An Announcement (file under Purpose, Meaning & Fun to boot)

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…” No, no, no, that won’t do. Anyone who has read the blog recently knows that I have been helping my friend L design and prepare a delicious anniversary feast for her man and herself. Through out the process I was thinking that there are probably a lot of people out there who have culinary questions. What’s more is that I realized is that by my helping those people with those questions I would in fact be improving my own culinary knowledge, skill and technique. And thus, http://www.askachefintraining.blogspot.com was born.

The purpose of the blog is going to be just that. To ask any and all culinary questions of a chef in training. I will do my best to answer your questions and concerns as well as give you a wealth of resources to aid you in all things culinary that have been plaguing your minds or you just want to know.

Any question is open. I will do my best to answer them quickly and effectively.

I am excited and I hope you are too. There are no stupid questions only stupid answers. I look forward to answering any questions you may have.

Owen Arthur once said; “Often, we are too slow to recognize how much and in what ways we can assist each other through sharing such expertise and knowledge.”

And here I am…

Are you dreaming bug and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

L’s Anniversary Dinner (file under Timing is Key)

Recently I have reconnected with a friend from high school. When I left high school, not wanting to be put into a little box (see last post) I kind of made myself scarce and basically disappeared.

Well recently, L and I have been speaking via email and of course facebook. It started when she wrote me an email saying that she read my blog. I was touched of course and responded to her email. She had a specific question that I can’t quite recall right now. At any rate, long story short she asked me a couple of culinary questions because she stated that she was not all that good in the kitchen. I told her that I would be happy to help any time. And then I offered after a few more emails to help her with an anniversary dinner by organizing a menu that was workable for her. And that I would even make it easy for her by making them relatively. But not too easy because I have full faith in her abilities.

So yesterday we bounced thirteen or fourteen emails back and forth until we came up with a menu. I’m fully satisfied that my lover, C, would be delighted to have this meal, so I am SURE that her lover will as well.

This is why I became a cook. To make memories and I think this one is going to be great. So the menu is;

Potato Leek Puree with a Crispy Prosciutto and Parsley Garnish
Then a seared Foie Gras in a red currant and fig glaze
Followed by a sumptuous home made tagliatelle with braised short ribs
And the piece de la resistance Crème Brûlée

I have to tell you I am quite proud of the menu. But what’s more I am proud that I am able to help someone with a very special evening which is sure to be memorable.

The last couple of emails have been filled with the joy of knowing and the anticipation of doing. I LOVE IT! I told L that I am excited for her meal and that I can help her any way she needs if she gets stuck. But I have faith that she will do it perfectly. Love is the key to anything in the kitchen and I can tell that she and her man are very much in love.

What’s more is she has promised me that she will take pictures. I haven’t asked for permission yet but I’m hopeful that she will let me post both their responses to the meal and the pictures.

As I said in the title of the post. Timing is key. Her desire to cook a great meal and my desire to help people has helped me to see that I am doing the right thing and that I need to just keep on keeping on. And thus I will.

Carl Lewis once said; “Life is about timing.” And that seems very true…

Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine

SDM

“Call me Ishmael” (file under No Moby here, just Dick!)

When Melville was writing “Moby Dick” I wonder if he knew just how great a novel it was to become. Given the events of the last few days I feel that the opening line to “Moby Dick” and indeed the character of Ishmael do best explain not only me but also where I am in life.

Many times you have heard me say in my own creative way or echoing the thoughts of Anthony Bourdain that we cooks are a strange breed. We are the miscreants, the outcasts, and the ones that don’t fit into the pretty little boxes that Malvina Reynolds sang about;

“Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky-tacky
Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes all the same
There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses all went to the university
Where they were put in boxes and they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and there's lawyers, and business executives
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course and drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children and the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp and then to the university
Where they are put in boxes and they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business and marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.”

I’ve never, as anyone that knows me can attest, fit into any box, let alone a little one. And I guess that’s why this morning I used the first line of “Moby Dick” to describe how I was feeling.

