Day 128: Gnocchi IN Boar Out

Out with the wild boar bolognese and in with the softest pillows of potato ever to touch your mouth, GNOCCHI! A favorite of many these cloud like pillows of starchy goodness now is on the Donovans’ menu, served with tomato, peas and smoked mozzarella.

Head Chef Robert Castellani teaching us how to make the perfect gnocchi

Today’s lunch was quiet for a Sunday, well I was on the pass. So I didn’t really see what happened in Larder except for the fact that a Chef was late and she got called in only to be told to come back on the PM shift at 4PM as an example. This caused me who was on a split to be a AM and larder to be 1 down with a big prep list. I jumped in to help but we cut it very close just finishing after the 1st order came in.

TV into Reality.

I just watched the Press Club Challenge on Australian Master Chef and how I feel for them, the pressure and intensity of service during a busy night at a two hat restaurant, just the sheer nervousness of what they are feeling as a fully booked restaurant slams the kitchen. Even after 5 months of being here at Donovans I dread knowing that I’m going to get slammed.

This episode reminded me of how I felt and the confusion of my first week during summer, I was overwhelming, that all I can say about it.

That is the ideal description of a commercial kitchen in a busy restaurant, less chaoitic on most days but there are always nasty moments that arise. for all those who want to work in the kitchen watch this episode.

Day 127: Rockyourfella..

New warm oysters on the menu today, out with the new style Kilpatrick which I thought were a major hit. To bring in the more wintery white wine poached oysters on a bed of smokey bacon and sauerkraut topped with hollandaise. This recipe sounded very strange and complex at first, but after a taste the richness of the bacon and sauerkraut was balanced by the acidity in the hollandaise and the poached oyster.

For the first night they actually sold ok, probably because it was pouring rain outside. I have a feeling that making the hollandaise every service will be a headache not knowing how much will be required.

It was a semi busy night enough to get excited about the restaurant was full of big tables meaning we would get slammed with all orders coming in big and simultaneously, but this also means we would be outta there by 10.

Day 125 - 126: Home time...

Tuesday night. My first night working with the new guy, though he is qualified he is much like me when I first started, paranoid about what to cook and when. It was quiet last night as it usually is on Monday – Thursday.


This morning I’m on solo so I prepped most of my big jobs last night just so I wouldn’t get screwed over with my time constraints, I also had staff meals again. Since we had 19 booked for lunch I was sent home, to come back at 4PM

School Day 10: Stocks, soups and Sauces.

As the rain glooms over Melbourne the students of Sofitel Culinary Academy are in the lower ground levels of the twin towers of Melbourne. cutting onions, celery, leeks and carrots and roasting off veal bones to create a brown veal stock for our stocks, soups and sauces module. 

Today was definitely a day I wanted to be in the kitchen, with all our ovens on roasting off bones and pans caramalizing vegetables it was a very toasty start to the week. after we made ourselves a quiick lunch of fettuccine carbonara we went back up to the class rooms for a essay assesment about presenting food and teamwork in a commercial kitchen. 

Day 124: Frozen...

It was cold yesterday, no not outside, it was a beautiful day in Melbourne but in the Donovans kitchen our 70 booked meant it was time to clean. I know someone has to do it but spending 40 minutes in a -19 freezer is not enjoyable unless you’re a bag of peas. But it was a early night so I can’t complain.

Day 123: Sat-tastic Split

Tired! I’m on a PM tomorrow or Today since its past 12, we had 90 for lunch, but as weekends do, they just drag on. Friday’s footy game as all the talk today, it was a very cold Melbourne morning we deliberately left the fans off so we could get the kitchen warmer.

 I had staff meals and I did sweet and sour pork, which was a huge hit with everyone. On that note we started off slow but it gained momentum fast, I was on the pass again today for the PM but I didn’t have to do tastes.

Larder ran with my normal partner in crime and the new guy, they didn’t do to badly for a busy Saturday night. I had some spare moment where I got to help hot entrée and do some fish and chips and a chicken pie. I do wonder when ill get to move up to that section.

Day 122: Suprise PASS

Surprised with a shift on the pass as soon as I got in. totally wasn’t expecting that one! And what else no prep list, so I didn’t know what I had to work with and what was coming up on the functions. What a way to come back from a weekend.

After a little help with the person running the show on a cold Friday morning I was on my way. The 4 tastes! FRIED GREEN TOMATOES! We had some green toms and that was the only thing what I wanted to try. There was a new guy that started on my days off. He seemed nervous from what I saw.

Dinner time came and tables started late but nothing too painful. On to another shift tomorrow.

Day 121: 5 Month Anniversary!

It’s my 5 moths today since I’ve been working at Donovans. I look back and read my past posts, there’s been so many people starting and leaving, I never thought that the kitchen environment or hospitality was so unstable.

A few people are going on annual leave this month so we are gonna get more shifts again. AM shifts are now covered by salary chefs and apprentice’s only get PM’s or splits.

Tonight we had a big function of 28 and I started on the PM whoever prepped our ‘funky’ (function) did a horrible job our roesti’s were miniature and defiantly not a mouthful and the crunchy roast potatoes were more like quartered, redoing this set me a little behind but it was a quiet night with 90 in the books so we had a relatively easy night finishing at 10, but we stayed and cleaned everything as we usually do when we finish early.

School Day 9: Organize and Prepare Food..

