When chefs become home cooks

Restaurant closures have idled most chefs, who now are cooking for a very different audience. You might expect that household members would be enjoying stellar meals during lockdown, but it rarely works that way, according to chef Sam Wydymus, who shared her account of the differences between cooking in a restaurant and cooking at home.

Chefs are not accustomed to cooking for their families, says Wydymus. The nature of restaurants means that they are rarely home during mealtime, and when they are home the last thing they want to do is prepare a meal for picky relatives. They are not used to having to deal with kids, pets, and partners underfoot. When you are accustomed to barking out orders at your sous chef, it is a huge shift to learn how to gently direct your loved ones to help you. Family members do not always make the best assistants or customers: “five-year-old commis replacement eats more dough than he rolls and his teenage siblings have all become food critics. “

Another thing to consider is that most head chefs do not actually cook that much. Instead, their day is consumed with staffing issues, food orders, and dealing with customers. Actually standing in front of the stove is somewhat of a novelty to these chefs. Between the difference in equipment, the lack of tools, the constant interruptions, and not having the luxury of someone whisking away the dirty pots and pans, Wydymus says she finds it more challenging to to cook at home than in a restaurant. Here’s to all the home cooks who are working double time during this pandemic to feed all of their loved ones.