Evelyn chose Restaurant A.T. in Paris, France for her stage, improving her skills not only as a mentor herself but surpassing her personal goals in the kitchen.
I chose to work in Paris, at Restaurant A.T. because I had had the pleasure of working with Chef Atsushi last summer at Smyth when he came to do a collaboration guest dinner with our team. He was very quiet, very nice, and his food was very contemporary in presentation and his flavors were approachable and technically sound.
When I selected Restaurant A.T., I had no idea how big the team was or the size of the kitchen/restaurant. The restaurant has eight tables, seating a maximum 20-ish guests a night. The kitchen team is also the service team as well as dish porters, which including me, was around 6 of us, without Chef. I ended up being the oldest and most experienced cook in the kitchen besides Chef, so my view of being a “mentee” was quickly altered.
Every day I would come in early, prep proteins and seafood, have staff meal, set up and work lunch service, breakdown, clean, and set up the kitchen again after lunch service, go on a break, come back and finish prep, have staff dinner then work dinner service.
During my time there, I found myself teaching new things to younger stages or students, helping Chef with side projects and being alongside him as his second hand during service, as well as forming an incredible bond outside of the kitchen with him and the sous chef. Every weekend was filled with learning about different restaurants, wine caves, and endless conversation and new connections. He has been the most selfless and gracious Chef I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and I find myself having a life-long connection with him.
After the pandemic, especially working through it in this profession, the abundance of change I’ve experienced in personal growth and development as a person and chef has not always been the easiest. Getting to learn about and be with Chef Atsushi in and outside of the kitchen for the past two months, and making a life-long friend in a different country with the sous chef, has felt like a major breath of fresh air. His unwavering support and generosity with food and opportunities for me knows no bounds. Not only did he make me feel like I was already part of the team in and outside of the kitchen, he chose to build a longer table and invited me to take a seat, and for that, I will always be grateful. I think timing is everything, and I learned how to be more of a mentor in the kitchen when given the opportunity even as I continue to strive to surpass my own goals and fulfill my own happiness as a cook.
