When I first started in a restaurant that implemented the brigade
system, I was fascinated by the hefty gentlemen wearing the tall hat. This
beast of a man would patrol up and down the service line barking out ticket
numbers and critiques with the intensity of a mad dog with rabies. I would
finish the night not covered in sweat but soaked with the smell of cheap coffee
and bourbon saliva. Though it seemed harsh in the beginning I realized that
this over-stressed and out of shape gargoyle of a man was doing his job to
perfection. He was “getting it done” to the highest standards which allowed him
the honor to wear the big hat, better known to us kitchen folk and culinarians
as the Chef toque.
The Chef toque originated in the late 1700’s as a symbol for
a cook. The first person culinarians turn to in any quest regarding esoteric
French cooking wisdom is Augusta Escoffier, who in my mind is the most famous
figure in French cuisine. While Escoffier didn’t popularize the toque as
culinary headgear, it was the work of “Chef of kings and the king of Chefs”
Marie-Antoine Careme back in the 19th century. Careme implemented
the Chef toque to establish rank and skill within the brigade system in the
kitchen for which he created.
The Chef toque is designed to have 100 pleats or folds
within the body of the hat symbolizing the hundred different ways to prepare an
egg. Chef Essential Pepin said “I think that the egg is probably one of the
greatest foods that we can have in the kitchen, whether we cook it by itself or
combine it into a soufflé or custard, or other type of thing. For me, I can’t
live without eggs.” It is said within this industry that it is essential to
know the history behind the Chef toque and the knowledge of the 100 different
egg preparations in order to wear this monumental piece of Chef Attire.
So with this knowledge of the meaning behind a Chef toque,
next time you are in a restaurant and you see someone wearing it; test the
person’s knowledge about this historic and extremely important piece of the
Chef’s uniform. Let’s see if that person is Chef-worthy enough for the pristine
honor.
As a brain teaser, let’s see how many egg preparations you
can name. Anyone that emails me 60 or more different egg preparations will
receive a gift personalized from me.
Good luck and enjoy your Tastebuds!
