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A day on the job

MARK HEIMANN: 35, Executive sous chef, Renaissance Vinoy Resort, 501 Fifth Ave. NE, St. Petersburg

By ELLEN MOSES
Published March 2, 2005

What is a sous chef?

A sous chef is the assistant to the executive chef and helps oversee the whole property.

How many people do you help supervise?

We have eight chefs, and then there are a total of 62 culinarians. We have five restaurants, banquet, the garde-manger department and pastry department.

What is the garde-manger (gar-man-ZHAY) department?

They do cold food preparation, fruit displays, cheese boards and salads for big functions and things like that.

Did you always have an interest in cooking?

It may sound hokey, but ever since I was 8 I wanted to be a chef. I started cooking when I was 8 and making meals for my family. My mom taught me a lot, and then I went to a vocational school in high school, studied culinary arts there. I started out working Sunday brunches at a big property in Chicago and once I graduated high school I started full time there, working in a restaurant.

What kind of formal training do you have?

I went to a two-year culinary school. I went to Kendall Culinary School out of Chicago. ... You don't have to go to school. It just comes from experience, really. You just need the experience, the passion and the drive to become a chef.

How long have you been working at the Vinoy?

Ten years. I started as the "a.m." restaurant chef for the Terrace Room at Marchand's and worked my way up. As the "a.m." chef I started at 5:30 a.m. and did breakfast and lunch. Later I became the "p.m." chef and just did dinner, in the same room. Then I went to banquets and was banquet chef for a while. I became the executive sous chef after that.

How long have you been executive sous chef?

A year and four months.

What is your schedule like now?

Usually I work the lunch to dinner shift. I come in at 11 or sometimes earlier depending on what the chef wants. I'll come in, sit down with the chef for a little bit and he'll fill me in on what's going on. I do a lot of the ordering of food and equipment and then see what our needs are. I'll float around to all our outlets and see who needs help.

So you don't do as much cooking anymore?

I would say probably 30 percent of my time is spent working in the kitchen. The rest is ordering, paperwork, stuff like that.

Do your hours change often?

My days off change all the time. I'm here Sundays, Saturdays, holidays. But it's a rotating schedule, depending on what's going on. If it's very busy, I may work six days that week. I try to take the slowest days off.

How many hours a week do you work?

Anywhere from 50 to, in a busy week, could be 70.

In addition to banquet service, how many restaurants does the hotel operate?

Five. Fred's is a fine dining restaurant. We have a specialty restaurant, Marchand's and then the Terrace Room is like our all day restaurant. Then we have Alfresco's, which is our casual poolside restaurant, and the Clubhouse, which is a golf course restaurant, and pretty casual.

Are you involved in planning menus?

Each of the restaurants has its own chef and they come up with the menus, then we'll sit down with them and tweak anything we want tweaked.

What is your favorite part of the job?

I guess it's being able to make change. You get a project to work on and you can make those changes. Like changing brunch. We did that a few years ago. We're always changing banquet themes and improving the quality of set ups. It's always a new experience.

How many big functions do you do in a week?

We probably average two to four weddings a weekend. We also do group functions, everyday really. Everyday there's a banquet function going on.

Is this a stressful job?

It can be stressful, but you just have to love what you do. I have a passion for what I do. I love to cook, I love to create, and that's what really keeps you going. I just love coming into work every day.

What is your least favorite thing about the job?

I suppose just not being able to be home with family for different holidays and other family functions that you sometimes have to miss. Working nights and weekends you're away from the family, but you make the best of the days off that you have.

Do you cook much at home?

On my days off I'll usually cook dinner, but by the time I get home at night, it's usually whatever's quick.

What is your favorite dish to make or eat?

Well, my favorite food is pizza. At home I'll usually make a pasta, or I'll make paninis. Sometimes I'll make fresh pizza. But it's usually quick. I have two little girls (ages 4 and 6) who aren't into exploring funky foods yet, so sometimes it's just macaroni and cheese.

How much money can you make as a chef at an upscale property like the Vinoy?

I would say anywhere between $48,000 and $56,000 a year.

Do you ever go out to dinner?

Yeah, you try to go out and see what other people are doing; get a feel for the culinary trends and to get a feel for other dining experiences.

[Last modified March 2, 2005, 00:46:17]