Ever since I started interning at Oliveto, folks have asked: "How are your feet? Is it hard to stand up all day in a commercial kitchen? What shoes do you wear?"These are good questions. Uncomfortable shoes can make for uncomfortable food. Chefs, cooks and interns must inevitably stand in one place for hours, peeling garlic or shucking beans.
At first, standing all day was difficult. I had been working a desk job right up to my apprenticeship. But I quickly adjusted to eight hours on my feet. I credit that to an old pair of work shoes.
The shoes in question were an old pair of Timberland chukka boots, seen to the left. I purchased these about eight years ago, and they've been through hell. I took them to New Orleans to do some reporting after Katrina devastated the city. They took a licking, and kept on kicking.I had expected the cooks at Oliveto to wear clogs, and some do, but not many. The shoe of choice seems to be sneakers, followed by Crocs.
In the photo at top, you can see Chef Paul Canales' feet enveloped in a pair of Vans sneakers. Canales seems to wear a different pair of Vans everyday, with a footbed inset to provide better support.
Several considerations should go into kitchen shoes: Do they provide support? Do they protect your toes? Do they allow your feet to breath? Will they result in you tripping or losing a shoe as you dance across the kitchen to save a sauce that is about to boil over?
I like my old Timberlands. They have served me well. Undoubtedly they will help me make more meals before I finally give them the boot.
