Usually prepared on a meager budget of almost nothing, the kitchen staff are left to improvise and provide a healthy (somewhat) and tasty (sometimes delicious) meal for whoever is working on any particular day. The daily creations can sometimes be quite marvelous to foreign, to downright insipid depending on the flow of the day. Though the persistent theme of getting everyone well fed is stressed throughout.
The Chef, who is always out and about early each day, purchasing the raw ingredients for the walk-in will pick up a couple of days worth of protein and vegetables, specially reserved to prepare the staff meal of the day. An example would be say, on Monday we get chicken legs and some cabbage. Tuesday, chicken legs and cabbage. Wednesday, chicken legs and some napa cabbage... You see the trend??
From these, many possible dishes are produced and at my restaurant, we try to inject variety into each day's meal, using the many other ingredients on hand to cook. Usually each station chef will be in charge of a particular part of the meal meaning one will prepare the protein and another, the vegetable component. Producing enough food to feed up to 20 staff members on any given day.
To me, the restaurant staff is seen as a second family, we know each other well and are for the most part, close friends. I take staff meal as an opportunity to be creative while providing a home cooked meal which FOH and BOH would be missing.
Bon Appetit!
^^Tuesday^^
^^Thursday^^
^^Saturday^^
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