All the Jobs in a Kitchen

It\u2019s nearing the start of dinner service at Hawker Hall and Damian Snell is readying his team of 10 to serve close to 600 dishes throughout the night.\r\n\r\nAs head chef of the Windsor restaurant, Snell spends most of his shift making sure everyone \u2013chefs, suppliers, front-of-house staff \u2013 is across the details. \r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m always moving from one person to another, always thinking about what\u2019s next,\u201d Snell says. \u201cThe main thing you\u2019ll hear me say all day and night is, \u2018What do you need help with?\u2019\u201d\r\n\r\nHe\u2019s assisted by the chefs de partie, also known as station chefs or line cooks. They\u2019re each assigned a particular area of production \u2013 be it grill, pastry or saut\xe9 \u2013 and will cook their share of the South East Asian-flavoured dishes. Inspired by the street-food culture of Malaysia and Singapore, they\u2019ll work together to plate-up potent curries, fresh noodles and stir-fries.\r\nAs Snell conducts a briefing, the chef on the steamer section is slicing a box of chillies at the same time as prepping dumplings. Beside them, on the woks, another chef is top and tailing green beans, chopping Asian veggies and portioning rice.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe chefs de partie are across everything in their area,\u201d Snell explains. \u201cThey know what\u2019s coming in for their section, what stock\u2019s on hand and what\u2019s being prepared for the day ahead and the day after that.\u201d\r\n\r\nThese experienced chefs are often shadowed by juniors or students. They\u2019ve come to Snell with little experience, but he believes in giving passionate newbies the chance to learn skills straight from the culinary masters.\r\n\r\n\u201cYou pick things up a lot faster if you\u2019re learning from an expert,\u201d he says. \u201cIf we\u2019ve got someone who has a passion for spices and curries, we\u2019ll pair them with the expert on that section.\u201d\r\n\r\nMuch of the prep has been handled earlier in the day by the production chefs. They\u2019ve been in since 6.30am prepping raw produce for the lunch and dinner services, before knocking off at 2.30pm.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is a work\u2013life balance role for the chefs who don\u2019t want to work late nights anymore but who still want to be in touch with the industry,\u201d Snell says. \u201cIt\u2019s not a position that\u2019s available in every kitchen \u2013 it\u2019s quite rare \u2013 but their contribution is incredibly valuable in terms of getting us prepped and organised for the day ahead.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn a well-oiled kitchen there\u2019s no hierarchy, says Snell. In his experience the role of the kitchen hand is as important as the head-chef position.\r\n\r\nOn dishwashing duty tonight is a man who runs two successful businesses in Korea. He recently came to Australia to polish his English.\r\n\r\n\u201cHis role is integral; he\u2019s the backbone,\u201d says Snell. \u201cIf kitchen hands don\u2019t turn up or they\u2019re not having a good day, the whole restaurant struggles. They\u2019re getting the plates and cutlery back out on the floor for the hundreds of meals we\u2019re serving. In many cases, they\u2019re more important than I am in a service situation.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe Hawker Hall kitchen is a confined space, with the chefs lined up side-by-side. They\u2019re focused, but they\u2019re also checking in on their neighbours to see if they can assist.\r\n\r\nThe first orders are up, and the busy kitchen comes to life with an energy Snell describes as electric. \r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s loud, it\u2019s dynamic, it\u2019s fun,\u201d he says. \u201cThis job can\u2019t just be about money \u2013 it\u2019s about the people you\u2019re with in the kitchen. We\u2019ve all come from different backgrounds and different cultures and we\u2019re always learning something new and interesting from our neighbour. We work for that experience.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis article is presented in partnership with Hostplus, which has your super covered no matter your role and how it changes through your career.\r\n