Hard lesson learned: Never trust your co-workers.

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snowbrother

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I just want to vent a bit. I was working in a kitchen then I've been in for almost 2 years. It was only myself, the chef de cuisine and 2 sous chefs left in the kitchen finishing up service and working on some projects. I was working an overnight shift, so they left early and I stayed until the next morning. For this shift, I had a ton of prep to do, so I brought both of my knife kits, knowing that I am going to need them. I also brought my stones because I knew that some of my knives were going to be abused. Unfortunately, while I was busy cooking orders so the rest of the guys could leave... one of them walked out with one of my knife kits. All of them deny it and unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about it without proof because of HR rules, etc. So... just a warning to you guys, it doesn't matter how much you trust the people you work with or how nice they seem... just watch your back. Luckily, they only took one of my kits and left the other one, but I still lost about half of my collection.

The following is a list of everything I lost:
CCK KF2205
CCK KF2206
CCK KF2301
Fujiwara Terayasu Maboroshi No Meito Nakiri Kagugata 7 3/4”
Konsuke Fujiyama White #1 Deba 180mm
Konsuke Fujiyama White #1 Wa-Kiritsuke Gyuto 270mm Ebony
Tojiro 270mm ITK Bread Knife
Itto-Ryu Rentetsu Hand Forged White #1 Santoku 160mm
Massakage koishi bunka 170mm
Kikuichi Elite Carbon Hankotsu 150mm
Konsuke Fujiyama White #1 Petty Knife 150mm
Berti Large Chef Knife Anchor Tang Oxhorn
Berti Flexi Fish Filet Knife
Berti Pesto Knife (Mezzaluna)
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 1,000 Grit
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 4,000 Grit
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 8,000 Grit
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 16,000 Grit
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 30,000 Grit
MAC Black Ceramic Honing Rod
Hand American Borosilicate Honing Rod
 
you have my sympathies, you should see the list of knives that were stolen from me last year.
 
I just want to vent a bit. I was working in a kitchen then I've been in for almost 2 years. It was only myself, the chef de cuisine and 2 sous chefs left in the kitchen finishing up service and working on some projects. I was working an overnight shift, so they left early and I stayed until the next morning. For this shift, I had a ton of prep to do, so I brought both of my knife kits, knowing that I am going to need them. I also brought my stones because I knew that some of my knives were going to be abused. Unfortunately, while I was busy cooking orders so the rest of the guys could leave... one of them walked out with one of my knife kits. All of them deny it and unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about it without proof because of HR rules, etc. So... just a warning to you guys, it doesn't matter how much you trust the people you work with or how nice they seem... just watch your back. Luckily, they only took one of my kits and left the other one, but I still lost about half of my collection.

The following is a list of everything I lost:
CCK KF2205
CCK KF2206
CCK KF2301
Fujiwara Terayasu Maboroshi No Meito Nakiri Kagugata 7 3/4”
Konsuke Fujiyama White #1 Deba 180mm
Konsuke Fujiyama White #1 Wa-Kiritsuke Gyuto 270mm Ebony
Tojiro 270mm ITK Bread Knife
Itto-Ryu Rentetsu Hand Forged White #1 Santoku 160mm
Massakage koishi bunka 170mm
Kikuichi Elite Carbon Hankotsu 150mm
Konsuke Fujiyama White #1 Petty Knife 150mm
Berti Large Chef Knife Anchor Tang Oxhorn
Berti Flexi Fish Filet Knife
Berti Pesto Knife (Mezzaluna)
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 1,000 Grit
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 4,000 Grit
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 8,000 Grit
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 16,000 Grit
Shapton Glass Sharpening Stone 30,000 Grit
MAC Black Ceramic Honing Rod
Hand American Borosilicate Honing Rod

as i read down your list i started feeling sick... i was robbed of some very precious things ... you have my sympathies ..
i recently reviewed my home owners insurance and was asked what i had of value in the house.. [knives and guns] .. they are covered as are things stolen 'off site' you might want to contact your carrier.. given your list it is worth a try.
 
My renters insurance covers knives stolen at work. Good luck!
 
I already talked to the renters insurance.. they won't cover it. The only thing to do now is start collecting again. Atleast I have my old apprentice knives to fill in the empty slots until I get better.
 
Perhaps keep an eye on ebay and that sort of thing? Do you have any pawn shops in you area? If so it might be worth keeping an eye on them
 
Your employers don't feel like leaning on the other people who were there while it happened?
 
