Behind the Line: John des Rosiers
Topic: On the Job
A Day in the Life
Q: Do you develop recipes for your dishes?
Recipes, never. We dnt use them for anything in the restaurant. Except pastries. Every single dish is made with taste, passion, heart, and we just do not write things down, its a waste of time.
Q: How do you keep your focus in the kitchen?
Not sure I can explain "how" to focus, I think you just pay attention and do it or you do not.
Q: Do you participate in development of the beverage program at the restaurant? If so what and how? Have you ever created a cocktail for your restaurant?
Yes, the entire program is mine. I taste every single wine we offer, and about 3000 a year more. I write the descriptions on our wine list for each selection. I also maintain the beer and liquor lists. I like that a single person wit the palate from the kitchen to the front of the house can make desicions like that. It makes for an overall better experience.
Q: What do you serve at staff meals? Is there a philosophy behind it?
Fried handmade tortillas rolled with chilies and grits and pecorino cheese.
Q: What do they call you in the kitchen (when you’re present)?
patotas. nickname given by the cooks I have worked with for 8 years
Q: How much time do you spend in your dining room?
It depends on who is in the place on a given night. Normally 30-40 minutes.
Q: Do you/have you ever worked in an open kitchen? Thoughts?
Yes, I have worked 95% of my career in them. I dont mind, its all I know. But we did glass in the kitchen at inovasi to keep noise out of the dining room.
Q: Could you handle working in pastries for a brief time if you needed to?
for sure. we do not even have a pastry chef. the five of us do everything ourselves.
Q: If applicable, how collaborative are you with beer stewards?
That's me too!
Q: If applicable, how collaborative are you with sommeliers?
I am the restaurants somm. Not certified but I have a very fine serious palate.
Q: If applicable, how collaborative are you with mixologists/bartenders? And how does it help you?
Very, we all talk about things and have ideas and work on drinks together.
Q: What are the most common questions you get asked by guests?
Are you the chef? Honestly for god's sake, I am the only dude in whites in the entire dining room, who the hell else am I supposed to be?
Q: What is the most exciting aspect of your day-to-day job?
That my entire job changes from minute to minute. It is 16 hours straight of constant brutal effort and thinking and passion and emotion and heart.
Q: Let's talk responsibilities — as in you are responsible for everyone else. How many people and how do you manage it?
We have 30 employees. I manage it by running around and looking for details and things to improve upon, then constantly engaging my staff to grow along with us.
Q: If you had to pick a favorite dish on your menu, what would it be?
Foie. God I love the stuff. I never eat it because I actually want to stay skinny!
Q: Do you work on non-restaurant focused holidays or take the night off?
Both sometimes.
Q: Is there any job in the restaurant you could not step in and take over?
not one, I can do it all. But there are a few I really dont like!
Q: Time to rally the troops! If your kitchen had an anthem, what would it be? Mascot? Motto?
Motto: Work harder and smarter. Mascot: A shovel, we are always buried. Anthem: I dont like this question, so i choose not to answer.
Q: Your apron's tied and you're ready to roll. Time for a new day. What's the first thing you do when you get to work?
Wash my hands, then coffee. Then emails and office work for an hour or so.
Q: We all get burns and cuts, but in the kitchen, this rings even truer. What are your most memorable kitchen injuries, and how did you deal?
Cut into the end of my finger with a slicer. Pretty deep. Wrapped it in gauze and continued to work, how else would a chef deal with it?