wednesday may 9

• I arrived at the niblick today and went to the kitchen to work with John and Tambi, Joanne and Terri were working the bar and Joanne told me that im going to be doing some bussing work this following thursday and friday.
• When i walked in the kitchen i started to slice some cheese and the put it on the line.
• I had some lunch and then helped Jim rearranging the kegs in the fridge.
• After doing some work on the line i went with Blackie to throw the oil in the back and he left at 3
• I stayed on for one more hour doing prep cutting vegetables and working the line until 4 and then went home
  

tuesday may 8

• Today i worked with Fernando, Tambi, and John.
• By the time i got there a lot of the prep was already done but i jumped on the line and did orders for a while.
• After a while i went to get tortillas, chicken, a little bit of the haide and salsa sauces and cheese and got started doing the flutes.
• When i was done that i did the chicken wings and had some Sri Lankan soup that Tambi had made
• After Tambi left i went to work on the line with John and after i did some dishes.
• I finished the day by dong the nachos
  

monday may 7

• Today i arrived at coop at 12:30 and started working with mike boscar and fernando in the line.
  
• I worked the line for about an hour and 45 minutes and after that i started doing some of the prep work that was still left to do.
• The first thing i did was start slicing the chicken breast
• After that i peeled all the white onions to leave them ready for future use.
• The last thing i did before i went home was the chilli. Now i can do these types of prep from scratch without help, by now i memorized the recipes already

Tuesday may 1st

• Today i got to my co-op at 12:15
• Its only me, Fernando and Agota today.
• The first thing i did was to help Fernando with the orders that were coming in like crazy, in between that i had to also slice and saute onions.
• After another hour of doing orders i began the prep work wit the nachos and then as orders began to come in again i switched back and forth between doing prep work and working the line until i went home at 4pm.

Monday April 30th

• Today i arrived at coop at 12:00 and i saw fernando there who is back from his vacation. Boscar and Agota were working too
• The first thing i did was change into my work clothes and began doing the orders of the line with boscar because fernando was busy doing all the inventory
• After about an hour of that i began the prep work for the con queso sauce
• The next thing i did was portion the roast beef and after doing that i ate lunch
• I finished the day off by slicing the chicken for the line and chopping some for the flutes and quesadillas.

Friday 20th April

• Fridays are very busy so today i went early to the niblick and started doing the prep.
• The first thing i wanted to get rid of before the lunch rush was the chicken wings
• After that i sliced the chicken and portioned some roast beef
• The last prep i did before we started getting orders was the nachos after that i just had to go straight into the line.
• After about an hour and a half rush the orders came in steady still so i remained on the line for about another half an hour.
• After that i did one more prep and went home.

Thursday 19th April

• When i got to the niblick today it was pretty busy so i went right to the line and helping Tambi with the orders, niblick burgers, cajun chicken, quesadillas. That lasted for a while.
• After that i started slicing some beef to later portion
• When i finished that i had to get some tortillas, special sauce, tomatoes, chesse, and chicken to do the prep work for the flutes. You roll all the ingredients in a tortilla wrap it tight and store for later use when they are deep fried
• I finished the day by doing the chicken wings and the flutes

Wednesday April 18th

• Today i arrived at coop and had to go buy some whole wheat bread, yogurt, and bow tie pasta for the store
• After coming back from dominion i changed and began doing the work in the line.
• After an hour or so the bartender Joanne asked me to fix the kegs for her in the back because a new order had come in so after fixing all the kegs i went to wash some dishes
• After lunch i had a little break and then finished the prpe list by cuttin onions, red and green peppers to make the Fajita onion mix. When i was done that i went home.

Tuesday april 17

• Co-op today started kind of slow so i took advantage of this time to finish a lot on the prep list.
• The first thing i did was slice the chicken breasts into into slices and chop the excess for the flutes.
• My next prep was to slice and portion the meat for the montreal smoked meat sandwiches
• After potioning some onion rings we got a little lunch rush and i went to work on th line
• i ate my lunch, pasta and steak and after more prep i went home

monday april 16th

• Today it was me John and Tambi, and Agota working
• I started by doing the con-queso sauce and then after that i began the prep work for the curry sauce that goes on chicken, beef, or boxties.
• Then Tambi took over the prep and i moved to work with John in the line doing the orders.
• I finished off the prep list by portionning the roast beef and i went home after that
• I rested for a couple hours and came back again for another dish washing shift

Sunday 15th

• Today i dont usually come to the niblick but i am gettin opportunities to work during the night.
• Tonight i came in and started to wash all the dishes and then eventualy helped the line with the fryer
• after washing more dishes for most part of the night i started closing on the dishpit at around 9:30 and finished by 10:30 to go home

weekly journal

This week at work has gone by pretty quick. I got offered a job at the Niblick now from Fernando before he left and i am enjoying it a lot. By now i know everyone that works there even during the nightshifts. I have cooked almost every dish in the menu by now and im pretty comfortable working doing prep or the line. I have yet to move to the front to work but they told me that in a couple of weeks when Fernando gets back and they dont need me in the kitchen that much i will move to the front and work as a bustboy for now. This week was a little hectic too because we had to get everything ready so that Fernando can leave for his vacation and leave Tambi in charge.

