality food quickly. Matter of fact that's what I'll be looking for as a part time gig soon. Most don't advertise so just ask.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 10:57 pm: Edit

"Matter of fact that's what I'll be looking for as a part time gig soon."
why would you be looking for something like this?

By Flattop (Flattop) on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 12:24 am: Edit

Extra cash, weekend morning hours, unless I find something else that I can do for the next year until I land something better. I want to be cooking and I don't care where. I have to have it fit might schedule for now.

By Snuffaluff (Snuffaluff) on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 09:11 am: Edit

yeah... I know i've been looking in the "better" places thus far, but I'm not opposed to working at denny's, etc.


Hey spike, when can I come live and work w/ you? *;)

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 04:31 pm: Edit

live with me????????????
ah,...I don't think so.
It did come up that if the school takes off with studends out of state, that we would have to get some sort of apt. with beds and desks so they would have a place to stay and study. but nobody ain't living with me. I'm tuff to live with. ask the dog. so, whats wrong with denny's as a starter? you'll learn there, more than you think.
I'm hoping that the denny's here goes under so I can grab that, I don't know how they stay open serving 13 customers a day.

By Flattop (Flattop) on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 05:53 pm: Edit

Just found out today that my department head was talking me up to the Exec Chef of the Brown Palace(Denver's fancy-ass)Hotel. Which is the last thing I need right now. I can't afford the pay cut to go work there yet.Next spring well be another matter as the wife will be working in her degree field making good money.

Got to admit that even though I'm a complete pain in the ass to the guy he does try his best to help me progress in this field. It feels good to get noticed

By Steve9389 (Steve9389) on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 11:40 pm: Edit

A friend was externing at one of the hot fine dining restaurants in Chicago, and when his externship ended the chef offered him full-time work. At $7.50 an hour. I make more at the upscale brewpub I work at, making salads and pulling fish and chips out of the fryer.

He said he became convinced that fine dining pays crap when he started talking to another cook there, who came straight from the French Laundry in California. Possibly the best restaurant on planet Earth, where he actually butchered animals himself out back and broke them down to use every single piece of that animal in that night's service, and he made $10.25 an hour. And here's why that happens: He's been offered a job at the new French Laundry in New York, and he's already packing his bags.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 01:40 am: Edit

such little money to work in a place like that.
I wouldn't even eat there and I've had my chances.
I just don't get it.

By George (George) on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 10:05 am: Edit

Flattop- What about working there part time? Work there for a year or more part, time with your other job. You will have good restaurant experience on your resume.

Steve9389- Bars do pay more than fine dining restaurants but that experience will only get you into other bars.

Kids without mortgages or rug rats to support, just out of school, have a big advantage because they are ready willing and eager to take low paying positions in name restaurants. There are hundreds if not thousands of them out there looking every day, that’s why name restaurants can pay what they do. It’s jobs like that that lead to sous chef positions in place like that, that pay poorly but after a few years of that you get a shot at that real job that pays real money.

You have to pay your dues from the beginning to make any real money in a kitchen. One of the big disadvantages to being an adult and going to a culinary program is that most have to look at the dollars earned too soon and don’t have a chance to take the jobs that will teach them the things that will get then ahead later their career.

BTW sounds like the guy from the French Laundry was lucky to be paid to learn that much.

G

By Steve9389 (Steve9389) on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 11:58 am: Edit

All very true, George. I'm lucky -- I work at home and can keep my day job and still work 3-4 nights per week at the restaurant.

- Steve

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 01:18 pm: Edit

theres also the advantage today of all the publications, food mag's, food shows, cook books,
theres the opportunity to teach yourself.
when I was a kid learning there was'nt half the amount of these as there is today.
Why wait for someone to show or teach you when there are so many resorces to pull from?
Menu's, when I went anywhere to eat or visit we always got a menu to take home. If there was something on there we had never done, we did it.
Maybe it's not the same today, but we never had any extra time, school in the mornings, 6am-3pm and then the afternoon shift,4pm-12midnight.
maybe this is all out dated? But it worked for us at the time.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 11:36 am: Edit

WWW is helpful too!
I get job solicitation e-mails at least 3-4 times a week, from all over the world!
Who wants to go to the Iraq Inn now though?????

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 12:17 pm: Edit

hey! Manny!.......I'll go, what the hell!
Might be fun. Hang out with the Army guys, go on patrols....find some art work. lol.
They would have to let the dog in, can't leave him behind.
Some of those hotels might be for sale real cheap!
Call me, lets make some plans.
Nice to hear from you again, it's been so long I thought maybe flor-e-da broke off and sailed away.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 12:26 pm: Edit

You are the one lost, how you feel? How's the dog?
I bought a house in Orlando and I've been busy gutting the whole thing and putting it back together.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 12:43 pm: Edit

I feel better, maybe back to work in 2 weeks.
Back to hockey in a month.
Elwood the dog is good.
Still looking for a building in Simi, CA.
I'm hoping that the Denny's will close down, would like to get into that building, that would fit my needs well.
Congrats on the house. I love doing that work. Have fun with it.

By Ladycake (Ladycake) on Friday, April 25, 2003 - 10:53 am: Edit

Spike, you have to be careful, they might eat Elwood in Iraq!!!

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Friday, April 25, 2003 - 12:07 pm: Edit

Yikes!!!, never thought about that.
come to think about it, he's not very good around people that don't speak english, he slowly walks up to them and just stares at them with his ears back.
maybe I'll send him to france!
Good Boy Elwood!.......finish your french snack.

By Snuffaluff (Snuffaluff) on Friday, April 25, 2003 - 12:34 pm: Edit

what kinda dog you got?

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 12:28 am: Edit

half German Sheperd, half California Timber Wolf.
walks and trots like a wolf.
runs like a sheperd.
fights like both.
about 80 lbs.
does not have the black saddle, he's red,blond,tan,brown,little black,white.
broad magnet.
kinda crazy, but then who isen't in my house.
this is the first place we have lived where he does not have his own room, and I think he's pissed about that. but we are moving to Simi Valley to a bigger place so he'll have his own room soon. thank God.
he is an excellent dog.
how about you?.....got dog?

By Thebaker (Thebaker) on Sunday, April 27, 2003 - 05:03 pm: Edit

I havent found a job in pastry I like so I had a chance for a Pantry cooks job so I took it.

It pays much more than any of my pastry jobs ever have
even when I was going to be a pastry sous chef.

and I do get to do some pastry ( we have 5 dessert items)
but i really miss it....

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, April 28, 2003 - 12:24 am: Edit

what happened to your pastry gig?.....I thought you were doing good there.

By Thebaker (Thebaker) on Monday, April 28, 2003 - 05:36 am: Edit

I quit over a disagreement with the chef.

Long story