A common theme to be sure at Reservation. A cook is only as good as the job he is doing presently. It is amazing to be in this environment surrounded by people that are really becoming a surrogate family for me. For the first time in my life I feel like I am in the right place surrounded by the right people and it is truly inspiring.
So I keep a notebook at work (right by my side) to take notes of what I’m doing and learning. Every morning I have now started putting a little note at the top of the page. This days was; “ I LOVE THIS JOB!”
What follows are the notes from my day as an example of how I keep track of what I’m doing;
Jus
Receive Meat
Put away Pastry
Roast Bones
Make Sun Dried filling for Chicken,
Puree Garlic
Peel 80 Pounds Yukon
Got my locker today
Put away produce
Cut Frisse
Make Hummus
Cut Yukon fries
Make Smoked Ketchup
Make Roasted Aioli
Make Chive Double Cream
Prep Omelette Station
Peel 2 more buckets potatoes
Plate Cheese
Plate Meat
Moreover so that you know this is also in conjunction with my assigned prep list now, which is;
Receive, label, Date and put away all receiving
Roast Beets, Garlic, Spaghetti Squash
Quarter Romaine
Peel baby carrots
Dice Bread
Halve Cherry Tomatoes
Put Nicoise Olives,
Shave Spaghetti Squash
Chop Romaine
Cut lards of Double Smoked Bacon
Cut Croutons
Make Truffle Vinaigrette
Peel Potatoes, Onions, Carrots
Mire Pois
White Mire Pois
Clean French beans
Puree Garlic
Grill Corn
Clean Scallions,
Herb Salad
Cut Fingerlings
Gauffrettes Russet Potatoes AND OF COURSE
Stock, Remi and Jus!
Now some of this needs to get done every day and some if it just a few times a week. But soon it will squarely rest of my shoulders to get all this done. Sounds a little daunting to some I’m sure but it is what I was born to do and this is where the journey begins.
These are the things that need to get done day in and day out for service. As the Apprentice Cook I am really making sure that the line has everything prepared for service. On top of which I have to do anything else that is thrown my way to prepare for functions with L. He is a machine. A Banquet and event machine. It is crazy watching him work, and for that matter, everyone there work. They all know what their doing, if they don’t they ask, and they do their job. Though at times they ride me a bit (its all part of the experience and getting your mind ready for more) to watch them work is a little daunting as I’m so slow and confused. I’m like a bull in a china shop and it frustrates me a bit. But to their credit they make sure that I just keep plugging away and doing my job. If I get a little frazzled I just need to slow down. Take a breath. Go for a smoke. Just get my head back into the game and then back to work.
Julia Child once said; “I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.” I started at 33 so there is definitely hope yet.
I hope you all have an inspired day.
A la prochaine
SDM
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
In the weeds... Again or the pains of learning and the desire to shine!
First off C on this our 6th Valentines day, I love and miss you but grow ever more in love and appreciative of just how truly wonderful and special a woman you are. Hope you had a great day!
The day started off normal enough, stock and remi combines and starts to reduce! That was no problem.
Finally realized what I was doing wrong with my knife skills. Rookie mistake is to actually take the word chop and intuit that you have to with strength... Chop! So I'm working on my brunoise and doing a piss poor job of it if I don't say so myself. My fingers were amuck with that nervous energy that comes from uncertainty. And I have a new cut today to show for it.
Then the eureka moment, buy a good knife and it will do what it is supposed to do. Make cutting less of a chore and more of something that is easy. Sure enough my fingers found their eventual stride and though I was no Man o'War nor was I first, second or show, I certainly became more comfortable with the knife and what it could do when used properly. After chopping three litres of shallots it hit me like an anvil dropped by the Coyote. The first three litres took me about an hour, the next two took me about twenty minutes. Still to everyone there it seems like a perturbing slow sand through the hour glass but for me it was in the words of Borat; "great success..." Or at least a moderately good one for a newbie like me.
Hey I'll take small victories every day over one big score when it comes to the kitchen.
After that I was tasked with doing all kinds of little stuff to get ready for tonight. Everyone had things that I needed to tend to.
So then (here come the weeds... Cue March of the empire and my impending doom at the hands of Darth Potato) I was asked to prepare Potatoes Duchess and believe me this duchess owned my ass. First you have to boil the potatoes, then put them through the ricer, then break enough eggs to procure their yolks that you actually start wondering why the hell the chicken did cross the road anyway.
I was told that I needed to add some butter and cream. Given the fact that (remember impending doom doom da doom) I was working with about fifteen to twenty pounds of potatoes I figured about a half pound (perhaps less) and maybe a cup of cream was right. Well let me tell you. Darth potato was not impressed. The "storm" flour now was on the rise but the death potato was unleashed. Sorry for the Star Wars references but I needed a little laugh. Cue chuckle.
At any rate I learned some very, neigh, extremely important lessons from this experience. First follow instructions CAREFULLY! If you are UNSURE or even if you think you know ASK. Better to ask and not screw up hours of work thus at the very least annoying (read I'm sure if I hadn't been a rookie I probably would have been spade and neutered and then fed myself with a nice Mad Dogs & Englishmen).
However true to form Head Chef rather than berating me or belittling me lifted me up. What had taken me a couple of hours from start to disaster he proceeded to do with me again from start to finish.
If you believe in past lives or some kind of universal confluence that enables ridiculous feats, watching this man work with a knife, would conjure up images of either a wise Japanese ninja or perhaps, though not in a twisted sense, Sweeny Todd. For every potatoes I peeled with a peeler he peeled two or three with a knife. While I chopped one potatoes into fine slices to enable them to cook faster he did three. But no (at least not that I've seen yet) he can't leap over tall buildings in a single bound though truth be told I really wouldn't be all that surprised.
He then proceeded to explain each step. First running in water to drain off starch. Then boiling in two pots, the first to remove more starch and then again one more time to finish the cook through.
After that I ran them through the ricer (as I had before) and we proceeded to try and tell that Duchess bitch that this was our block. All the way along he was pointing out the texture, the reaction of the starch and sugar. It really is quite amazing to start breaking food down to its base levels.
Again another first was attempting to pipe the mixture into the desired shape. I don't know the shape name but I will get it for my weekly round up of terms. Piping, yet another skill to add to the practice file. (Read get real good ASAP though time and experience are the best teachers.)
After all that, everything was back on track and again my day improved. I started moving quickly to meet the demands of the line all the while performing my own line duty (however small) which I mention as a special Valentines Day laugh for my lover. Tonight I was in charge of the Amuse Bouche! Yes babe, that's right I WAS IN CHARGE OF THE AMUSE BOUCHE. I love you!
For those of you who don't know, an Amuse Bouche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amuse_bouche) is a small morsel sent out by the chef to literally amuse the mouth and prepare it for the taste sensations it is about to receive. Tonight the Bouche was a leek and potato soup topped with truffle confetti. Oh YEAH!
Obviously tonight was for me, in a word, awesome (though lonely). It feels rewarding, fantastic, inspiring and I get to do the three things I've always said I wanted to do; create, implement and fix. Though I'm not really doing them yet (on my own) someday I will be.
Towards the end of the night I started cleaning and putting everything away as I do every night. I was going to go for a beer but as I have to be back at work soon (read I need to leave here in less than seven hours AND I didn't much feel like going out on Valentines without my love) I thought I'd come home and write here (or at least on my Blackberry on the way home). Plus a little more when I got home.
I did apologize profusely for my rookie mistakes and Head Chef let me know that it is far better to do something slow and right than fast and wrong (disastrous for me today my words not his). In his own way he reassured me. Both through his words and his actions. Both Exec and Head Chef are great mentors and I feel privileged.
I also let Exec Chef know how honoured I feel to be working under both he and Head Chef. With that awesome attitude he shot me a smile, shook my hand and said have a great night. We'll see you in the morning.
On that note, Charlie Trotter once said; “A jazz musician can improvise based on his knowledge of music. He understands how things go together. For a chef, once you have that basis, that's when cuisine is truly exciting.” True, thus making Exec Chef Dizzy to Head Chefs Byrd. Maybe someday I’ll be Miles!
Do something that scares you today and laugh about the fact you USED to be scared tomorrow. Be inspired.
A la prochaine.
SDM
The day started off normal enough, stock and remi combines and starts to reduce! That was no problem.
Finally realized what I was doing wrong with my knife skills. Rookie mistake is to actually take the word chop and intuit that you have to with strength... Chop! So I'm working on my brunoise and doing a piss poor job of it if I don't say so myself. My fingers were amuck with that nervous energy that comes from uncertainty. And I have a new cut today to show for it.
Then the eureka moment, buy a good knife and it will do what it is supposed to do. Make cutting less of a chore and more of something that is easy. Sure enough my fingers found their eventual stride and though I was no Man o'War nor was I first, second or show, I certainly became more comfortable with the knife and what it could do when used properly. After chopping three litres of shallots it hit me like an anvil dropped by the Coyote. The first three litres took me about an hour, the next two took me about twenty minutes. Still to everyone there it seems like a perturbing slow sand through the hour glass but for me it was in the words of Borat; "great success..." Or at least a moderately good one for a newbie like me.
Hey I'll take small victories every day over one big score when it comes to the kitchen.
After that I was tasked with doing all kinds of little stuff to get ready for tonight. Everyone had things that I needed to tend to.
So then (here come the weeds... Cue March of the empire and my impending doom at the hands of Darth Potato) I was asked to prepare Potatoes Duchess and believe me this duchess owned my ass. First you have to boil the potatoes, then put them through the ricer, then break enough eggs to procure their yolks that you actually start wondering why the hell the chicken did cross the road anyway.
I was told that I needed to add some butter and cream. Given the fact that (remember impending doom doom da doom) I was working with about fifteen to twenty pounds of potatoes I figured about a half pound (perhaps less) and maybe a cup of cream was right. Well let me tell you. Darth potato was not impressed. The "storm" flour now was on the rise but the death potato was unleashed. Sorry for the Star Wars references but I needed a little laugh. Cue chuckle.
At any rate I learned some very, neigh, extremely important lessons from this experience. First follow instructions CAREFULLY! If you are UNSURE or even if you think you know ASK. Better to ask and not screw up hours of work thus at the very least annoying (read I'm sure if I hadn't been a rookie I probably would have been spade and neutered and then fed myself with a nice Mad Dogs & Englishmen).
However true to form Head Chef rather than berating me or belittling me lifted me up. What had taken me a couple of hours from start to disaster he proceeded to do with me again from start to finish.
If you believe in past lives or some kind of universal confluence that enables ridiculous feats, watching this man work with a knife, would conjure up images of either a wise Japanese ninja or perhaps, though not in a twisted sense, Sweeny Todd. For every potatoes I peeled with a peeler he peeled two or three with a knife. While I chopped one potatoes into fine slices to enable them to cook faster he did three. But no (at least not that I've seen yet) he can't leap over tall buildings in a single bound though truth be told I really wouldn't be all that surprised.
He then proceeded to explain each step. First running in water to drain off starch. Then boiling in two pots, the first to remove more starch and then again one more time to finish the cook through.
After that I ran them through the ricer (as I had before) and we proceeded to try and tell that Duchess bitch that this was our block. All the way along he was pointing out the texture, the reaction of the starch and sugar. It really is quite amazing to start breaking food down to its base levels.
Again another first was attempting to pipe the mixture into the desired shape. I don't know the shape name but I will get it for my weekly round up of terms. Piping, yet another skill to add to the practice file. (Read get real good ASAP though time and experience are the best teachers.)
After all that, everything was back on track and again my day improved. I started moving quickly to meet the demands of the line all the while performing my own line duty (however small) which I mention as a special Valentines Day laugh for my lover. Tonight I was in charge of the Amuse Bouche! Yes babe, that's right I WAS IN CHARGE OF THE AMUSE BOUCHE. I love you!
For those of you who don't know, an Amuse Bouche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amuse_bouche) is a small morsel sent out by the chef to literally amuse the mouth and prepare it for the taste sensations it is about to receive. Tonight the Bouche was a leek and potato soup topped with truffle confetti. Oh YEAH!
Obviously tonight was for me, in a word, awesome (though lonely). It feels rewarding, fantastic, inspiring and I get to do the three things I've always said I wanted to do; create, implement and fix. Though I'm not really doing them yet (on my own) someday I will be.
Towards the end of the night I started cleaning and putting everything away as I do every night. I was going to go for a beer but as I have to be back at work soon (read I need to leave here in less than seven hours AND I didn't much feel like going out on Valentines without my love) I thought I'd come home and write here (or at least on my Blackberry on the way home). Plus a little more when I got home.
I did apologize profusely for my rookie mistakes and Head Chef let me know that it is far better to do something slow and right than fast and wrong (disastrous for me today my words not his). In his own way he reassured me. Both through his words and his actions. Both Exec and Head Chef are great mentors and I feel privileged.
I also let Exec Chef know how honoured I feel to be working under both he and Head Chef. With that awesome attitude he shot me a smile, shook my hand and said have a great night. We'll see you in the morning.
On that note, Charlie Trotter once said; “A jazz musician can improvise based on his knowledge of music. He understands how things go together. For a chef, once you have that basis, that's when cuisine is truly exciting.” True, thus making Exec Chef Dizzy to Head Chefs Byrd. Maybe someday I’ll be Miles!
Do something that scares you today and laugh about the fact you USED to be scared tomorrow. Be inspired.
A la prochaine.
SDM
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A F&^$%ing Spring roll?
My day started off, well, less than stellar. I’ve been missing my C and haven’t really been sleeping much. I rarely do when she’s gone but when I do I really sleep. At any rate last night I could only sleep for about two hours and I had a horrible dream so it was a rather restless sleep.
Our sweet car Delia is on the frits as well. So due to the comparatively small amount of snow that fell last night of course the entire city becomes paralyzed. What should take me no more than an hour and a few minutes to get to work took me almost two hours and fifteen minutes give or take. Naturally I took this as a sign of things to come but as I am living my dream I just kept smiling, reading my book and sending all the warmth and love I could towards NYC for my baby.
Arriving at work I poured a coffee which a few minutes later was spilled all over the cutting table by L. Another sign. So I tended to the stock, skimmed it and then started working on juliennning some onions, mandolining some carrots and mixing some noodles. Then L showed me how to roll a spring roll. It seems easy enough. Though I do recall that one of the few things that I’ve never been able to grasp when cooking at home is how to roll spring rolls. Is it because I’m left handed? Who knows? Anyway, I spent a while trying to roll these things and after an extended period of time did not give up but rather acknowledged that I was wasting time on a day that there was so much to do. I think that L was a little perturbed at first but after a while he realized that I was just getting frustrated.
A F&^$%ing Spring roll? I couldn’t roll a spring roll? For quite a while it adversely affected my day. Until I realized I also couldn’t brunoise a little over three weeks ago. I will get it. Anything I put my mind to.
I then moved on to fish and chips. Things went dramatically better there though I did knick my finger two more times. (Read two C… weird huh?) I then went to get an insert and banged my leg. Frustration was clearly on my face and so the Pastry Chef (J) looked at me and just said; “Hey take a deep breath” and then shot me one of those knowing smiles. I get the feeling that everyone has days like that in the kitchen. Today just happened to be my day.
Though after that everything got much better. We prepped a lot for Valentines Day which is going to be quite the feast (Don’t worry Babe, you and I will have our very own private feast when you get back. Think Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast). At any rate then we had a function for seventy people that I was helping L prepare the plates for. I’ve gotten a little better at plating. I know that over time I will get much better. But it went pretty smoothly. I was feeling quite a bit better by now.
