You know I have so little time to write these days that I tend to forget some of the things that I want to write about. I have long admired Thomas Keller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Keller ) and his vision for food. I have written about him before and the things that he has achieved. While I was in Mexico I took the time to go through his book Bouchon which is based on dishes that he serves at Bouchon (http://www.bouchonbistro.com/ ) with a fine toothcomb.
Sitting on the beach, sipping on Grey Goose, or whatever struck my fancy at that moment I was struck by the absolute beauty of the food that he was producing. Bouchon is dedicated to Bistro, true Bistro food and his love shows through the simplicity and flavours. I think that TRUE CHEF GENIUS is reflected in the ability to take the everyday and make it so well that it becomes extraordinary and he clearly has that ability.
Of course Keller got his start at the venerable http://www.frenchlaundry.com/ . When I say his start I am referring to his major jump into the Chef/Patron position after a hard split with his former business partners.
I think by way of explanation I should let you all know that when I am looking at all of these books and various Chefs that I read and study I am searching for inspiration. While my technical ability may not be at the utmost level YET it will be. As I discovered through all of my studying the true meaning of Nouvelle Cuisine is to take the classic and make it lighter and new. When looking at these books and these Chefs there may be a method that they use, an ingredient, even a colour that sparks my creative juices and I think about what I would do differently.
When I say differently I am also NOT referring to doing it differently for the sake of doing it differently. But instead I am trying to understand WHY it is done that way and what I would do differently to improve the dish. When I think back to a blog post I wrote about playing with my food it is precisely this attitude and mind set that I am referring to.
Obviously I aspire to be the best. I aspire to reach the top and NOT so I can be some food network Chef or celebrity. I WANT MY FOOD to be the celebrity. I WANT MY ATMOSPHERE to titillate, to excite and to leave my patrons with the feeling that they have had a great experience. One that they will remember all their lives (or at least until the next time they come to my restaurant).
I make notes dutifully and have filled at least two massive notebooks so far. I use that knowledge to keep me going forward. To find that happy place where I can create, I can design, I can play and feel the utmost joy which then produces dishes which reflect that mind state and it is a PERSONAL revelation that gets shared.
This week I was speaking with the Pastry Chef, as we often do, and she said to me that the appetizer has to amaze, the entrée has to meet expectation and the dessert has to leave them with a great impression. I believe that this is exceptionally true and reflects at least in part what I have always viewed as my life long goal, to create, to implement and to fix. While reading Marco Pierre White he has a lengthy dialogue about coffee, the way he looked at it, Michelin looked at it and indeed how a corporate behemoth looked at it. I think that my way is a lot closer to the way he looked and looks at it.
So where am I going with all of this you ask yourself. Well first off, Frank Keller is an original. His design of plates is impeccable, his restaurants are considered to be amongst the best in the United States and while I am reading his books I find myself lost AND found in a personal utopia. A utopia which is dependent on nothing but a few ingredients and a vivid imagination.
When I’m done reading through this one I will reveal to each of you what I have gleaned from it but I did want to make sure that I mentioned it before I got there. Partially because I am inspired today and partially because I actually find myself with the time to write.
So again, tomorrow morning I will be back at work, partially rested, fully excited and ready to face the challenge of the grill again. BUT DON’T WORRY THIS WEEKEND I WILL FIND SOME TIME TO EAT!
I’m reminded by something Steve Jobs once said; “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
I am. Are you?
Dream inspired and big.
A la prochaine
SDM
Friday, May 30, 2008
Marco Pierre White (L’enfant Terrible and Modern Day Epicurus)
I’ve just now finished reading Marco Pierre White’s incredible autobiography entitled “The Devil in the Kitchen” and I am firmly convinced that he is one of the best chefs the world has ever known and, to my mind, a modern day Epicurus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus).
From humble beginnings Chef White rose to become the most successful Chef in Britain and quite possibly the world. To put this in perspective Chef White has worked with the finest names in gastronomy (a point I will elaborate on later) and at the tender age of 33 (coincidence with my decision to join a kitchen???) was awarded the highest possible acclaim that any Chef can aspire to. He was awarded the highest honour of 3 Michelin Stars as well as five red forks and knives that relates to service, ambiance, décor, etc. His restaurants have consistently put out amazing dishes and have always attracted the highest strata of clientele. But I digress; I need to explain how he got there first.
Chef White was born in 1961 in Leeds. His father was a Chef at a hotel not far from where he grew up and a greyhound gambler and his mother was the duteous wife who took care of he and his brothers. His mother died in front of him at the tender age of six and this would have an enormous impact on his life in numerous ways. The first being obvious, he lacked the necessary motherly influence that all boys need. Secondly, his father was unable to cope with the stresses of raising the boys on his own and had to send his youngest brother to be raised by his mothers’ family in Italy.
Early on Chef White nurtured a flair for fantastic business acumen, including selling one of his fathers prized dogs for a profit, without his fathers knowledge or consent. This gave way to his getting an appetite for business. A fateful conversation with his father as a young man would lead to his decision to pursue the glorious pursuit. His father advised him that e should become a Chef because; “People were always going to need to be fed.” Running with this Chef White began a marvelous journey that lasted 21 years and quite possibly 109,000 hours at 100 hours a week. (Thinking about it now, I know I have enough Uber human strength to pull the work ethic off)
I am uncertain as to whether it was extraordinary timing and a bit of luck or a lot of luck and good timing but Chef White was able to parlay each experience he had into another that was positive and rewarding. I would also like to state at this point that Edison once said; “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.” Chef White rose through the ranks with a tireless work ethic, an eye for detail and a passion for the pursuit of excellence, at first as defined by others, and then in time, as defined by himself.
His storied career took him from Leeds, to the Box Tree at the ripe age of eighteen (http://www.theboxtree.co.uk/) where he really excelled and developed his personal flair. I’m not sure if this where he came up with the following belief but I do know that it has served him (and doubtless every other Chef well); “A recipe is one thing, but METHOD is another. It’s about understanding and questioning what you are trying to do.” The Box Tree revealed to him what the world of Cheffing could be like. Both with its ups and downs and of the harsh brutality of the industry.
