6:00 - alarm clock
6:15- in the kitchen wearing standard gear*
6:30 - Kitchen crew comes for morning prep (10 ppl approx)
7:30-8:30 -- Breakfast is served in 3 dining halls
8:30-10:00 - Cleaning
11:15 - back in Kitchen for lunch prep
12:00-1 -- Lunch is served in 3 dining halls
1-2:30 -- cleaning
4:30 --back in kitchen for dinner prep
5:30-6:30 -- Dinner is served in 3 dining halls
6:30-8:00 -- cleaning
8:30ish -- back to prep snack
Gear: long pants, t-shirts, running shoes, ballcaps or hairnets
Prep: Buffet tables, replace boxes in juice/milk machines, salad bars, arrange chairs, clean pots and pans
Cleaning: dishes, sweeping entire kitchen and 3 fridges x2, vaccuming 3 dining halls, mopping kitchen x 2, crack tables, clean tables, pile chairs, wipe down hot cabinets and beverage counter, take out garbage bags, hose down dishwasher, etc.
Saturdays -
Outdoor BBQ from 4-6:
- fill canoes (6 in different places on the grounds) with ice and then have trays of fruit placed on top as well as juice containers. Ever tried carrying 2 watermelons sliced? Heavy.
- place out condiments
- help bring out buns and meat for bbq
- replenish trays constantly
- dining hall ready for staff to eat leftovers
- plus everything else we do on a regular day
Fun Facts:
- I was one of the only people that could carry the 5 gallon bags of milk (which were for the dispencing machines)
- We had weird things come throught the massive dishwasher, a thong underwear for example
- I would scrap plates with my bare hands since it was quicker than using a glove (I'm talking things like soggy pancakes, syrup, ketchup, spagetti, salsa, sour cream....the good stuff!)
- As a trick, someone switched the water dispenser with tonic water and I drank it (it was SICK!)
- Walk-in fridges were good places to cry (never do I want that kind of stress again)
There is much more detail to each of these tasks but I won't bore you all to death. But just think about it - we served 1000 people each meal! Plus prep and cleaning was done everyday 3 times a day - the kitchen had to be spotless and any discrepancies were my responsibility.
Originally when I first started I was a Kitchen Crew Leader in charge of 3 people - after 3 weeks I got promoted to Kitchen Supervisor - this make things difficult since I had to go from co-worker to boss very quickly and I didn't get much respect.
That has been the most stressfull and exhausting job I have ever had! So much work to do and the kitchen staff were ignored/treated like crap by all other staff. It was a really tough job but at the same time I came away a different person with developed leadership skills.
Part 2 - a day in the life outside of the kitchen! (a little less doom and gloom) :)
*I had maybe 3 pairs of pants with me for the summer - my employers failed to tell us that was the required outfit PLUS we couldn't send anything with spandex to the cleaners = hand washing most of my pants for 2 months
