It’s common practice in the hospitality industry for aspiring chefs to do apprenticeships, or stages, at renowned restaurants. What’s less common is for those chefs to be juniors in high school. But that’s exactly what GFS junior Alex Goldsleger did for his Junior Project this January: learned the ropes of the kitchen at Zahav, the much-lauded Israeli restaurant from chef and cookbook author, Michael Solomonov and his business partner (and GFS parent!), Steve Cook. 

Goldsleger likes to cook, but doesn’t have much time with his busy schedule to make food at home. He said he chose Zahav as his Junior Project because of the high-energy, fast-paced nature of the job.

“I was excited by the idea of a project that wasn’t going to be sitting in an office,” he said.

The project, which was essentially an intensive in learning to be a prep and line cook (in a James Beard-award winning restaurant, no less), was indeed quite different from office work. Most days, Goldsleger worked a daytime prep shift, breaking down produce and herbs and portioning rice and spices for service. He also occasionally worked the line during evening service. Over the course of the month, Goldselger could see himself improving.

“I was timing myself at the start to see how fast I could do some of the tasks, and I've definitely gotten a lot better,” he said. “It's a lot of practice because [prep work] is so much repetition.”

Natalia Sabanina, the Chef de Cuisine at Zahav, noted that she often sees a huge growth trajectory in the restaurant’s interns. Many come in with limited experience and leave an essential part of the team. 

“Even in just one month, you can see them mature. We’ve had some kids who were with us the whole summer, and we’re like, ‘Can you just stay? We cannot do without you anymore!’” she said.

The interns usually start off working side-by-side with the cooks, and get assigned more responsibilities as their knife skills improve and their kitchen-awareness increases. Before long, they’re integrated in the busy operations of the kitcsabahen.

“The kids just pick it up—they're looking at everyone else and they just start doing it. The more we’ve shown Alex the same task, the faster he’s been able to just keep doing it without calling me,” Sabanina shared. “The confidence, and just how he moves in the kitchen, has really progressed.”

This level of hands-on experience for students considering a career in culinary is exceedingly valuable, Sabanina noted. She also said that the restaurant’s interns are usually college students, or high school students on summer break. She’s never encountered another high school program like GFS’ Junior Projects that allows kids to take a month during the school year to explore potential career paths.

“I wish in my childhood I had an opportunity like this to see the inside of a restaurant, because we often romanticize what we want it to be,” she said. “This work is hard. But some people find great gratification seeing that our hands can produce something and then seeing the guests enjoying that.”

On the last Friday night of his Junior Project, Goldsleger joined the other chefs, who affectionately nicknamed him “AJ” (Alex Junior), at pre-service line-up. Zahav’s Executive Sous Chef, Colin Elliot, ran down the night’s specials, private party reservations, and reminders about keeping the walk-in refrigerator organized. He also shouted out Goldsleger and thanked him in front of the team, who all gave him a hearty round of applause.   

The camaraderie and inclusive atmosphere is an important part of Zahav’s kitchen culture, Sabanina noted.

“This kitchen is calm, and we all count each other as a family member,” she said. 
 
Goldsleger echoed that as he reflected on the experience.

“The people here are so nice! I don't know if I did much to deserve it, but they're very supportive.”