After leaving the Box Tree he looked at both Chewton Glen (as I mentioned in my previous post) and Le Gavroche (http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/). In “ The Devil in the Kitchen,” Chef White explains that when the application form for Le Gavroche arrived and it was all written in French he took that as a sign that they only wanted French Chefs and as such had then turned his attention to Chewton Glen. I assume after some somber thought while he was in London (and another once of those chance, luck time continuums) he missed his train home and decided that as he was in London he would walk over to Le Gavroche and see what was what. When he got there it was virtually empty but was told that he could go to Roux Brothers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Roux http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Roux) HQ.
Upon walking into Albert Roux’s office and asking for a job the interview was quite simple. He was asked where he had worked and upon mentioning the Box Tree and eighteen months of service there was told to go home and get his things and report back on Monday. Doing this was the best decision a young Chef could have made.
The Roux Brothers, especially Albert had a tremendous influence of Chef White and aided him to see everything that he needed in order to become the best in the world. From the Roux Brothers he ended up with Pierre Koffmann at the renowned La Tainte Claire. Each step was monumental in forming the man, the chef and what he certainly will be known as the legend. In every way as important as Escoffier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Escoffier) is. His experiences with Koffmann led him to the venerable and insanely talented Raymond Blanc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Blanc) at Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons (http://www.manoir.com/web/olem/olem_a2a_home.jsp) which you’ll recall I wrote about his cookbook in the post http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/brunch-smiles-are-free.html and then with Nico Ladenis (http://www.chefdb.com/nm/6380/ ) at Chez Nico.
The last two paragraphs outline perhaps the greatest possible training that a Chef could ever want or receive. He worked under and with legends that recognized his work ethic, passion, drive and talent and one step always led to the next. The above names are legends, originators, re-inventors if you will, of the highest order. Each had a definite and defined impact on the life of Chef White and I believe it shows.
As so often happens in moments of unparalleled serendipity, Chef White was the product of legends to become one himself. THAT HAS TO FILTER DOWN. There has to be an equal and opposite reaction. As a result, the many Michelin Starred Chefs that have been a product of Chef White’s influence reads like a who’s who of the modern gastronomic world;
Of Babbo and Del Posto fame (http://www.mariobatali.com/ ) Mario Batali
Of The Fat Duck (http://www.fatduck.co.uk/ ) fame is Heston Blumenthal
Of the Capital Group (http://www.capitalhotel.co.uk/restaurantbar_eric.html ) Eric Chavot
Of Aubergine and Hell’s Kitchen fame Gordon Ramsay (http://www.gordonramsay.com/ )
Neither of these lists is exhaustive by any stretch but it does illustrate the point that genius comes together and produces something spectacular and what a ride it must have been.
Naturally for success there has to be failure and one of the things that I learned from reading Chef White is that failure has to be your guide. Through the little glances into his world I can see that he is much more reflective that people thought (my assumption) and that he has quite a head on his shoulders apart from the flame.
After reading “The Devil in the Kitchen” I have a newly formed desire to be the best. Not just good. The best! It is within reach. It is possible and from reading Chef White’s book I get the necessary ambition, energy, drive, passion, skill and talent that it will take to do it. BUT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
I strongly recommend that you read this book for yourself. I finished it in a day and a half and that is with the very little amount of time that I have.
On a personal note (like they all aren’t here, a duh) I would like to express my profound respect to Chef White for having accomplished the “impossible.” Your lead has made it maybe a step easier or harder I’m not sure which yet for me to get to where I want to be. I am inspired and enthralled by everything you have done and can finally see in an experiential way what needs to get done, both personally and professionally. Thank you for your lead and your example. It is AMAZING.
I have a couple more posts to write today so I think that is as good a place as any to end this one. But as usual, Epicurus once said; “You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”
BE INSPIRED AND DREAM BIG TODAY!
A la prochaine
SDM
From humble beginnings Chef White rose to become the most successful Chef in Britain and quite possibly the world. To put this in perspective Chef White has worked with the finest names in gastronomy (a point I will elaborate on later) and at the tender age of 33 (coincidence with my decision to join a kitchen???) was awarded the highest possible acclaim that any Chef can aspire to. He was awarded the highest honour of 3 Michelin Stars as well as five red forks and knives that relates to service, ambiance, décor, etc. His restaurants have consistently put out amazing dishes and have always attracted the highest strata of clientele. But I digress; I need to explain how he got there first.
Chef White was born in 1961 in Leeds. His father was a Chef at a hotel not far from where he grew up and a greyhound gambler and his mother was the duteous wife who took care of he and his brothers. His mother died in front of him at the tender age of six and this would have an enormous impact on his life in numerous ways. The first being obvious, he lacked the necessary motherly influence that all boys need. Secondly, his father was unable to cope with the stresses of raising the boys on his own and had to send his youngest brother to be raised by his mothers’ family in Italy.
Early on Chef White nurtured a flair for fantastic business acumen, including selling one of his fathers prized dogs for a profit, without his fathers knowledge or consent. This gave way to his getting an appetite for business. A fateful conversation with his father as a young man would lead to his decision to pursue the glorious pursuit. His father advised him that e should become a Chef because; “People were always going to need to be fed.” Running with this Chef White began a marvelous journey that lasted 21 years and quite possibly 109,000 hours at 100 hours a week. (Thinking about it now, I know I have enough Uber human strength to pull the work ethic off)
I am uncertain as to whether it was extraordinary timing and a bit of luck or a lot of luck and good timing but Chef White was able to parlay each experience he had into another that was positive and rewarding. I would also like to state at this point that Edison once said; “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.” Chef White rose through the ranks with a tireless work ethic, an eye for detail and a passion for the pursuit of excellence, at first as defined by others, and then in time, as defined by himself.
His storied career took him from Leeds, to the Box Tree at the ripe age of eighteen (http://www.theboxtree.co.uk/) where he really excelled and developed his personal flair. I’m not sure if this where he came up with the following belief but I do know that it has served him (and doubtless every other Chef well); “A recipe is one thing, but METHOD is another. It’s about understanding and questioning what you are trying to do.” The Box Tree revealed to him what the world of Cheffing could be like. Both with its ups and downs and of the harsh brutality of the industry.
