Bon Appetit to their Dogs

The hats we wear professionally are often neon signs that reveal what it is we do. If you doubt this, name the profession associated with the hat in the photo below:

Credit: Getty Images/Unsplash+

Even though this man is outside of a kitchen setting, we all know that he is a chef because he is wearing the classic white toque. The head covering can be traced back to the 16th century, though the practice of wearing one really took off in the 19th century because of the influence of two French chefs, Marie-Antoine Carême and Auguste Escoffier. The white toque quickly spread beyond France because it not only kept hair and sweat out of food being prepared in hot kitchens, but because it came to symbolize culinary professionalism.

Over time, the hats came to represent kitchen hierarchy: The tallest hat – or the one with the most pleats – is worn by the most experienced person in the kitchen, the head chef. Chef toques can be a point of pride for a chef, something that connects them to the rich history and traditions of their profession.

That said, not everyone thinks so these days. Some in the profession regard the hat as an outdated accoutrement, a mobility-constricting accessory that subscribes to an antiquated world where formality and hierarchy rule. There is probably middle ground here, but just as likely is that it is a debate best left to people in the profession.

We used the toque as a jumping off point to mention that a good many professional chefs and cooking experts have owned purebred dogs. Ree Drummond’s Basset Hounds, Emeril Lagasse’s Boxer, Guy Fieri’s Chihuahua, “Smokey,”  the Cardigan Welsh Corgis Alton Brown a few years ago, and, of course, the succession of purebred dogs that Gordon Ramsay has owned including ‘Bruno,’ a Cocker Spaniel, ‘Truffle,’ a French Bulldog, and ‘Rumpole’ and ‘Tomato,’ both Bulldogs. We shouldn’t forget Jamie Oliver’s Border Collie, ‘Conker,’ and maybe you know Sean Brock?

An expert in Southern cuisine, Sean Brock won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast, was a four-time finalist for Outstanding Chef, and was a three-time finalist for Rising Star Chef. If his name is familiar to you, it might be because he was also featured on Netflix’s popular “Chef’s Table” series, and was the host of Season 2 of the Emmy Award-winning television show, “Mind of a Chef.”

Brock is a Pug man, and more specifically, the man who belongs to ‘Yuzu.’  First mentioned to the public in a Tweet on the now “X” platform, Yazu would be about twelve years old now. In keeping with his master’s area of expertise, Yuzu is said to be especially fond of grits

A nice photo spread of Brock and Yuzu appears in Bon Appetit on-line.

For anyone interested, we found a dog size chef’s hat here.

Image: Beagle in chef hat by miki-tiger/iStockPhoto

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