In French, 'sous' means under. So in a restaurant, it makes sense that the sous chef works
under the executive chef or chef de cuisine, aligning and igniting the kitchen based on the strategic leadership of his boss. The etymology of the title implies that the sous might in some way be sheltered by his boss - protected from the natural culinary disasters that are likely to hit on Friday and Saturday nights. However, in the restaurants where I have worked and in the kitchens that I have observed, I've never seen a sous in such a privileged state. Most times he's on the front line, getting dirty, diced, sliced, and burned; he's there earlier and later than the rest of the crew; and when the chef needs somewhere to direct his wrath, it generally hits his sous.
When I was in search of Mr. Right, I was also looking for the ideal sous chef. Someone who was equally invested in food, who would appreciate the extra effort and dollars put into dinner, who could take the reigns when things got backed up on a big night, and who could handle the pressure. Enter Peter. A month or so in, I hired him. And I haven't looked back.
So today, in just about the smallest galley kitchen within the remodeled kitchen wonderland of the Western Suburbs, I continue to work alongside my sous chef, testing new recipes, tossing together new ideas, and serving new customers, while his enthusiasm for dinner preparation grows. He asks the right questions, brings new techniques to the chopping block, has a mean jump shot approach to his pizza dough throwing, and while he is afraid of getting burnt, he's not afraid to get dirty. He is the perfect sous. Mostly, because he makes me better.
The problem is, he doubles as the master brewer of our establishment. Which on busy Saturdays and Sundays can be a challenge. And if our little concept is ever going to work, I'll eventually need another person in the kitchen.
Enter an interested candidate. Someone who shares a passion for marketing and communications within the food service industry, my black and gold blood and an excellent sense of fashion. Someone who was eager to learn my craft. Hired.
Ashlee started on Monday. She wanted to learn a go-to meat and potatoes recipe that would impress her future Mr. Right. I wanted to get a basic lesson in pan searing in. So we went with
seared strip steaks, haricots verts, and garlic mashed potatoes.
We started at square one: the butcher. I took her through the mystifying case at Casey's and taught her about the different cuts of meat. She earmarked a couple for another apres-work lesson. We selected a couple of steaks, got a few other ingredients to fill in the gaps of our menu, and then set up shop back in my kitchen. She learned to dice and season; to steam, sear and reduce; she took notes, asked good questions, and sampled with a critical palette. But as I expected, the whole 'under' thing, didn't shield her from flying pan sauce, but that's what happens when you're the sous.
The meal was a success - the Brewer approved. And she's scheduled to return for some chicken frying, meatball rolling, and small plate assembling soon. Excellent. In the meantime, she has an assignment on Sunday night.
Chops. Slow and low. Go.
Lo.
