After a week in the pastry station (all in all six ten-hour days), I was sent to the garde-manger, where amuse-bouches, first courses, vegetables and cold dishes are prepared. I had no idea what a treat the pastry station had been, with its relative autonomy, it's micro-experimentation and innovative approach. So if that was heaven, then garde-manger is purgatory, a taste of what is to come next week (ie day after next) at the heat ("chaud" as they call it in French), where the chef reigns as sole master, flanked by the sous-chef (or "second" as he is referred to here).
As opposed to the pastry station, where there is time to anticipate orders as clients pour in, garde-manger is first in line since it produces the first plates to be served. One could say it sets the rythm for the rest of the meal, and at these prices, guests expect extremely prompt, if not immediate, service. So the week was busy, with little room for error and even less for creativity. Meanwhile the pastry chef kept surpassing himself with day after day of amazing creations, which have reconciled me with sugar, for what seems like an undetermined length of time. I also ended up burned and cut, nails tapenade-blackened, quite the kitchen mess...I wonder what next week has in store!
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