Dinner with the folks (file under amazing treat)

So as I mentioned yesterday I had the opportunity to take my mother and stepfather to dinner last night at the restaurant. Let me just tell you there are major perks to working at the restaurant. This dinner was one of the best I have ever had in my life. A, all by his lonesome took care of the tasting menu.

Dinner started with the Director of Operations (still Chef to me) bringing out a beautiful bottle of Merlot (Trius). Shortly thereafter we were treated to the Amuse Bouche of Apple and Squash strudel with a goat cheese parfait.

Our conversation was filled with delight and joy. It has been so long since I have been able to have a dinner with my mother and stepfather due to the fact that they live in Malawi. The conversation was easy and fun but also had moments that were mature as I would say.

A asked when I got there if there were any dislikes or allergies. At first I had said no because I thought there were none. Then I found out that my mother was allergic to shellfish so we would not be having any fish. I ran into the kitchen to tell A. A just looked at me and said no problem and asked how long we had to eat. I told him as long as they had time to cook. He said great and the meal was underway.

The first course was duck prosciutto with duck sausage and a roasted corn scone.

Next came the foie gras pate followed by a perfectly seared piece of foie gras for the third course.

The next course was an aged cheddar spatzle with a grainy mustard emulsion.

This was soon followed by a perfectly cooked piece of lamb with a orange beurre blanc.

After a few more minutes this was followed by a perfectly cooked ribeye which was then of course followed by a quatro of desserts.

Needless to say A didn't just hit a home run, he hit a grnadlsam in the final play of the world series.

The food was perfect. Divine really. Being able to enjoy it with my mother and stepfather was even more delightful.

Our dinner lasted several hours and wastruly one of the best of my life. Only regret was that C could not be there to share it with me. But we'll have many dinners together and I can hardly wait until she gets to experience the same joy with me as I did last night.












Thank you Chef, thank you A, thank you everyone for what was truly a memorable evening which my parents will carry with them the rest of their lives. They said that it was the best meal they've ever had and that it likely won't be able to be topped.

Thank you everyone.

Melody Beattie once said; “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

First Time ( file under great excitement)

My mother and stepfather are in town. They live in Malawi, Africa. They are doing some great work over there and in fact run the largest medical provider in the country. All of it for free. They work with http://www.lifelinemalawi.com/ and I could not be more proud.

I get to see them maybe, just maybe, three times a year. Tonight I get the privilege, the honour, and the absolute treat to show them what I do and where I do it. For the first time I get to sit down and have dinner where I work and I could not be more excited.

I will write about the experience the next time I have time. But stay tuned. It is going to be a blast.

One of my favourites, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said; “Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he could be, and he will become what he should be.” This relates a lot to my last few days…

Are you dreaming BIG AND INSPIRED?

A la prochaine

SDM

First Time ( file under great excitement)

My mother and stepfather are in town. They live in Malawi, Africa. They are doing some great work over there and in fact run the largest medical provider in the country. All of it for free. They work with http://www.lifelinemalawi.com/ and I could not be more proud.

I get to see them maybe, just maybe, three times a year. Tonight I get the privilege, the honour, and the absolute treat to show them what I do and where I do it. For the first time I get to sit down and have dinner where I work and I could not be more excited.

I will write about the experience the next time I have time. But stay tuned. It is going to be a blast.

One of my favourites, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said; “Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he could be, and he will become what he should be.” This relates a lot to my last few days…

Are you dreaming BIG AND INSPIRED?

A la prochaine

SDM

Reservations New 2009 Package Tasting (file under learning experience to the enth degree)

There is a massive and almost indescribable difference between prep and working the line. First a la carte is a way different animal than functions. Obviously right. Well for the past couple of days I felt a pain like I haven’t really felt and I will explain it here.

Our new package for the 2009 function menu came out the other day including some additions for the 2008 holiday season. I was told that Tuesday was going to be quite a day when I got to work and man was it ever. I figured it would be all hands of deck so I was a little shocked when I got there that I was the first kitchen staff in the building. I didn’t think anything of it and just started going about my day. Pastry Chef J arrived and then I figured okay people will be coming now. NOT SO MUCH!