At this point I was multi tasking and doing several things at once. Earlier I had prepped some mushrooms for risotto and of course did some fries for service. Easy tasks but enough to make me feel good. But by this point I was doing the plating, vac packing things and making a sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese filling for chicken for Valentines Day dinner. A had asked for a certain consistency and didn’t give me a recipe. He really just said Goat Cheese, Sun dried, A little cream and seasoning. I added some garlic to it and seasoned it the way that I thought it tasted good. One of the managers was walking by S and I asked her to taste it. Her exact words were; “That is awesome. What’s that for?” I told and her and went about my way.
Exec Chef also tasted it after it had all but a very minute amount been piped into the chicken. He too thought it was good. So my day ended much better than it started.
As I’ve said many times. I really enjoy the way that Exec Chef and Head Chef operate. A couple of times over the last week I’ve seen Exec Chef bring some people into the kitchen to demonstrate a certain piece of equipment we have. (I have another story about another piece of equipment we have relating to the big 800 person function that we did but I am going to wait until the next time we use it). Exec Chef is a not only our Executive Chef but he is also a Corporate Executive Chef for Garland (http://www.garlandcanada.ca/) A major player in the food service industry. He does all kinds of things for them which I found very interesting.
At any rate, today he had a couple come in so he could demonstrate this machine. As I was quartering the mushrooms I listened intently as he demonstrated it with tenderloin and a piece of fish. He speaks with such passion, such enthusiasm, clearly, directly and purposefully. I hope that one day I can speak the same way. It is clear through the way that he speaks he knows his stuff and that he is not some used car salesman. In fact not a salesman at all. Quite simply a man with the knowledge, know how and wherewithal to show people so they readily understand something. In the exact same fashion as he treats me when teaching me something. It is truly inspiring to have a mentor like him and Head Chef. I feel truly blessed but also the pressure of having to make sure that I live up to their expectations.
I also got to have a cigarette with someone else I work closely with who is usually in the other kitchen during service. S is a great guy. He knows his stuff and like me has no formal training. He let me know (as have numerous there now) that I will do just fine. He even said that he can see my progression and that by summer I will be well on my way to being able to navigate the things that seem difficult now. Everything with time and experience. It seems like an unspoken mantra at Reservation. Time and Experience people. The kitchen is a great metaphor for life on countless levels.
On that note; Robert Burton once said; “Cookery has become a noble art, a noble science; cooks are gentlemen.” Not only are Head Chef and Exec Chef gentlemen, their spirit ennoble those around them and make them better people. I hope you all have someone like that in your lives.
My day truly started in the weeds today but ended up making me feel empowered. I hope you all feel empowered and have an inspired tomorrow.
A la prochaine
SDM
Our sweet car Delia is on the frits as well. So due to the comparatively small amount of snow that fell last night of course the entire city becomes paralyzed. What should take me no more than an hour and a few minutes to get to work took me almost two hours and fifteen minutes give or take. Naturally I took this as a sign of things to come but as I am living my dream I just kept smiling, reading my book and sending all the warmth and love I could towards NYC for my baby.
Arriving at work I poured a coffee which a few minutes later was spilled all over the cutting table by L. Another sign. So I tended to the stock, skimmed it and then started working on juliennning some onions, mandolining some carrots and mixing some noodles. Then L showed me how to roll a spring roll. It seems easy enough. Though I do recall that one of the few things that I’ve never been able to grasp when cooking at home is how to roll spring rolls. Is it because I’m left handed? Who knows? Anyway, I spent a while trying to roll these things and after an extended period of time did not give up but rather acknowledged that I was wasting time on a day that there was so much to do. I think that L was a little perturbed at first but after a while he realized that I was just getting frustrated.
A F&^$%ing Spring roll? I couldn’t roll a spring roll? For quite a while it adversely affected my day. Until I realized I also couldn’t brunoise a little over three weeks ago. I will get it. Anything I put my mind to.
I then moved on to fish and chips. Things went dramatically better there though I did knick my finger two more times. (Read two C… weird huh?) I then went to get an insert and banged my leg. Frustration was clearly on my face and so the Pastry Chef (J) looked at me and just said; “Hey take a deep breath” and then shot me one of those knowing smiles. I get the feeling that everyone has days like that in the kitchen. Today just happened to be my day.
Though after that everything got much better. We prepped a lot for Valentines Day which is going to be quite the feast (Don’t worry Babe, you and I will have our very own private feast when you get back. Think Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast). At any rate then we had a function for seventy people that I was helping L prepare the plates for. I’ve gotten a little better at plating. I know that over time I will get much better. But it went pretty smoothly. I was feeling quite a bit better by now.
At this point I was multi tasking and doing several things at once. Earlier I had prepped some mushrooms for risotto and of course did some fries for service. Easy tasks but enough to make me feel good. But by this point I was doing the plating, vac packing things and making a sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese filling for chicken for Valentines Day dinner. A had asked for a certain consistency and didn’t give me a recipe. He really just said Goat Cheese, Sun dried, A little cream and seasoning. I added some garlic to it and seasoned it the way that I thought it tasted good. One of the managers was walking by S and I asked her to taste it. Her exact words were; “That is awesome. What’s that for?” I told and her and went about my way.
Exec Chef also tasted it after it had all but a very minute amount been piped into the chicken. He too thought it was good. So my day ended much better than it started.
