Discussion of Marsha's Industry Standard: Wearing the whites

Thanks, Mark your wealth of knowledge is illuminating.
As I said before, I don't claim to have all of the information. I only wagered that more than a handful of restaurants employed a service to clean their white coats.
I didn't realize that my claims would ruffle your feathers so much and I stated originally it is my peculiar sense of observation that brought the white coats in public to my attention. Marsha's article was just a chance to point it out.
I also want to be clear that I wasn't attempting to offer insults to the profession.

Mark F, Outback, Tumbleweed, Merlot's, Ruth Chris, Logans, Bucca di, & Olive Garden, would make my short list for chains that launder their white coats (THIS IS A GUESS, there is no basis in fact, they may not even wear white coats in their kitchens). BTW, I'm no big shot, so I am may be absolutely wrong.

Stephen, I agree this argument is silly and most of us here are friends. That is to say we can have a discussion without resulting to thinly veiled insults and sarcasm to get our point across. Alas, though I'm just a pizza guy bound inside an 18 inch circle

Mark F, to answer your sarcasm with seriousness - the Pot Pie is an item devised for carb conscious and celiac pizza lovers, a simple way to get your pizza with less or no crust. My calling isn't particularly in the 18 inch circle (its more in the MA in Communication focused on rhetorical studies or in the twelve ounce fermented malt variety); but pizza seems to be a very popular circle with Louisville's restaurant scene and I've made it my livelihood for over four years as an owner.
Thanks for putting me in my place and I'll make sure to stick with what I know from now on.
Really a Beard House insult for the pizza guy from a sous chef - breaking news - neither of us will get that write up anytime soon

I'll buy you a coke based on the entertainment value of your ruffled feathers if nothing else. I'll meet you for lunch at Morris' Deli one afternoon and get you that Coca Cola. Send me a PM and we'll arrange it.

Marsha, my apologies for thread stealing. The piece is well written, enlightening, and entertaining.
As I said before, no offense is meant by my peculiar sense of observation.
As almost every chef/cook/food handler I've ever known has been a stickler for cleanliness/sanitation. I have no doubt about the passion the members of the industry have for cleanliness.

I honestly don't remember who first educated me about not wearing your apron/coat/etc outside of the kitchen area (could have been Andrew from Rockwall), but apparently I've been relentlessly influenced by sanitation nazis over the years.

Thanks
Shawn

Not outback, tumbleweed, or logans. They just wear whatever. Not sure about the others.

Most days when I eat lunch I'm wearing my chef coat.

Qualifying Chefs beginning with "Dan" and ending with "Thomas" are permitted to do as they damn well please.

Congrats to Marsha on another fine article. In the seventies and eighties almost all large hotels and fine dining establishments did in fact have a service that cleaned and pressed whites. Believe me I know, having worked at a dozen or more during that period. Not so much anymore I guess, cost being the biggest factor. Glad I can wear whatever I want now. Peace to all you those the wield the irons and knives. Bill

I launder all of my own chef coats and I keep a couple in minty condition, they are my "show coats" for when I know I have to do a demonstration or otherwise appear in public. The rest are smeared, stained, bleach speckled, and otherwise compromised from years of heavy use.

So there is a good chance if you see me in a reasonably clean coat, I'm doing something.

If you see me in a dirty one, I'm on my way home, and tired.

I launder all of my own chef coats and I keep a couple in minty condition, they are my "show coats" for when I know I have to do a demonstration or otherwise appear in public. The rest are smeared, stained, bleach speckled, and otherwise compromised from years of heavy use.

So there is a good chance if you see me in a reasonably clean coat, I'm doing something.

If you see me in a dirty one, I'm on my way home, and tired.

Yep, me too.

Marsha, great article.
You forgot to mention the down side of wearing whites.
Now i don't know about the rest of the chefs here, but when I walk around in the sports arenas and stadiums throughout my company there is always someone that will throw out "Hey, Chef Boyardee" or "Whats for lunch", or 'Hey, we should follow that guy". Never fails.
Once a group of support chefs walking back to our hotel after a 18 hour day catering to MicroSoft in DC passed a group of guys that just came out of a bar. One of the guys yelled sarcastically "hey look, it's Top Chef", I turned and offered back "That's Hell Kitchen you f'ing donkey's".

Disclaimer: I don't really like Hell's Kitchen, but it was pretty funny at the time.

Sean, you're right. People crack themselves up making the same lame comments we've heard a thousand times.

"What'd you bring me? Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk..."

"What's cookin?" (When I was younger, they used to add "good lookin'?" to that, but I haven't heard that one for a while

Look what I found on Gayot.com:

THE TOQUE, CIRCA 1700


Have you ever wondered about the origin of that towering, billowy (and slightly ridiculous) white hat worn by chefs all around the world? Chefs have played an important role in society since the fifth century B.C., but the hats didn’t begin to appear in kitchens until around the 18th century A.D. The toque is said to be of Greek origin; many famous Greek cooks, to escape persecution, sought refuge in monasteries and continued to practice their art. The chefs donned the tall hats traditionally worn by Orthodox priests, but to distinguish themselves from their fellows, they wore white hats instead of black. The custom eventually was adopted by chefs from Paris to Peking.