Friday april 13th

• Today i arrived at coop as usual around 12:00
• For the next two weeks Fernando is away in vacation so it was only me Tambi and Agota today
• I started by doin the wings right from the start and then i had to wash the vents that were on top of the deep fryers
• After that i kept doing food orders for a while until it was lunch time and i made myself somethin to eat.
• I did a couple more preps and then i finished the day off by doing the nachos.

Thursday April 12th

• Today i walked into coop at 12:30 and began doing some prep work like chopping onions, grinding tomatoes, and pouring coconut milk and some other ingredients into the curry sauce.
• The next thing i did was to start the beans prep. First thing i did was to open to large cans of beans and poured them into a pot, after that i ground some tomatoes poured in some plum sauce and put the pot in the fire.
• After cooking lunch for myself i started doing orders and more prep such as portioning the pasta.
• I finished off the day by cutting enough carrot and celery stick for today and tomorrow.

Wednesday April 11

I arrived at coop today at 12:30 as usual, today its my turn to work with Tambi and John
Right away I went to the front line and help with a 20 person order that had just came in, after finishing that order I went to dump the grease out the back and into the grease bin, it was dirt.
When I came in I had to go to the fridge to take out the empty kegs and lift the available remaining kegs onto the shelf and double stack the rest.
The next prep I had to do was to chop onions to get ready for the sautéed onions and did the same thing after except this time it was sautéed mushrooms.
After a couple more orders I finished my prep which was the chicken wings and the nacho chips and after that I went home.

Tuesday April 10

Today I arrived at coop and the first thing I did was to start taking the vents out from behind the grill and the deep fryers. After that I left them soaking in soap and degreaser for about a couple hours
In the meantime I proceeded to work on the front line cooking the orders that were coming in.
After a mini lunch rush I went to start my usual prep work. The first thing on my list was to chop the chicken for the flutes and cut the chicken breast into slices in order to leave it ready in the fridge.
The next hour I spent cleaning and drying the vents and after washing a couple more dishes I went home.

Monday March 26th

• Today i went to work and it was only me Fernando and Agota because its Tambis day off.


• I started working the line for about and hour cooking the orders that came in. One of them was the Beef dip which is a beef sandwhich.


• To make it you start by grabbing one of the already portioned bags of beef frp, the freezer and you put it in a pan with some Au Jus until it boils and then put in the bun and put the sauce from the pan in a little bowl on the plate for the customer to dip his sandwhich.


• After working the line i started doing some of the prep work which incuding slicing the chicken breasts and also chopping some up for the flutes


• After finishing all my work for the day i went home

weekly journal

This week was march break but i sill decided to go a couple days to the Niblick. I decided to go Monday and Tuesday because i worked during the day the rest of the week. Besides performing my regular tasks, on tuesday i went early and learned a whole new side to the restaurant business. I learned to recieve the orders and then helped put away the boxes. More over i did a bunch of new prep work that is done before i usually get there. So far the co-op experience has been great and has opened my eyes to an interest i never knew i had before that may lead to if not a career for sure a hobby.

Tuesday March 13th

• Today i decided to come earlier around 9am since its march break and i wanted to see and learn the restaurant operations that have to be carried out in the morning like receiving the orders, cleaning, and getting the prep work for the day started.
• The first thing i started to do was help Tambi break boxes and taking them outside, after that i helped him put everything in its place and after that we made breakfast.
• After doing my regular prep work for a couple hours it was already noon and lunch orders were starting to come through so i started doing those with Fernando and Tambi on the line. It eventually got pretty busy.
• The last prep thing i had to then finish was rolling the flutes, which entail of cheese, sauce, and chicken rolled into a tortilla and left in the freezer until later ordered and put into the deepfryer. After that everything was done and i headed home, it was the last march break day i came here until St. Patricks

Monday March 12th

• Today i went to the niblick at noon even though it is march break because its an opportunity to get ahead on my hours and i enjoy my time there anyways so i rather do that for 4 hours than sit at home.


