SOME QUESTIONS FOR PAUL:
a lot of pressure on my sous chef and I as there is no room for irresponsible and thoughtless mistakes as this will only cause irreparable problems – problems that need to be avoided during a fast paced service in order to have a smooth sailing service. This kind of pressure can create an intense environment. Bearing in mind, I cook all my fresh produce to order – this is the reason why I designed my lunch menu to include relatively quick dishes (nothing takes longer than 20 minutes to cook/prepare). During service I keep an eye on all the dishes, making sure they are prepared and plated properly while also keeping an eye on all plates that return to the kitchen to ensure there have been no issues with the dishes and customers are happy.
After the lunch rush has subsided we begin to clean up and prepare for dinner service. I check any produce that that we may have run out of during service and go to the market to pick this up as it’s too late to order anything from the supplier to be delivered the same day. I then begin my administrative duties which include menu planning, analyzing foods costs, attending any meetings, ordering any inventory items, researching and planning new dishes and taking time out to develop new dishes.
Dinner service begins at 6.00 p.m. and finishes around 10.00 p.m. This is the busiest time of the day. Dinner service involves a great deal of activity and hard work, all of which is supervised by me. After service we clean up, I then take time out to plan, review my menu for the following day. Once I have planned/organized this, I begin to place my orders with my suppliers. Finally, it’s the time of day I can sit back and relax.
20/20 A day in the life of...
Question: What do you do to unwind at the end of a long day?
Answer: Go home, sit in my garden, talk to my wife about the day’s events and have a glass of red wine.
Question: What do you like most about being a Chef? Answer: Having the freedom of creating imaginative dishes and the feeling of happiness and satisfaction when a client pops their head into the kitchen and says they loved their food – makes the hard work all worthwhile.
Question: What do you most dislike about being a Chef? Answer: The hours – the feeling of not having enough time to spend with my family and also not being able to take a holiday at anytime – I need to work my holiday schedule around the least busier times of the year.
Question: How did you become a Chef? Answer: I was brought up in the hospitality industry, left school at 16 and started my apprenticeship at Longueville Manor which was the beginning of my long cooking career.
Question: What advice would you give someone, either just starting their career or midway through their career, who wants to be a Chef? Answer: Never let yourself get complacent or bored as this will only reflect negatively in your work. Keep trying to perfect yourself and always take pride in what you do.
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