The kitchen, then and now
Kitchens have changed more in the last thirty years than in the hundred before. Some of it made us better. Some of it we lost along the way. This is how I see both sides.
You learned by standing next to the chef. Watching, repeating, getting shouted at. No manuals. Years before anyone let you touch the sauce.
Training
Culinary schools, videos, courses. Young cooks arrive knowing techniques that took us years. What they often miss is patience and time on the line.
The brigade was law. The chef's word was final and nobody questioned it, right or wrong.
Hierarchy
Structure still matters, but respect has to be earned. The best kitchens today lead with clarity, not fear.
Sixteen hour days, six days a week, and you were grateful to have the job. Burnout had no name.
Hours
We talk about rest, mental health and fair schedules. Not every kitchen lives it yet, but the conversation has started.
Fire, heavy pans, a sharp knife and a good nose. Timing came from experience, not a screen.
Equipment
Combi ovens, sous vide, blast chillers, digital orders. Precision is easier. Feel is still the cook's job.
Professional kitchens were a man's world. Women cooked at home; the line was closed to them.
Women in the kitchen
Women lead brigades and run some of the best kitchens. The bias is not gone, but the door is open.
The chef was invisible. The only review that mattered was the plate coming back empty.
Media
TV shows and social media made chefs famous, and made young cooks think the job is glamour. The real work still happens far from the camera.
“From then, I keep the discipline. From now, I keep the respect. A great kitchen needs both.”