After leaving the Box Tree he looked at both Chewton Glen (as I mentioned in my previous post) and Le Gavroche (http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk/). In “ The Devil in the Kitchen,” Chef White explains that when the application form for Le Gavroche arrived and it was all written in French he took that as a sign that they only wanted French Chefs and as such had then turned his attention to Chewton Glen. I assume after some somber thought while he was in London (and another once of those chance, luck time continuums) he missed his train home and decided that as he was in London he would walk over to Le Gavroche and see what was what. When he got there it was virtually empty but was told that he could go to Roux Brothers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Roux http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Roux) HQ.
Upon walking into Albert Roux’s office and asking for a job the interview was quite simple. He was asked where he had worked and upon mentioning the Box Tree and eighteen months of service there was told to go home and get his things and report back on Monday. Doing this was the best decision a young Chef could have made.
The Roux Brothers, especially Albert had a tremendous influence of Chef White and aided him to see everything that he needed in order to become the best in the world. From the Roux Brothers he ended up with Pierre Koffmann at the renowned La Tainte Claire. Each step was monumental in forming the man, the chef and what he certainly will be known as the legend. In every way as important as Escoffier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Escoffier) is. His experiences with Koffmann led him to the venerable and insanely talented Raymond Blanc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Blanc) at Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons (http://www.manoir.com/web/olem/olem_a2a_home.jsp) which you’ll recall I wrote about his cookbook in the post http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/brunch-smiles-are-free.html and then with Nico Ladenis (http://www.chefdb.com/nm/6380/ ) at Chez Nico.
The last two paragraphs outline perhaps the greatest possible training that a Chef could ever want or receive. He worked under and with legends that recognized his work ethic, passion, drive and talent and one step always led to the next. The above names are legends, originators, re-inventors if you will, of the highest order. Each had a definite and defined impact on the life of Chef White and I believe it shows.
As so often happens in moments of unparalleled serendipity, Chef White was the product of legends to become one himself. THAT HAS TO FILTER DOWN. There has to be an equal and opposite reaction. As a result, the many Michelin Starred Chefs that have been a product of Chef White’s influence reads like a who’s who of the modern gastronomic world;
Of Babbo and Del Posto fame (http://www.mariobatali.com/ ) Mario Batali
Of The Fat Duck (http://www.fatduck.co.uk/ ) fame is Heston Blumenthal
Of the Capital Group (http://www.capitalhotel.co.uk/restaurantbar_eric.html ) Eric Chavot
Of Aubergine and Hell’s Kitchen fame Gordon Ramsay (http://www.gordonramsay.com/ )
Neither of these lists is exhaustive by any stretch but it does illustrate the point that genius comes together and produces something spectacular and what a ride it must have been.
Naturally for success there has to be failure and one of the things that I learned from reading Chef White is that failure has to be your guide. Through the little glances into his world I can see that he is much more reflective that people thought (my assumption) and that he has quite a head on his shoulders apart from the flame.
After reading “The Devil in the Kitchen” I have a newly formed desire to be the best. Not just good. The best! It is within reach. It is possible and from reading Chef White’s book I get the necessary ambition, energy, drive, passion, skill and talent that it will take to do it. BUT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
I strongly recommend that you read this book for yourself. I finished it in a day and a half and that is with the very little amount of time that I have.
On a personal note (like they all aren’t here, a duh) I would like to express my profound respect to Chef White for having accomplished the “impossible.” Your lead has made it maybe a step easier or harder I’m not sure which yet for me to get to where I want to be. I am inspired and enthralled by everything you have done and can finally see in an experiential way what needs to get done, both personally and professionally. Thank you for your lead and your example. It is AMAZING.
I have a couple more posts to write today so I think that is as good a place as any to end this one. But as usual, Epicurus once said; “You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”
BE INSPIRED AND DREAM BIG TODAY!
A la prochaine
SDM
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Bad a duh da duh (file under I’m lovin’ it and yes smiles ARE free)
As you’ll recall in the post To Grill or Not to Grill (http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/05/to-grill-or-not-to-grill.html) I was musing over the possibilities of the summer and what that meant around work. Well as it happens I was right that I would be on the grill, at least for the meantime.
The patio station is a difficult one, not only because of the variables but also because of the physical stamina and clarity of mind required to be there. This past weekend was the official opening of the patio and our little historical corner of Toronto was alive and buzzing with hundreds of people each day. On Friday not only did I have to ensure that the grill and the fryer were clean but I had to do some prep for a party and then prep for the patio menu.
The patio menu is uncomplicated in terms of its structure. The menu consists of the following;
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with spicy tomato and red onion salsa and BBQ sauce
Fire Grilled Ahi Tuna Burger with pickled ginger and garlic essence topped with dill aioli
Smoked Chicken and Gruyere Quesadillas with vine tomato and diced pepper pico de gallo and sour cream
Pacific Peel and Eat Shrimp with a house made cocktail sauce
Chicken Fingers and fries
Fries with pineapple ketchup and garlic aioli
Angus burger with smoked Gruyere
Nachos
Mini Empanadas with chipotle aioli.
Naturally the menu sounds easy enough right. Well when you consider the amount of space that you have in order to have your prep contained in the fridge and freezer the question becomes how do you set up the station properly. I was thrown into it on Friday and was given little instruction as to how to prep appropriately for the station. Being disorganized and having to run your station is probably the worst nightmare of anyone who works in a kitchen. The work itself was not the issue as to prep was not difficult. The difficulty arose in ensuring that the station was set and ready to go.
To put this into perspective the station consists of an eight foot stainless steel fridge which doubles as my production and assembly area. A four foot freezer that is used to store the chicken fingers, empanadas, fries and burgers. A bread warmer that is doubling as a storage unit. On the opposite side there is the grill and fryer and a space of about two and a half feet between both sides ( I’ll include a pic after this weekends service). All told the total area is maybe thirteen feet long by two and a half feet deep.
Further complicating the station is the fact that currently we are using wax paper lined plastic baskets that have little to no area for storage and limit the possibility to assemble more than fifty to seventy five at a time. That said by the time that your baskets start dwindling you have NO time to assemble more as by that point you are fielding orders ten or twelve at a time.
