First and worst
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday June 13, 2009
CURTIS STONE This chef and author once had green thumbs.MY FIRST JOB was at a florist on Sundays when I was 15. I'd open the shop at 8am and there were about 100 buckets of flowers to deal with; I had to scrub the slime off the bottom of the stems, give them fresh water and haul them outside for display. At 8am there were all sorts of people passing by, like drunks making their way home after a big night - they'd stop to buy the missus some flowers hoping it would get them out of trouble. Some would try to nick the flowers.MY WORST JOB was as an apprentice chef. I peeled boxes and boxes of onions and on a Saturday night I would be standing behind a buffet, wearing a silly hat and carving roast while my mates were out partying. I'd advise aspiring chefs to work in a small restaurant, not a big hotel - you will get much broader experience across all areas of the kitchen ... and not be stuck peeling boxes of onions.Curtis Stone's new cookbook, Relaxed Cooking, is out now.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald