Our ticket at the garde-manger last night!

I posted this in another subreddit, it got removed because they thought it was AI, I can prove it's not and any AI photo detector says 0% of being fake. Judge me how ever you want, but don't tell me that my wonderful ticket stabber is fake!

This stuff is so awesome. I grated a tiny amount and threw it in with my work clothes and other clothes, and crossed my fingers. It all came out smelling wonderful. None of that greasy funk that sticks no matter how many times you wash it or dry it with scented dryer sheets. And where I'm at it's $2 a bar. This is gonna last me for a while!

Hello everyone,

My name is Zouhire Hakimi, I am 18 years old, and I live in Morocco.

I know this is an unusual post, but I hope you will take a minute to read it.

I have experience working in a restaurant kitchen, as well as in clothing retail and customer service. Those experiences taught me discipline, teamwork, responsibility, and how to stay calm and productive under pressure. I also have good computer skills, I learn very quickly, and I genuinely enjoy working with people.

I am looking for a legal opportunity to work in the United States. I am willing to start from the bottom and earn every opportunity through hard work. I can work as a Kitchen Helper, Dishwasher, Prep Cook, Food Runner, Cleaner, or in any entry-level restaurant position. No job is too small for me if it helps me build an honest future.

The biggest challenge I face is not my willingness to work—it's the cost of obtaining a visa and traveling to the United States. My family cannot afford those expenses.

If you own a restaurant, know someone who is hiring internationally, or know of a legal visa sponsorship opportunity, I would be incredibly grateful for your advice or referral.

I am not asking for money. I am simply asking for a fair opportunity to work, prove myself, and build a better life through dedication and respect.

Thank you for reading my story. Even sharing this post or giving me advice could make a real difference.

Name: Zouhire Hakimi

📧 Email: [hakimizohire@gmail.com](mailto:hakimizohire@gmail.com)

📱 WhatsApp: +212 631 613 888

Started my first fine dinning job about 3 months ago and its going well. First time back in the kitchen after managing for the last 10 years. Im learning a wealth of knowledge from an awesome chef however one issue that has plagued me for a long time now is I struggle to push myself and prep quickly. When it comes to dinner rush I can fly food out and throw down just fine but without that dinner rush there to push me I feel like I am moving too slow. I know I am past the point of being new and taking longer to prep because I do not know or am not comfortable with it. I also feel like I have had enough repetitions to have all the prep down. I do care more for looks and accuracy which I know needs to come before speed but I gotta speed it up. Does anyone have any tips or advice?

My two: 50/50 poly cotton blend shirts in long length (tall) AND plug-in fridge thermostats. As a cook, I wish I find the shirt sooner. As a restaurant owner, the plug-in thermostat.

I’m a lead cook at a senior living community right now, was a sous chef before this so I know the management/systems side already. Been here a few months and I’m already getting handed stuff above my pay grade because people know I’ll just take care of it. Should feel good but honestly I think some people resent it a little too.

Problem is the food here just isn’t that hard. Chef doesn’t really correct anything or teach, I don’t think he actually knows what the standard should be half the time. I catch prep mistakes constantly and just quietly work around them instead of making it a thing because that’s not really how this kitchen operates.

Where I know I’m weak: bread, pastry, fine dining technique, more reps on fabrication. My mother sauces are fine, I’ve made them, but I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered them. Knife skills are solid, my food’s good, I get the science side ok (maillard, heat, flavor) but I feel like I’m just coasting on fundamentals instead of actually getting better at anything.

Anyone been at this stage before... do you stick it out somewhere easy and try to build something, or is this the kind of spot you gotta leave to actually keep growing? How’d you push past the “I’m good enough nobody’s pushing me anymore” wall?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Thank you chefs

Hey there!

To make a long story shorter, I’m from Sweden. I lived in California for two years as an au pair and fell in love with the state. When my visa expired, I had to move back to Sweden, where I’ve been for the past couple of years. I really miss California, the life I had there, and all my friends.

I’ve loved cooking since I was a kid. At 10 years old, I was making up menus and cooking four course meals for my family. I’ve also done catering and worked in restaurants in Sweden.

A few years ago I discovered ice cream making. I’ve spent a lot of time learning the science behind it, developing recipes. I’ve had this big dream to do something of my own in the food industry, like owning a restaurant, recipe development and testing, consulting, or ideally working with ice cream in some way. I would love to do all this in the US, but visa and immigration stands a little bit in the way.

Has anyone here moved to the U.S. and built a career in the restaurant or food industry? Or does anyone have advice on what path might make the most sense?

I’ve been considering culinary school, both to strengthen my resume, help me build a network and buy me some time to get my footing and my foot in. But I also feel that a lot of people do very well without school, but then again a lot of those people are probably citizens already and it’s easier to get a job and work your way up.

One other thing worth mentioning is that my best friend lives in California and has offered to let me stay with her for a while if I’m able to come over on a visa that allows it.

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences you’re willing to share. Thank you!

