The unsung heroes in commercial kitchens.
Restauranteurs and chefs often reach celebrity status, becoming well-known throughout the country, if not the world. But they would be the first to admit that foodservice venues are complex systems that would certainly implode without the work of dozens of unseen workers.
Despite the acclaim heaped upon their bosses, we very seldom hear from the unsung heroes of the restaurant kitchen. It’s not often publicly acknowledged (an exception to the rule is Rene Redzepi who famously made a NOMA dishwasher a shareholder in the business in 2017) but the top restaurants know that their teams are the most important part of the business.
So, we’re here to shout out to the prep cooks, the dishies and the kitchen hands. They aren’t given awards or written up in reviews, no restaurant patrons know their name but we’re here to say ‘we see you’ when …
You chop hundreds of onions
Dicing hundreds of garlic cloves, chopping dozens of onions, picking individual thyme leaves and slicing all the bread. These are mindless jobs that save the kitchen countless precious minutes when service rolls around. Perhaps your kitchen manager can show their appreciation by buying presliced burgers for next service…
You become a dish-washing machine
Dishwashing becomes the heart of an operation, if the dishie stops, everyone stops - as dishes pile up and chefs have nothing to work with. Many great chefs would sacrifice a handful of great commis chefs for an excellent dishie.
You buy emergency replacement ingredients
It is often the kitchen hand who identifies and assesses disasters as they unfold. They may be first to notice when the kitchen is running dangerously low on a certain ingredient and step in to save the day by sprinting to the local supermarket. Avoid your kitchen hand having to do a time trial down the street by having frozen supplies on hand that you can thaw and serve in an emergency.
These unseen jobs are not glamourous, but the smooth running of the country’s best restaurants come down to dishies, prep cooks and kitchen hands just as much as the head chef. At Tip Top Foodservice, we’re the unseen workers’ biggest fans.
