Mise En Place

Mise en place (French pronunciation: ​[mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces,par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift.^[1]

On my mind today is the constant search for the correct place, the true home of a chef, in this huge universe of food. A chef's skills move with the chef and the life of many a restaurant has been made or broken by the chef or lack thereof.  Finding the right place to work and thrive is very often hard to do these days.  The downturn in the economy was a big moment for the whole industry as belt tightening was required of every citizen and often we see that dining out and tourism are quickly reduced and seen as a luxury.

Not every kitchen and restaurant is well suited for every chef. The size, pace, menu, audience, and management all factor into how successful a chef can be under the specific environment. Chefs are like police in that we are often from a certain personality type and have loads in common but the differences between us can be very large. Some are much more the corporate chef or the rigid fine dining chef then there are ones like me of the more artist explorer type.

I am oh so familiar with the search for my place in this world in almost every way. I have had jobs both in the front of the house and back of the house. I have taken many opportunities that were not keeping me on a true chef path, however, since I have always wanted to be an owner and not just a worker, taking these chances to learn all that I could about my industry was a must for me. I have practiced excellent customer service for years, and have been called upon to use it in some of the most difficult of situations.

For the last year, perhaps a bit more, I have been trying my hand with teaching kids culinary skills at a couple of different locations, and with a group of high school teenagers and a group of 5-8th graders. Each group has their set of challenges and differing impacts to behavior. I have been enjoying teaching and now that I am a bit older and not in the best of health, I might have to teach nearly exclusively.

Every interview any chef goes to will have elements of a rose colored picture painted to entice the chef to accept an employment offer, that is if the interviewer wishes to hire said chef. Every chef needs to weigh what they have heard during the interview, what they have learned researching the company, and what their personal needs are in making a decision to accept or reject an offer. Lots of times, both parties, employer and employee, both walk away from the negotiating table with no offer due to a sense that their isn't a match being made. Sometimes, a one-night stand happens, i.e. chef only works at said place for a few weeks and either walks away or it is deemed that they aren't a good fit for that particular situation.

When I exited culinary school, I had already worked for a while with a couple of outlets, this had given me my early sea legs, so to speak. I worked for a wise chef that pointed me in the direction of the pastry department. I didn't have an interest in pastry, at the time, and thought of its' additional need for precision as something that I didn't want to embark upon. Needless to say, someone was right and I was wrong for once. My big moment that convinced me that I needed to be in a bakery was at one banquet I was cooking for, the time came to cut the wedding cake, I was disappointed by the bakery that the cake came from, and was not about to leave customers with such poor options for their big day.

The cake that day was following a very nice meal and good service. The fact that the cake was sub-par made me all the madder since it was to be the last thing they would eat. A cake is supposed to be that sweet high note of the evening not a major disappointment. This cake was cute but the cake didn't taste good and the way it was assembled made cutting it and platting it nicely nearly impossible. I was clear, right then and there, that I could do better an offer a product to people that tasted great and looked great. I had found my place in the spot light.

Hopefully, everyone can find their place on the wheel of life, in and out of the industry. Many people that I know are great in the kitchen but not always are they willing to work in the industry, not everyone in the industry want to be owners, or even have customer contact, and not every chef can bake or teach. We all have things we can naturally do and those things we can learn to do well, but nothing is more important than finding where you belong. Doing so will prove to be the most beneficial to your own sense of self worth.