That time I dropped a hotel pan of stock right before Friday dinner rush

It was a crazy Saturday night at The Blue Ox in Portland. I was carrying a full hotel pan of veal stock to the stove and my towel slipped, sending it crashing all over the expo line. I just yelled for backups, grabbed a clean towel, and started ladling what I could salvage into a new pan while the sous chef yelled for a mop. Has anyone else had a service disaster where you just had to keep moving?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_miller21d ago

Wait, I think you meant Saturday night but your post says Friday dinner rush. Or maybe it was actually Friday? Either way, I've seen that exact thing happen at a place I worked in Seattle. The veal stock hits the floor and suddenly everyone's slipping and the whole line smells like burned bones. You handled it right though, just grab what you can and keep going. The real disaster is when the stock gets into the vents and the smell sticks around for three days.

grant_ross2720d ago

Zara, you nailed it with the vent thing, but nobody's talking about how that veal stock ruins cutting boards for weeks since the fat seeps into the grooves. Did you have to toss any gear after yours?