The Garde Manger Profession 1 Chapter Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Garde Manger Profession1Chapter

Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Garde Manger Profession

Before reading this chapter, you should have already learned:

• About basic food-service equipment.

Chapter Pre-Requisites

1Chapter



After reading this chapter, you should be able to:• Recount the history of the garde manger profession from early food

preservation to modern times.• List the 12 attributes and characteristics of a successful garde

manger chef.• List and define the 6 types of service.• Identify various types of food-service operations that provide

opportunity for garde manger work.• Identify large and small equipment used for garde manger work.• Design a restaurant garde manger service line and set up a garde

manger station.

Chapter Objectives

1Chapter



The Three Definitions of Garde Manger• A place in which cold foods are prepared and stored.• The person in charge of cold foods preparation and

preservation.• The craft, or profession, of cold foods preparation.

The History of Garde Manger

1Chapter



Food Preservation in Prehistory• The garde manger profession began with the need to preserve food.• The practice of food preservation is much older than the term garde

manger.• Long before humans created organized societies, they already

knew how to preserve foods.• The first dependable method of preserving food was drying it.• Perishable moist foods, such as meat and fish, were made less

perishable by placing them in the sun to dry.


1Chapter



Food Preservation in Prehistory• Adding salt to the food, either by soaking it in seawater

or rubbing it with mineral salt mined from the earth, helped foods dry faster and keep longer without spoiling.

• While the foods were drying, they were sometimes hung from poles over a smoky fire to keep away insects and animal predators.

• Humans soon learned that smoke made these foods taste better as well.


1Chapter



Food Preservation in Prehistory• Farm families were early practitioners of garde manger.• They developed better drying techniques and began to

use other flavorings– e.g., herbs, spices, wine, and beer, along with salt.

• They discovered that:– Tough meats could be tenderized by chopping/grinding them

into little pieces– Adding lots of fat, salt, and spices to their ground meats made

them keep longer and taste better.


1Chapter


Garde Manger in the Classical Cuisine Period• During the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance, foods prepared

for the aristocracy were overly elaborate and heavily spiced.• In the mid-1600s the taste of European food, and the style in which

it was served, slowly began to change.• This can largely be credited to Pierre François de la Varenne , the

first French chef to break with Italian-influenced medieval tradition.– La Varenne stressed the importance of natural flavors, lighter sauces,

and fresh vegetables.

• At the same time, new ingredients from Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas were added to the European larder.



1Chapter



Garde Manger in the Classical Cuisine Period• A lighter, more modern style of cooking resulted in new

dishes and new opportunities.

• Salads of leafy greens with vinaigrette dressings took their place among the heavier cooked foods and became the standard accompaniment to roasted meats.

• More refined cold dishes combined meat, poultry, or fish with vegetables.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in the Classical Cuisine Period• The evolution of French cuisine from La Varenne

through Escoffier is frequently referred to as the classical cuisine period of French cooking.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in the Classical Cuisine Period• In the late 1800s, grand hotels such as the Waldorf-

Astoria in New York and the Stanford in San Francisco brought in French chefs.

• The French chefs created a new style of cooking:– Continental cuisine: a combination of classical French cuisine

with North American ingredients and taste preferences. • Later, it incorporated Italian cuisine elements as well.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in the Classical Cuisine Period• One of the most prominent features of continental

cuisine was the lavish cold buffets prepared and presented by the garde manger department.

• The formal cold buffet increased work opportunities for garde manger chefs.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in the Classical Cuisine Period• By the time of Escoffier’s death in 1935, the profession

of garde manger chef had developed into its modern form.


1Chapter


Escoffier, Georges-Auguste


Star Chefs of Classical Cuisine• Carême, Marie-Antoine was a great innovator of European

cuisine. Carême rose to culinary stardom around 1800. • Carême’s writings influenced restaurant cooking. • He is most famous for his pièces montées .


1Chapter



Star Chefs of Classical Cuisine• Pierre François de la Varenne , known simply as La Varenne, is

considered the founder of modern French cuisine. – Credited as the first to use roux as a thickener, and to refine the

technique of dough lamination to make an early form of puff pastry.