I had a few things I needed to tend to before I could even look at the prep list for the day such as stock and some protein issues. But then I looked at the prep list. 3 pages of things that I had never done before let alone seen or conceived of. By 9 I went and looked at the schedule and realized that it was going to be the me show that day. It was up to me.

I have to be honest here. I worked my ass off. I did everything I could to make the package a success. I know I messed up a couple of things but we’ll get to that later. I felt an incredible amount of pressure to produce. I felt an enormous amount of pressure personally because this was one of the biggest tasks that I had been assigned and I felt lost.

As a result of feeling lost I started with the things on the prep list that I knew I could do and do well with little or no input from anyone. This served me in two ways, the first was that it allowed me to calm down and secondly it allowed me to start the day off on a proper footing so that I would feel okay.

When Executive Chef came in he and I discussed the menu and the items for about twenty minutes. I learned a ridiculous amount in that twenty minutes. He has an incredible way of forcing you to think. Instead of giving you the answer he coaxes it out of you. Think of him almost like the kitchen version of Socrates.

Then it was off to the races.

So, bearing in mind that I did not have recipes or specs, the following is what my day was;

Savoury Egg Nog with Cayenne
Butternut Squash Bruschetta
Cranberry Maple Glazed Duck
Scallop and Lobster Salad
Poached Artic Shrimp Sheppard’s Pie
Sage and Apple Bread Pudding with Oka Cheese
Lobster Shrimp and Scallop Wellington
Apple Compote
One Bite Potato Salad
Cider Aioli
Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms
Chanterelle Veloute
Potato Galette
Apple, Sage and Yukon Bread Pudding
Cucumber Roma Salad
Roasted Cremini and Pickled Red Onion Salad…

I think you get the idea. In all the items equaled about 90 or so different components to compile approximately 50 dishes I had never made. It was daunting, extremely frightening and enlightening.

I was unsure why I was left to my own devices on this. I still am kind of wondering why I was left to my devices. Was it a test? If so for my own very personal reasons I would have to call it a failure despite the fact that I did the best that I could.

When I left that day it was decided that I would come in at 9 to finish off the rest. By the time I had left I had knocked off about two thirds of the prep list. I felt pretty good about the day if not a little unsure.

The next morning I came in and got right to work. We had about six hours of work to get accomplished in three. We had all kinds of prep still to do and to assemble and mount everything by 1 pm. Needless to say it was a bit of a shit show. But we pulled together and mounted the best assault that we could. A and I worked out the list that remained and started going to work. He on the proteins and myself on everything else.

We were hustling. I mean really moving trying to get everything done. The line started slowly trickling in and we started getting more help. We assembled the canapés first. Then the buffet items. Then station items. Salads and then mains. We were doing fairly well. Everything that was going out was at least passable. But of course because I am much harder on myself than anyone else it was a bit difficult for me to hear certain criticisms. Even though they were beyond constructive.

So we were able to identify the issues with the tasting. We knew up close and personal very quickly what worked and what didn’t. We knew what tasted good and what didn’t and perhaps why. All in all it was an up and down experience.

I did the best I could. In fact I think I did better than I thought was possible for myself. Pat on the back yes. But at the same time I tempered that with some rookie mistakes that I shouldn’t of made and if I hadn’t felt under the gun I wouldn’t have. But I think that too is part of the learning experience.

When it was over I felt relief first and foremost. Then after being relieved for a moment or two I started feeling bad about the things that came out less than stellar. I WANT TO BE BETTER EVERYDAY. But rather than beating myself up I looked at the experience, what I learned and what I can take forward and I felt pretty good.