As I’ve said many times. I really enjoy the way that Exec Chef and Head Chef operate. A couple of times over the last week I’ve seen Exec Chef bring some people into the kitchen to demonstrate a certain piece of equipment we have. (I have another story about another piece of equipment we have relating to the big 800 person function that we did but I am going to wait until the next time we use it). Exec Chef is a not only our Executive Chef but he is also a Corporate Executive Chef for Garland (http://www.garlandcanada.ca/) A major player in the food service industry. He does all kinds of things for them which I found very interesting.
At any rate, today he had a couple come in so he could demonstrate this machine. As I was quartering the mushrooms I listened intently as he demonstrated it with tenderloin and a piece of fish. He speaks with such passion, such enthusiasm, clearly, directly and purposefully. I hope that one day I can speak the same way. It is clear through the way that he speaks he knows his stuff and that he is not some used car salesman. In fact not a salesman at all. Quite simply a man with the knowledge, know how and wherewithal to show people so they readily understand something. In the exact same fashion as he treats me when teaching me something. It is truly inspiring to have a mentor like him and Head Chef. I feel truly blessed but also the pressure of having to make sure that I live up to their expectations.
I also got to have a cigarette with someone else I work closely with who is usually in the other kitchen during service. S is a great guy. He knows his stuff and like me has no formal training. He let me know (as have numerous there now) that I will do just fine. He even said that he can see my progression and that by summer I will be well on my way to being able to navigate the things that seem difficult now. Everything with time and experience. It seems like an unspoken mantra at Reservation. Time and Experience people. The kitchen is a great metaphor for life on countless levels.
On that note; Robert Burton once said; “Cookery has become a noble art, a noble science; cooks are gentlemen.” Not only are Head Chef and Exec Chef gentlemen, their spirit ennoble those around them and make them better people. I hope you all have someone like that in your lives.
My day truly started in the weeds today but ended up making me feel empowered. I hope you all feel empowered and have an inspired tomorrow.
A la prochaine
SDM
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Some of my Food... All Made with Love 5
Thats it for today... Its only about half of what I was going to put up. But I have lots of work to do.
Be inspired today. Live, love and laugh.
Al la prochaine.
SDM
Don’t Play With Your Food (file under categories Things Your Parents Should Not Have Said to You)
Heston Blumenthal’s More In Search of Perfection is truly an incredible book with the perfect marriage between the visceral animalistic response to food on a palette level AND the science behind the bodies response to food. His dense writing and extreme scientific approach to food makes it almost unreachable for the uninitiated. I have to tell you that being a cerebral (left and right brain) guy I find his work challenging. Moreover, the processes which he uses seem like something straight out Blade Runner or Star Trek as opposed to a kitchen.
Nonetheless, Heston opens up a world that once was foreign to me. I remember a long time ago I told my littlest brother that in order for something to become easy for him to learn he had to find a context appropriate to something that was second nature to him. In his case it is cars, for me, obviously, it is food. I hated science, I wasn’t very good at it, though I could pick up the concepts they meant nothing to me. That is until now.
Heston opened my eyes (as have all the books I’ve read thus far) to Chefs from across the ages. In this blog entry I am going to speak about Heston Blumenthal, one of his restaurants The Fat Duck and some of the chefs that he has exposed me to AND as a result of that exposure my firm belief that no parent should ever say to their child; “Don’t play with your food.”
Heston Blumenthal will travel to almost any length in order to find for him what equals ‘perfection.” Of course the very word itself proposes a problem. What “perfection” is to me may not be to another person. However his approach is methodical, scientific and of course tempered by his utter appreciation of food and the entire body experience.
He states that food is a multi – sensory experience; the look, aroma, texture, sound and taste all are part of the experience. Heston, in his search for perfection is looking for the perfect marriage of the body – brain experience. This is a very interesting concept to me as I believe (much less so in Europe or the Far East where the concept of a meal IS the experience itself) that food is looked at as merely sustenance. Something that we do only to fuel our bodies. I for one have never ascribed to this point of view. I through the years have thrown probably hundreds of dinner parties. At each I was trying to create an experience. Something that beyond the food would be remembered for years to come. I have included some of the photographs of meals I have made over the years here. Food is at its core a celebration of life itself. It is an experience that has become rushed in North America (as Exec Chef and I bemoaned at the event last week). I asked if we could change the culture of food here and he answered that he didn’t think so because we have had ‘fast food’ ingrained into our culture and it is difficult to overcome that. Perhaps I will in the future be able to overcome that. Only time will tell.
One of the great chefs that Heston introduced me to is Hannah Glasse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Glasse ). In short Hannah was the author of The Art of Cookery. The kitchen is an environment that as I’ve mentioned earlier is predominantly run by men. Hannah, a trail blazer on the title page of her book wrote; “THE ART OF COOKERY, Made PLAIN and EASY; Which far exceeds any THING of the Kind ever yet Published.” Many believe that food of a high quality is generally unreachable by the every day chef. However, Hannah challenged this belief and was highly regarded for her efforts (many even believed it was a man that wrote the book). If you read through the brief Bio of her at Wikipedia you will see that some even credit her as ‘The Mother of the Modern Dinner Party.’
Louis Lassen is the owner of Louis’ Lunch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis'_Lunch and http://www.louislunch.com/ ) in New Haven, Connecticut. Heston came across him while trying to find hamburger perfection.
