kitchen work
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WORKING IN A PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN IS BASIC TRAINING FOR LIFE
I vividly remember flying out of Buffalo, New York in 1971 for Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson. It was, ironically, my first time on a plane and considering that this was at the peak of the Vietnam War, I was doubly nervous. It had been my second year in college when in the first… Continue reading
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A CHEF’S LIFE – IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
In the Blink of an Eye “Looking forward has no limits Looking back reels you in Thinking about what could be Gives pause to what might have been Vision is energy for an active mind while Reflection is food for the soul In the blink of an eye our vision and Reflections intersect as What… Continue reading
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THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF COOKING FOR A LIVING
There are a few common denominators when it comes to viewing the job of a professional cook. One, of course, is the need to appreciate, understand, and practice the established foundational processes of preparing food – this is essential regardless of the style of cooking or ethnicity of a particular cuisine. The foundations always apply.… Continue reading
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COOKS AND THE BEAST OF SUMMER
Americans have always seemed to live for summer. This is the season of fun, engaging with the great outdoors, tanned skin, beaches and water, convertibles and rock and roll. Everyone seems to agree with this except one segment of the population that suffers from mixed feelings about the grand days of summer. Cooks are not… Continue reading
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BANTER, INNUENDO, BULLYING, AND A CULTURE OF KITCHEN HARASSMENT
Quite a title isn’t it? Maybe what is coming to the surface today in every facet of our society makes it easier to talk about this or maybe it is a topic that is one that we may want to ignore, but we simply can’t. In either case the time is long overdue to not… Continue reading
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THE CULINARY COUNTER-CULTURE IS ALIVE AND WELL
Some may believe that the culinary evolution in America began with Wavy Gravy at Woodstock in 1969. As the chief of the Pleasure Force and front man for the commune “The Hog Farm”, Wavy Gravy helped to orchestrate a haphazard, non-conformist way to feed the 500,000 people in attendance at this benchmark for a… Continue reading
About Me
PAUL SORGULE is a seasoned chef, culinary educator, established author, and industry consultant. These are his stories of cooks, chefs, and the environment of the professional kitchen.