I also made Caesar dressing for the first time yesterday off of a recipe that I was given by M, the Garde Manger Commis. I thought it tasted pretty good and put it in the fridge. 14 litres of it. L and I had a party to do which called for Caesar and so I pulled it out. Chef J came along and said; “What is this?” I told him it was the dressing. He looked at it, tried it and then said; “No, how did you make this.” My back was up against the wall. I had followed the recipe to the t, did I screw it up. Do something wrong. No idea. But Chef J looks at me and says; “I don’t even want to serve this. Let me check with Chef.” So he goes and comes back and so too comes Chef. Executive Chef asks how I made it and I showed him the recipe. My back was up against the wall and after the day that I had had I felt like a garbage bag just ready to get filled. As such I went outside to clear my head (which incidentally is filled with all kinds of family drama to boot). Sitting there with Chef B he started letting me know what I might have done wrong and working it through with me.

Executive Chef comes out the door, angry, I mean ANGRY and lets me know that I should be inside. Exact words if I recall correctly were; “We’re in there fixing your mess and you’re outside having a smoke… Get the f^&** inside” I put out my smoke and started walking inside after him. And realized that he was beyond right. He pointed out that this is how I will get better. By making mistakes and seeing how they get corrected. So that when I am a Chef and we have an issue with the Caesar dressing right before a service or during of 400 people that it can be corrected. He was right. Is right. And I was wrong for not taking the opportunity to learn how to fix it. My head wasn’t there. No excuse. It just wasn’t.

I don’t really like being stressed out. I don’t really like family drama. I don’t really like feeling the endless pressure associated with that. But Executive Chef was one hundred percent right. Because my head wasn’t in the game I couldn’t see it. But I pulled myself together and learned the lesson. Next time I make Caesar dressing it will be much, much, much, much better.

I am not a big fan of getting yelled at. And when Executive Chef yells at me it is both painful and hard. I understand. I do. I know what is going on and I am trying. The lesson I learned yesterday above all else is that I need to try harder, work smarter and keep on going… NO MATTER WHAT!

Talk about a rough couple of days, both mentally and physically fatiguing. And yet I still stand and celebrate the life that I have chosen and the people that are helping me become what I want..

Confucius once said; “When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Who made the Chicken? (file under memories of horrible salmon)

The kitchen is a weird place to be. It is the perfect embodiment of instant gratification. So last week I was working hard to get a lot of work done. We had two or three parties that needed to get completed. You’ll recall that in the following post http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com/2008/07/too-smoked-salmon-shitty-buzz-and-it.html I had made a serious error with smoking the tea smoked salmon. Well this is the opposite experience.

Former Head, now Executive Chef can be a rather scary person. In his heart of hearts I know that he is a teddy bear who is misunderstood. So when he asks a question that relates to something I’ve done I have a little trepidation in answering it.

Last week I had to prepare three or four hotel pans (I can’t remember, isn’t that horrible, but also great because that means I am working so much) of chicken. So Executive Chef asks; “Who made the chicken?” L and I both look around because we are not sure whether it is a good “Who made the chicken” or a bad one. Do you know what I mean by that? Simply that it could go either way. After he asked the question again and I was hiding in dry stores I looked at him and said; “I did Chef.” Without missing a beat (you think elephants have memories or perhaps the salmon was just that shitty that it is unforgettable try working for a German Chef on a mission) He looked right at me and said; “Almost redeems your Salmon incident.” To which I laughed.

The irreverent Jack Handy, SNL character extraordinaire once said; “Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It's a shark riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired? I say this at the end of every post. And I really am curious. Are you dreaming? Are they big? Are you inspired? If not, why not? What do you need in order to live your dreams. To function in the world according to your hearts deepest and most true desire. What can I do to help you dream big and inspired? I’m SERIOUS! Because I genuinely believe that this world is a little too messed up sometimes (read most) to not actively pursue exactly what it is your heart desires. Live up to your own expectation because what people expect from you is ALWAYS going to be less than you do. That said, get off your ass. Dream, actively pursue it and become the person you always wanted. Only to realize that the person you always wanted to be was always there, just hibernating waiting for that eureka moment to become the realized you. (And no I’m not reading some far out philosophy that created the last statement, this is how I live my life. EVERY DAY!)

Big? Inspired? YOU?