School again already these days seem to be flying by faster and faster, a week feels like 3 days to me now. Well its test time again, this week is the organize and prepare food module, where we are tested on kitchen equipment, basic cuts, Mise en place, how to write standard recipe cards, and work flow plans.

The test was pretty straight forward with questions such as.

Name and describe 5 precision cuts?
Write a standard recipe card (include food cost, and percentage)
What are the 3 stages of Roux and name a sauce which can be made from each?
Why is work flow planning important?
What does Mise en Place mean?
Why is it important to use and write recipe cards?
Name the vegetables in a Mirepoix?
Describe the procedure of making a tomato concasses’
Why do we use clarified butter?
List 4 kitchen utensils and fixed kitchen equipment.

Next week is our last class as a big group of 23, we are going to be split up so that the smaller groups can have more 1 on 1 time with the teachers.

Day 120: Stewing in Sunday

Ahhhh it’s all over, Tired from the night before. Sunday lunch was a definite struggle. Having the engagement party and ½ the place full at 12:30 was not an easy start to service. The smoked salmon potato roesti’s went out well then the oysters and duck legs for entrée’s were a struggle for me. My duck sauce got absorbed by all the chickpeas and I had to heat up another container last minute.

With some help from the pass we got everything out and it was over the rush slowed into a 120 dozen oyster sellout. Leaving us with 80 doz for the night. Luckily we didn’t sell out it wasn’t even that busy. Got to learn a few things in hot entrée and saw a naturally orange scallop which was strange. No one remembered why it was orange, though I was told it only happened once in every like 12 packets.

Day 119: Saturday Split

Split Saturday, as you know Saturday lunch is never that bad, it all about the prep that gets you through the weekend. With as much as done as they can on Friday, we normally make stocks that carry over so Sunday morning can just be about the busy lunch service.

It was pretty busy Saturday night and yet again people hunger for oysters. I came up late twice and didn’t get in trouble which was surprising; everyone was in a good mood it seemed.

Sunday morning we have a huge function a engagement party not looking forward to that.

Day 117 - 118: Tinkle with the times

There’s been barely any prep this week Larder was quiet, with the small booking numbers one of us always get to go on break early. Like 4 hours early.
Tuesday was so quiet we finished at 10 which was an awesome change.

They are thinking of renovating the kitchen this year getting some new equipment to keep up with the times. I think a few cryovac machine and emersion circulators would be cool. I like anything new and technological.

School Day 9: Food Orgy

Today at school we didn’t really learn anything. There were some who had to redo their tests so we got to play in the kitchen, we decided to make ourselves lunch, but this turned into a food orgy when we realized the teacher meant lunch for 17 people.

They started out small with just basil and parmesan gnocchi, mushroom soup cappuccino and soufflé’s, then came pizza, rice paper rolls. and finally cookies.

I did the rice paper rolls which started from “hey there’s a giant smoked eel in there fridge” I pulled it out then thought of the idea to stir-fry some vermicelli with coriander and onions and stir the smoked eel through with some pickled carrots. It was a very refreshing started but lacked refinement.

Next week we have a test on kitchen equipment then home time.

Day 116: Mothers Day..

Happy Birthday MUM! I celebrated with my mum Saturday since I had work on the Sunday. So it turns out mothers day with 3 of us in Larder was quiet easy, we barely sold any oysters but the steam veg sold like crazy. It seemed to be just a busy lunch. I was cooking and there were no blinis sold for lunch we made a double batch for nothing. What a waste.

So dinner comes and we expect the same sort of busyness but it just more like a very spread out night we finished at 11 and the whole day there were 2 blinis. We had obviously over prepped and over ordered a lot of produce so looks like some of it was going back on Monday.

Today is also the last day of one of chefs from Larder, the one that taught me everything when i first started in November It will be sad to see her go.

Day 112 - 114: Midweek!

This week was dull and boring even though I had three splits, I just spent time cleaning and gearing up for mothers day on Sunday. The numbers so far are 210 for lunch in a double seating and 150 for dinner.

Haven’t been doing anything new lately just same old cleaning porterhouse’s and eye fillets. Its been very slow but at least I haven’t been sent home early.

School Day 8: Precision Cutting..

Wow finally back at school after 2 weeks off. Today’s test was on receiving and storing stock, and some safety thrown in such as HACCP accreditation and temperatures that fridges should be at when storing of certain foods.

The next few hours was spent on knife skills with very strict attention to detail, like I mean to the millimeter. Each of our basic vegetable cuts was measured and if they weren’t correct we started again. This process was very frustrating, which makes a simple task very tedious.

We practiced Batonnet, Allumette, Julienne, Brunoise, Jardiniere, Macedoine and Paysanne. Alot of these were very similar but precision cutting we were told was a must have skill even though we have mandoline's these days.

Day 111: Crazy...

What a crazy night. The day started with a cruisey 80 for lunch. I came back from my break realizing we were out of rocket which is in a lot of our dishes, as well as blue cheese and white wine vinegar. After a rushed trip to Acland Street Woolworths and buying all the rocket they had on hand and some other supplies I got back in time to find out our final booking was 150.

The night started very slow, getting nervous we all came to the realization we would get slammed. By 8PM 90% of the tables were seated and hell began. The mad rush of 150 people ordering entrée’s mains and desserts came.

The night was a success the Sous Chef in charge came and congratulated all of us for doing a beautiful service. After a rush like that we all decided to go for after work drinks and relax before another draining Sunday lunch.