Kitchen characters II

This week I met another kid, at the hotel’s café, where the chef sent me to help out. The café is in the lobby and has its own kitchen, except without an oven. It has a full view of the old port with its magnificent forts (which give their name to the hotel’s main restaurant). Kevin was alone when I found him – or rather when he found me waiting for him - and looked very surprised to see me; as a matter of fact he immediately called the chef who confirmed to him that I would spend the day there. I joked that I was sent to keep an eye on him… It turned that we had a very good day together, though I did more mise-en-place (that is, preparing the ingredients for the dishes) than actual cooking. I don’t mind – actually I relish any job I am given, since I consider any task a learning experience. I often think of Helene Darroze, a top chef in Paris and chef to my former sous-chef – whom Alain Ducasse sent to “sort salad” for six months in Monaco, though she comes from a lineage of famous French chefs.
Kevin is one year older than Petit Jean, and has worked in the kitchen since he was sixteen. He told me about his work at the fish station in Avignon and how much he loved it. When I asked him why he left, he told me the hours were too long and he and his girlfriend wanted a change of scenery. So while he was hired by the Trois Forts’ chef, he was sent to the Carré. He missed the hot line and the fish. Apparently he had a similar disappointing experience in Lausanne, where he applied at the hotel Beau Rivage where Anne-Sophie Pic, the most famous female French chef, held court. He was so excited to be working with her, but when he reported to duty he was sent to the café, and had the frustrating experience of making salads and club sandwiches while watching the chef work her magic on the other side of the glass in the main kitchen. He told me he would have stayed on had he found housing.I think these kids would do great in the States... they are so young but already so knowledgeable about classical French cuisine and techniques. I really need to catch up!