Take Michelin stars away from chefs who behave like idiots
Rush hour in a restaurant kitchen is no cosy tea party, but some chefs take things way too far. They use violence, threats and even sexual harassment to keep the kitchen team in line. Take Michelin stars away from chefs who behave so badly, is the appeal from top British chefs.
We actually only know those ranting and shouting chefs from television, when Gordon Ramsay loses his temper with students in Hell’s Kitchen or with cooks who make a mess of things in Kitchen Nightmares. Does that happen in real life too? In Jonnie Boer’s kitchen, people mainly work calmly and with concentration, according to those who have sat at the chef’s table there. Sergio Herman has been known to lose his patience, as seen in the documentary Fucking Perfect. But swearing, cursing and ranting? Or even… hitting?!
Nothing to eat or drink
Kitchen staff at the Scottish restaurant The Kitchin (one Michelin star) recently opened up about their work. They were bullied, subjected to violence and even sexually abused. They were hit, suffered burns and were sometimes not allowed to eat or drink anything for hours during their shift, they told British newspapers. Ouch, that goes quite a bit further than teasing a new colleague a little.
Afraid of losing their jobs
The pastry chef went far too far when he held a red-hot baking tray against a colleague’s arm. She had just handed in her resignation, and apparently he was not happy about it. ‘There, now you won’t forget us,’ he said as he pressed the hot tray against her arm. And the rest of the staff? Everyone simply carried on working when it happened; they were terrified of losing their jobs. According to the employees, Tom Kitchin, the restaurant’s owner and a much-requested television chef, knew exactly what was happening in his kitchen, but did not care.
Hand back the star
Hand back that star, Kitchin’s colleagues say. And the same goes for other restaurants where staff are placed under far too much pressure and treated badly. Unichef, the association of top British chefs, has drawn up a petition and is asking as many people as possible to sign it. No Michelin stars or the lucrative sponsorship deals that come with them for chefs who misbehave, they say.
Read also:
- Ona is the first vegan restaurant in France with a Michelin star
- People share their stupidest kitchen blunders and it’s painfully funny
- Chef warns: you’d better not order these dishes
Source: Knack.be, SquareMeal