– Lightened and simplified European cooking and popularized fresh vegetables and herbs.

– La Varenne wrote an important cookbook in 1651 entitled, La Cuisinier François, which contains recipes still in use today.


1Chapter



Classical Cuisine and Culinary Competitions• Cold platter presentations and pièces montées, or

showpieces, of classical cuisine are a mainstay of modern culinary competitions.

• Plate presentation and team buffet presentation are additional categories.


1Chapter



Attributes and Characteristics of a Successful Garde Manger Chef

• Basic training and general experience: – A garde manger chef must be thoroughly grounded in the basic culinary

principles and skills of European and North American cuisines.

• Formal culinary education: – Today’s competitive entry-level job market makes a culinary school

education virtually a necessity.

The Successful Garde Manger Chef

1Chapter




• Manual dexterity: – Much garde manger work involves handling tiny food décor items and

placing them accurately on small pieces of food.

• Physical stamina:– Garde manger chefs are frequently on their feet for long hours and may

have to lift and carry heavy objects.


1Chapter




• A well-developed sense of taste:– Garde manger chefs need a sensitive palate.

– Because cold temperatures dull taste receptors, cold foods are more difficult to evaluate and season.

• Artistic ability:

– Garde manger dishes depend strongly on visual appeal.

– A sense of color and design is important.


1Chapter




• Mathematical ability:– You must be able to quickly and accurately scale formulas up and

down, and make weight-volume conversions.

– Bad math often results in failed products and can even be dangerous.

• Knowledge of food management and sanitation:– Foods served cold are even more susceptible to infestation by harmful

pathogens than hot foods.

– Garde manger chefs must be doubly vigilant about sanitation, and must thoroughly understand and enforce safe food-handling practices.


1Chapter




• Good interpersonal skills: – Garde manger involves teamwork.

– To succeed, you must be able to follow instructions, accept constructive criticism, help and support coworkers, and help maintain morale.

• A sense of urgency: – Time is money.

– Be aware of labor costs, and accomplish all tasks as quickly as possible without being sloppy or careless.


1Chapter




• Attention to detail: – Small but important details can make or break the success of a garde

manger preparation.

• The ability to organize and plan:– Organizing garde manger events requires ordering food ingredients,

presentation serviceware and equipment, linens, and props.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in Nouvelle Cuisine• Just as La Varenne is credited with the transition to

classical cuisine, Fernand Point is for nouvelle cuisine. • Nouvelle cuisine:

– This new style of French cooking emerged in the late 1960s and became world famous in the early 1970s.

– Point’s culinary philosophy included seeking simplicity and perfection in all of his dishes, openly sharing knowledge and techniques, and exploring new ideas.


1Chapter



The Ten Commandments of Nouvelle Cuisine1. Avoid unnecessary complications.

2. Shorten cooking times.

3. Shop regularly at the market.

4. Shorten the menu.

5. Don’t hang or marinate game.

6. Avoid too-rich sauces.

7. Return to regional cooking.

8. Investigate the latest techniques.

9. Consider diet and health.

10.Invent constantly.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in Nouvelle Cuisine• As nouvelle cuisine chefs traveled the world, they began

to add international influences—both techniques and ingredients—to their dishes.

• Later chefs expanded on this principle to create new hybrid cuisines that mixed French cooking with Asian or Latin American ingredients.

• In the 1980s, this hybrid cooking style came to be known as fusion cuisine.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in Nouvelle Cuisine• One influence on the garde manger chef

was the new practice of plating food in the kitchen.

• Previously, most fine-dining French restaurants sent food to the table in platter presentation, to be portioned onto plates by the servers.

• Garde manger chefs began to create intricate plate presentations that included individual food portions formed in molds.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in the Twenty-First Century• Contemporary Advances in Garde Manger

– By the end of the twentieth century, the art of garde manger had seen several important advances.

– At the same time, one of its traditional functions, the fabrication of meat and poultry, had become virtually obsolete.