Lassen is credited by the Library of Congress as being the first to serve Hamburgers and Steak Sandwiches in the United States. The burgers are made the same way today by the fourth generation of Lassens’ as they were by Louis over one hundred years ago. Moreover, he grills them on Bridge Beach’s Co No.1 Patent January 11, 1898. This of course is my birthday and I found it particularly interesting as now I’m paying careful attention to just about everything. You never know where that EUREKA moment is going to come from.
Also on the search for the perfect burger Heston ended up at Le Parker Meridien. Not exactly the place you’d expect to find the best burger unless you were thinking about some kind of Foie Gras melt in your mouth $200 burger. But of course New York is filled with surprises and I’ll be sure to get C to go and try this highly recommended burger. The Executive Chef there is Emile Castillo. There is a very small corridor that leads to one of the best burger joints in the whole of the United States (http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php ) . I will give you a first hand understanding of it once I get my reporter on the beat C to go. There is not much on Emile Castillo but as I find out more I will let you know.
In Search of the perfect Peking Duck Heston travels to Beijing, China. Da Dong was one of the many chefs at the state run Quan Ju De. As an interesting aside Heston points out that a placard there read; “Quan Ju De opened in 1864. It has served 115,390,636 since then.” I can’t even imagine. Can you? At any rate Da Dong is an incredible chef who is trying to put food into a cultural context. It is widely suggested that this is the finest Peking Duck anywhere in Beijing. My supposition then is that if it is the best there then it must be the best in the world. Again there is not much information about him out there but when I find more I will pass it on. Though I will say if Blumenthal says that he is a rising star I am sure to believe it.
George Blanc is a fourth generation restaurateur with a twist (http://www.georgesblanc.com/ ). His passion and drive have caused him to turn the small town of Vonnas, France into a virtual Blanc monopoly. He is widely considered one of the greatest restaurateurs in France and certainly one of the best chefs in the world. As a side note he did try to bring some of his famous Bresse to Canada for a showcase but was not allowed as it did not meet Canada’s stringent rules.
I mention each of these because I have the utmost respect for Blumenthal. If he finds these people worth exploring further than I feel I must.
So how does all this relate to my subject heading?
Who among us has not heard from our parents; “Don’t play with your food?” Every single one of us I’m sure. Now my question to you my loyal readers is this; Would Heston Blumenthal be who is today if he did not play with his food? Would I be on the journey that I’m on today without playing with my food? Therefore parents, please don’t tell your children not to play with their food, you may just have a budding three star chef on your hands.
I hope you’re enjoying my journey. As this is the don’t tell your kids not to play with their food entry I thought the following quote was particularly fitting from Walter Savage Landor; “A good cook is the peculiar gift of the gods. He must be a perfect creature from the brain to the palate, from the palate to the finger's end.”
When today you find that you would normally be upset, LAUGH! You’ll find it is quite good medicine. Be inspired today and take that LEAP towards fulfilling your dream. It all starts with just one step.
Al la prochaine.
SDM
Nonetheless, Heston opens up a world that once was foreign to me. I remember a long time ago I told my littlest brother that in order for something to become easy for him to learn he had to find a context appropriate to something that was second nature to him. In his case it is cars, for me, obviously, it is food. I hated science, I wasn’t very good at it, though I could pick up the concepts they meant nothing to me. That is until now.
Heston opened my eyes (as have all the books I’ve read thus far) to Chefs from across the ages. In this blog entry I am going to speak about Heston Blumenthal, one of his restaurants The Fat Duck and some of the chefs that he has exposed me to AND as a result of that exposure my firm belief that no parent should ever say to their child; “Don’t play with your food.”
Heston Blumenthal will travel to almost any length in order to find for him what equals ‘perfection.” Of course the very word itself proposes a problem. What “perfection” is to me may not be to another person. However his approach is methodical, scientific and of course tempered by his utter appreciation of food and the entire body experience.
He states that food is a multi – sensory experience; the look, aroma, texture, sound and taste all are part of the experience. Heston, in his search for perfection is looking for the perfect marriage of the body – brain experience. This is a very interesting concept to me as I believe (much less so in Europe or the Far East where the concept of a meal IS the experience itself) that food is looked at as merely sustenance. Something that we do only to fuel our bodies. I for one have never ascribed to this point of view. I through the years have thrown probably hundreds of dinner parties. At each I was trying to create an experience. Something that beyond the food would be remembered for years to come. I have included some of the photographs of meals I have made over the years here. Food is at its core a celebration of life itself. It is an experience that has become rushed in North America (as Exec Chef and I bemoaned at the event last week). I asked if we could change the culture of food here and he answered that he didn’t think so because we have had ‘fast food’ ingrained into our culture and it is difficult to overcome that. Perhaps I will in the future be able to overcome that. Only time will tell.
One of the great chefs that Heston introduced me to is Hannah Glasse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Glasse ). In short Hannah was the author of The Art of Cookery. The kitchen is an environment that as I’ve mentioned earlier is predominantly run by men. Hannah, a trail blazer on the title page of her book wrote; “THE ART OF COOKERY, Made PLAIN and EASY; Which far exceeds any THING of the Kind ever yet Published.” Many believe that food of a high quality is generally unreachable by the every day chef. However, Hannah challenged this belief and was highly regarded for her efforts (many even believed it was a man that wrote the book). If you read through the brief Bio of her at Wikipedia you will see that some even credit her as ‘The Mother of the Modern Dinner Party.’