Our current set up requires people to buy tickets from the bar and then to present them at the equivalent of the pass. This means that from the time of ordering to the time of starting the order there is absolutely no lead time and it is a pick up window with no service. Thus it is necessary for you to plan ahead perfectly in order to make sure that people are not waiting forever for their food.
This would be all well and good if the fryer was not in constant use and therefore was not keeping temperature that made it next to impossible to prepare the orders in a timely fashion.
Friday went smoothly enough as I was only open for five and a half hours. I was able to service the orders without any assistance and felt as if I would be able to wrap my head around all of the issues I have outlined. I felt as if on Saturday I would be able to overcome some the issues by setting up the station properly.
Well Saturday morning came and not only did I have to transport everything over to my station I also had to prep a lot of things in order to be ahead of the game. I realized that without shelves in the fridge that my space was limited and I had to come up with a workable solution. From the time I got to Reservation to the time I had to open I had two and a half hours during which I also needed to drain a remi, start a demi and start a new stock. Thus my time was very limited. I did seem to manage it well enough though.
At this point Head Chef had come over and the two of us worked both the grill and assembling the orders for the next six hours without a break at all. No time to eat, drink and in a remarkable twist we were still both merry. It was great watching how he worked under the circumstances and gave me an opportunity to see how I need to handle certain things. We spent the whole day effectively on the patio burning off calories and serving more than 200 burgers, at least twenty chicken fingers, one hundred orders of fries, ten orders of empanadas, twenty nachos and about ten pork sandwiches. We both realized that there would need to be some tweaking of the station for the next day. He left me around 7 to go and work the line at Reservation and I was alone for about the next two hours and had steady business but nowhere near what we had had during the day.
Again as I broke down the station and started transporting everything back to Reservation I started considering what I could do differently on Sunday. My first issue that I had to overcome was that I had lots of prep that needed to get done as we had gone through so much the day before.
As I sliced tomatoes, lettuce, made burgers, assembled sauces, got baskets, wax paper, cutting board, fryer baskets and everything else I needed to get the station set I started to imagine how I would set everything up. I thought I had set it up in an appropriate way given the circumstances but lo and behold by the time the lunch rush had come (starting at around 1 o’clock) I was WAY out of my league. For a multitude of reasons as I have already explained I had a line that was thirty people deep and orders coming out the wazoo.
Sunday presents a new set of challenges. The first being that we are also running a full brunch that means that we have no bodies to spare. Chef had come in in order to assist me that day again. He spent the first while showing me the best way to set up the station. And his system did seem to make things better. But again we got slammed. I thought I had done enough prep that I clearly didn’t and it reflects poorly on me. Though who could have expected that we would get slammed just as bad again. A kept on coming over to check out how Chef and I were doing. As he watched what I was doing he was giving me some good advice to help me speed up and let me know that I was doing fine. That this problem was not limited to me by any stretch. By about two o’clock Head Chef and I were in the shits again and the Saucier, A, had to step in and help us.
With Head Chef on the Grill, A taking orders and assembling, and me doing assembly and frying we seemed to be okay. I do say just okay though. We were slammed. I stood there putting sauces into two ounce cups, putting together baskets and always making sure that the fryer was full. It was a little disheartening and with A’s lighthearted jabbing my moxy was certainly being tested. But it was good natured. It was interesting watching how Head Chef and A worked and I did pick up a lot of pointers that I will save for another time.
By the end of the day I was tuckered. I had spent the last thirty seven of seventy two hours at work and my legs were feeling it. Though after I had broke down the station all of us (who had worked just as hard) assembled on the patio for a beer or three. A reassured me that everything would be okay and that I just needed to keep doing what I was doing.
Today, (after working on Monday and Tuesday) after a six day stint I was extremely tired. My body literally wanted to give out on me. I wanted to sleep in but of course, as Murphy, that prick with some laws mandates, there was excessive amounts of noise that caused me to get up. So today I’ve caught up on blog posts, read about one hundred pages of Marco Pierre White and now I really want a nice glass of wine or a beer and to spend some time loving C. But I need to write one more post so I will be back.
I remember a quote from Anais Nin which seems very appropriate right now; “I am an excitable person who only understands life lyrically, musically, in whom feelings are much stronger as reason. I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I can not transform into something marvelous, I let go. Reality doesn't impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.”
I am so thirsty for the marvelous that I live it everyday. I LOVE MY DREAM and AM LIVING IT TO ME FULLEST! Are you?
Dream big and inspired!
A la prochaine
SDM
The patio station is a difficult one, not only because of the variables but also because of the physical stamina and clarity of mind required to be there. This past weekend was the official opening of the patio and our little historical corner of Toronto was alive and buzzing with hundreds of people each day. On Friday not only did I have to ensure that the grill and the fryer were clean but I had to do some prep for a party and then prep for the patio menu.
The patio menu is uncomplicated in terms of its structure. The menu consists of the following;
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with spicy tomato and red onion salsa and BBQ sauce
Fire Grilled Ahi Tuna Burger with pickled ginger and garlic essence topped with dill aioli
Smoked Chicken and Gruyere Quesadillas with vine tomato and diced pepper pico de gallo and sour cream
Pacific Peel and Eat Shrimp with a house made cocktail sauce
Chicken Fingers and fries
Fries with pineapple ketchup and garlic aioli
Angus burger with smoked Gruyere
Nachos
Mini Empanadas with chipotle aioli.
Naturally the menu sounds easy enough right. Well when you consider the amount of space that you have in order to have your prep contained in the fridge and freezer the question becomes how do you set up the station properly. I was thrown into it on Friday and was given little instruction as to how to prep appropriately for the station. Being disorganized and having to run your station is probably the worst nightmare of anyone who works in a kitchen. The work itself was not the issue as to prep was not difficult. The difficulty arose in ensuring that the station was set and ready to go.
To put this into perspective the station consists of an eight foot stainless steel fridge which doubles as my production and assembly area. A four foot freezer that is used to store the chicken fingers, empanadas, fries and burgers. A bread warmer that is doubling as a storage unit. On the opposite side there is the grill and fryer and a space of about two and a half feet between both sides ( I’ll include a pic after this weekends service). All told the total area is maybe thirteen feet long by two and a half feet deep.