So please call me Ishmael. For by identifying at this moment with Ishmael I am engaging my inner creativity and survival instinct to help me through this period in my life. In leaving Reservation I made a mistake. One which I am now paying the price for. However, I know that I will eventually find a place that I am supposed to be. In the meantime, I am happy to let Ahab guide me on his quest.

Is any of this making sense to you? It makes sense to me. It’s the only thing that I’ve been thinking of since first thing this morning. I woke up the first time at three thirty and could not get back to sleep until five. Sleeping then until around seven.

I guess I realize that I went to high school and refused to be put in a box. I went to University and refused to be put in a box. I did a million different jobs and refused to be put in a box. And now, after all that I am in a box of my own making. One which empowers me, one which reveals more to me about character, integrity, passion and dreams than I care to admit right now. But I assure you that someday I will.

So while I am not floating around aimlessly with Ahab right now I am clearly stuck on his boat. Together we will search for Moby and I will eventually find my way back to the shores that I am meant to be on. Feet firmly planted in the soil, like a seed, waiting to be enriched, nurtured, so that I may become… more.

Which incidentally leads into my next blog… helping my friend L make an anniversary dinner for her and her man.

Mitch Albom once said; “The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Now is the Winter of Our Discontent (file under Lessons)

In his great work, “The Old Man and the Sea,” Hemingway’s opening line is; “He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” This is sort of how I feel right now.

I went for the follow up meeting at Reservation today. And in many ways it was a great meeting. In others it was a massive blow to my ego and my spirit. Perhaps intellectually arrogantly I believed that Executive Chef was going to allow me to come back to Reservation. I believed that my service to Reservation had been such that I would be given the opportunity to come back.

Meeting with Executive Chef in the dining room we had a brief conversation. Perhaps ten minutes or so. He asked why he should allow me to come back and I explained as best I could the reasons I thought that I should be allowed to come back. We bantered back and forth for a few minutes and then a brief pause and he looked me squarely in the eye and quietly, almost imperceptibly said; “No.” Another person might have misunderstood what was meant by the no but it was immediately clear to me, that, for my own good, and the good of my dream, he was not going to allow me to come back. Naturally I asked if there was any way that I could change his mind and he let me know that there was not.

He expressed to me, quite plainly, that I should go and find myself a European Chef. That I should find either in a hotel, or elsewhere, a Chef that would put me on his brigade and teach me in the old world style. He said that I need to be uncomfortable and that my coming back to Reservation would do nothing to enhance either his kitchen or my dream. That instead, by reaching out to a top European Chef, either in a hotel or otherwise, that I could learn in an environment which was better suited to my needs. I appreciated what he said. And the advice that he gave me. He also made it clear that I was welcome to use him as a reference and that if called he would give an exceptional reference.

I have to tell you at first I was really upset. I still kind of am. But I understand what he is trying to do and appreciate fully his not taking me back. In the long run of my dream, I think he is doing me a great service and not a disservice. That does not however take away from the hurt I now feel. But again, after sober thought, I am sure that his point of view will prevail in my own mind.

That does not for a moment take away from the fact that I wish I could go back.



My use of Hemingway at the beginning is the acknowledgement that by leaving Reservation I have failed to catch a fish. I have failed to find meaning in what I am doing currently and what’s more have failed in finding an environment that will aid me in the pursuit of my dream.

Does it suck? Absolutely. But I feel stronger for having attempted to correct my own mistake and I know that there is lots for me to learn from it. I made my bed and now I need to lay in it.

Theodore Roosevelt once said; “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Thank you Chef! I appreciate it.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Please Sir, May I Have Some More (file under thoughts)

Escoffier once said; “On n’en sait jamais trop.” This translates roughly to; the more one learns, more one realizes how much is left to learn.

We are all well aware that the last month or so I have been searching. Searching for a way to continue to survive. To continue living my dream. To continue continuing if you will. Feeling unfulfilled where I am inevitably led me down the path of self exploration. For most people I think this is uncomfortable because they are unsure of what they are going to find. In my case, I find it quite liberating. Why liberating you may ask? Well if you look at the testament of my blog you will find that I am always looking inward. I am trying to find a way to feel good about where I am and what I am doing and not out of some major discontent or the like. But rather to enhance that dream which I am living each day.

Upon deeper reflection this passed weekend I came to realize just how much I had grown as a person. I have never been one to publicly display my mistakes out of a deep fear of judgment. However, when I think about the meeting at Reservation on Friday, I feel good about it, I feel that I acknowledged my mistakes, analyzed them, and sought out an answer that not only fit, but was the right fit.

When I left Reservation I was blinded by my own stupidity. Well, maybe not stupidity, but a momentary lapse of judgment. One which did not enable me to perfectly explore my options and decide upon which would best serve my eventual goals. It is not easy to come to that realization. But again I think that it is a measure of maturity and sober thought that leads me to that realization.

I feel good about the meeting. About what was said by both the DOP and Executive Chef. I feel that I represented my foolishness in an appropriate way and demonstrated my desire to come back humbled in order to grow.

That’s sort of where I got the name of this post. For me, it is saying, may I have some more. More experience. More knowledge. More time to grow. More time to flourish. More time to develop. So yes, I would like some more.

I am going back to Reservation tomorrow afternoon before service for another meeting. I’m unsure what Executive Chef is going to say. But I am prepared. Prepared in the event that it does not go my way. But even more so if I am accepted back. Sous Chef A had suggested that I be ready to jump into line with him at Sauce regardless of the outcome of the meeting. Again through sober thought and a few little birdies I think that it would be inappropriate for me to assume anything in Chef’s kitchen. It is his kitchen and I need to adhere to his wishes. I will however be bringing with me my knives and Chef wear.

I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m prepared. I’m ready to continue my path.

Les Brown once said; “Your ability to communicate is an important tool in your pursuit of your goals, whether it is with your family, your co-workers or your clients and customers.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Alice Waters on 60 Minutes (file under Everyone has got a dream)

I just finished watching Alice Waters on 60 Minutes. And what can I say that I haven’t already said. At first I was unsure about the interview because it seemed that CBS and 60 Minutes were trying to diminish her impact on the way that food is viewed in the United States.

It covered the precocious Waters development into the marvelous dreamer that she is today, was then and always will be. It touched on her push in the Slow Food movement and the resultant Slow Food Expo 2008 which took place outside of San Francisco’s City Hall as well as the Edible School Yard Program. Both of which I have written about here before. One point which she made loud and clear and that I also have written about here is that the food we are eating is at worst killing us and at best making us sick, all in the name of profit.

What struck me was the timing of the interview. In fact, Leslie Stahl outright said, that organic is expensive and that in these times it may not be possible for America to wake up, so to speak, to the organic, slow food, REVOLUTION that she helped to form in the United States. The reason I found this interesting is that the other day I read an article which regaled McDonald’s with praise for turning a 14% larger profit in the last quarter. For me, this was a telling statistic, and a very sad one.

In the current economic reality, jobs are being lost in the United States, so too are homes and the fabric of society is being tested. Yet, in this reality, while other companies are slashing jobs and finding ways to bolster their bottomline, McDonald’s is, on the other hand, reaping the profits of misery. At least that is the way that I see it.

You see, the economic reality is forcing people (though Americans have rarely needed a reason to eat fast food) to choose the easiest method for food intake. That method naturally being fast food.

I am guilty of eating McDonald’s every now and again. But since I have become acquainted fully with the organic and slow food movements I find myself eating it less and less. Now nothing more than a momentary guilty pleasure.

