The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-23
BIGGEST KITCHEN OF ALL.
the DoMAIy or THE COOKS At TIRE
KHLDORE-ASTORiA.

System That p1akea 1t Capable or Fiiifng the
Smallest Order and tho BirEcst With tho
Same Ease-Its Accomplished Chef-Tbc Art
or DininE Twenty Years AGE aud New.
There lie n kitchen in this city conducted just
like m enormous department store. 1t Is In the
Waldorf-Astoria and is the biggest kitchcn in
tho world. Things arc SO systcmatized down in
that basement that the work goes on as IL the
kitchen we're run by machinery, and well oiled
machinery at that. With n multitude of hun.
Rry people upstairs waiting to be fed, one would
imagine that there might DO no end OF fuss!ng,
fuming and laundering around below among
the COOK pots, but that is not the case. Things
move along as quietly and evorly and smoothly
rs they do in a woll.regulated family kitchen;
even more SO, perhaps, for the cooks In this
mammot kitchen aren't allowed to have any
bcaux or other company around. Tho most
humble guest can get his little dish of fried
hominy and sausages or whatever he wishes
just as promptly as a ten course dinner, every
course consisting of things out Of season, 10
served to the cpicure.
A woman reporter found herself wandering
around in this kitchen the other day just when
luncheon was being served upstairs. She
hardly knew how she got there, because the
kitchen is projected far moro carefully from in
truders than arc the fine parlors. reception
rooms and galleries of tho big hotel. But she
was there and 30 the bosses of tho various do.
partments concluded to make the best OF 1t and
treat her well. AT first she was almost dnzcd
by tho very bigness and cleanliness and silence
of the place. but when n high officer Of the
realm, q big-bodied, big-headed, handsome
faced young man. stepped up and said,
"Wouldn't you like to take q look aroundf' she
recovered the use Of tongue and limbs and after
that II was nip and tuck between them asking
onIean euvorinr nt,nutfnna
This young man turned out to be tho buyer for
the kitchen. He buys everything that is con-
sumed in the Waldorf-Astoria restaurants, din
Ing rooms, tea rooms, cafes and barrooms, from
oysters to coffee, and he Is 80 modest that he
doesn't think that 1t is any 10 at all to do this.
He doesn't even want to see his name in print.
oh! If some OF the spirit of this kitchen could
only be conveyed through the dishes served at
the luncheons of the woInen's clubs that meet
above said the reporter before she thought,
and the young man laughed a l.know.a-thing-
or-two-about-that laugh and then said:
you've been getting a general idea Of the
size Of this kitchen, and now I'll show you how
we have things systematized. This is the largest
kitchen in the world where elaborate service is
the order. There arc u few kitchens from
which as many people are served. but they are
institutions OF one kind or another and all the
peonle arc served at the Same time and with
the same articles Of food. and everything is
cooked at once in big pots. Hero everything.
of course. is cooked to order.
The Waldorf-Astoria kitchen is like a huge
department store. 1t is divided into the kitchen
piopoI' - ra 90 . - ~
waiters department. !he kitcnen proper ~
charge Of the chef. Adrien Tenue. introducing
tho man bimee,f "Adrien b,z bjs Kitchen al.
- - 80. -. - y.
vlded again INTO various departments ano ne
who command salaries ranging from S75 N
oeoo sn,an,n IT,. oao,,s = 49, m.n ~
white coats, aprons, and caps, who are pre-
siding here at the long rows OF ranges. They
consider their uniform as sacred as the Red
Cross people do theirs. and l wouldn't give
much for the life of a scullion who by chance
put on a cooks coat or cap. 1t Is a mark OF
honor when a cook. gets high enough up in the
arr OF science OF COOKERY 10 % aio"eo oy the
cheI TO aoopt tnat UNIFORM.
"ono department is devoted to roasting, an
~ ne 80 a. q .nitu ~ - mug, anu ano II
next winch Is under q woman, TO the prepara-
us ia riyen over entirely to souns and sauces
and another and a verv imnor,.n donartmant
is TINT devoted tn the serving Of raw articles
cold meats, and salads. Each one of these do,
SoStm.s.@ u,'a -, - - '. .9 u'0
partIleHts, IKE az ol tne otners l hu'en I men
tinnsu, II presiaea 9Ser oy an eAperi Mno ~ IN
aiViauaiiy Responsive to[ every ORDER nl!ed IN
MS department; lako the sauce COOK LOT an
example and. by the way he gets $500 a
m ph SupposG a walter DrlnSs back a dish
Whicn thlS COOK mas prepared, SAYING the
person VINO ordered u Is dissatisfied. lie
taxes tne uish 10 inc cneI ana inc chct
goes Witn ~ 10 tns sauce COOK ana Hnds out
What IS wrong, ana II necessary calls me sauce
cook down. Sometimes the sauce cook has for
" or ntty orders az once curing the busy hour,
ana when this Is the case he appoints two or
threo OF the most expert men under him TO help
superintend me hillng 81 these orders. put they
90 not snare ms responsibility 10 Inc che1; How
ever, remarkably rev dishes are returned 10 the
kitcneh as unsatisfactory. when one Is re-
turned the rule Is not TO question the matter or
TO exchange words about II, but to servo tho
guest with anything else he wants., Now, tho
other day l happened TO sec. myself a dish OF
lamb chops returned. An epicure would have
SAID that they, were perfectly cooked, but the
man VINO ordered them Simply, SAID TO tho
wafer, Il don't ike these LAMB chops, lie
didn1 say whether they were cooked too much or
Too little, and tho waiter would have been Sc
yerely reproved had he dared TO ask him why
he didn't like them. During the oyster season
we serve from three TO -FOUR thousand plates or
raw oysters daily, and 1 can't renien bcr the
time when one single plate has been sent hack.