Proud History of the Chef’s Uniform
It’s all about pride. If you have it in your profession, you will have it in your uniform, no matter what your walk of life. With the Chef’s uniform, there is more at stake than just keeping the uniform clean and white. A dignified look helps generate a feeling of professionalism. When you don the toque, jacket, checkered pants (black), necktie, apron and side towel, you are continuing centuries old traditions.
The Toque – The Chef’s hat, or toque, goes back to ancient times. Thousands of years ago in Assyria, poisoning was a common way for a person to rid himself of enemies. Aware of this problem, Assyrian royalty selected their cooks carefully. Responsible for the King’s safety, Chefs were paid handsomely in money and land, to avoid the temptation of being bribed by the King’s enemies. They were entitled to wear a crown of a similar shape to the royal family employing them, although made of cloth and lacking in jewels. In the early 19th century, Chef Boucher, who cooked for the Prince of Talleyrand, insisted that everyone in his kitchen wear a white toque for sanitary reasons. It kept hair up and out of the food, while absorbing some of the moisture from an overheated brow. The tower of air inside the Chef’s hat kept the head cool in a hot kitchen.
Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935), the father of modern cuisine, favored the comfort and imposing appearance of the tall, starched and pleated hat, which became known as the white toque or La toque Blanche. Legend has it that the approximate 100 pleats on today’s toques represent the number of ways a chef knows how to prepare an egg. “A cuisinier is judged worthy to wear La Toque Blanche only through his perfect workmanship,” Escoffier once said. He developed the practice of different toque heights to delineate rank in the kitchen. That way anyone entering the kitchen would know who was in charge, and the status of each person working there. Today’s top Chef’s wear toques approximately 12 inches tall, while apprentices and amateurs have eight-inch hats. Harold McGee, in the Curious Cook, a book on kitchen science and lore, favors a simple baseball-style cap over the toque for at least one reason: oil droplets rising from a pan will fall and settle on the inside of a Chef’s glasses, unless the Chef is wearing a visored cap.
The Jacket – The double-breasted jacket was portrayed in Marie-Antoine Careme’s 1822 illustration, and was in full vogue by 1878. The advantage of these unique wide-flapped jackets was that if the front of the jacket became soiled, the flaps could be reversed with the dirty one hidden behind, to create a better appearance. Thus, the Chef could wear a clean jacket for twice as long. In addition, there were two layers of protection from spills, splashes, heat and steam.
The Side Towel – Nowadays, most Chef’s use side towels to protect their hands while lifting hot items from the stove or oven. When not using the towel, it is neatly tucked into the apron behind the Chef. The side towel is not meant to be used as a wiping cloth. If, out of habit or instinct, a spill is cleared with a side towel, it should be replaced immediately. Once they become even slightly wet, side towel’s can no longer insulate the hands. One pet hate for all chefs in the kitchen is when the side towel is flung over the shoulder, which is untidy and unprofessional.
The Apron Aprons – are worn over the jacket and around the midsection to protect the uniform as well as the Chef.
The Trousers – A Chef’s trouser has a small checkered pattern that is effective in disguising the inevitable stains, which develop while working.
The Shoes – High-quality, supportive and protective footwear is an often overlooked part of the uniform, but also a very important part, a fact to which anyone who stands all day can attest. Hard leather shoes with slip-resistant soles are recommended, both for protection and support.
‘Tackies’, are not allowed in the kitchen – although comfortable, they do not provide the necessary protection from dropped sharp objects or hot liquids.
The Necktie – The necktie, serves the same purpose to a uniform as a tie does to a business suit, and is tied in the same way. Originally, when kitchens were unbearably hot, the necktie caught and absorbed facial perspiration. It also had a medical purpose, keeping the neck and throat areas protected from the extreme fluctuations between the stovetops and the fridge’s. If the neck got to hot then to cold, the Chef could take ill, catching a cold, or worse yet, pneumonia.
When you walk into a kitchen with a bright, clean uniform at the beginning of a new shift, it is not only a measure of pride you have in your appearance, your skills and your profession, it is also a matter of health for your customers. You are showing that you are a member of a team, and a practitioner of a noble and ancient craft.
