You’re in a busy kitchen for 12 to 14 hours. You’re on your feet. Standing, hustling through cramped spaces with food and who knows what on the floor under your feet. You are tired, your back hurts and you’re slamming dish after dish for hungry customers.

Oh, and did we mention the temperatures are sizzling and you’re sweating up a storm?

So what do you wear on your feet?

House slippers might feel nice, but they wouldn’t last a minute in a commercial kitchen.

The chef footwear of choice is often the Croc, a slip-on, slip-resistant rubber shoe that is designed to “lessen the stress of long working days by relieving pressure on your feet, legs and back.” One of the most chef-popular is the Croc Bistro in Mario Batali orange. Frankly, I have no idea why Batali-endorsed shoes would be orange because I seriously doubt he went to UT. But, you know, whatever.

Executive sous chef Tyler Malson of Hotel Icon’s Line and Lariat likes his Crocs because they’re easy to clean (they’re even dishwasher safe!) but not every chef, particularly in Texas, wears these clogs to work.

Clogs to the curb

As part of her recent transformation, award-winning chef Monica Pope not only turned t’afia into Sparrow Bar +Cookshop, but she also burned her apron and kicked her clogs to the curb, choosing to don a new leather apron and lace-up shoes for kitchen duty. They are Italian leather shoes from Aviito in New York’s SoHo.

Her favorite is a pair in blue leather with red laces but she also has a version in brown and mottled beige. I don’t know if it’s the new attire or what, but what she’s sending out of her kitchen is awesomely delicious.

Over in the kitchen at Katsuya by S+ARCK, chef David Coffman stays with the clog look but prefers Birkis to Crocs. His favorite Birkenstock is a simple black one. Chef Aquiles Chavez at La Fisheria also favors the Birkis, preferably in black or orange. (Perfect for Halloween, we assume.)

And Birkis seem to be way more popular with Houston chefs than Crocs: even chef Jason Bessent at Houston Texans Grille loves his black Birkis.

Jonathan Jones, executive chef of Monarch Bistro at Hotel ZaZa Houston says, “Black rubber Chef Clog made by Keen. When I am out I wear Red Genuine Patent Leather Snake Skin Stacey Adams Wingtips!”

Whoa, styling.

But there are other choices, some creative, some branded, some just plain Texas.

Creative footwear

For instance, take chef Vanessa O’Donnell, as creative as she is in the pastry kitchen with her sweets at Ooh La La, she is also fanciful when it comes to her shoes. She shows her love of all things cupcake even when it comes to footwear. Check out her adorable cupcake decorated Toms, shown in the picture sandwiched between her fur babies, Maddie and Bela.

And why not show a little restaurant pride and get your toes into some comfy sneaks while working the ovens and grills? That’s just what executive chef Brandi Key of Coppa Ristorante Italiano does.

As Key likes to say: “I'm Coppa from head to toe!”

And she is, check out her custom-made Keds she orders from Converse.com in navy and yellow leather with the Coppa name on them. Awesome.

But even Keds aren’t enough for a busy chef on the run. Just ask David Grossman at the hot Branch Water Tavern. When he’s crankin’ out his chicken fried oysters, bacon-wrapped Gulf shrimp and Harris Ranch New York strip steaks, he’s sporting Brooks Pure Cadence Running Shoes. ‘Cause he’s running big time in that kitchen.

And then there’s Randy Evans of Haven. Maybe it’s because this farm-to-fork chef spends so much time out in his garden or hunting farmers markets, or maybe it's because his restaurant was built with repurposed wood and equipment. Or maybe it’s just because he’s Texan and that’s the way he rolls, but his footwear of choice in the kitchen (and pretty much everywhere) is cowboy boots. But that wasn’t always the case.

“I started cooking in professional kitchens in 1995 and have worn all sorts of footwear,” Evans explains. “I started with Doc Martens, the sole always split due to the grease, then went to Knapp work shoes and I felt like an old man. I moved to Wolverine work boots but they were way too heavy.

"I switched to Birkenstocks, they were great, but did not support my step. I then started wearing Troentorp Bastad wooden clogs. I lived in them and wore them until the fire at Brennan’s. They were in my office and were lost in the fire.

"So finally I decided to wear Lucchese boots with a crepe sole. They are light, comfortable, and sturdy. I have three pairs I wear; black ostrich, brown pigskin and tan goatskin. My favorites are the ostrich!”

And that’s just how Texas chefs roll.