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The surest sign that the economy is improving is that the last time I was looking for someone to work at Dirt Candy I got close to 70 resumes. This time? More like 25. So either people are wising up and going into easier fields than working in a restaurant kitchen, or less people are looking because more of them have jobs. Either way, it’s a win for the economy!

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I’ve been hearing this from chefs all over town – less applications are showing up for more jobs. But that doesn’t change the fact that right now I’m looking for a line cook. Working at Dirt Candy isn’t for everyone. If you want a comparison, imagine working on a submarine: the work is intense, there are moments of excitement and stress followed by stretches of routine and boredom, and the quarters are close. I mean, you’re all up in everyone else’s stuff whether you like it or not. And, like working on a submarine, Dirt Candy has its own advantages and disadvantages.

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“Hush Puppies dead ahead!”

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The demands of my food are also hard on people. Every dish at Dirt Candy uses a ton of techniques. Something as simple as the Hush Puppies requires a chef to pay more time and attention to their deep-frying than they probably ever have before in their lives. The batter has to be exactly right or it’ll cook wrong, and there is a five-second window when the puppies are cooked perfectly, without being overdone, when you have to pull them out. It’s something that takes everyone a few weeks to develop a feel for and when you’re juggling a couple of dishes on the stove and something else in the other fryer, and orders coming in, it requires a lot of attention.

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That said, working here has its rewards. I remember being thrown on lines when I started out and either being ignored or screamed at. No one was teaching me, no one was showing me how to do anything, they just assumed I’d figure it out and they’d gleefully tear into me when I got it wrong. Ever since then I’ve realized that you have to teach if you’re going to be a chef. There’s not a day that goes by when I’m not showing someone how to do something for the first time, or pushing them further than they thought they’d go, or helping them figure out a new and easier way to make something. I remember how hard it was to be anonymous nugget #12 and I do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen here.

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But it’s not easy. Working in a kitchen is one of the toughest jobs in the world that you can get without going to medical school. It takes all your focus, all your strength, and all your attention. Which is probably why so many chefs guzzle booze when their shift is over: you need help to wind down after service sometimes because running a good service is like going to war. Or, as I put it in the cookbook:

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So if you know anyone who wants a place on the toughest line in town, drop me an email: info@dirtcandynyc.com!

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