Louis Lassen is the owner of Louis’ Lunch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis'_Lunch and http://www.louislunch.com/ ) in New Haven, Connecticut. Heston came across him while trying to find hamburger perfection.
Lassen is credited by the Library of Congress as being the first to serve Hamburgers and Steak Sandwiches in the United States. The burgers are made the same way today by the fourth generation of Lassens’ as they were by Louis over one hundred years ago. Moreover, he grills them on Bridge Beach’s Co No.1 Patent January 11, 1898. This of course is my birthday and I found it particularly interesting as now I’m paying careful attention to just about everything. You never know where that EUREKA moment is going to come from.
Also on the search for the perfect burger Heston ended up at Le Parker Meridien. Not exactly the place you’d expect to find the best burger unless you were thinking about some kind of Foie Gras melt in your mouth $200 burger. But of course New York is filled with surprises and I’ll be sure to get C to go and try this highly recommended burger. The Executive Chef there is Emile Castillo. There is a very small corridor that leads to one of the best burger joints in the whole of the United States (http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php ) . I will give you a first hand understanding of it once I get my reporter on the beat C to go. There is not much on Emile Castillo but as I find out more I will let you know.
In Search of the perfect Peking Duck Heston travels to Beijing, China. Da Dong was one of the many chefs at the state run Quan Ju De. As an interesting aside Heston points out that a placard there read; “Quan Ju De opened in 1864. It has served 115,390,636 since then.” I can’t even imagine. Can you? At any rate Da Dong is an incredible chef who is trying to put food into a cultural context. It is widely suggested that this is the finest Peking Duck anywhere in Beijing. My supposition then is that if it is the best there then it must be the best in the world. Again there is not much information about him out there but when I find more I will pass it on. Though I will say if Blumenthal says that he is a rising star I am sure to believe it.
George Blanc is a fourth generation restaurateur with a twist (http://www.georgesblanc.com/ ). His passion and drive have caused him to turn the small town of Vonnas, France into a virtual Blanc monopoly. He is widely considered one of the greatest restaurateurs in France and certainly one of the best chefs in the world. As a side note he did try to bring some of his famous Bresse to Canada for a showcase but was not allowed as it did not meet Canada’s stringent rules.
I mention each of these because I have the utmost respect for Blumenthal. If he finds these people worth exploring further than I feel I must.
So how does all this relate to my subject heading?
Who among us has not heard from our parents; “Don’t play with your food?” Every single one of us I’m sure. Now my question to you my loyal readers is this; Would Heston Blumenthal be who is today if he did not play with his food? Would I be on the journey that I’m on today without playing with my food? Therefore parents, please don’t tell your children not to play with their food, you may just have a budding three star chef on your hands.
I hope you’re enjoying my journey. As this is the don’t tell your kids not to play with their food entry I thought the following quote was particularly fitting from Walter Savage Landor; “A good cook is the peculiar gift of the gods. He must be a perfect creature from the brain to the palate, from the palate to the finger's end.”
When today you find that you would normally be upset, LAUGH! You’ll find it is quite good medicine. Be inspired today and take that LEAP towards fulfilling your dream. It all starts with just one step.
Al la prochaine.
SDM
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Passion
I’ve become quite comfortable with Brunch now. I, as always, arrived early for work and started at it right away. I’ve taken to writing a little something each day I work on butcher paper. I am keeping them all and will someday publish them. I had an internal argument as to whether or not to share an example with you here and guess what; the writing won. As I have shared here, none of this would have been possible with out the love and support of my friends and family. C, especially, has been my guardian angel. She has stood by me when no one else would. She is a true marvel in the world and I am fortunate to know the love we share. Most of what I’ve written so far has been a tribute (albeit nowhere near adequate) for the love, support, guidance and little (read necessary kicks in the ass) pushes along the way. I love you C;
Finally
Finally,
At peace with myself,
The internal dialogue a consistent strife,
Keeping me from me,
Has quieted,
Being replaced by the fan fare of trumpets,
Heralding my awakening,
Signaling a bright future,
Personal,
With love as my guide,
And too personal,
As in the kitchen,
I’ve come to find,
ME;
You are my beacon,
The prism of my soul,
Without whom none of this would be possible,
As I start another day,
Stepping into my future,
Now,
I am reborn,
As too is our love,
And I am grateful.
When I write it takes me about two or three minutes to produce something like that. I don’t think about it before or during. It is more like I am a conduit and the universe, God, or whatever you would like to term it, is flowing through me. It is my fervent desire that food becomes the same way for me. Not thinking about it (as I find that we are often in the way of ourselves) but instead further building on my intuition with food. Grasping all the knowledge I can so that I can become what I’ve always said I wanted to be. A RESTERAUNTEUR.
So I set up for brunch and then ran out for a smoke as again I was in the front of house. Brunch delivers me the opportunity to come face to face with some of Reservations clientele. As I mentioned last week at brunch, again this week, one man and a woman both mentioned that I was beaming. Asking why I gave them the same answer I gave last week; “How could I not be, I’m living my dream!”
