Kev's Kitchen: Mr Hollywood....well Mr Rowlands Gills, Tyne and wear !

I have been a kitchen wanderlust for the last 6 or 7 years and I think it has helped me in my learning of the noble (Sometimes !!!!) kitchen art. Yes like a demanding girlfriend we have rows, we have mood swings where we just want to spend time apart but as they say absence makes the heart grow founder and we inevitably end up running back into each others arms in a passionate embrace. We then make the impossible to keep vow of never fighting again well for a little while anyway !
I have worked in just about every type of kitchen. From preparing gourmet banquets, busy restaurant services to puree food in a care home and everything in between. I have said it before the people I have met on the whole have been great and some have become great friends. And not just through Facebook ! ha ha.
A few weeks ago I added to my experience when a very good mate of mine Russell Temple asked me to help him and his boss Paul who work for a company called Screen Cuisine. They prepare great food for a film crew and actors on a BBC programme from a catering truck parked in a Car Park on the Programmes film location.
To look at the Truck with its wires and pipes coming out of it you would think it had come of a SCFI film set itself. "She canna take much more Captain" and "Ive given you all she's got !" are phrases I would expect to hear not " One Salmon, One Beef on order Chef !"
You have to be on set for 6.00 am a challenge in itself. A full English and Continental Breakfast has to be provided for the Crew. I love Breakfast but even for me its a little early for a Bacon,Sausage, Hash Brown, Egg and Mushroom Bap !
Breakfast Over time to clear down and wash dishes. Working on one of these trucks you have to be practical and be prepared to muck in. Its Not all about being a Top Chef. I am not very practical so I wash the dishes ! ha ha !
Now its time to crack on with lunch. There is a hot buffet which contains hearty dishes like Thai Chicken Curry and Beef Chili which is served in a mocked up dinning room which on this occasion is an old Staff room in a deserted School which is the programmes location.One chef cracks on with this. From the Truck at lunchtime we served 3 choices . One of which is a Vegetarian dish. The standard and choice is high. Seared Tuna with mango salsa goes down well. We have a hot dessert on each day which compliments the cold desserts on the buffet. I am the new boy so I an affectionately known as "Kitchen Bitch" the lowest form of kitchen chef. Its a title I don't mind but unfortunately it doesn't mean I am able to wear a Pink sequinned chef Jacket ! ha ha !
Kitchen Bitch means I am on cold buffet prep. A job no Chef likes. I have to produce various Salads, Cheese boards, a selection of cakes, Meat and fruit platters. Then when thats all done there is the small matter of sandwich production. For all it its a small space in the trucks kitchen you don't feel cramped. The weathers good, the radios on and the canopy is open providing me with a cool breeze and the glorious rays of not just daylight but warm sun light ! Truly spoilt in kitchen terms. I resist going to the car to put my Sunglasses on though.
All that is complete and we get time for a break. Not for us sitting outside the kitchen door next to the bins breathing in other Chefs smoke from badly rolled cigarettes no for us its straight to the Film Crews relaxation room where Table soccer, pool and Table Tennis is on offer.
The Chefs play Table Tennis I practice my Sports Photography while occasionally rubbing my knee kidding them and me eventually that sport is out of the question due to an old squash injury ! If only I had not dropped that bottle of Orange Juice on my knee ! ha ha ha !
The Director decides when lunch is called. It all depends on when the shots are complete. They aim for around 1.15pm but this can change. You would think it would not matter as all you need to do is put the food in the hot counter but here the food has to be spot on. We may not have lots of different dishes but lunch is treated like restaurant service where Fish and Meat is cooked to as near as perfection as you can and presentation is incredibly important where the Chefs use there delicate touch when plating up.
The queue forms of hungry customers and lunchtime service cracks on at a pace. Main courses are all despatched in 15 minutes. We take a little breather and then its time to wash plates, and clean the kitchen down and the Truck ready for the next day.
I really enjoyed my time working here. Food was great, customers loved their food and the weather was great. Yes I could get used to this well until it rains !