I loved the interview with Waters. I thought it was on the whole balanced and represented a much grander exposure for Waters. The one part I was especially fond of was when she was asked about the White House having an edible landscape. A garden. She spoke of the symbolism involved with installing such a feature. And I couldn’t agree more. Change you can believe in. If you know what I mean.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

A History of Cooks and Cooking (file under a Poetic Soul)

I took much longer to read Michael Symon’s book; “A History of Cooks and Cooking,” much more than I normally would. The very first paragraph reveals a very different kind of Chef. A different cook. One with the soul of a poet. In a very different vane than Anthony Bourdain. It captures the spirit and imagination of the reader and demands that you keep reading.

Michael Symon, for those of you who don’t know, is the newest “Iron Chef” in America. He has been regaled with numerous awards and is the Owner of two very fine restaurants in Cleveland. Yes, that’s right, I said Cleveland. You can check out a bit more about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Symon.

Rarely do you come across a professional of one sort who has the ability to express beautifully in words, what their drive and passion is. Michael Symon certainly fits that bill. Take for instance the very first paragraph of the first chapter;

“Hovering over an industrial city spreading beside the Pacific, an angel tunes into the tangled whispers of human thought, watching over silliness and drama, and brushing comfort when and where it will. Suddenly drawn to comprehend, this angel descends past Sydney’s opera house, art gallery, library, museum and botanical gardens. On wings of inquiry it glides across cathedral, conservatorium of music and hospital. It floats over the hotels, department stores and shopping complexes. It circles the stock exchange, banks and corporate towers. It glances towards the sporting stadiums and beaches.”

Adds new meaning, for me anyway, to the soul of a chef. A poetic soul. One which tries to both understands and illuminate exactly what it is we do.

I have read many “anthropological” studies of food, cooks and cooking and none has entertained me as much as this one. In it, you can understand that cooking, its precursors and its by products are something which he feels very passionate about. Attacking it from a very different angle than any that I have read so far.

If you want a great read, an interesting anthropological study of cooks and cooking throughout history you would be hard pressed to find one more informative and entertaining than Michael Symon’s “A History of Cooks and Cooking.”

H. L. Mencken once wrote; “The proof of an idea is not to be sought in the soundness of the man fathering it, but in the soundness of the idea itself. One asks of a pudding, not if the cook who offers it is a good woman, but if the pudding itself is good.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Camaraderie (file under Kitchen Love)

At least two or three times I have written about the camaraderie that develops in a kitchen. It is a bond of brothers and sisters that come together to complete a task together in the most beautiful and wonderful ways. But that camaraderie is not limited to just the kitchen in which you work.

Currently, at Without Reservation, when I go out for a smoke, I am facing the smoking area of another kitchen. A couple of times a day I will see their Pastry Chef, or Sous Chef or just some of the line cooks doing the same thing that I am, having a cigarette and working through whatever needs to be worked through that day.

There is the normal small chitchat but then there are also conversations which reveal the true camaraderie of the kitchen. I have been speaking with the Sous Chef and Pastry Chef there since I started at Without Reservation. They constantly give me good advice and are interested in my progress in the kitchen. This also filters down to the line cooks as well. I am struck by the camaraderie that develops.

It is a nice feeling to escape the constantly balmy thirty five degrees of the kitchen and to have a conversation with someone for a minute or two, or five as the case may be.

This experience has led me to believe that there is an unspoken bond between kitchens the world over. Anthony Bourdain has spoken about this many times too. Perhaps it is because we are all in the joyous suffering of burns, cuts, scrapes and failed experiments. Perhaps it is the cigarette or perhaps, maybe, just maybe, it is something deeper. Something more human. Something spiritual which transcends our humanity and instead highlights our shared experience and makes us reach for one another. I’m not sure what it is. But I can tell you this, it makes me feel extremely happy to know that this exists outside of the military or a hockey team.

Moreover, in going back to Reservation this week, I felt as if that camaraderie still exists even when people move on. I don’t think it is true in every case, but certainly, it would appear, in mine.

Just something that I’ve been meaning to write about for a while.

Todd English once said; “I liked the energy of cooking, the action, the camaraderie. I often compare the kitchen to sports and compare the chef to a coach. There are a lot of similarities to it.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM