Having worked many dinner and lunch rushes I know what getting slammed really means and when one is getting slammed slow down for christ's sake especially given the fact that your clients have lots of time being that they have been on the road all day (a Televisa Crew from Mexico City) and do not mind relaxing and waiting for what they know is a pretty big order. In this case, lots of ceviche, the local lake fish and shrimp cocktails with all the attendant trimmings. It was a darn good thing I made a big batch of foccaccia on Saturday!
Even though it was my day off I knew I had to get into the kitchen so I asked our front desk guy to call our cook in at three pm, three hours before he would normally come in. Knowing that certain prep would need to be executed I grabbed what I needed and started working. In the meantime however it was tough trying to get a straight answer as to what needed to be defrosted right away as there were three kinds of shrimp and I wanted to make sure I was dealing with the right ones and this time in the proper fashion?
There were only fourteen in the group, not a large number by any stretch of the imagination but to a staff who as of late had not been accustomed to a group walking in and ordering as they did? I am still scratching my head over this one. Yes, we cater to large groups, have tour groups coming to stay with us but those menus are predetermined, little changes are made and all is well in Kitchen World - in other words, no surprises but when running a restaurant on top of it one has to anticipate surprises and if one cannot deal with that then that is where the problems begin.
I was handling the prep on the ceviche and cocktails....no hassles there except I wanted some straight answers regarding their way of saucing and presentation. Everyone, it seemed was flustered, and in turn that got me flustered. Voices being raised and here is me asking why and how and not getting answered. It is not a matter of being ignored but it is a concern of mine when a question that is absolutely necessary to be answered (timing issues) is not being dealt with.
My cook, Manuel, I could see was pissed off and I was thinking to myself, oh no, not this attitude again. Is it the language barrier, the having to share the kitchen with me on occasion, having to realize that there are other ways of dealing with certain dishes or is it because he is a bit of a machista? At this point I do not know but I do know this, I do not mind taking a secondary role - the prep and instruction, just so long as my words and directions are respected.
In this case I knew how Mexicans liked their ceviche and cocktails and knew that the way these guys wanted me to execute the dishes was just way off. Being told again that "this is Petenero style" does not cut it with me especially given that most examples of "Petenero style" are just downright abyssmal when it comes to their take on dishes that are not indigenous to the region. Stick to what you know guys, your food - which while humble can be fantastic - and learn that there are other ways to approach dishes that in the long run can be better for the diner?
In the end I left the kitchen as his behaviour was becoming intolerable and disrespectful. Childish, that is a word to best describe his tantrum over nothing. The diners were well-fed but that is not the point. In any kitchen there is a pecking order and even though we all work as a team there is still a heirarchy. It does not have to be one of medieval proportions but it is a necessary evil and when my status is questioned, mocked even, that is when I bristle for gender don't mean shit to this chef. This young man, if he were to go up to any kitchen in the states or Mexico and pull this nonsense off would get his ass kicked.
Pride is something one should have when they execute a dish perfectly, not something to exude when one is dealing with a superior.
I was thankfully prepared this morning to deal with early breakfast for our clients as I kind of anticipated that Manuel would be a no-show.....I was right but here is the punchline - the Televisa folks took off this morning at four thirty a.m. to catch the Tikal sunrise. The other two clients did not want breakfast either so my cook, thinking he is getting back at me and leaving me with his job - well, that little tactic has backfired on him.
Will I can his ass? There are some that would say fire him for his rude behaviour but I have another plan.....you see, I really like the guy, respect his work and when he is not being a macho prat, love to work with him as we usually laugh our asses off which in a busy kitchen is a good thing but there does come a time when one has to establish that they are indeed the HBIC - today is that day as now I have had a month to see what has been going on and what needs to be changed and implemented - not that I have not already changed certain things but there is always room for improvement in any business.
I love it here and even though like poor Basil Fawlty I want to pull my hair and wring my hands in utter despair there are also those moments that make up for the frustration like when my staff comes in this morning and greet me warmly, laugh about the cook's terrible behaviour and tell me that they are generally happy with my status quo.....oh well, c'est la vie, mi vida loca on this beautiful little slice of paradise.
No one ever said it would be easy. Good thing I still have hair?