• The first thing i that was the chili con queso sauce but i got interrupted by the many orders that came in, it was busy for a monday. Since it is Tambi's day off it was only me and Fernando cooking the orders but it went great, time went by fast and we had no problem finishing the orders in time.


• I also learned how to make a new plate, the montreal smoked meat sandwhich.


• After the orders i finished the con queso prep, ate lunch, and the finished the rest of the prep which included slicing chicken breast, frying the nachos and making the steak and mushroom pies.


• The last thing i did was learn how to cook the pizzas and after that i went home at 4

Weekly Journal

This week was a day short because of march break starting on Friday. I did my regular tasks of prep work the difference was the by now Tambi and Fernando don't have to tell me to do them i just check the list and I'm able to just start the work by myself. Its a good feeling knowing my stuff already and being able to work independently and not having to be babysat. More over i am using the skills I'm learning at the niblick at home cooking plates for my family. By now i am also more comfortable doing the orders by myself and i can tell that Fernando has more confidence in me because he goes into the office to do the orders and lets me work the line by myself. Also on Thursday Lori offered me a job for st. Patrick's day on the front cleaning tables and washing the glasses since it will be considerably busy with the niblick being an Irish pub and everything. I am glad i opted for co-op since so far it has been a great experience that has made me disciplined not only at the placement but at school and at home, having responsibilities at the restaurant has been great.

Thursday March 8th

• Today i go to the niblick early at around noon because i figured out that i would get there faster walking than taking the bus and therfore i could now get 4 hours a day by staying till four instead of 3.5 .
• The first thing i had to do was get money from Lori the bartender to go buy spanish onions at dominion.
• After that i started slicing onions into thin layers and then chopping them into small pieces for the chilli. Then i had to chop bacon to go in the frying pan along with the onions. After getting the beans and the rest of the chilli ready i moved over to the flute prep with the tortillas, chesse, sauce, and chiken and when i was done that i finished the Coleslaw prep and finished the day by doing the orders in the line.

Wednesday March 7th

• Today i was working with John and Tambi because its Fernandos and Agotas day off. I started slicing the chicken that just came out of the oven so that it will be ready to put on the grill and cutting some into smaller pieces to use in the flutes and some other dishes.


• My next prep was to portion the rice so it is also ready when needed.


• Today it was also my turn to cook lunch for all of us so i started gathering my ingredients to make a peruvian variation of fried rice called "Arroz Chaufa". I hat to get red peppers, sausage, eggs, chicken, beef, rice, soy sauce, chinese and spanish onions, salt and pepper, and lastly jalapeños to make it spicy.


• After finishing cooking lunch, which took about 40 minutes, we ate and then to finish the day me and John had to move the kegs around in the back to make room for the beer order arriving the next day.

Tuesday March 6th

• Today i arrived at the niblick at 12:30 and began my usual work doing prep. The first thing i had to do today was to get the red curry sauce ready which entailed slicing onions and emptying 6 cans of the curry into a pot, also i had to add coconut milk and the rest of the ingredients and put the pot on the stove.


• For the next couple hours i was doing orders like steak sandwiches, variations of burgers, bangers and mash and also some beef dips.


• After making my lunch, shrimp and steak sandwich, i finished doing the last of the prep which was the chicken wings and after that i went home at 4

Monday March 5th

• Today i had to start on a lot of prep work that had to be done. The first thing i did was start cutting cheese in small squares for the chili con queso sauce that goes on the niblick nachos. The next thing i had to do was grind a whole can of tomatoe paste to add to the sauce and then cut up a couple more ingredients to add to the sauce and put the pot to cook in a slow fire for the cheese to melt but not burn
• After the sauce i did more prep and then started to the orders that were coming in, by now im pretty comfortable making most of the plates.
• I finished the day fryin the nacho chips for the niblick and cheese nachos

weekly journal

Well i just completed my first full week at my placement and i enjoyed it a lot. The more time i spend at the niblick the more i learn about the restaurant business and cooking. I met most of all the day staff and get along well with all of them. By now i am able to do most of the regular orders by myself, i can dress the plates as well as do the cooking. I use the knives way better than when i started and im getting to learn the recipes for the prep work off by heart. It has been a great experience so far and i am able to use the skills i learned in the placement and apply them at home.

Friday March 2nd

• When i got to the niblick today it was pretty busy so i went right to the line and helping fernando with the orders, niblick burgers, cajun chicken, quesadillas. That lasted for a while.
• After that i started slicing some beef to later portion
• When i finished that i had to get some tortillas, special sauce, tomatoes, chesse, and chicken to do the prep work for the flutes. You roll all the ingredients in a tortilla wrap it tight and store for later use when they are deep fried.
• After the flutes i left early because since my stitches were not taken out on wednesday i had to take them out today.

