Worst prep day ever: 300 lbs of mushrooms in 4 hours

Last Saturday our walk-in cooler died overnight and I showed up to 300 pounds of mushrooms that had to be cooked off or tossed. The owner wanted me to roast, saute, and caramelize every single one before 5 PM service. I had three burners going full blast with sheet pans stacked everywhere, sweat dripping off my face. My prep cook called in sick so it was just me and one line cook who kept burning batches. We pulled it off but I smelled like a damp cellar for two days. Has anybody else had a ridiculous last minute prep emergency like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

ericcraig14d ago

Man, that sounds like a brutal shift (and a damp one too).

charles83614d agoMost Upvoted

Working a double in the rain just brings back that one time I was washing dishes at this greasy spoon diner and the sink pipe burst... hot water everywhere, couldn't even step away to mop cause the tickets kept coming. Ended up standing in like an inch of water for two hours, just scramming plates and hoping nobody slipped.