The funny thing about dreams is that everyone has one. But not everyone is willing to do what it takes to make his or her dream a reality. Taking that first step that brought me into the kitchen was not easy. BUT, the moment I put on my whites for the first time. I knew. I KNEW that I was where I belonged and since then I have been reassured many times both by others and by that once really ugly voice inside of me that now sounds like my angel (C). That voice has made all the difference in my life now. I’m no longer running away from myself. From what I want. From WHO I AM!
After brunch was over we naturally ripped it down and cleaned the kitchen. I had asked Head Chef if he wanted to go for a beer after I was done work and he said he had a meeting but that he would love to after it was over.
I went over to our sister restaurant to let Head Chef know that my cell was dead but that I was going to go over and have a drink. He suggested that I have a seat at the bar (I asked if it was okay for me to have a drink there as in my contract it says that I can’t drink at work). He said sure. I had a Makers Mark. Haven’t had one in years but just felt like it.
After that Head Chef and I walked towards our next destination. He asked about what my challenges were and was quick to quiet them. I’ve come to realize that the make up of great chef is a complicated mish mash of a million different skills. If I had to mathematically equate it it would look something like this (in no particular order);
Passion (to the power of 10)+
Drive+
Knowledge+
Intuition+
Daring+
Wisdom+
Compassion+
Strength+
Task masker+
Drill Sergeant+
Fearlessness+
Problem Solving+
Creativity+
Attention to detail (squared)+
Desire =
A GREAT CHEF!
It will be interesting to see how that formula changes over time and I out right apologize for anything I’ve overlooked. But I think you get the idea.
Of course it is Valentines this week and we will be very busy. We have a couple of really big functions as well so I will be working from 10 to close everyday. I believe that this week is going to be the closest to what summer looks like (though I may be wrong) at Reservation and I am excited to see it.
Adelle Davis once said; “We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.” What are you? What do you want to be? I can answer it. I want to be a Great Chef.
I hope you all have an inspired day and tomorrow. Tomorrow I am going to write a bit about Heston Blumenthal and my feelings towards what it is he does.
A la prochaine!
SDM
Finally
Finally,
At peace with myself,
The internal dialogue a consistent strife,
Keeping me from me,
Has quieted,
Being replaced by the fan fare of trumpets,
Heralding my awakening,
Signaling a bright future,
Personal,
With love as my guide,
And too personal,
As in the kitchen,
I’ve come to find,
ME;
You are my beacon,
The prism of my soul,
Without whom none of this would be possible,
As I start another day,
Stepping into my future,
Now,
I am reborn,
As too is our love,
And I am grateful.
When I write it takes me about two or three minutes to produce something like that. I don’t think about it before or during. It is more like I am a conduit and the universe, God, or whatever you would like to term it, is flowing through me. It is my fervent desire that food becomes the same way for me. Not thinking about it (as I find that we are often in the way of ourselves) but instead further building on my intuition with food. Grasping all the knowledge I can so that I can become what I’ve always said I wanted to be. A RESTERAUNTEUR.
So I set up for brunch and then ran out for a smoke as again I was in the front of house. Brunch delivers me the opportunity to come face to face with some of Reservations clientele. As I mentioned last week at brunch, again this week, one man and a woman both mentioned that I was beaming. Asking why I gave them the same answer I gave last week; “How could I not be, I’m living my dream!”
The funny thing about dreams is that everyone has one. But not everyone is willing to do what it takes to make his or her dream a reality. Taking that first step that brought me into the kitchen was not easy. BUT, the moment I put on my whites for the first time. I knew. I KNEW that I was where I belonged and since then I have been reassured many times both by others and by that once really ugly voice inside of me that now sounds like my angel (C). That voice has made all the difference in my life now. I’m no longer running away from myself. From what I want. From WHO I AM!
After brunch was over we naturally ripped it down and cleaned the kitchen. I had asked Head Chef if he wanted to go for a beer after I was done work and he said he had a meeting but that he would love to after it was over.
I went over to our sister restaurant to let Head Chef know that my cell was dead but that I was going to go over and have a drink. He suggested that I have a seat at the bar (I asked if it was okay for me to have a drink there as in my contract it says that I can’t drink at work). He said sure. I had a Makers Mark. Haven’t had one in years but just felt like it.
After that Head Chef and I walked towards our next destination. He asked about what my challenges were and was quick to quiet them. I’ve come to realize that the make up of great chef is a complicated mish mash of a million different skills. If I had to mathematically equate it it would look something like this (in no particular order);
Passion (to the power of 10)+
Drive+
Knowledge+
Intuition+
Daring+
Wisdom+
Compassion+
Strength+
Task masker+
Drill Sergeant+
Fearlessness+
Problem Solving+
Creativity+
Attention to detail (squared)+
Desire =
A GREAT CHEF!
It will be interesting to see how that formula changes over time and I out right apologize for anything I’ve overlooked. But I think you get the idea.
Of course it is Valentines this week and we will be very busy. We have a couple of really big functions as well so I will be working from 10 to close everyday. I believe that this week is going to be the closest to what summer looks like (though I may be wrong) at Reservation and I am excited to see it.
Adelle Davis once said; “We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.” What are you? What do you want to be? I can answer it. I want to be a Great Chef.
I hope you all have an inspired day and tomorrow. Tomorrow I am going to write a bit about Heston Blumenthal and my feelings towards what it is he does.
A la prochaine!
SDM
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