Further complicating the station is the fact that currently we are using wax paper lined plastic baskets that have little to no area for storage and limit the possibility to assemble more than fifty to seventy five at a time. That said by the time that your baskets start dwindling you have NO time to assemble more as by that point you are fielding orders ten or twelve at a time.
Our current set up requires people to buy tickets from the bar and then to present them at the equivalent of the pass. This means that from the time of ordering to the time of starting the order there is absolutely no lead time and it is a pick up window with no service. Thus it is necessary for you to plan ahead perfectly in order to make sure that people are not waiting forever for their food.
This would be all well and good if the fryer was not in constant use and therefore was not keeping temperature that made it next to impossible to prepare the orders in a timely fashion.
Friday went smoothly enough as I was only open for five and a half hours. I was able to service the orders without any assistance and felt as if I would be able to wrap my head around all of the issues I have outlined. I felt as if on Saturday I would be able to overcome some the issues by setting up the station properly.
Well Saturday morning came and not only did I have to transport everything over to my station I also had to prep a lot of things in order to be ahead of the game. I realized that without shelves in the fridge that my space was limited and I had to come up with a workable solution. From the time I got to Reservation to the time I had to open I had two and a half hours during which I also needed to drain a remi, start a demi and start a new stock. Thus my time was very limited. I did seem to manage it well enough though.
At this point Head Chef had come over and the two of us worked both the grill and assembling the orders for the next six hours without a break at all. No time to eat, drink and in a remarkable twist we were still both merry. It was great watching how he worked under the circumstances and gave me an opportunity to see how I need to handle certain things. We spent the whole day effectively on the patio burning off calories and serving more than 200 burgers, at least twenty chicken fingers, one hundred orders of fries, ten orders of empanadas, twenty nachos and about ten pork sandwiches. We both realized that there would need to be some tweaking of the station for the next day. He left me around 7 to go and work the line at Reservation and I was alone for about the next two hours and had steady business but nowhere near what we had had during the day.
Again as I broke down the station and started transporting everything back to Reservation I started considering what I could do differently on Sunday. My first issue that I had to overcome was that I had lots of prep that needed to get done as we had gone through so much the day before.
As I sliced tomatoes, lettuce, made burgers, assembled sauces, got baskets, wax paper, cutting board, fryer baskets and everything else I needed to get the station set I started to imagine how I would set everything up. I thought I had set it up in an appropriate way given the circumstances but lo and behold by the time the lunch rush had come (starting at around 1 o’clock) I was WAY out of my league. For a multitude of reasons as I have already explained I had a line that was thirty people deep and orders coming out the wazoo.
Sunday presents a new set of challenges. The first being that we are also running a full brunch that means that we have no bodies to spare. Chef had come in in order to assist me that day again. He spent the first while showing me the best way to set up the station. And his system did seem to make things better. But again we got slammed. I thought I had done enough prep that I clearly didn’t and it reflects poorly on me. Though who could have expected that we would get slammed just as bad again. A kept on coming over to check out how Chef and I were doing. As he watched what I was doing he was giving me some good advice to help me speed up and let me know that I was doing fine. That this problem was not limited to me by any stretch. By about two o’clock Head Chef and I were in the shits again and the Saucier, A, had to step in and help us.
With Head Chef on the Grill, A taking orders and assembling, and me doing assembly and frying we seemed to be okay. I do say just okay though. We were slammed. I stood there putting sauces into two ounce cups, putting together baskets and always making sure that the fryer was full. It was a little disheartening and with A’s lighthearted jabbing my moxy was certainly being tested. But it was good natured. It was interesting watching how Head Chef and A worked and I did pick up a lot of pointers that I will save for another time.
By the end of the day I was tuckered. I had spent the last thirty seven of seventy two hours at work and my legs were feeling it. Though after I had broke down the station all of us (who had worked just as hard) assembled on the patio for a beer or three. A reassured me that everything would be okay and that I just needed to keep doing what I was doing.
Today, (after working on Monday and Tuesday) after a six day stint I was extremely tired. My body literally wanted to give out on me. I wanted to sleep in but of course, as Murphy, that prick with some laws mandates, there was excessive amounts of noise that caused me to get up. So today I’ve caught up on blog posts, read about one hundred pages of Marco Pierre White and now I really want a nice glass of wine or a beer and to spend some time loving C. But I need to write one more post so I will be back.
I remember a quote from Anais Nin which seems very appropriate right now; “I am an excitable person who only understands life lyrically, musically, in whom feelings are much stronger as reason. I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I can not transform into something marvelous, I let go. Reality doesn't impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.”
I am so thirsty for the marvelous that I live it everyday. I LOVE MY DREAM and AM LIVING IT TO ME FULLEST! Are you?
Dream big and inspired!
A la prochaine
SDM
Breather (file under 6 Days 85 Hours plus)
As I mentioned in my previous post (a couple ago I believe but from today) I have spent the last six days doing nothing but work and sleep. I did manage to sneak in a few drinks after work which left me less than sober. Over the weekend I didn’t even have time to eat which is why three drinks hit me like a tonne of bricks. In fact from Thursday night until Monday afternoon I was not able to eat for lack of time. Naturally I was able to put a little nibble in my mouth but that was it. I didn’t even have time to do my Greens Plus. Why you ask is this the case, well, let me explain.
This past weekend Reservation’s patio season began in full tilt. We have patio space for approximately thee hundred and the opening of it also means that the grilling season begins. I am going to explain about this in my next post as I want to catch up on some of the other things that I have been working on.
First off, I would like to welcome A, our Saucier home. While he was at Chewton Glen (http://www.chewtonglen.com/ ) he was sorely missed by all of us. Especially me though I think as I can see that A and I are going to become great friends over the course of time. His experience at Chewton Glen was rewarding and educational. He told me that it is a very different environment from Reservation and that the way the kitchen works is extremely regimented, even more so than ours.
At Chewton Glen, the kitchen is run very much in the classical gourmet style. The food is beyond reproach and the brigade is tight. The day is approximately eighteen hours, five days a week and there is only time for a couple of smoke breaks. He said that the people that worked there were incredibly talented and that their work ethic was incredible. I asked him if he felt that Chewton would be a good place for me to do a placement and he said that perhaps it would not be right for my first. Who knows though as this is something that I am now considering for January to April of next year.
As I said I am thrilled that he is back and it was nice sharing a couple beers and a conversation with him. This summer I know that I will have numerous opportunities to pick his brain and get some of his valued input into what I’m doing. Having him back I have already felt the impact of his mentoring on my skills and know that it is only going to get better. Thanks A!!!!
As far as prep work is concerned my speed has improved. I can make litres of Aioli in no time flat. In fact yesterday I was able to whip off approximately four litres of it in less than five minutes. I have also expanded my repertoire to include Lemon Caper, Spicy Mango, Roasted Garlic, Truffle and French Onion. Learning to make the base was the hardest part and requires a certain mastery of technique. But once you have it you can flavour it just about anyway that you want. I recall back when I first started that Aioli was the bain of my existence. There were days that I would go through no less than five or six attempts at it. (Thank God their gone) It would constantly split on me and as I continued to work on it I began to realize the number of reasons that it could happen and adjusted my technique accordingly.
Canapés, of which we make literally hundreds on a slow week and thousands on a quick one, I’ve also seen a marked improvement on. I have learned how to do so many that it is hard to figure out where my brain stores all this information. Canapés range from the relatively easy Bruschetta all the way to the very involved Indian Candy Salmon. I now have about fifteen or twenty types of canapés that I have worked on but only two or three that I consider myself really good at. The rest I can execute but I am not quite comfortable enough yet with all of them. After all L has been there for five years and has quite a leap ahead of me but I have learned that I can apply my life experience to the kitchen and the transformation helps me to keep pushing forward.
Somehow, I’m sure due to my level on the totem pole I have become responsible for making our Peking Duck Crepes. I have been tweaking the batter for a while and have finally come up with one which both Head Chef and Executive Chef say is passable if not good. Depends on the day. But the tweaking, which I’ve made notes on has included more egg, less oil and more salt and vice versa. I have experimented with the mixture of cream and milk. I have also played with putting herbs directly into the batter. The reason for this is that both Executive and Head Chef had said that the batter was a little boring. As such using a chiffonnade cute I tried cilantro which didn’t work because it seemed to take away from the duck. I then tried scallions as we include them in the crepe. This too did not work and then I finally decided upon chives. The chives give a nice visual to the presentation and punch up both the flavour of the duck.
I also have been in charge of making cheddar fritters for about the past few months when we have needed them. I started with a regular batter and started tweaking it as well. I am nowhere near the final product that I would like but I have been getting better with the crunch factor (so important to both customer enjoyment, mouth feel and appeal for reasons I will explain later), while at the same time have a well cooked consistency on the inside. Again it is a matter of playing with the base ingredients and having the patience to test out various things.
We also do a fish and chips canapé at Reservation that I have been making for months. I have experimented with all kinds of variables in the recipe in order to again punch up the crunch factor. I have tried six different beers at this point and also the amount of beer that I use. So far the most authentic old style fish and chips batter I have come up with involves the use of a dark beer. Stout would be ideal but we don’t have one so for now I am just using a dark beer that we have on tap. At home I am going to play with various stouts in order to get that perfect flavour. On Monday I did have the best batter I have made so far which gave me the desired consistency and crunch but not the exact flavour that I am looking for. Some people may say that beer batter is beer batter but I just don’t agree. I can recall the best beer batter I’ve ever had (in Ireland) and it was far and above the most outrageously tasty and sensational batter I have ever come across. If I can recreate that I will be extremely pleased with myself. But as it stands I experiment.
As you can see from the images I have included my right pinky is already growing back quite nicely. My left hand seems to take quite a bit of damage as well just from the regular wear and tear of the kitchen. But I find that each time something happens which brings me pain it causes me to learn the lesson quite quickly. Jokingly I refer to them as my growing pains but in reality I do feel that way. As if they are helping me to get better.
In terms of receiving, as I’ve mentioned before, I track everything that comes in. One for a practical reason (that of knowing if the question gets asked what we have in house) and the other is for my long term project which is always at the front of my mind, my Restaurant. In any given week, now that the busy season is upon us I may be required to move as much as five tones to various storage areas. A point I will touch on in my next post about the weekend.
Veal Stock has become second nature to me. Though there are numerous variables that I need to contend with each and every time. Consistency of heat, water levels, vegetables for the Mire Pois, red wine, peppercorns, etc. There are so many variables that can affect the outcome that I must be aware of and attempt to control. The remi, demi and jus that result from three days work in total are my baby and I now am confident that I am doing it the way that Chef wants and expects. My yields are a variable obviously but I am shooting for anywhere between thirty six to forty eight litres yield on stock and remi to produce approximately twenty litres (if left a little soupy) or sixteen litres which is the ideal level for perfect clarity, consistency and colour as well as taste.
My knife skills are improving. I know that as time goes forward I will be even more able than I am now. My brunoise at least looks like a brunoise now. My rissole is getting closer to an ability where I can eyeball it though I know that Head Chef would say I have a long way to go AND whats more I know that and strive to improve each and every day that I am at work. My stated goal is to have my complete knife compliment by October so that I can start working on all things kitchen, including butchery. I have already butchered a few things, tenderloin, a striploin, and some Bronzini but I want to get to the point that I can butcher anything. This is one of the things I want to have a good handle on by January.
So these things said I leave with you the following thought from William Makepeace Thackeray; “To endure is greater than to dare; to tire out hostile fortune; to be daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it; to go through intrigue spotless; to forego even ambition when the end is gained - who can say this is not greatness?”
This is how I live my life… to the fullest, with a smile on my face and love firing from my soul. I choose greatness every time I enter the kitchen. Can you choose greatness?
Dream big and inspired!!!!
A la prochaine
SDM
This past weekend Reservation’s patio season began in full tilt. We have patio space for approximately thee hundred and the opening of it also means that the grilling season begins. I am going to explain about this in my next post as I want to catch up on some of the other things that I have been working on.
First off, I would like to welcome A, our Saucier home. While he was at Chewton Glen (http://www.chewtonglen.com/ ) he was sorely missed by all of us. Especially me though I think as I can see that A and I are going to become great friends over the course of time. His experience at Chewton Glen was rewarding and educational. He told me that it is a very different environment from Reservation and that the way the kitchen works is extremely regimented, even more so than ours.
