Sous Chef Edgar — Sous Chef at Red Rock Grille

Getting to meet with Sous Chef Edgar was a unique experience. An old family friend and I got the chance to reunite, both doing what we love. The first thing I noticed about Edgar was his calm demeanor. With a firm handshake and an easygoing yet eager attitude, we commenced the interview.
Sous Chef Edgar has been cooking at Red Rock Grille for three years. He quickly earned the position of lead, promoted just four months after being hired as a line cook. This tells me Edgar showed up on time, showed the kitchen he was willing to be a sponge and learn as much as possible, and had the will to follow through and do what was asked of him. After witnessing three separate sous chefs come and go, and after Edgar spent a long yet fast six months as lead, the head chef noticed his grit and offered to train him as sous chef.
I asked Edgar what he wished people could see. To this, he told me he wished people could see what is going on in the kitchen while the dining room is full of relaxed diners. When a dining room is full, Edgar says, the kitchen is in the middle of its rush. Working in heated conditions can make it very easy to get stressed, keeping everything in order while everyone weaves in and around each other. Dishes can break, plates cannot always be up to par, causing things to get backed up while everything is meant to go out as quickly as possible. "However, people can thrive as long as they look at it like a sport," Edgar says. Hearing Edgar describe it, I finally understood what he wished people could see: the discipline and control it takes to make that kind of chaos look effortless.
Throughout the conversation I had with Edgar, I noticed his confidence. He is set on becoming an executive chef and even owning his own restaurant when the time comes, something Edgar is confident isn't too far away. Edgar is very proud to have earned the title of sous chef, and it's clear he is not stopping anytime soon. He wants to stay in the world of fine dining, as it has always intrigued him. Seeing plating techniques on YouTube and researching new methods of cooking, he is not just learning but already introducing new ideas to the kitchen. He imagines that the restaurant he'd one day run would be a scratch kitchen. That is no small task, and I admire the ambitious goal.
Thank you, Edgar, for sharing your story and ambitions with me. Three sous chefs came and went before the head chef saw what you had in you, and you didn't just earn the title, you kept showing up until it was undeniable. That kind of grit doesn't stop at sous chef, and I don't expect it to. I look forward to watching you grow into everything you're chasing, and when that scratch kitchen of yours opens its doors, I would love to be there for the menu before the grand opening, if you'll have me.