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this post is mostly for those who know me to have a laugh, but first a little background info for those that don’t. my new position has made me number two for a rather large hotel. the irony here is that i have always been adamant that i would not work for a large hotel. i feel that the environment is that of a factory and does not allow for a chef to be in touch with their food. this position however, presented certain advantages (one of them being a brand new chocolate show kitchen attached to a chocolate boutique).
anyone that had been in the sous chef position knows that your job is to facilitate the vision of someone else, even if it conflicts with your own style and ideology. one of my favorite things about pastry is to play with new ideas and question tradition. are we using a product/technique because tradition has programmed us to, or is it because the idea is really the “right” way of doing something. in my previous job this has led to situations where my product was a little too ….not hotel traditional…. for some of my superiors.
our first outlet up for tasting was in room dining. not exactly your most glamorous of outlets, but it is an area where opportunity for an innovative menu concept could take hold. long story short we have three of us working on the menu – exec pastry chef, exec pastry chef on task force from another property and myself. three chefs and three very different opinions on what the dishes should be. it the end we sail on the captain’s ship so he makes the call on what will be done. we arranged a tasting for ourselves, including the exec chef, and went at the review process.
the punch line: chef’s comment “we are a very modern hotel, do not be afraid to get a little more modern.”
here are some kitchen pics from the first couple days. this first pic is the main hallway. there are 7 or 8 kitchens lined up in a row. the other pics are of the pastry kitchen
