What It’s Really Like to Work in a Professional Kitchen

What every potential new “chef” and Food Network junkie need to know

Every restaurant kitchen has its own special vibe, created by the unique people who work there and the relationships they build with others. There are also certain likenesses between all kitchen environments that echo throughout the community, and it’s clear that the general dynamics of a kitchen are once again shifting. When I started many years ago, it was all about women inserting themselves as a permanent fixture among the notoriously hard drinking, foul-mouthed men who had previously dominated the profession. That glorious old school, hard core class of people is one of the main reasons I lasted so long in the industry: I fit in with their way of life and respect the hell out of them. They have taught me what they know and made my journey unforgettable.

They may not always be politically correct, but I appreciate their work ethic and the straightforward way they interact with one another. When I started my first restaurant job, I felt like I had finally found a home where people understood me; they shared my sense of humor and my eccentricities weren’t all that uncommon. Those remarkable, hard-working, resilient people welcomed me into their world, and theirs is a language in which I am now fluent. There’s no way to describe how it feels to be part of a solid team working together on a Saturday night to make food for hundreds of hungry people; I am proud to consider myself one of them.