– By the 1980s, most food-service meat and poultry were being fabricated in packing houses or by meat and poultry purveyors.

– The elimination of in-house meat fabrication effectively freed the garde manger chef to spend time on more creative work.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in the Twenty-First Century• Contemporary Advances in Garde Manger

– In the1980s, growing concern with healthful eating increased the popularity of salads.

– With the influence of European and Asian cuisines, menus began to feature complex salads that included:

• cold seafood• poultry• meat • cold vegetables and leafy greens

– Charcuterie products, such as smoked meats and fish, and pâtés and terrines, have become popular appetizers and lunch entrées.


1Chapter



The Six Basic Types of Service1. À la carte service

2. Banquet service – Family-style banquet service

3. Buffet service

4. Passed service

5. Room service

6. Take-out service

Opportunities in Garde Manger

1Chapter



• Most all food-service businesses serve cold foods. – Large operations, such as hotels and institutions, have entire

departments in charge of cold foods preparation and service.– Smaller operations have garde manger sections staffed by one

or two chefs and assistants.

• Alternative garde manger career choices include artisan food production, food product research and development, and food styling.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in Restaurants• Unless a party or banquet is scheduled, all garde manger service in

restaurants is à la carte.

• In a small restaurant, there is frequently only one garde manger chef on duty during a particular service.

• In larger restaurants, you may have one or more additional chefs with you on the cold line.

Garde Manger in Catering• Different service styles are utilized for various types of events, including

passed or butler service, buffet service, and banquet service.

• Buffet work gives the garde manger chef the true opportunity to shine.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in Hotels• Hotel food service offers the largest variety of job opportunities

because hotels typically encompass many dining venues.• Virtually all hotel dining venues include garde manger positions.

Garde Manger on Cruise Ships• Garde manger chefs working on cruise ships have all the

advantages of hotel chefs, plus free travel.


1Chapter



Garde Manger in Institutional Cooking• As the people who live or work in institutions have become more

sophisticated and food-conscious, the operations that prepare and serve their food are finding it necessary to meet the demand for fresher, tastier, and more contemporary food.

Garde Manger in Private Clubs• The garde manger chef in a private club can expect to do cold line turn-out

work and to plan and execute banquets and cold buffets.

Garde Manger in Retail Stores• Retail sale of ready to-eat foods is one of the fastest-growing sectors of

food-service business.

• This trend is providing garde manger chefs with a wide-open field of opportunity.


1Chapter



Artisan Food Production• Artisan foods are high-quality, traditional-style, handmade food

products.• Artisan charcuterie products are among the most successful of the

artisan enterprises.

Product Testing and Development• Many of the characteristics of a successful garde manger chef are

also required for the testing and development of industrially produced food products.

Food Styling• Experienced garde manger chefs often make the transition into food

styling.


1Chapter



The Garde Manger Prep Kitchen• Garde manger subspecialties, such as charcuterie work and cheese

making, require their own specialized preparation equipment.

The Garde Manger Service line• A single service line consists of one row of equipment with a pick

up window situated above one or more of the equipment units.• A double service line consists of a front line and a back line

running parallel. • The cooks and chefs stand in the corridor formed by the two lines,

which is typically about 36-inches wide.

Garde Manger Facilities and Equipment

1Chapter



Refrigeration Units for the Garde Manger Line

• Refrigeration equipment has two main functions: 1. To keep prepared foods cold during

the service

2. To ensure the refrigerated foods are fast and easy to access.


1Chapter


Sandwich/salad unit fitted with over shelf


Optional Heating Equipment• Countertop convection oven is used:

– to accompany dips and spreads.

– for toasting croûtons for canapé bases.

– for toasting sandwiches.

– for heating slices of quiche and other savory pastries.

• A conveyor toaster works continuously and discharges the finished toast directly onto the work surface. – Commercial pop-up toasters work in the

same manner as domestic toasters.


1Chapter


.Conveyor toaster

Documents

The Garde Manger Profession 1 Chapter Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved