Behind the Scenes: A Vegetarian on a Mission

And just like that, my experience working with world-renowned chefs was over. With 4 full days under my belt working in someone else's kitchen --Anthony Ross' kitchen to be exact (executive chef of the Southbank Langham Hotel)-- using skills I've learnt both in school and at my current job I feel like I new person on a mission. This hotel kitchen (kitchen-s, actually) is larger than any other kitchen I've set foot in; it can really only work efficiently by working under the brigade system. Most of the chefs were approachable and will answer my questions, while others instill a sense of fear in my bones just by mere eye contact. However, being the little cook-in-training from the hospitality college with no name that I am, I couldn't muster up the courage to actually go an speak to any of the celebrities, if you will.

I have more positive than negative things to say about my experience during these past four days. I had rather high expectations, perhaps delusional illusions of grandeur to be exact, about what preparing fore this master class even would entail. A few of my college mates weren't as lucky as they was an spent more time than I care to mention in the cold larder kitchen where, apparently much magic happens, but all I witness was magic pertaining to sandwich preparation. I could have cared less if the sandwiches were going to be served to the Queen of England, really. I didn't agree to only half a paycheck this week to make sandwiches.

I noticed that at the end of the my 4 days that the students from other more well-known training institutions (Holmesglen Institute of TAFE and Fifteen, to be exact) were preferred over myself and my classmate to do the more exciting preparations. While I did learn how to properly peel an onion and how to pick herbs, I really don't see why the trainees from Jaime Oliver's Fifteen restaurant or the students from Holmesglen were any more capable at blanching spinach or sweating onions and celery for the soup base of a ribolita soup. In general, the trainees from Fifteen, Jaime Oliver's restaurant, were delegated the best tasks while preparing for London's River Café event. They got to saute the potatoes, they got to carve the meat for the final plate up...even though they had quickly gained a reputation for "unreliable".

The most positive thing I gained from my time at the Langham is a clearer idea of where I want to see myself next year after I finish my course. I making the cross over and will be actively searching for employment in fine dinning early next year. I had originally planned on working exclusively vegetarian establishments, but being that Melbourne is unfortunately devoid of a wide choice of them, I'd actually be doing a disservice to myself and vegetarian foodies across Australia. Watching the Fifteen trainees dash about the kitchen with their well-developed knowledge of Italian food made me feel a bit juvenile for not only working in a vegetarian restaurant (trendy or not) but for also thinking that I was learning going to learn something about cuisine in general at my current place of employment. I'm actually learning heaps at my current job, but nothing in the way of...erm...fine dinning.

I go the library every few weeks and take home every vegetarian cookery book I can find, including a few non-vegetarian ones. After 1 day at the Langham I went to the library, paid my over-due fees and grabbed every book I could find on prominent Australian chefs and food writers -- I've vowed to learn more about the Australian food scene. I'm hungry and thirsty for knowledge or all sorts and my mission won't only stop at the books, but will continue in my classes by being more assertive (do I really care if anyone in my class thinks I'm bossy?) and will be carried on at my place of employment by asking for more responsibility.

In the end, I was chosen to participate in the master class for a reason -- because someone believes I have potential. Before I start getting too sentimental and have to reach for a martini, I'll end on this note.