Last week’s forum discussions were vibrant and insightful, focusing on the evolving dynamics of kitchen roles and the stories behind culinary traditions. There was a particular interest in the practical impacts of menu engineering and the nuances of career progression within the brigade system. Members also delved into historical culinary terms and the importance of mentorship in maintaining kitchen culture.
This Week’s Hot Topics
Menu engineering vs table 7
This thread sparked a lively debate on the balance between creative menu design and customer preferences. A must-read for anyone involved in menu planning. Read more here
Is the saucier path quickest up the brigade
An engaging discussion on whether specializing as a saucier expedites climbing the kitchen hierarchy. It’s a topic of interest for chefs considering their career paths. Read more here
What’s the real origin of 86
Chefs shared stories and theories about the origin of the term “86,” a staple in kitchen lingo. This is both nostalgic and educational. Read more here
Longevity and mentorship on the line
A heartfelt discussion on how mentorship influences career longevity in the culinary world. It’s a reminder of the value of guidance and support. Read more here
Menu tasting turned into a roast
What happens when menu tasting doesn’t go as planned? This thread humorously explores the unexpected challenges chefs face. Read more here
Thank you for being a part of our community. Your contributions and insights continue to enrich our discussions and support each other in the culinary journey.
On menu engineering, I’ve had good results tagging each tasting dish by station and active seconds, then sketching a quick ‘station heat map’ — if one station creeps past about 40% of projected load, I tweak the build or pre-sear components before it ever hits the POS. @LinaSous once put it perfectly: “great margin, wrong station = dead ticket,” though if staffing’s tight you can sometimes rescue it by shifting a garnish to pantry or batch-saucing for peak hours.
We run tastings as a 10-minute “ghost service”: expo calls tickets and every time a station says “one minute” it gets a dot; three dots on saute and we shift a component or pre-batch a garnish before the next round, which shaved about 20% off pass waits. Tiny caveat: it only works if expo keeps the cadence honest, @hana30, otherwise you’re optimizing for rehearsal instead of the show.