Small towns, local restaurants...

[Sarah]

Hey guys... just wondering if any one can give me some ideas of good local restaurants or smaller towns where we may be able to stick our heads into a few kitchens of restaurants. My boyfriend is training to be a chef and wants to experience the smaller, local, family-run type restaurants rather than the large, really touristy places.
We are planning on a 3 month trip through much of Europe so any where you can suggest would be awesome.
Thanks

[Apedemak]

I don't know about other cooks, but I hate it when anybody who is not supposed to be in my kitchen crosses the threshold. I even chase the damn floor staff from behind my line, those incompetent, lazy, little . I do know that when I was in training, some of my chefs had worked in Switzerland, the place they had worked at had actually searched out to find Canadian cooks. I would recommend just chatting up the staff and seeing what you can do, at my restaurant we sometimes let kids come in and check the kitchen out. But I don't know, us cooks have the reputation of being not so friendly and a little controlling of our turf. Forget about TV celebrity chefs, most kitchens I have seen are more like a crew of a pirate ship.

And just a little thought: we are all cooks but not all chefs, a chef is an earned title: executive chef, sous-chef, and then there are station chefs -->garde manger chef, saucier, etc.
sorry just a pet peeve of mine

[Sarah]

yea, i totally know what you mean about their turf but he's worked in many kitchens too. and yea i know about the whole chef title thing... Hopefully we will be able to talk to some staff and get lucky.
Thanks for the reply anyway.

[LHR02]

I'm certain he has just a bit more pull but darn if Rick Steves doesn't seem to turn up in every restaurant's kitchen he talks about in books or on show! But hey, at some point he was nobody so asking nicely just very well may gain you entry to lots more than you think. Will be curious to hear your after action report/on the road reports and see how successful you are. ;D

ging - h
who has herself been 'in back' in several small German places we used to frequent...I was forever asking what is this/how do you prepare it and would often as not get dragged to the kitchen and shown. But these were small 'pubs' if you will and we were quite regulars.

[Apedemak]

I put some thought into the people that always were welcome in the kitchens I have seen. All of them were either regulars or were just really interested in the craft behind the doors. I also recently heard that in Turkey and Greece it is acceptable to go into the kitchen and take a look at the food being prepared as to make a choice.
andrew

[Cynthia]

;DYep, I've gone into smaller community kitchens in Turkey & Greece although the reasoning was different. It appeared to be a welcoming way to overcome the language barrier. Thinking back on these many culinary invasions, I/we were invited in to point at food and I don't think it would be too great a stretch to become more involved.

I suspect it would be more frequently acceptable in Turkey to ask - and be allowed- to participate. Do find out, ahead of time, the protocal for handling food there. Take advantage of the generousity of the people in finding interpreters. The Turks are great & you may be able to barter culinary for ESL.

Japan may be another option. ESL in exchange for cooking lessons is a definite option. A friend exchanged for room & board!

Cynthia

[Cil]

Andrew said:

I also recently heard that in Turkey and Greece it is acceptable to go into the kitchen and take a look at the food being prepared as to make a choice.
andrew

I know this is true in Greece, because we experienced it several times. We would be motioned in, and then we would take a look at whatever fish or cut of meat we were interested in, choose it, then if we wanted we could hang out in there while our food was cooked.
Now I like company in the kitchen while I cook, but the Greeks take this to a new level.