At Chewton Glen, the kitchen is run very much in the classical gourmet style. The food is beyond reproach and the brigade is tight. The day is approximately eighteen hours, five days a week and there is only time for a couple of smoke breaks. He said that the people that worked there were incredibly talented and that their work ethic was incredible. I asked him if he felt that Chewton would be a good place for me to do a placement and he said that perhaps it would not be right for my first. Who knows though as this is something that I am now considering for January to April of next year.
As I said I am thrilled that he is back and it was nice sharing a couple beers and a conversation with him. This summer I know that I will have numerous opportunities to pick his brain and get some of his valued input into what I’m doing. Having him back I have already felt the impact of his mentoring on my skills and know that it is only going to get better. Thanks A!!!!
As far as prep work is concerned my speed has improved. I can make litres of Aioli in no time flat. In fact yesterday I was able to whip off approximately four litres of it in less than five minutes. I have also expanded my repertoire to include Lemon Caper, Spicy Mango, Roasted Garlic, Truffle and French Onion. Learning to make the base was the hardest part and requires a certain mastery of technique. But once you have it you can flavour it just about anyway that you want. I recall back when I first started that Aioli was the bain of my existence. There were days that I would go through no less than five or six attempts at it. (Thank God their gone) It would constantly split on me and as I continued to work on it I began to realize the number of reasons that it could happen and adjusted my technique accordingly.
Canapés, of which we make literally hundreds on a slow week and thousands on a quick one, I’ve also seen a marked improvement on. I have learned how to do so many that it is hard to figure out where my brain stores all this information. Canapés range from the relatively easy Bruschetta all the way to the very involved Indian Candy Salmon. I now have about fifteen or twenty types of canapés that I have worked on but only two or three that I consider myself really good at. The rest I can execute but I am not quite comfortable enough yet with all of them. After all L has been there for five years and has quite a leap ahead of me but I have learned that I can apply my life experience to the kitchen and the transformation helps me to keep pushing forward.
Somehow, I’m sure due to my level on the totem pole I have become responsible for making our Peking Duck Crepes. I have been tweaking the batter for a while and have finally come up with one which both Head Chef and Executive Chef say is passable if not good. Depends on the day. But the tweaking, which I’ve made notes on has included more egg, less oil and more salt and vice versa. I have experimented with the mixture of cream and milk. I have also played with putting herbs directly into the batter. The reason for this is that both Executive and Head Chef had said that the batter was a little boring. As such using a chiffonnade cute I tried cilantro which didn’t work because it seemed to take away from the duck. I then tried scallions as we include them in the crepe. This too did not work and then I finally decided upon chives. The chives give a nice visual to the presentation and punch up both the flavour of the duck.
I also have been in charge of making cheddar fritters for about the past few months when we have needed them. I started with a regular batter and started tweaking it as well. I am nowhere near the final product that I would like but I have been getting better with the crunch factor (so important to both customer enjoyment, mouth feel and appeal for reasons I will explain later), while at the same time have a well cooked consistency on the inside. Again it is a matter of playing with the base ingredients and having the patience to test out various things.
We also do a fish and chips canapé at Reservation that I have been making for months. I have experimented with all kinds of variables in the recipe in order to again punch up the crunch factor. I have tried six different beers at this point and also the amount of beer that I use. So far the most authentic old style fish and chips batter I have come up with involves the use of a dark beer. Stout would be ideal but we don’t have one so for now I am just using a dark beer that we have on tap. At home I am going to play with various stouts in order to get that perfect flavour. On Monday I did have the best batter I have made so far which gave me the desired consistency and crunch but not the exact flavour that I am looking for. Some people may say that beer batter is beer batter but I just don’t agree. I can recall the best beer batter I’ve ever had (in Ireland) and it was far and above the most outrageously tasty and sensational batter I have ever come across. If I can recreate that I will be extremely pleased with myself. But as it stands I experiment.
As you can see from the images I have included my right pinky is already growing back quite nicely. My left hand seems to take quite a bit of damage as well just from the regular wear and tear of the kitchen. But I find that each time something happens which brings me pain it causes me to learn the lesson quite quickly. Jokingly I refer to them as my growing pains but in reality I do feel that way. As if they are helping me to get better.
In terms of receiving, as I’ve mentioned before, I track everything that comes in. One for a practical reason (that of knowing if the question gets asked what we have in house) and the other is for my long term project which is always at the front of my mind, my Restaurant. In any given week, now that the busy season is upon us I may be required to move as much as five tones to various storage areas. A point I will touch on in my next post about the weekend.
Veal Stock has become second nature to me. Though there are numerous variables that I need to contend with each and every time. Consistency of heat, water levels, vegetables for the Mire Pois, red wine, peppercorns, etc. There are so many variables that can affect the outcome that I must be aware of and attempt to control. The remi, demi and jus that result from three days work in total are my baby and I now am confident that I am doing it the way that Chef wants and expects. My yields are a variable obviously but I am shooting for anywhere between thirty six to forty eight litres yield on stock and remi to produce approximately twenty litres (if left a little soupy) or sixteen litres which is the ideal level for perfect clarity, consistency and colour as well as taste.
My knife skills are improving. I know that as time goes forward I will be even more able than I am now. My brunoise at least looks like a brunoise now. My rissole is getting closer to an ability where I can eyeball it though I know that Head Chef would say I have a long way to go AND whats more I know that and strive to improve each and every day that I am at work. My stated goal is to have my complete knife compliment by October so that I can start working on all things kitchen, including butchery. I have already butchered a few things, tenderloin, a striploin, and some Bronzini but I want to get to the point that I can butcher anything. This is one of the things I want to have a good handle on by January.
So these things said I leave with you the following thought from William Makepeace Thackeray; “To endure is greater than to dare; to tire out hostile fortune; to be daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it; to go through intrigue spotless; to forego even ambition when the end is gained - who can say this is not greatness?”
This is how I live my life… to the fullest, with a smile on my face and love firing from my soul. I choose greatness every time I enter the kitchen. Can you choose greatness?
Dream big and inspired!!!!