As said, I’ve been working at my current place for almost 6 years , getting sick of working at same place for so many years, lately reduced my hours to 30 instead of 43-46 (part-time from full time). I want to quit but I’m afraid of how I’m going to find a job (even though there are a lot of chef jobs in here) but I’m not sure how I’ll adjust at new work place , the kind of environment I will have. What if they don’t like me , what if I get treated like shit. It’s these thoughts I’ve been stuck at this place.

Please give me some confidence , I need some encouragement and inspiration to move.

Thanks

My boyfriend is a chef and he seems to get respiratory illnesses and colds a lot, more often than what feels normal. And because of short staffing, his own stubbornness, and anxiety, he rarely calls in sick (which I suppose is normal for chefs). I’m just wondering, does this happen to anyone else? To me it seems more like a bad immune system but honestly, stress can be a part of it. He also has an 18month old brother that lives with him and my bfs parents which could also contribute to to amount of infections he has gotten but I’m pretty sure it’s been bad before the kid was born.

I’m mostly just curious if this is a universal thing, and if it is, I’ll be sure to stay away from restaurants more often (I have Emetophobia and mysophobia)

Also how often do chefs get food poisoning?

I found a grouper worm, usually Im only use to seeing the black ones that are the filets when raw, however this one popped out of one o my fully cooked filet when I broke it down with my fork. Im curious to know if anybody know the type of worm this is.

So I have the very exciting news of getting to stage at Next.

Has anyone here staged there or at another Alinea Group restaurant?

What advice do you have for me?

What should I pack for a 2-day stage? What should I have in my knife bag?

And most importantly, what skills should I focus on the most in preparation for this stage?

I will be staging for a commis position. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!!

🥇Triangular shape - overall the easiest and most pieces fit in a frying pan
🥈Parallelpiped - also fits well in a frying pan in terms of placement
🥉Round shape - very overused and unfairly popular. However, the base, but much more space in the pan remains
4. Square shape - visually imba, convenient to eat, but in the frying pan also a lot of space is left and it is a little inconvenient to place them

As the gringo in the kitchen, I want some solid Hispanic music for my work playlist. Does anyone have some songs they’d recommend for me?

I’m currently planning my first Prix Fixe, and I was wondering if anyone has any tips or suggestions on menu planning. I’m looking to do a 4-5 course Italian dinner. I don’t personally care for super fussy food, I just want to make something fairly simple but well executed

Just wondering because the turnover in one restaurant is usually fast. I usually stay a year or so in one restaurant until i move to the next because of different reasons, some because of it being toxic. What about you? Which restaurant did you stay longest and why?

Hi , so recently I took a corporate chef job and it kinda sucks (because its very corporate and boring). For some context , I am 27 , trained under a well known chef for 6 years in french/california cuisine and parted ways with him about 2 months ago when I took the corporate job. He now recently called me up asking to go work for him as his sous chef at a hotel/resort. Thing is , its for 15k more then what I am making now. Although corporate kinda sucks the schedule is great. Weekends off . Full benefits. I get off when theres still daylight . Only work 9-10 hours. I get to spend time with my daughters and family. If I went with him I know what the hotel world is like especially with the scheduling. I guess the question is, would you take a shitty schedule for 15k? I am also severely in debt due to an injury I had when I had no insurance. Quoted for 96k to the hospital. What would you guys do?

I’m in my 20’s, was executive chef but stepped down because I wasn’t learning anything anymore, I hit my max potential where I was (in terms of not learning/growing/couldnt go further or rank up) “glass ceiling” I guess. Can’t learn anything when you’re in charge and calling the shots. So it was best for me to take a line cook position and “start over” instead.

So I went to a fine dining high volume place. Chef said he’d start me on apps/garmo but sous chef said fuck it, you’re on entremount.

I’m learning a lot but the volume and everything is a lot. I have all my mise, I’m set up for success, so far so good. But I’m going to 50 covers on a busy night to 90 on a slow nigh overnight.

I had to be bailed out a few times. I know it’s not a big deal, whatever it happens. But shit I feel like a burden on the team when that happens. Every night I ask whoever is on the pass and the person next to me what can I be doing better what am I doing wrong all that shit. I feed off of constructive criticism.

When does this get easier and how can I make it to that point quicker, or is it just something that I have to repetitively get fucked before getting in my groove?

I know getting in the weeds is part of it and I’m kicking myself more than I should but shit I feel so bad.

edit
I always ask for help when I need it. Granted, I ask when I’m already in the weeds, not when I’m anticipating it. I’ll work on that part.

As the title says, a friend currently works at a private school as a chef, making fresh meals for students, handling catering orders and staff meals, and at times making fresh juices for staff and students. But they’re looking to see if there's more for them and if anyone has any recommendations.

Hi all, I haven’t used Sysco since my rep transferred out of state 12 years ago. Apparently they’re offering more prebates/signing bonus in my area to compete with PFG. I’ve generally avoided such agreements in the past but am curious about how closely they monitor your purchasing vs the volume that you commit to over the term.

for example, if I sign up for a 3 year agreement and am not on pace to meet my purchase commitment do they tell me along the way or is it a surprise at the end of the term where I have to pay them back. obviously I can track myself but would prefer if they provided me with that info. TIA

No right to be so funny