I feel your pain. I once had one of my crew take my entire kit from my office. It sucks a lot worse than the value of a few knives or stones when you realize some one on your crew will gladly stick you in the back when your not looking. AFAIK no home owners, renters etc will cover any work related tool. Your employer however should have insurance and at least make some effort to make you whole. The police can't do much unless you had your knives engraved.
 
Are there any security cameras on site that you could reference?

Just awful man...having to work somewhere that you know there is a thief amongst them is unsettling.
 
Sorry to hear that - thieves should have their thumbs broken. I'm missing something out of my office - you know - that has a lock on the door - and the only other people who have a key is maintenance and security. I also had a tool kit lifted from my bucket in the catwalk so I'm with you there.

At this rate everything we own will have a lo-jack on it.
 
Your employers don't feel like leaning on the other people who were there while it happened?

The problem is that I'm just a cook. The other three people present were chefs. They don't want to risk losing them over accusations, so they basically told me to suck it up and deal with it (in a much more hr friendly way). The police cant do anything without proof that I saw them.
 
The problem is that I'm just a cook. The other three people present were chefs. They don't want to risk losing them over accusations, so they basically told me to suck it up and deal with it (in a much more hr friendly way). The police cant do anything without proof that I saw them.

So, basically they are happy to have a thief working there.

I am really sorry to hear your story, it must be hard for you to have to go back to that kitchen. Do you have your own suspicions? Did one of them look away suspiciously when you raised the alarm? (Could it have been an opportunist walk in thief?) Did they admit that it must have been one of them but there was nothing to be done?

I guess if there are three, then TWO of them didn't steal your knives. It was probably the boss. Get a better job and then name and shame.

Hard hard hard.
 
@rdpx I have my suspicions as to who it is, but I can't prove it. He has been eyeing my knives for a long time. I neve thought he would have the tenacity to do it. The restaurant just got one of the top 8 spots in DC according to the Washingtonian, so I'm just surprised it woul happen there. That is also why they don't want to fire the person that did it. Since they won't do anything about it, I told them that I can't work there with a thief. So, I start a new job on Thursday in Northern Virginia. The new chef I will be working for has a lot more skill and focuses entirely on the cuisine that I like to do, farm-to-table. Every ingredient they use comes from Virginia. The chef even goes and forages for stuff to use on the menu.

@pensacola tiger: Sort of, they took the only boning knives I had, my only suji, my only deba and the filet knife. I'm set on cleavers, guutos and petty knives though, lol. They also took my only cimeter, my garasuki and honesuki. I was so frustrated when I made the original post that I forgot to list those, heh. It was my butcher bag with my backup gyutos and petties along with my stones that they took.
 
Perhaps keep an eye on ebay and that sort of thing? Do you have any pawn shops in you area? If so it might be worth keeping an eye on them

I've been watching ebay. It's going to be hard to check all of the pawnshops, since I work in DC. It's a big city, but people commute from Maryland and Virginia as well, so I would have to cover those areas too. I hate to admit it, because I would love to find them, but I don't think I will ever see those knives again.
 
@rdpx I have my suspicions as to who it is, but I can't prove it. He has been eyeing my knives for a long time. I neve thought he would have the tenacity to do it. The restaurant just got one of the top 8 spots in DC according to the Washingtonian, so I'm just surprised it woul happen there. That is also why they don't want to fire the person that did it. Since they won't do anything about it, I told them that I can't work there with a thief. So, I start a new job on Thursday in Northern Virginia. The new chef I will be working for has a lot more skill and focuses entirely on the cuisine that I like to do, farm-to-table. Every ingredient they use comes from Virginia. The chef even goes and forages for stuff to use on the menu.

@pensacola tiger: Sort of, they took the only boning knives I had, my only suji, my only deba and the filet knife. I'm set on cleavers, guutos and petty knives though, lol. They also took my only cimeter, my garasuki and honesuki. I was so frustrated when I made the original post that I forgot to list those, heh. It was my butcher bag with my backup gyutos and petties along with my stones that they took.


New job, new state! Great stuff. Call the police, they might not be able to arrest anyone but they must at least show up for a report of a theft of $XXXX, surely? And they can take a list of everything that got stolen. Then call The Washingtonian, and your local paper.
 
@pensacola tiger: Sort of, they took the only boning knives I had, my only suji, my only deba and the filet knife. I'm set on cleavers, guutos and petty knives though, lol. They also took my only cimeter, my garasuki and honesuki. I was so frustrated when I made the original post that I forgot to list those, heh. It was my butcher bag with my backup gyutos and petties along with my stones that they took.

