Last week started off like any other – by Wednesday I was ready to quit. After nine weeks at amuse bouche, I was more than ready to do something new. Although all the tasks were familiar, and my ability to do them quickly had improved, I was bored. I was yearning for something new, something different. And finally, after asking four times, I got my wish.

On Thursday, one of the executive chefs surprised me with a new job. I would be working en face (across the street) in the private dining room with one of the sous chefs. This was a welcome change as I would be able to see a meal prepared and served from beginning to end. I spent the next two hours gathering all the mis en place, plates and equipment we would need to serve dinner for 6 people.

The kitchen en face is tiny – barely enough room for two people to work. Movement must be choreographed like a dance, and since this was my first time, I didn’t know the right steps. I broke a plate, knocked over several items, and during plating, bumped the sheet pan containing the last fish off the counter. Thank goodness my reflexes were awake, and I grabbed the pan (fresh from the oven mind you) with my bare hands and set it back on the counter. It would have been a disaster if the fish hit the floor, as we don’t have spares, but I paid the price by burning my fingers.

The rest of the meal passed without incident. As my fellow intern would say, working en face is like a bubble bath compared to the main kitchen. No one yells, everything moves smoothly, and there is even some down time in between courses. I was just thrilled to do something new and different. Finally!

The next morning I showed up early for the traditional Friday cleaning session, and started about my work at the amuse bouche station. But before I could get much further, the sous chef informed me I was no longer working there. Instead, I was taking Amy’s place at the meat station with him. I spent the rest of the morning de-boning pigeons, and pretending to be a surgeon. I carefully slid my knife around the muscles and bones in each pigeon, fascinated by each cut of my knife. I was so absorbed in my work, the hours passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to haul garbage out to the waiting truck.

During service, the sous chef had to tell me every little thing to do. He too is new at this station since our regular meat chef is out for the next two months. I was amazed at how the sous chef was able to handle each order quickly and calmly while barking orders in my direction. He was patient and kind with me, even when I made mistakes. But by the second service, I had a better idea of what I was doing. I pulled out the little packets of pigeon breasts when an order was called, seared the foie gras to a perfect golden brown, and de-boned the chickens when told. It was a long night, but rewarding.

Saturday was a little less glamorous, but exciting none the less. I got to perform one of Amy’s least favorite tasks of cleaning out the steamer. The steamer is a 40 gallon cauldron where all the stocks are made. Once the stocks are cooked and the liquid drained, someone needs to clean the cauldron. That lucky person was me. Thankfully, I’ve seen Amy do this a dozen times, so I set to work raking out the soggy bones, mushy vegetables and gobs and gobs of fat. Everything is steaming hot, so it’s like getting a free facial. Once I removed all the leftover cooking bits, I scrubbed the stainless steel sides until they gleamed and rinsed out the interior. My face streamed sweat and my uniform was soaked in humidity. Everyone threw understanding looks in my direction – I think everyone at one time has had the honor of cleaning the steamer and knew how ungrateful a task it really was.

Saturday night we had another small party of eight en face. I was surprised that I heard not a peep from the group – usually I can hear laughter and the clink of glasses. Evidently the party was a group of Japanese businessmen who spoke barely a word during dinner. By 10:30, they wrapped up their meal and I was free to go back to the main kitchen. I spent the next two hours vacuum sealing meat, tidying up and cleaning. By 12:30, I was exhausted but I could have kept going. As I was scrubbing the searing hot cook top with sandpaper, a smile crossed my face. I was learning something new. My last week here will be a good one.

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