A la prochaine

SDM

Staff Meal (file under Wa Wa Wee Wa)

Staff meals are a treat at work. If you can call what I do work. Due to the varied experience, both personal and professional of the people that I work with staff meals can be very interesting. If you read any anecdotal books about the kitchen staff meals will sometimes be referred to as “family meals.” Which is rather appropriate seeing as depending on the restaurant (perhaps not Wendy’s or the like) the people you work with are the people that you spend the most of your time. You have issues, problems, conflicts and resolutions and most importantly tomorrow is another day. (I will touch on this in another post shortly)

Staff meals are a rare treat when someone has the time or inclination to make one. Sometimes it will be curry. Sometimes some type of protein put into a pasta or a Poutine. Whatever it is staff meals usually rock.

This past week I made my second staff meal, both of which I am going to detail now. The first staff meal I did was a marinated and grilled chicken breast club sandwich with crispy pancetta, double smoked bacon, avocado spread, four year old cheddar and roasted onions. It wasn’t the best sandwich I have ever made but it was pretty damn tasty if I don’t say so myself.

The staff meal I made on October 3 was a fusilli. I did a cream sauce with sun dried tomatoes, pesto, garlic, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan and butter. Of course I used 35% cream. It was quite decadent and took about ten minutes to put together. If I don’t say so myself it was the best pasta that I have had in quite a while. In fact since J.W. made me one at the beginning of the summer.

I also have made a decision that in the new year I want to take the time once a week to make staff meal. I think it is important for a multitude of reasons. One of the reasons is to put into practice some of the things that I am learning and to get instant feedback on it. Most of the time silence is not a good thing. But if someone is eating your food and they are not speaking that in and of itself speaks volumes.

The venerable James Beard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Beard ) once said; “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” This in and of itself is very true. But just as the universe has a chaotic sense of rules so too does food. But we all have to eat.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Nice Demi ( file under I bet you say that to all the boys)

It has been almost ten months since I was exposed to the weird, wonderful and amazing world of stocks, Remis and Demis. Any chef worth his weight in salt (remember I told you in a post some time ago where that expression came from) from Escoffier to the dispirited Rocco Dispirito would tell you that stocks are amongst the most important foundations of almost anything we do. To make stock well is to be able to manage any number of variables to produce the perfect flavouring agent for any number of other utilizations. I love making stock. I’ve become proficient if not good at it in the past ten months and I know that I will become even better in the next ten. I am competing with and for myself. Such a joy.

At any rate, during the summer I did not really have the time to tend to the stock. I was to busy in McGrill land. Oh how I am thrilled that the summer is over for only that reason. The whole point of the post is that A was walking by me the other day as I was tending to the demi. He stuck his finger in and then looked at me and barely audible said; “Nice demi.” I remember telling you a long time ago that I took the little victories when ever I could get them as in my current phase they are few and far between.

You’ll recall that the process involved in making a great stock is quite lengthy and intensive, three days, fifty pounds of bones and 270 litres of liquid to produce less than 20 litres.

Nice demi indeed.

Elbert Hubbard once said; “The highest reward that God gives us for good work is the ability to do better” How true? And I strive to be better every day.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Health in a Glass (file under we all needs our fruits and veg)

I’m missing C BIG TIME! Working in a kitchen is as I’m sure you have all gathered by now a non stop adventure in juggling, cooking, tasting and touching. It is also a struggle each day to find the time to make yourself some food and feed your body. More often than not lately I have not found the opportunity to eat at work. This is not healthy practice and in order for me to do what I want to do I DEFINITELY need to be healthy. As such I started thinking to myself, what can I do that takes next to no time and will give my body the fuel it needs.

HEALTH IN A GLASS WAS BORN!

It is exactly as it sounds. I take whatever fruit strikes my fancy from the fridge and throw it in the high speed mixer with some milk, ice and honey. It is now a daily ritual that right before the start of “busy” service” I will start making health in a glass. It takes about seven minutes from beginning to end to make and distribute and it really is an important part of my day now.

It is one of those small things that we do that makes a BIG difference in our day. It is also nice because right around service I will start hearing the question; “S, health in a glass?” “How about health in a glass?” A brief but beautiful moment that I’ve created for us during my day.

An old proverb says; “He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.” I have everything and more.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM