Chapter 259: New Head Chef! An Adventure!

The Spark Restaurant, Elffire City.

It was an atypical day in the restaurant as it would be the first day that the new head chef would assume the kitchen.

It would be Shizuka's first day as a head chef, and that's why she arrived so early.

Much earlier than the other cooks.

Actually, she was one of the first employees to arrive for the night service that day.

When she arrived, she immediately changed into her uniform and started inspecting the ingredients they would use for cooking later.

Theo was a partner with a high-end supply company, so every ingredient they received was of high quality.

Fresh, clean, nutritious, and other qualities.

Theo was immensely grateful to Grandpa Takeo for recommending this supply company, without it, the restaurant would suffer a severe lack of high-quality ingredients, which would affect the quality of the food they cooked.

Consequently, his restaurant would become less prestigious with the clients.

Even though Theo didn't care if he was able to earn an Aether Star (Michelin Star), he had to admit it would be cool if his restaurant was able to get one.

In his past life, he loved watching cooking shows and he always admired those chefs with Michelin Stars.

They seemed so cool!

It could be said that earning a star was a minor dream of him.

He wasn't pretentious enough to say that he would be as famous as those chefs, but he at least wanted one Aether Star to his restaurant.

That's why he didn't oppose when Aurora suggested sending an application to the Aether Magazine, but he also knew that it would take a while, so he wasn't anxious, he just wanted to maintain the high quality of his restaurant.

But even with all these factors, Theo didn't hesitate to give the command of his kitchen to an inexperienced chef like Shizuka.

He knew how talented she was, and he firmly believed that she would do fine.

After all, Theo had observed Shizuka working for the past months, and he knew that she had the skills to command the kitchen.

With the help of Kimiko and the others, Shizuka had all the means to do just fine.

Shizuka knew fully well the duties that a head chef had to assume.

The average day in the life of a chef involves more than just cooking. Many chefs play an integral role in the inventory, preparation, and management of high-end restaurants.

The first thing that Shizuka did when she arrived at the restaurant was an inventory.

With much of the day's ingredients arriving fresh in the morning. Produce needs to be counted, checked for quality, and appropriately stored and labeled.

But as soon as the cooks started arriving, Shizuka quickly finished the inventory.

She did not detect anything amiss, so all the ingredients they would use that night were top-notch.

A while later, Shizuka stood in front of her crew of 8 cooks.

Kimiko, Shoko, Lauren, Max, Kin, Gwen, Hideko, and Tim.

They were the ones working that night, and only Theo and Ayia had the day off.

It was a new experience for all of them, as it would be the first time they would cook without Theo or Ayia's supervision.

Ever since they started cooking in the restaurant, they grew used to Theo or Ayia's presence guiding them, so they had to admit that they were a little nervous about cooking without them.

But they were also excited to show their bosses how much they advanced in the past months, they wanted to show that they could cook without them!

Shizuka looked at her crew for the night and drew a deep breath.

She once again revised what she should do as the head chef.

Chefs, executive chefs, head cooks, and chefs de cuisine have busy days. Their shifts may start at different times depending on their place of work. For example, if the restaurant only does dinner service, the chef may start their shift mid-day in order to prepare. If the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, then the chef would start their shift in the early hours of the morning.

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One of their first tasks is to review inventory and ensure they have enough supplies needed for the coming days' orders. If not, they will need to purchase additional ingredients and place orders with suppliers. Chefs will also check the quality of any raw ingredients to make sure they are fresh and ready to use during their shift.

Chefs typically oversee junior cooks and other employees in the kitchen. They will direct the cooking of the day's orders and also participate at their own station. Some may check the quality of the cooked food and garnish it before sending it out to the waiters and waitresses. Some chefs may call out orders as they are placed and manage the timing of each dish to ensure they are served with the rest of the table's orders. Once the customers have left, the chef will check supplies again, place any additional orders for the next day and oversee the kitchen staff in their cleaning and maintenance of the kitchen.

There was also an essential step that Shizuka and the others had to take care of.

Mise-en-place.

Or in English, 'everything in place'.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, cooking and baking projects can go from a relaxing afternoon activity to an overwhelming journey in a matter of minutes.

Recipes can take a lot more preparation than we think, and it's all too easy to get frazzled in the process. But, that's where mise en place comes in – a French term used by professional chefs to describe their surefire organization techniques.

Mise en place literally translates to "everything in its place." In cooking and baking, it refers to the action of preparation before you start your recipe. The saying got its start in professional kitchens across the globe, as it's one of the first foundational techniques many chefs learn.

"You're planning ahead in order to set up for success," says Baldwin. "You want to make sure you know what you're doing in advance and you have everything set up so that when you need it, it's going to be there for you and you're not going to have to scramble, which throws off the timing of everything else."

The process of setting up a recipe or a cooking project, in general, can look different for chefs depending on the situation.

In restaurant kitchens, mise en place can be a long game. Cooks will have prep lists where they pre-cut vegetables, pre-cook certain dishes or sauces, pre-bake cakes, and cookies, and set up decorations for dishes well before reservations arrive. This helps them take up as little time as possible when they're busy with a rush of people and ensures they have enough food to serve for the day.

And as a professional kitchen, The Spark Restaurant implemented the mise en place.

That's why they arrived much earlier than the service started, they needed to start preparing the mise en place, and with the mise en place ready, they would have a much easier time when they cooked during the service.

Actually, every professional kitchen did the same, so they were no strangers to this technique.

After working together for months, they already knew the ins and outs of the mise en place necessary for the night service.

But Shizuka knew that a chef also needed to take care of some things else.

For example, cleaning.

A chef will always tidy their own fridges, clean their own knives and wipe down their own section after service. If the kitchen has Kitchen Porters (K.Ps) they will usually clean all the dishes and scrub the floors after everyone has left.

Occasionally the Head Chef will declare a 'deep clean' is needed and all the chefs will be responsible for thoroughly cleaning the kitchen, including scrubbing the floors after service has finished.

A kitchen was a place that needed to be clean at all times, after all, no one wanted to eat food from a dirty place.

It is horrible to imagine a dirty kitchen when someone is eating their food.

Theo still remembered some tv shows from his past life where it showed restaurants with kitchens so dirty, that it made him want to puke.

That's why he deeply cared about the hygiene of his kitchen, and Shizuka took notice of that.

There were also other qualities that a head chef had to have.

Great cooking skills and attention to detail;

Leadership and management skills;

The ability to manage a budget and keep accurate records;

Good organization and communication skills;

The ability to work under pressure;

etc.

Shizuka didn't know if she had all these abilities and qualities, but she was determined to give her all.

That's why she had an unusual glint on her eyes that day, usually, Shizuka was always calm and composed.

But that day she showed excitement.

The excitement for a new adventure!

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