Chef Martin Anderson
If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen!
Yep, it’s an old saying but it’s a serious statement at the same time.
The Leaving certificate is in full swing and a lot of young people are under a serious amount of pressure to get the points that they need to go to college.
Many don’t want to go to college but unfortunately this is the way it is nowadays .
So much is expected from them and a vast amount of money, time and recourses are spent on grinds, extra hours in school and modern technology to help them achieve their goals.
Many years ago if you didn’t achieve your points you could always go into catering.
It was always the easy option, good job security , reasonable rates of pay, you always got something to eat and even though the nights were late at the weekends hard work the craic was always good.
The thing is though for someone like me who is passionate about my career, enjoys cooking & looking after customers , succeeding in my business , employing people , supporting local suppliers and loves being immersed in the catering industry this attitude isn’t worth a damn to me or any other food establishment.
It’s difficult to say this but I’m sick, sore, tired and fed-up with people that think that catering is an easy option.
The government has thrown millions of Euros into Job Bridge and so many other schemes to take people from the dole and pretend that they are giving them a career in catering when in actual fact many of these people will never , ever , ever be able to stick the pace or reality of a real kitchen.
Yes, chefs can be created. Yes, you can be taught to produce food and, yes you can spend hours upon hours learning the theory.
But the truth is if you really don’t want to work & progress then you’ll never really get a real job in the catering industry.
One of the biggest disappointments for me over the years is the fact that I have been approached by agencies to take on the individuals to give them a chance in the catering industry when in actual fact the main preoccupation is to get a certificate to say that you showed up to work & get your money.
I’m not alone in saying this. I’ve talked to many chefs who have become completely disillusioned with the standard of these part time courses, the work ethic and general ” I don’t give a damn attitude ” of many people that pretend to be interested in catering is shocking.
Don’t get me wrong everyone deserves a chance and I’m a fair man. I’ve given a lot of folk chances and they have progressed through the years and become fine chefs but I think it’s time to draw the line on the kitchen floor and say “no more.”
The real catering Colleges around the country are doing a fantastic job but It would be very interesting to actually see how many people have completed these other “catering courses ” and are actually employed in the industry, I would say it would be a big shock to the taxpayer if this information was ever released .
Chefs of my generation worked hard when we were younger and many like myself are still working hard.
It is impossible to teach anyone the basics of cooking from a classroom. You have to be hands on, employers are expected to take individuals into the kitchen, show them what to do, show them how to cook, pass on years of experience and not receive one single cent for the time energy or knowledge that we are passing on.
It’s a joke while the Monday to Friday and finish at 4pm brigade enjoy the benefits and the rest of us are in actual fact doing the real work. It’s beyond comprehension how this has never been exposed before .
The solution is simple. Approach employers, give them an incentive to pass on their skills , explain to us what the individual needs, what they have been taught in the classroom, show us that you give a damn too instead of being preoccupied with getting your docket stamped and heading home.
As you can tell this really annoys me & other chefs. The country is crying out for good chefs and catering staff. The real jobs are there, the industry is strong, the wild Atlantic way has done wonders for glorious Donegal.
Just take a look at how many fine food establishments have opened across Donegal and go ask them if I’m right and you’ll hear the exact same as I’ve written here.
So there you go, rant over as they say on Facebook , I’m not even going to bother with a recipe!
Thanks for reading and I look forward to spending the rest of the day at work looking after my loyal customers and hard working Sonder Team. The real backbone of the catering industry .
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