Thursday March 1st

• Today when i got to the niblick the first thing i did was start helping out doing some dishes that were taking up to much room.
• Later i started chopping onions, and after that i started dressing the plates for tambi
• I did some orders on my own and then cooked lunch for myself.
• washed dishes and learned how to roll up and store the silverware in the restaurant
• i went back to cooking fries for the orders and ended up by portioning roast beef.
• worked from 12:30-4:00

Wednesday February 28

• Today i went to work and saw that another one of my friends from ht was working, this time John Black was in the kitchen.
• Wednesdays are usually not that busy so not many orders came in and most the prep was done. I finished the chicken wing prep work and then left early at 2:00 because i had to get my stitches out.

Tuesday February 27

• Tuesday started and i had to shovel some of the snow in front of the niblick entrance which wasnt that bad.
• I went in the kitchen and helped tambi by dressing the dishes that he would finish and put the fries down whenever i saw that the orders needed them.
• After lunch i finished some more prep work that needed to be done like cutting the cheese and grinding tomatoes and other ingredients required to make the chili "con queso" sauce that goes in the niblick nachos, and finished my day by choppping red and green peppers for the salads.

Monday February 26

• Monday i walked in and saw that turner was working in the kitchen that day too it was pretty funny and also it was my first day since the little accident on friday.
• i started by doing some prep work portioning roast beef and rice. I washed some dishes while i had nothing to do and then started next prep with the chicken wings which requires me to defrost them, mix them with the flour and seasoning and cook them about 80% so they are ready to be cooked just for a couple minutes when they order them.
• Today was also the first day i got to cook my own lunch which was pretty cool i got to experiment with all the ingredients avaliable in the kitchen and made myself a nice meal.
• I finished the day by cleaning one of the friers and dumping the oil outside.

worked 12:30-4:00

weekly journal

The first couple of days are over and basically I'm pretty satisfied with my placement i know a hotel was my first choice but the Niblick turned out to be a great place to work in and i have no regrets about not taking the hotel placement at the country inn. I still have a lot of learning to do, mostly to do with the preparation of the dishes but i think i have the basics about how the kitchen works down and the people there are great teachers. I learned how to do a lot of prep-work that is essential to being ready when the rush comes. Prep work includes making the portions of various items like rice, beef, pasta. Additionally it also includes chopping up different vegetables that go into the sauces and making the sauces. I met the manager and owner who are both pretty down to earth guys and also some of the day staff. I look forward to learning more about the kitchen and eventually getting some experience outside of it Sometimes there is not much for me do do because im waiting for stuff to get cooked which takes some time but it isnt a peoblem because its a pretty busy kitchen so i usually just shadow agatha making the salads or use my free time to help the servers with the dishes in the back. Its been a great couple days so far, i cant't complain and i am curious to see what ill be doing on monday.

Friday February 23rd

On friday it was my second day goin to my co-op. Tania gave me a ride and i got there around 12:15. In the kitchen it was the same people working but today was way busier than my first day. I got to work helping with the orders making niblick nachos and then i began doing some prep work. I drained the sink with the chicken wings and followed to prep them with the flour and spices and then cook them about 80% to leave them ready for the orders. The next thing i did was more prep work for the chili "con queso" salsa and also the curry. Today i also met the owner who is a nice guy, and refused to have me call me sir so from now it its just jim. It was overall another good day and i look forward to going there tomorow.
Worked from 12:30pm-3:00pm

Thursday February 22nd

Today was my first day at my co-op placement which is at the Niblick restaurant/pub on eight line. I arrived at 12:30 and walked in the back were i spoke to Fernando who is from Ecuador and also speaks spanish. I had alredy previously met him during the interview. I also met a couple of the servers and two of the daytime employees in the back, Agatha and Tambi. I worked mostly with Tambi who is form Sri Lanka and runs the kitchen when Fernando is not there. He taught me a lot of the prep-work that is done during down-time were there are no orders coming in. It wasn't that busy so i ended up doing a lot of prep-work which i didnt mind at all. Also, i learned how to prepare the special of the day - ham sandwich with bacon and melted cheese with a side of either fries, and variations of soups as well as salads - that ended up selling out. More over i learned how to prepare the Niblick Nachos and also helped Tambi, who is pretty funny, finish the orders. Overall it was a great first day and i look forward to working in the kitchen as well as to eventually moving up to working at the bar. When i was leaving i ran into Mr. Kelly and discussed my placement for a couple minutes and he gave me some useful tips about the placement.
worked from 12:30-4:00

1st blog

Today i finished the passport to safety 101 test. I still don't know were my placement is going to be for sure.