Fish Kitchen Courage: A True Story of How a Broken Sauce Reshaped the Dynamics of the Kitchen

Transcript 

00:00:06 

In a world where a chef trades the sizzle of saute pans for the power of the pen comes a captivating journey of tales and emotions. Welcome to Pan to Pen a storytelling podcast crafted by Tate Basildon, a private chef and aspiring memoir author. Every other Wednesday, unlock the door to a realm where emotions run deep and connections unfold. 

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Tate writes, produces, and edits this unique podcast, bringing you stories straight. 

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From the heart. 

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The magic of the storytelling is enhanced with the use of cutting edge AI text to speech technology. 

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Today's tale takes us into the heart of a culinary storm, where a broken sauce becomes the catalyst for a high stakes confrontation in the unforgiving realm of the fish kitchen. Join me as we navigate through the kitchens, heat the pressure of perfection, and the unexpected twist that transforms A culinary disaster into a triumph. 

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As I gazed into the pot of Burroughs sauce, my heart sank. The once velvety emulsion of shallots, vinegar, wine, and butter had suddenly broken, leaving a pool of greasy fats and watery liquids in its wake. It had been a perfect sauce just moments ago, but now it lay ruined before me. 

00:01:22 

My heart sank as I realized that the sauce had broken. I frantically searched for a solution, my mind racing with various ideas. Perhaps there was a way to fix this culinary disaster, trying to play it cool, I continued to stir the pot, hoping that I would come up with a solution. 

00:01:39 

As I stirred, I felt a sense of panic rising within me. I couldn't decide whether to seek help from other students or tell the chef about the broken sauce. 

00:01:49 

The aroma of the sauce which had once been so enticing now only added to my anxiety. 

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As the clock ticked towards lunchtime, the anticipation and tension in the air grew thick. 

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The doors to the fish kitchen where I and other culinary students worked, would soon swing open and we would be met with the most demanding crowd of the day. Approximately 75 students, all of whom were self-proclaimed and culinary experts, and the most critical clients to serve. It was a high pressure situation as we had to serve all of them in less than 20 minutes. 

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Making it challenging to meet their high expectations. 

00:02:25 

I was frozen before the pan with its once velvety and smooth texture, now transformed into a lumpy mess. 

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An unappetizing shade of brown replaced its vibrant red hue. 

00:02:36 

As I stood there, I could already imagine the gossip spreading like wildfire through the prestigious halls of the school, tarnishing my reputation in an instant. 

00:02:46 

Until that day, I proudly maintained a 4.5 grade point average, but now I would be known as the court jester who served sauceless fish to eat. 

00:02:56 

During my time in culinary school, the kitchen that I dreaded the most was the fish kitchen, which a chef instructor with a military background managed. 

00:03:05 

He was known for being tough on his students and even the most experienced ones who had worked in some of the world's most famous kitchens. And with renowned chefs around the globe, would often cry. 

00:03:15 

Unlike my fellow students, I was the only one with no experience in a commercial kitchen. 

00:03:21 

Before attending the culinary school, I was a private chef for 9 years. I recall hearing horror stories from my fellow students about the chefs they had worked with in the past. Nothing instilled as much foreboding and fear in all the students as the stories of the students ahead of us who had already gone through the fish kitchen. The chef instructor was notorious for his aggressive behavior. 

00:03:42 

He would often shout at the top of his lungs and get very close to the person's face if they made a mistake. 

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It was even. 

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Rumored that he once threw a plate against the wall in frustration when a student did a sloppy job with the plating. 

00:03:55 

And here I was on my first day in his class, and I ruined the sauce for the main dish. 

00:04:01 

As I turned to locate him, I saw his furious glare right behind me. His face was flushed with a deep shade of red and sweat beads trickled down his forehead. 

00:04:11 

He stood there with his eyes locked onto the pan, as if trying to solve a complex puzzle. 

00:04:17 

A sudden hush fell over the bustling kitchen, as if a switch had been flipped. The once lively chatter and clanging of pots and pans ceased, replaced with an eerie silence. 

