There are more than fifty people working at the restaurant and learning how to interact with each one of them is not a piece of cake. Being surrounded by people with different ethnicity and background is no joke. Coming to a new place and meeting a lot of new people naturally includes introducing oneself for quite a number of times. The people I work with in Restaurant Avondale made the process so much easier and faster than I thought it would.
First day of anything makes me anxious. I have not been in the kitchen for more than a month since I left school. I was nervous about how my new coworkers and boss would perceive me. However, I may say that from the moment I arrived in the restaurant I was treated with respect and warm welcome. I was surprised that when the manager saw a new face in the kitchen, he approached my station and humbly introduced himself.
Throughout the week I slowly got to know my supervisors and front of the house staff. During lunch breaks, I eat with the stewards and other hourly rate employees and this gave me a chance to find out more about the people that works with me. I was able to easily adapt with my new environment and interact with my coworkers in a short week.
When I had established myself as a part of the team, everything went smoothly and I was working efficiently with other people. One thing that I admire most is my chef’s ability to deal with everyone in the restaurant. He treats people with respect and kindness even though in this stressful industry it is very rare to find a leader who interacts with his employees so well. I was very honored to be trained personally by our Executive Chef.
I learned that in this business the opinion of everyone matters. I first started working at the pantry station. A girl from Mexico who can barely speak English was training me to learn how the station works. I was so impress to see my chef constantly reminding the girl how good she was and that she could make a better out of me. The chef would be visiting my station once in a while to check if I’m handling the responsibility well or if I’m having any troubles in the kitchen.
As I mentioned above, the people in Restaurant Avondale made it so much easier for me to adjust with the new environment I was in. I felt comfortable working my station alone and having healthy debates or arguments with my chefs about the things I learned in school as to what happens in the real world. One time my chef asked me to fabricate 20 whole chickens in to 8 cut pieces and showed me how to fabricate the chicken. I was taught differently. He was amaze on how fast I snapped the bones, made a supreme, and portioned the chickens in a matter of half an hour. He stopped and asked me to show him how to separate the wings from the breast without using a butcher’s knife. I felt so proud of myself for having been able to share the things I learned in school to my very well experienced chef. He was very humble to ask someone like me to show him how to fabricate a chicken.
I must say that I am very fortunate to have done my externship in Restaurant Avondale. Not only did I learn a lot but I also have improved my interpersonal skills. For a restaurant to be successful the front of the house should blend well with the flow of the back of the house. When we operate the whole restaurant becomes a symphony. If a problem arises the waiters will consult the food expediter, the food expediter will then talk to the managers and the managers will address the problem to the sous chefs. Everyone respects everyone. Everyone plays a major role in possessing balance of friendliness, intelligence and technical capabilities that makes the hallmark of the restaurant. In Restaurant Avondale technical skills are only one part of the picture. The ability to enjoy long working hours in the kitchen and be able to spread and share positive energy and enthusiasm among your co-workers is the key to Avondale’s superior service.
Yelena Del Mundo
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