I was lucky to spend two amazing days as a stage at Alina in Chicago. Based on my experience I thought I would write a short primer for those who would like to do a stage at Alina.

It would be wrong of me to publish the contact info, those of you with the drive and determination will figure it out. The Chef is a very busy person so keep emails short and to the point. Have dates in mind or be prepared to ask for and except suggested dates in which to stage.

As instructed by the Chef I arrived with black pants and black kitchen shoes. Chef coats and towels were provided to you. An additional note you are only allowed to wear a plain white undershirt so come prepared!

Arrive early! Be prepared to jump right in and get busy working, this is a very highly paced and serious kitchen. There is no place for chit chat so be prepared to so little more than “Yes Chef” “Thank you Chef” “May I help you Chef”.

I was also instructed to bring a Chef knife, pairing knife, and peeler. Make sure they are sharp! Keep your pairing knife and peeler on your person at all times! It is a busy kitchen with over 20 Chef’s. I myself left my pairing knife unattended and lost it, nothing malicous, just no time to tear the kitchen apart to find it. So after donating my first pairing knife I was glad I had another in my car for day two. You will be told were you can stow your Chef knife so I highly recommend putting it away between uses. Some highly visible tape on the handles would be advisable as well!

On an additonal note I would bring a pen, small note book for writing down instructions, a black sharpie for labeling, and tweezers in case you are asked to help plate some of the intricate dishes.

Be VERY well rested and prepared to work hard, fast and accurate! However you must do things right! You should know that it is a long day from approx 11:30 am to 2 am. Several times through out the day you will be doing a lot of cleaning and scrubbing. A short half hour break for family meal prior to dinner service is the only break you are going to get! Also for those of you that smoke….forget about doing it until you get out of work!

I found that my stage experience at Alina was extremely rewarding. Any Chef thats steps up to the challenge will walk away learning alot. You will work very hard but it will be a great learning experience!

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