A la prochaine
SDM
Marco Pierre White (file under craziness)
You’ll remember that in this post (http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/snow-day-if-youre-not-cook.html ) I had asked Head Chef who one of his greatest influences was and that he answered Marco Pierre White. Well Executive Chef loaned me Chef White’s book “The Devil in the Kitchen” the other day. I’m only about a third of the way through it but I have a profound respect for him and what he has accomplished. In that post mentioned above I had brought up that Chef White had made Gordon Ramsey cry. Well there is so much more to this man and indeed the Chef than just that. I will be back later to write more about his experiences and what I have gleaned from the book but so far I am absolutely enthralled by his dedication, drive, talent and desire to prove something to himself.
I too am trying to prove something to myself (and perhaps a choice few others) which is why I am on the track that I am now.
At one of his amazing restaurants, The Oak Room, Chef White chose to quote Salvador Dali on the menu; “At six I wanted to be a chef, at seven: Napoleon, and my ambitions have been growing ever since.” I think that this probably sums up his philosophy and ethic quite nicely (Chef White that is).
What are your ambitions?
Dream Big and inspired!
A la prochaine
SDM
I too am trying to prove something to myself (and perhaps a choice few others) which is why I am on the track that I am now.
At one of his amazing restaurants, The Oak Room, Chef White chose to quote Salvador Dali on the menu; “At six I wanted to be a chef, at seven: Napoleon, and my ambitions have been growing ever since.” I think that this probably sums up his philosophy and ethic quite nicely (Chef White that is).
What are your ambitions?
Dream Big and inspired!
A la prochaine
SDM
Update Best Burger in New York
Hello all! I hope you are enjoying a wonderful Wednesday. I’m not working at Reservation today. No, instead I am enjoying my first day off since last Tuesday and man is my body tired. I’ve worked approximately eighty to eighty five hours in the last six days. Tack on travel time and we’re right near one hundred hours. But more on this in the flurry of posts to come over the course of the day.
You’ll remember in this post http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/dont-play-with-your-food-file-under.html that I mentioned that I was reading Heston Blumenthal’s “In Search of Perfection” and that I sent my lovely and talented fiancé C to go to Le Parker Meridian to have one of the best burgers in New York City (http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php ).
At first she was a little curious that I was asking her to go to one of the finest hotels in New York City. C thought that I was sending her to a place where she was going to have to pay fifty dollars for a burger. Instead she was pleasantly surprised.
Walking through the lobby of the hotel she was taken aback at the splendour and beauty of it all. Somewhere in the back of her mind she must have thought that this was not the ideal place for the best burger in New York. But she played along and although I had given her instructions as to how to find the place inside the hotel she still could not find it. Of course that is not all that surprising given that you have to walk down a narrow hallway to find Emile Castillo’s burger joint.
As she walked through the door C was transported to a lovely juxtaposition, a friendly and warm hamburger joint that you’d sooner find on a street corner diner than a beautiful hotel. The first thing she remarked about was the fact that the place was packed. It was almost impossible to get a seat. But being the beautiful lovely young lady that she is (and fairly lucky) a table opened up which she quickly and deftly grabbed. The next thing she remarked about was the décor. It was authentic, cluttered (but in a good way) with all kinds of memorabilia plastered on the walls.
Having secured a table she joined the line and read the no nonsense menu which I’ve included with the URL above. She ordered a Hamburger, fries and some beer. Quickly she realized why I had sent her to this place. It was AMAZING. The burger was served plainly but to order and was beyond all things DELICIOUS. The fries were as fries should be crispy on the outside and like mashed potato on the inside.
Thus, after her experience I was assured that Heston Blumenthal was in fact correct (no big surprise here) that one of the best burgers in all of the United States is at Le Parker Meridien.
That said Heston once said; “But most is all to do with work. There are aspects of work that are enjoyable, that you could call a hobby.”
Have you found your hobby yet?
Dream big and INSPIRED!
A la prochaine
SDM
You’ll remember in this post http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/02/dont-play-with-your-food-file-under.html that I mentioned that I was reading Heston Blumenthal’s “In Search of Perfection” and that I sent my lovely and talented fiancé C to go to Le Parker Meridian to have one of the best burgers in New York City (http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php ).
At first she was a little curious that I was asking her to go to one of the finest hotels in New York City. C thought that I was sending her to a place where she was going to have to pay fifty dollars for a burger. Instead she was pleasantly surprised.
Walking through the lobby of the hotel she was taken aback at the splendour and beauty of it all. Somewhere in the back of her mind she must have thought that this was not the ideal place for the best burger in New York. But she played along and although I had given her instructions as to how to find the place inside the hotel she still could not find it. Of course that is not all that surprising given that you have to walk down a narrow hallway to find Emile Castillo’s burger joint.
As she walked through the door C was transported to a lovely juxtaposition, a friendly and warm hamburger joint that you’d sooner find on a street corner diner than a beautiful hotel. The first thing she remarked about was the fact that the place was packed. It was almost impossible to get a seat. But being the beautiful lovely young lady that she is (and fairly lucky) a table opened up which she quickly and deftly grabbed. The next thing she remarked about was the décor. It was authentic, cluttered (but in a good way) with all kinds of memorabilia plastered on the walls.
Having secured a table she joined the line and read the no nonsense menu which I’ve included with the URL above. She ordered a Hamburger, fries and some beer. Quickly she realized why I had sent her to this place. It was AMAZING. The burger was served plainly but to order and was beyond all things DELICIOUS. The fries were as fries should be crispy on the outside and like mashed potato on the inside.
Thus, after her experience I was assured that Heston Blumenthal was in fact correct (no big surprise here) that one of the best burgers in all of the United States is at Le Parker Meridien.
That said Heston once said; “But most is all to do with work. There are aspects of work that are enjoyable, that you could call a hobby.”
Have you found your hobby yet?
Dream big and INSPIRED!
A la prochaine
SDM
Monday, May 26, 2008
Welcome to Summer Reality (file under a minute to catch my breath)
Hello all...
I'm off so far on Wednesday and Friday... I have lots to tell you though.
A la prochaine
SDM
I'm off so far on Wednesday and Friday... I have lots to tell you though.
A la prochaine
SDM
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