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Anybody else cook for a living here?

Posted on 5/16/17 at 3:24 pm
Posted by BreesDen
Member since May 2017
21 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 3:24 pm
I wanted to talk some in the industry cooking and some of your craziest stories of getting slammed. I mean to the point that you almost sunk and burned as an establishment but turned on the jets and just dominated.

Tonight, may have been one of my most miserable and, yet, proud moment of my life. I cook at a small fine dining place in Slidell, LA. 30 minutes out of New Orleans. Place gets steady business, but I have worked in much busier places. Tonight, our block where we are located are surrounded by businesses. They decided to come together and throw a block party to make some business for the places. Well, tonight we got bombarded. From about 6 on the dot until 9:15 we pushed out over 250 people. I only work in a 3 man kitchen. I am talking we pushed out burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches, bouilabaise, ducks, Ny Strips grilled ceaser salads, 3 different salads. hot dogs, softshell crab, shrimp and grits, chicken ratatouille with a demi glace, fried green tomatoes, and so much more. We must have served 70 burgers alone. We have a bar side and a restaurant side. We run a bar menu at all times. We also char grilled oysters. It was fricking nuts. I cried and died on the inside. I cramped up because there was no time to drink water. We were so close to burning and we pulled it out and knocked it out the park. There are two more restaurants on our same block. They only did about 30 tables combined. Everyone came to us. Especially, everything we do there is by hand. From hand cut fries to grinding our own burger meat to make every sauce from scratch. We only shop fresh and there is no such thing a Sysco. We dont have a freezer. Tonight, is what cooking is about. You felt like you were in a battle all night and you won. You won!

Anybody else have a good story? Or just a story they would like to share? Could be a fun thread.
Posted by Carson123987
Middle Court at the Rec
Member since Jul 2011
66373 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 3:29 pm to
I didn't cook, but I bartended at one of the busiest seafood restaurants in BR and I know that feeling. The fridays before big LSU games were overwhelming. One year against Ole Miss I wanted to just curl up into a ball on the floor. Made it through and made a shitload of money tho
Posted by NOFOX
New Orleans
Member since Jan 2014
9918 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 3:32 pm to
R/KitchenConfidentialis basically the Reddit version of this thread if you are interested. Not a professional chef, just friends with a bunch, so no war stories from me.
Posted by Box Geauxrilla
Member since Jun 2013
19116 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 3:46 pm to
I used to work at Rotolo's and Wednesdays were $3.99 calzone nights. Ask me anything.
Posted by Trout Bandit
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Dec 2012
13198 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 3:57 pm to
quote:

fine dining place

quote:

burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches



Posted by Loungefly85
Lafayette
Member since Jul 2016
7930 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 4:06 pm to
One of my good friends cooks at one of the nicer places here in BR. Between his stories and the one you just told I can honestly say that I couldn't do it.

He came over Sunday evening after working the brunch shift to have a few beers and was so worn out from graduation and mothers day weekend that he fell asleep on the couch in the middle of conversation.
Posted by notiger1997
Metairie
Member since May 2009
58088 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 4:13 pm to
Major props to you. I could never do it.
Posted by emboslice
Member since Dec 2012
4519 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 5:10 pm to
No better feeling than when all those tickets that kept coming in are cleared out though.
Posted by ThruThickandThin
The Zone
Member since Mar 2017
1445 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 5:22 pm to
I'm confused. You say "tonight" and yet your time of post is 3:24 p.m. Sounds weird. Fine dining also seems far-fletched, serving burgers but what do I know
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
38620 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 5:31 pm to
you work at cote'?
been meaning to try that place, i've heard good things
Posted by CorkSoaker
Member since Oct 2008
9784 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 5:47 pm to
Posted by hungryone
river parishes
Member since Sep 2010
11987 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 7:26 pm to
Hot dogs do not equal fine dining. And I love a good hot dog.
Posted by Coater
Madison, MS
Member since Jun 2005
33055 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 7:28 pm to
Bocajared stops by every now and then
Posted by ddsmit
Pensacola, FL
Member since Jan 2011
206 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 7:41 pm to
I cook at home every day and it's relaxing to me and something I look forward to. I'm not sure I would like doing for a living , seems like a lot of stress to me. My hats off to you guys and ladies that do it though.
Posted by 4WHLN
Drinking at the Cottage Inn
Member since Mar 2013
7579 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 7:54 pm to
I used to run the grill at Creola' in Mandeville and used to work at Dakota also when they had parties and full reservations. I love to cook and I really loved working in the kitchen but hated the hours. Getting slammed on a Friday night was kinda fun in a very odd way. I'd have the entire 6' grill full of burgers, fish, steaks, ribs etc and getting them all out on time and to temp while coordinating with the other line cooks to get the entire order up and ready on time was kinda like a mini high.
Reading you post is bringing back some find memories. The pranks and afterparties we had with the wait staff were awesome at the time.
Posted by LSUCreole
Lost in a drunken haze
Member since Nov 2005
11625 posts
Posted on 5/16/17 at 11:26 pm to
quote:

BreesDen


No one gives a frick that you're a fricking line cook. Now shut the frick up and back to your shitty bar and grill
Posted by Gris Gris
OTIS!NO RULES FOR SAUCES ON STEAK!!
Member since Feb 2008
47346 posts
Posted on 5/17/17 at 1:18 am to
Apparently some people do. Speak for yourself and not others, jerk.
Posted by TH03
Mogadishu
Member since Dec 2008
171035 posts
Posted on 5/17/17 at 8:08 am to
quote:


No one gives a frick that you're a fricking line cook. Now shut the frick up and back to your shitty bar and grill


Sounds like a jealous bus boy.
Posted by BigPerm30
Member since Aug 2011
25830 posts
Posted on 5/17/17 at 8:15 am to
quote:

No one gives a frick that you're a fricking line cook. Now shut the frick up and back to your shitty bar and grill


This would've been a great OT comment. Not so much on the FDB.
Posted by notiger1997
Metairie
Member since May 2009
58088 posts
Posted on 5/17/17 at 8:56 am to
Anthony Bourdain's book has great stories about how crazy the kitchens get.

I bet most "true" fine dining places aren't that bad though. I had the chance to dine in the kitchen table in Commanders on a crazy busy Saturday night and I was amazed at how calm things were. No yelling, arguing, or pots banging around. It was actually pretty quite.
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