Thomas Edison once said; “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Not for me though. I love to work. I love what I do and where I am going. As such today presented another opportunity that I must weigh all the options and ensure that it is exactly what I want. That said I felt pretty good at the meeting.
As I blogged a few posts ago, I had a meeting with the Executive Chef of a prominent club in Toronto. I arrived sharply at 3 and spoke with him about what he needs, wants and desires as well as what I want, need and desire. We then walked around the various facilities to give me a feel for the place.
Its operations are huge. Perhaps four times as big as Reservation and at least ten times as big as Without Reservation. There are three distinct levels of service and thus expectation. The walkins are massive and filled with the most delicious, fresh and awe inspiring ingredients. The general feel of the place was good and seemed to be something that I might like to do.
When we returned to Chef’s office we spoke for a few more minutes. By the way, it really is true that all Chef’s get a bright corner office with lots of natural light, the best computers possible, etc. True in dreamland that is. Chef’s offices I have come to learn are small, filled with endless amounts of knowledge, clipboards, prep and staff lists, etc. But the office was nice enough and clean. We spoke all in for about an hour and within a few minutes I had the feeling that this was someone I could work for. He made sure that I was willing and able to be at work for those hours at which I had to chuckle. I always show up. He liked that!
Thus, the opportunity is, to work breakfast and lunch services for the time being. I have the freedom to create specials every day which include pasta, pizza and sandwiches as well as fish, meat, etc. This sounded very good to me. He was very honest in saying that it may not be the dream job for everyone out there but it is one which has the opportunity to create, to move up and to be part of a team. All things which resonate with me greatly.
Steady work. Stable. BENEFITS. I can buy into the pension plan.
So next I need to speak with my incredible fiancé and get her opinion on the matter. Executive Chef and I are scheduled to speak again on Friday. I look forward to resolving these issues so that I can start the process of working my way up the ladder to achieve exactly what it is that I intend to achieve.
As I was typing this Executive Chef sent me some material regarding menus, etc. He also looks forward to speaking on Friday.
I guess I have some serious soul searching to do. Luckily I am good at searching and have a soul.
Arthur Rimbaud once wrote; “The first study for the man who wants to be a poet is knowledge of himself, complete: he searches for his soul, he inspects it, he puts it to the test, he learns it. As soon as he has learned it, he must cultivate it! I say that one must be a seer, make oneself a seer. The poet becomes a seer through a long, immense, and reasoned derangement of all the senses. All shapes of love suffering, madness. He searches himself, he exhausts all poisons in himself, to keep only the quintessences. Ineffable torture where he needs all his faith, all his superhuman strength, where he becomes among all men the great patient, the great criminal, the great accursed one--and the supreme Scholar! For he reaches the unknown! ....So the poet is actually a thief of Fire!”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
WHY NOT?
A la prochaine
SDM
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
L’s Anniversary Dinner UPDATE
You’ll recall that the menu was as follows;
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
Bread and Butter Pudding with Raspberries (last minute change)
So I got home after work on Friday and opened up a luscious Bordeaux. And it is going to remain my secret, as it was very inexpensive. LOVED IT!
I already had a few emails in my box which I answered and we bounced back and forth for a while. Finally one of the emails had her home number and so I called. Not only did I get to help her with her meal but I also got to catch up with her. It had probably been no less that 15 years since we had spoken.
Time flew as we walked through the various steps and reminiscing. After about an hour and a half or so we parted ways and I waited for some inkling as to what had happened. Sure enough on her facebook status there was a comment about how delicious dinner was.
The next morning I received a very nice email from her husband thanking me for my time and effort and assuring me how good the meal tasted.
It felt very good to help someone make a very special evening and then to receive an email from her hubby was just the icing on the cake. It was a treat to help, a treat to catch up with an old friend and what’s more birth the new blog as a result.
Anybody else need some help in the kitchen. You can ask for some help by emailing me at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
Bill Clinton once said; “We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
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
Bread and Butter Pudding with Raspberries (last minute change)
So I got home after work on Friday and opened up a luscious Bordeaux. And it is going to remain my secret, as it was very inexpensive. LOVED IT!
I already had a few emails in my box which I answered and we bounced back and forth for a while. Finally one of the emails had her home number and so I called. Not only did I get to help her with her meal but I also got to catch up with her. It had probably been no less that 15 years since we had spoken.
Time flew as we walked through the various steps and reminiscing. After about an hour and a half or so we parted ways and I waited for some inkling as to what had happened. Sure enough on her facebook status there was a comment about how delicious dinner was.
The next morning I received a very nice email from her husband thanking me for my time and effort and assuring me how good the meal tasted.
It felt very good to help someone make a very special evening and then to receive an email from her hubby was just the icing on the cake. It was a treat to help, a treat to catch up with an old friend and what’s more birth the new blog as a result.
