The kitchen T-shirt, why not?

When I started out in the professional kitchen, the standard issue uniform was made I think of plastic made into strings and then woven together into what would later resemble some sort of chef’s jacket. With the hotel name stitched on, I wore it proudly, strutting my stuff around the kitchen, showing off to all and sundry that I work for the greatest hotel in Manila. Over time the material was, shall we say, grew uncomfortable.

For anyone who knows what the professional kitchen is like, you know where I am coming from. It’s hot, it’s fast, it’s cramped, it’s dangerous. The uniform proved to be a hindrance in most cases while working. The material, being plastic based, or some synthetic crap, absorbs contact heat like anything. As splash of hot oil? 1st degree burn since the burning liquid stays on the jacket. Hot oven blast after opening the door?  Your torso continues to bake up to the time when you lay out the dishes on the buffet. The Hotel school I attended always emphasized the importance of an undershirt. Now I know why. It insulates you from the heat. It absorbs blood and sweat easily. It protects the scraping of cheap polyester material across your backside. And when you are off duty, you still look presentable, since the food splatters have not marred the beauty of the graphic design you so painstakingly had to scour the entire mall for.

I have a few T-shirts. Most of them white, but I do have some cool black ones, courtesy of my girlfriend who used to work for the liquor industry. It does make a difference when working with a comfortable undershirt. A crew neck T-shirt is best. For the stylish, Carson from the Queer Eye suggest a V-neck. Not for kitchen work, though. The V-neck is best prancing around in suit.

I made the following designs, in addition to what is already on store. I am going to make a few prints for my work. This at least makes it special. My own. Made of a great cotton blend, they are flexible,

The designs are simple. Minimalist. Straight to the point. Such as my cooking. What designs do you like? What do you think of the designs above? Some have already made orders. Interested? Leave a comment, please.