Congratulations my new fellow BasqueStages. You are about to embark on an experience that may contain your best, worst, hardest, weirdest, and funniest moments in your life. Nothing I can tell you will fully prepare you for your experience at Martin Berasategui.
Working in the restaurant will be hard. The hours are long, be in the kitchen from 8:30 AM till often after midnight with around an one and a half hour break in the middle. The weekends make up for it though, in two and a half days you can see and do a lot. Take advantage of this time.
I think the key to your experience is surviving the first month as it will be the hardest. You will learn different ways to do things that you already do, you must be open and learn their way. It doesn’t matter if it’s better or worse, but it’s another way.
If your Spanish is poor, it will be harder. Try and learn as much as you can before and during.
Make friends in the kitchen with the jefes and the other stages, they will help you in so many ways, from being your support group to teaching you new things. They are from all over the world and they have widely difference experiences and backgrounds. They can be great friends and professional contacts. Don’t let the people who complain all the time bring you down. Everyone can learn something from this place you just have to figure out what you can learn and how to make this experience the best for you.
Try and stay in Europe for longer afterwards, whether for travel or staging at other restaurants. There will be opportunities, use your friends at the restaurant, and the amazing people from Basquestage program.
Make sure you bring all your own chef wear, they don’t supply aprons. Be prepared before you start working because once you do you’ll have less time than you think to get errands done. I personally liked having a supply of sharpies, kitchen tweezers, small scissors, and razor blade. Of course take plenty of notes.
A Letter to Future Stages from Cameron
Posted in BasqueStage