00:04:27 

It was clear that something was amiss and all eyes were on me and my station. 

00:04:32 

My heart raced as I scanned the faces of my colleagues, searching for any indication of what was happening. 

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Fear, palpable and thick, seemed to emanate from every corner of the room and I couldn't help but wonder what was coming next. The sauce broke, Chef, I admitted breaking the tense silence. 

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He glared at me, then at the sauce, and then checked the clock, realizing lunch service was only 15 minutes away. 

00:04:57 

Tell me, what is your name again? It's Tate. Well, Tate, you are a worthless idiot. You call yourself a chef? I should fail you right here and now. 

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Yo, stop right there. I demanded. Not at all. 

00:05:10 

Chef, you do not speak to me like that. 

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Understand I do not work for you. You work for me. I pay this school to have you teach me to cook a job. You obviously cannot accomplish. If you were a good chef. And even better teacher, you would have properly demonstrated to the class and me how to make this sauce on a large scale without breaking it. So I did not fail here today. 

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You do. 

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And miserably as a chef. 

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So take that attitude, put it away, and do what you are paid to do. Teach, be a teacher and show me how. 

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To repair this. 

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Sauce. The kitchen became so quiet that a water droplet falling into the. 

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Sink could be. 

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Heard no one was cooking, stirring, flipping or slicing anything. 

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All eyes were. 

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Fixed on me, waiting to see my face. 

00:05:58 

Pushed into the hot, broken sauce, the chef stood motionless, his face flushed while his breathing echoed in the silent room. 

00:06:06 

He slowly turned to face the other students staring at the tense situation. He wiped his forehead with the towel that was tucked into his belt. 

00:06:14 

I apologize. 

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I was shocked. I expected him to at minimum, throw me out of his class. 

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But realistically, I expected some verbal abuse that involved my wiping his drool away from my face. He sadly turned to face his class and apologized for not being at his best. He acknowledged that I was correct in my assertion that he had failed as a teacher by not adequately demonstrating how to make the sauce in large quantities without. 

00:06:39 

Breaking it, he then invited the entire class to gather around my station and with a calm and patient demeanor, he slowly showed us how to fix the sauce with a steady hand, he added the necessary ingredients to restore the emulsion when he was done, he dipped his testing spoon into the hot liquid, tasted it, and closed his eyes as if savoring a rare delicacy. 

00:06:59 

Tate, your source is perfectly seasoned. Great job. 

00:07:03 

He squeezed my shoulder and went on to other students to taste test their work. 

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I had a great rapport with the chef for the rest of that particular class. He was amiable, cracking jokes with us and treating everyone fairly. He did not shout or scold anyone. 

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From that day on, I was no longer remembered as the student who messed up the sauce, but rather as the one who successfully silenced the infamous fish kitchen chef instructor. 

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And there you have it. A journey through the Crucible of the fish kitchen where a sauce, once shattered, became the canvas for resilience and courage. Before we part ways, I leave you with the challenge as you go about your day. Consider the power dynamics at play in the story. How did one courageous act challenge the norm and reshape the entire? 

00:07:50 

Kitchen dynamic reflect on moments in your life where standing up for yourself or others has significantly impacted the. 

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Income. Human interaction is complex. Sometimes our steps can lead to unexpected harmonies. Share your reflections with us on Tate's website. 

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A link is provided in the show notes. Your stories might inspire others to find their voice in adversity until next time. Remember that every broken sauce has the potential to be mended. 

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And every challenge is an opportunity to redefine the narrative. 

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Thank you for being a part of the pan to pen community. Please rate, review and follow us. Also share this podcast with your friends and family. If you enjoyed this story and wish access to the transcript or have any comments, you can find links in the show notes. Thanks for tuning in. We wish you all the best and until we meet again. 

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Remember stories never end, they only take a break until next time. Keep the tales alive. 

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Pan to pen, where a chef trades the sizzle of pans for the power of the pen, is written, produced and edited by Tate Basildon, who holds the copyright herein.