I can lend you a suji, a deba and a honesuki until you can get replacements, if you'd like. PM me.

Rick
 
PM me as well and let me know what you need to get by. That's what PIF is for.
 
That is extremely generous of you guys, but the new job doesn't pay as much and with the longer commute + moving, my funds are going to be short for a while. I honestly don't know when I will be able to buy new knives to replace them.
 
If your knives cannot be protected then VENGEANCE must be dealt.

Although the police might deem this to be a waste of time, it's worth it to get on file at least. Get it on record with names and details. It's best to get the ball rolling. Who knows, you may not be the only victim. Also there may be outside cameras that they would have access to.
 
I can lend you a suji, a deba and a honesuki until you can get replacements, if you'd like. PM me.

Rick

PM me as well and let me know what you need to get by. That's what PIF is for.

I gotta tell ya, I've only been a member of this forum for a couple of months but this isn't the first time I've seen this kind of response. You truly are some stand up kind of guys and I salute you :doublethumbsup:

I'll be upgrading to a paid membership next payday.
 
Snowbrother that is exactly what the pay it forward knifes r for. Many here have given them for this reason and also to get new guys some great tools they can use. No payment is needed unless you want to pay for shipping.

I would also take Pensacola Tiger and Lefty have great knives you could "Try out for a while", which I would take advantage of.

Also Mr. Drinky was doing a loan out libary.

mkriggen: It is a great place to sit back and spend hours reading and conversing (believe me). Also being able to upload photo's makes it even more so.

I hope the person-'s responsible is caught and dealt with in the future. Good luck with the next place. Hope it is a better step in your path.
 
New job? Then definitely call the cops. Screw em.

;- (

I'm not sure I have much that would be of use in your work, but I've got an AS 210 gyuto that I just tuned up and could share if it would help.
 
" Unfortunately, while I was busy cooking orders so the rest of the guys could leave... one of them walked out with one of my knife kits. "

The problem is that I'm just a cook. The other three people present were chefs. They don't want to risk losing them over accusations, so they basically told me to suck it up and deal with it (in a much more hr friendly way). The police cant do anything without proof that I saw them.

Feel Sorry for you too. I hate things being stolen as my person wld have been violated.

I wld definitely insist that they tehy their job! if you dont, they will not come over and deal with other cases. A police report must be made as what if it appears at a crime scene and yr finger print is on it? Police shld investigate and get proof .. that's what they are for in the first place. The very minimum, shld haul in those that we working with you then.

Pester them if you have to as it is yr right..


The employers attitude is "HR friendly", what about being HR friendly to you? They will have to do something about it and the message they are sending is... it;s all right to steal in the work place. Doesn't sound like a good place to work in teh first place and you have nothing to lose by pursuing the matter. Do what is right and needed..

Good luck.

rgds
d
 
" Unfortunately, while I was busy cooking orders so the rest of the guys could leave... one of them walked out with one of my knife kits. "



Feel Sorry for you too. I hate things being stolen as my person wld have been violated.

I wld definitely insist that they tehy their job! if you dont, they will not come over and deal with other cases. A police report must be made as what if it appears at a crime scene and yr finger print is on it? Police shld investigate and get proof .. that's what they are for in the first place. The very minimum, shld haul in those that we working with you then.

Pester them if you have to as it is yr right..


The employers attitude is "HR friendly", what about being HR friendly to you? They will have to do something about it and the message they are sending is... it;s all right to steal in the work place. Doesn't sound like a good place to work in teh first place and you have nothing to lose by pursuing the matter. Do what is right and needed..

Good luck.

rgds
d

+10 I would also let everyone know that I worked with what had happened, and how the employer is handling it. Even if you are moving with the same company.
 
I talked to the police after work and they did a report, they said there isn't much they could do without actually seeing them take it or a surveillance video or something, but at least it is on file. I told all the other cooks there to watch their knives close, as well as spreading word around to other restaurants that I know cooks/chefs in. The current restaurant might now do anything about it, but word spreads fast in kitchens.

You guys are extremely generous. I hope to be in the position to help people out in the future as you guys have helped me. I will never forget this, this is a truly amazing community.
 
I have a vintage carbon steel chinese slicer if you like, It was my first knife I ever bought and will take a hair poppin edge. yours if you treat her right. Might be able to dig up some other pieces too. send me a pm and we'll get the ball rolling
 
I nearly wept when I had one knife disappear. My whole kit...I cannot even imagine the loss. Hope something good comes out of this for you.
 
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