It's official! ~ I become a Pastry Chef on Monday!!!!

[buckytom]

rj,
i can't tell you how cool i think this is, and how much i appreciate your posts. your writings make me wanna be a fly on the wall there. ok maybe not a fly, health issues ya know, but ya know what i mean.
it must be pretty exciting taking the kitchen and team thru it's paces, good luck!!!!

 

[mish]

Hiya RJ!

If the shoes don't work try some Chateau La Feet:

 

[LEFSElover]

Many congrats! I take my lack of pasty chef hat off to you! :? I know how hard it must be and how much time and effort you've put into this. Let us know how it goes for you.

In the meantime, how about a virtual desert?

 

[Ardge]

www.thecanoeclubrestaurant.com I promised to post the link. Here it is.



RJ

 

[IcyMist]

Congratulations!!! I hope that all your dreams come true. LOL as I was reading what you wrote I was thinking that you wrote very well and you made me feel like I was there and getting all excited at the same time you were. You should print a copy of what you wrote and save in case you ever decide to write a cookbook or some other type of book as it would be great to include that story as the beginning.

 

[IcyMist]

Oops didn't realize that this was an old thread. Ardge please let us know how it is going and if you are still enjoying yourself?

 

[Weeks]

AWESOME!!!

I hope to be there one day, bro. I'm heading to CIA in 9 months and counting. I've been working in high-volume kitchens doing prep work, baking, you name it. Nothing even close to line cooking yet, but watching them like a hawk and learning from that. Prep is fast enough with most of the sauces, mise en place and butchery being done in the back of the house and the final prep being done by the line cooks.

Best of luck to you, and keep us posted!

 

[Spice1133]

Congratulations Ardge sounds like a dream job. Keep up on the writing too. You should do well at both.

 

[Ardge]

BUMPING AN OLD THREAD.....

Hello everyone. For those of you who participated in (or read) this thread many months ago, here is an update.....


I am still employed as a pastry chef at the restaurant, but it is very hard to do so.


If you've ever seen the building, it is an impressive work of architecture. (It has been on TV many times and it still remains "the place to be" regarding dining at South Side of Chicago restaurants.) The place is PACKED on the weekends. Last Saturday had 700 plus reservations for dinner alone.


However, I am not happy working there at all. My reasoning? If you saw my paycheck, you'd understand. Management has been cutting costs left and right. Labor is the main cost cut.


When the restaurant opened, there were over 30 cooks hired. They told us during orientation that they over-hired on purpose. They did this to get the best staff they could when it came time to fine tune the staff. (The good ones would stay, the bad ones would go, blah blah blah...) Well, a few months later, 1/2 of the staff was let go. HALF! The ones that remained weren’t given raises like they were promised; we were given more responsibilities and less time to do them in. Here's the deal...


My once "40 hour plus, 5 day a week" job has been downsized to a 4 day a week job. On top of that, an 8 hour work day is unheard of. 4 to 5 hours is the norm. In reality, I am a part-time employee there. Most of us in the kitchen are. Recently, they've been calling me off of work one day a week in addition to that. The past two Tuesday mornings, just as I am getting ready for work, I have been getting a call from the restaurant. "Umm, we don't need you today. It was slow last night."


It's the sad truth, but I had to get another part time job out of the field just to make my ends meet... barely!


So, my resume is once again out there in full force. Tonight, I have an interview at a really nice restaurant downtown. Hopefully, they might offer me something better than my current situation. I can only hope so.



RJ

 

[middie]

good luck to you ardge

 

[Ardge]

sorry for the bold type up there. i cant seem to fix it.

 

[licia]

I wasn't here thru all your times, but wish you well just the same. It is important to be happy in your work, but it must provide a decent living also. Good luck!!

 

[htc]

Good luck to you Ardge, hopefully the new pastry skills that you have picked up at this current job will enable you to apply for more positions.

 

[wasabi]

Sorry the job didn't work out. Good luck in finding a good and better paying job.

 

[mrsmac]

I just started reading this thread today and it was like seeing a movie, I am so sad about this part of the show cause I was so happy for you at the start! I hope the next part works out better, keep writing i really enjoy your writing maybe you can become a novelist instead.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Sorry to hear its not working out the way you had hoped it would Ardge I know how excited you were to get it. I'll keep my fingers crossed one will come your way that will appreciate your talents.

 

[Ardge]

Thank you all for your kind words.

RJ

 

[crewsk]

Good luck Ardge! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! BTW, it's good to see you around here.

 

[marmalady]

Why don't you think about moving to Charleston, SC and opening up a pastry shop with me?

 

[urmaniac13]

RJ... as a new comer (well, relatively, I have been with you guys for only a few weeks so far) I didn't know your situation, but from the advice you gave me on the whipped cream, I could see you were a very good professional. When I came across this thread for the first time just a little while ago, I read the first post and I was juiced up for a reply all excited and cheery, then I noticed the date... I read on and oooohhhh... nooo... I am soooo sorry to hear that. I also knew personally an excellent chef who was really very creative, but he worked for Chilis and had to follow strictly their formula, thus no chance for showcasing his real talent... I wonder how many chefs and their talents are being wasted like this. I guess when it comes to creative talents, this is often true, unfortunately. (like musicians, artists, actors...) Sometimes you need a sheer luck on top of your own talent... I really wish you for that, RJ, you deserve it... and some day, I hope you will be able to open your own place of your dreams... But for now just hang in there, and keep a keen eye for a better opportunity... I wish you the bestust!!

hugs!!
Licia