I’m back this week again with another guest post about what it’s like to be married to a chef. Today, I’d like you to meet Alix-Patrice Ogilvie. She is married to an Executive Chef and I’m so grateful she was willing to share her story with us. I know I can relate and I’m sure many of you can as weld. 🙂
Tell me a little about yourself and your chef (how you met, how long you’ve been together, do you have kids, etc.)
I met my Chef (Craig) on OKCupid about 2 years ago. We met online because we were both working in the industry, were coming out of rather long term relationships and we weren’t really looking for anything too serious so we wanted to stay out of the industry “dating pool” at our respective places. We have a 6 month old son named Jamie, but we call him Bean because the first thing Craig said when we saw him on the ultrasound was “It looks like a bean!” and it sort of stuck. Chef to the core right there.
What position does your chef/cook have in the kitchen? Briefly describe the size and type of restaurant he is working at (fine dining/casual, size, privately owned or part of a restaurant group, etc.).
Craig was just recently promoted to head chef of a brand new casual dining restaurant, it has about 200 seats and is part of a large chain that came out of BC.
Do you work outside the home and if so, what do you do and what are your hours like? If you stay home full-time, describe your responsibilities.
I am currently a stay at home mom, as I am on maternity leave but I’m looking at staying home full time. We have an incredibly full house (1 baby, 2 parents, 3 dogs, 1 bunny, 1 hedgehog, 1 cat and a Japanese fighting fish). I spend most of my time trying to keep the house from exploding with all of the stuff we have accumulated for our son.
From what your chef has told you or you have observed, what does he do in his current position and what is he responsible for?
He is in charge of running the kitchen, top to bottom. He oversees hiring, training, ordering, scheduling, you name it he does it. He only has one sous chef at current, and they are both working about 100 hours a week to get the restaurant running smoothly.
What does a typical week and day look like for your chef (hours, days off, etc.)?
Currently, he has no days off. He is on his 27th (I’ve been counting) day straight of working. He goes to work at 7 am and comes home between 12 am and 2 am every morning.
How does your chef’s schedule fit with yours? What is easy/difficult about that?
At current, it is rather sad because he has no time for his son or I because all of his off hours are working. But we manage to squeeze time together here and there by my running errands for the restaurant (picking up a case of tortillas here, new binders there), my eating at the restaurant with our son so the staff may fawn over his cherub cheeks and dimples, and by driving him to and from work on occasion, when it is looking like he won’t be home too late.
Does your chef bring work home with him (phone calls, email, texts, menu planning, etc.)?
As he is at work most of the time, it is quite hard for him to bring work home. But when he is conscious and at home he is usually answering emails or setting things up like interviews. Occasionally prior to the opening he would turn off his phone for two hours of uninterrupted family time only to turn it back on to 20 odd emails.
What type of chef laundry do you have to deal with at this level?
He needs his uniform washed on a day to day basis because he only owns 3 Chef coats with his name on them. I’ve taken to using BumGenius Cloth diaper detergent on them, because it gets that “kitchen” smell out of his clothes quite effectively, although it is the weirdest thing I’ve tried so far.
What do you feel is the biggest change when your chef moved into this position, vs. his last position?
His stress level. He had long hours before he started as head chef but he could leave work at work. Obviously the farther up you move, the more you have to deal with.
What is the hardest part about this position in the kitchen for you as a chef wife or girlfriend?
His hours. We don’t get to spend that much time together, and what little time we do has to be about our son because he is afraid of missing everything.
What (if any) are the perks of this kitchen position (for him or for your family)?
He got a pay increase, which is making it possible for me to take time off work and take care of our son. He feels more appreciated at work which is amazing for him. And I get the added bonus of feeling more like part of a family there. Everyone knows our son, knows me and every time we come by we are welcomed happily, even though we aren’t part of their specific group.
If you can relate in any way, please let me know in the comments below! Long hours are tough on the family, especially when you have little ones at home!
View all posts in this series here!
From one chef’s wife to another,
wow! no day off and 27 days and counting, that’s really hard! Thankfully there’s a full house of pets and a wonderful baby boy to light up your days and nights.