SC - Re: Open/Closed Kitchens

[ChannonM at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/10/00 11:31:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
owner-sca-cooks at ansteorra.org writes:

<< Part of the reason I prefer to limit non-staff access to the kitchen is
 safety and comes from my working around commercial restaurant kitchens.
 When I have five helpers, I have a sense of where all five bodies are in
 the kitchen. If someone volunteers and I assign them a task, I have a
 sense of all six now. What I want to avoid is lifting a large pot of
 stock or soup from the stove, or pulling a large sheet from a 425 oven
 and bump into a seventh person suddenly standing behind me to get a look
 at what's being served for the feast.
  >>

At the recent feast I cooked for, I had a Lady come into the working part of 
the kitchen withh her 2 year old daughter on her hip (the child was carrying 
a toy) to ask for water. I asked her to please back out of the kitchen as she 
was standing directly in front of the HOT DEEPFRYER that I was heating up.

She stood there and refused to leave adding that "she worked in a kitchen for 
several years" I retorted with,

"And you had a two year old on your hip the whole time? Sorry but leave the 
kitchen."


All I could envision was her two year old dropping the toy and her leaning 
over to grab it out of hot oil. Having 3 young children who are very busy I 
was shuddering. Needless to say I put up a barrier to the working part of the 
kitchen. Those I wanted to come in were welcomed, those not stayed in the 
safe zone.

Hauviette