Getting Acquainted

I could hardly breath for nerves as I walked the short block from my flat off Parnell Square to my first day at Chapter One. My nerves soon dissolved into chuckles as I burst open the door marked "STAFF" to change into my uniform. A room of bewildered looking men stared back at me. A witty chap chirped, "There's a laundry closet at the back if ya like," and I quickly shuffled behind the door to change. Moments later I was reporting for duty to said "witty" man, and Cathal (chef de cuisine) introduced "Kaley" (that's me) to the rest of the guys.

There was Peter the sous chef on meats: a stout and serious guy, Dublin born and bred; he tasted a bit of EVERY dish sauce, protein, garnish…every bit with a saucing spoon (just like mine!) lodged in his pocket. I'd say he wiped it down between lips and pocket. He was quite insulted when the chef said his creamed spinach tasted too much of garlic. There was Mark on garnishes: tall a bit slow on the draw but an obvious worker. I trailed him for most of the day prepping the produce for each of the lunch garnishes. There was Eamonn on fish: clever and smiley, he thought I was crazy to have chosen the kitchen over more lucrative work – almost as a crazy as him, a philosophy major at Trinity College! There was the French saucier – haven't met him yet! And Ana on Pastry, a slender brunette with hip glasses flashing about the kitchen. And then there was the back … Brian the butcher and all around Prep Master. Brian (a native of San Francisco) retired to Dublin to work a 9-5 kitchen job with 5 weeks vacation every year. He thinks he's died and gone to Heaven! I worked beside Jimmy: a Chinese stagier learning English and Irish-French cooking all at the same time. He was quiet, kind and exact in his every movement. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven sharing a workspace with him.

There were a handful of other stages floating about through lunch and dinner service, a duo of colorful dishwashers, one or two linen "mum" and the occasional front-of-the-house suit that sauntered by. An evening crew of about 4 came in around 3 and prepped to swap with the lunch cooks. And that is the staff.

I think when you love the kitchen, it is home no matter where you are. The morning nerves melted when I pulled out my knife and Mark on meats said, "Oh lovely, I have the same knife" (wooden handle and all!) and began showing me how to trim the cauliflower. Prepping the back during lunch service, I asked Brian (the American) loads of questions. I was surprised and a little saddened at how much Ross is ordering from the nearby French and English coast lines in order to keep up with the competitive "gourmet" tastes of his guests – things like tiny squab pigeons, micro garlic bulbs, fancy oils and the like. Produce seems to remain local, breads are still in-house and charcuterie is either local or in-house. I saw a bit of preserving in the coolers and dry storage but I believe canned things are by and large being ordered. That was disappointing. Another more happy surprise was the intense sous vide operation. I spent the better part of the afternoon "vac-packing" pork shoulders, squab breasts, beef cheeks, and half ducks with local butter (or oil) sea salt and aromatics. They have these gorgeous auto shams that look like counter roasters that keep a water bath cooking. They have also been doing it in convection ovens overnight. I can't wait to observe more about that.

Some of the guys were intensely familiar with Slow Food Ireland and totally enthusiastic about the potential job. They encourage me to make a trip down to Cork to visit Darina and Myrtle Allen, the Alice Waters sisters of Ireland. I think it's a "keen" idea.