Marcel’s Monthly Chef’s Table

Today: Tino
Pardon, former Executive Chef from Germany

I am
dishing out again. Nothing new you might say. But now I kick it up
another notch and let other chefs have a say. 

Instead of only sharing my stories here, you will also read about other people’s experiences. I have always kept an open mind and learned from my colleagues. Through this I have constantly stocked up my storeroom with great knowledge and valuable insights.

Now it’s time to pass that knowledge on. More food for more thoughts. Variety is the secret to a successful menu.

For this first edition, I have asked my old buddy Tino Pardon to share a bit about his life as a chef. I had the pleasure to work with him on 2 occasions, in Switzerland and USA. Tino himself became a successful chef in Europe. Let’s see what he has to say.

As usually, we dig right into it.

Tino, how is the chef life? What has been your experience?

“I would not change it for anything else.

After I returned from the USA, I started to work on a cruise liner as a young Chef de Partie running the Entremetier section. It took about four weeks before I got a call from the General Manager asking me to come to his office. A little worried, I made my way to him wondering if there was something, I’d done wrong, though I couldn’t think of anything major at all.

I
sat in front of him and suddenly he offered me the position of Sous
Chef on that 5-Star cruiser. I was so excited about it, that I took
the opportunity as I was so eager to make it work.

Work is the keyword here. Because that is what it was.

Work, work, work, work, and work again. Whilst the kitchen crew went on their well-deserved break, it was me and the Executive Chef who had to do the orders, cleaning control, stock taking, and portion control and so on. Most days we worked around fourteen to sixteen hours. We worked seven days a week for eight and a half months straight with NO day off.

You see, you will work very long hours, many days in a row. You will be tired, moody, frustrated, and busy. You’ll even sometimes wonder why on earth you are doing it all. But you turn around and look at your team and you suddenly forget all those hard times and start to laugh because it is so much fun.

Seeing a guest smiling no matter if it is for a simple fried egg or after a dessert from a Seven Course Captains Dinner is worth so much more than the frustration you feel on odd occasions.

I only remember all the great times. And so will you once you get around.

Chefs who work for forty years in the same place will almost never be able to tell you stories compared with those who have travelled. Make every experience count. My children always love to listen to the stories I am able to tell them.”

Tell
us one story which you believe is worthwhile sharing.

“It was Brian Nelson who believed in me at the tender age of 25 and gave me the chance to take on my first executive chef position at an international hotel chain.

He was the general manager at a 104-bedroom 4-Star airport hotel in London.

When I saw the position on offer, I thought why shouldn’t I apply? So, I did and sure enough I went to the first interview well prepared. Always prepare well when going for an interview!

I managed to get to the second round of interviews which were held by the culinary director.

It
went alright and they offered me the position as executive chef at
the age of 25.

The general manager once told me that he was happy to take the risk in employing such a young chef, because he thought I had the perfect attitude and that the time was right.

I was the youngest executive chef in the whole chain with almost 70 hotels in the UK and South East Asia. He mentored me greatly throughout the whole process from purchasing, checking lists, menu proposals to staff appraisals. There was so much to learn. The most important thing I learned was how to lead a team of

chefs.
Was it easy? No, it wasn’t, but it made me become a very successful
chef in the years to follow. 

Thank you so much Brian Nelson!”

Check out Tino’s LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinopardon/

Hungry
for more kitchen wisdom? Check out my new
book
“Slamming
It Out! How I got shit done in 5* kitchens”at:
https://amzn.to/2MB8NZc

Now available as eBook and paperback version!

Thanks
for reading!

Marcel

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