Working in a palace, but first finding the freezer

It’s a strange feeling to walk into a new place and suddenly have to start all over again. Where I used to know exactly where everything was without thinking, I now sometimes just stop. Doubting. Searching. And honestly, occasionally looking in the wrong place.

My plan to write twice a week again? That hasn’t really worked out lately. I started a new job and I’m still in my probation period. And you feel that. New people, different procedures, a completely different kitchen layout. It takes energy. More than I expected beforehand.

Starting over

It’s in the small things. Quickly grabbing something doesn’t exist yet. I regularly walk three times more than necessary, simply because I don’t yet know where everything is. I find myself at the wrong freezer. Or searching in the wrong storage area. Things that used to be automatic now suddenly require effort.

And that’s actually quite confronting. Apparently, you underestimate how much routine you build over time. How natural it becomes to know everything without thinking about it. Here, all of that has to grow again. Step by step.

At the same time, I work in a place that is anything but ordinary: the Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden. A former royal palace, with all the charm that comes with it. There’s something special about walking around there, even if you’re mostly trying to figure out where everything is.

160 plates later

By now, I’ve also worked my first large event. A three-course gala dinner for 160 guests. Which also means: plating 160 identical dishes. For me, that was new. Intense, but also impressive.

What stays with me most is how everything comes together. The kitchen, the service staff, the pace. In moments like that, it really feels like a machine that just runs. Everyone knows their role and everything falls into place. Being part of that gives a kind of satisfaction that’s hard to explain if you haven’t experienced it yourself.

And maybe that’s the moment where you realize: this feels right. Even though I still have to search, learn and get used to things.

The rest will come naturally. Give it some time, and I’ll know my way around here just as well. Including the right freezer.