Anybody else need some help in the kitchen. You can ask for some help by emailing me at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
Bill Clinton once said; “We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Alice Waters’ Edible Garden influence at White House (file under FINALLY)
You’ll recall that I was watching 60 minutes last week when I saw Alice Waters speaking about a garden possibly being unearthed at the White House. For those of you that did not see it check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tPSmMR4ZUg&feature=related at least until 60 Minutes asks for it to be taken down.
The interview is great because it covers so many aspects of Alice Waters’ philosophy of food. Right near the end she talks about her efforts to get a working garden placed on the grounds of the White House. I was so amazingly happy when I heard this because there were massive symbolic implications to it.
Low and behold on Friday as I’m watching ABC news I hear the announcement that the First Lady was breaking round on a garden. I found the AP story on youetube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSOe4stu2fQ .
I am so excited by this. I wonder if this will catch on at official residences around the world. Be pretty cool if it did.
At any rate just wanted to update you.
Alice once said; "Always explore your garden and go to the market before you decide what cook."
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
The interview is great because it covers so many aspects of Alice Waters’ philosophy of food. Right near the end she talks about her efforts to get a working garden placed on the grounds of the White House. I was so amazingly happy when I heard this because there were massive symbolic implications to it.
Low and behold on Friday as I’m watching ABC news I hear the announcement that the First Lady was breaking round on a garden. I found the AP story on youetube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSOe4stu2fQ .
I am so excited by this. I wonder if this will catch on at official residences around the world. Be pretty cool if it did.
At any rate just wanted to update you.
Alice once said; "Always explore your garden and go to the market before you decide what cook."
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Sunday, March 22, 2009
For Every Door that Closes (file under Opportunity)
Alexander Graham Bell once said; “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
At first last Tuesday I left Reservation feeling dejected, unwanted, unneeded and what’s more as if my contribution to Reservation had counted for nothing. While considering all of these over the past week I have come to realize that Executive Chef was right in not taking me back. It is for my own good and by doing so he is actually ensuring that I can achieve what I want.
Now that does not for a minute suggest that I did not want to be back at Reservation. But I’ve come to realize that in the decision not to take me back the old adage of “familiarity breeds contempt,” probably came into play. It was not a comment on my contribution to Reservation, nor, for that matter, on me as a person. It was instead, at least now this is how I see it, on what I want to achieve and how best to get there.
Moreover, Executive Chef reminded me about; “ferme la bouche.” It was brought up in the context of my intelligence and working in a kitchen and how if I can not learn to control my voice, both inner and outer it will negatively impact on my ability to be a great brigade member. In many ways I feel as if, through repetition, he is wanting me to get a hold of myself, my sometimes manic outwardly expression, grab it by the balls, and become exactly what I say I want to.
I’ve always had a big mouth. In the past it has both helped and hurt me. And the more I hear about ferme la bouche, the more I realize that it is now time for me to be more than just the master of my domain but also my inner workings.
So for that I would like to thank Executive Chef for taking the time to see me. For taking the time to consider taking me back and for coming to the conclusion that the path that I am on is not one of comfort and familiarity but rather one of discomfort and lack of familiarity. I appreciate it and I will shine as Executive Chef desires. As I desire. And I’m sure as all of you desire.
Through reflection I have come to realize that, as the above quote says, staring at the closed door prevents me from continued growth and indeed success. So rather than focusing on the closed door I am instead looking for open doors. And the doors are opening.
This past week the Executive Chef at a prominent club in the city has asked me to come in and see him about a great position. Moreover, Chef has opened the door for me at a very nice French restaurant through a Chef friend of his, a Michelin trained mentor, that he says I can learn oodles from. So here I am, clearing my mind on this first Sunday of spring, readying myself for the onslaught of opportunity that will allow me to continue on this path. Spring is a time for renewal, for new growth and for the unfurling of something beautiful. And here I sit!
I am at times, unduly hard on myself; in fact I am harder on myself than anyone ever could be. I’ve come to realize over the course of the last week that while this is positive sometimes, more often than not, that nagging voice (don’t pretend you don’t have one) holds me in place or back. It creates a conflict within myself that does nothing to help me and more often that not, hurts me. So, another thing on my list of things to work on.
Everything in life, thus far, has helped me to get to this point. There have been some things, that naturally I could live without, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I am the result of my past and use that energy to promote a future of my own design. It is not always easy to look at ones self and acknowledge their flaws. However, if you can, and you adjust you’ll find a greater happiness caused my clarity of thought and action.
So I’m not going to stare at the closed door. Instead I am going to figure out how best to open the best door for me. To get to where I need to be,
Howard Thurman once wrote; “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
At first last Tuesday I left Reservation feeling dejected, unwanted, unneeded and what’s more as if my contribution to Reservation had counted for nothing. While considering all of these over the past week I have come to realize that Executive Chef was right in not taking me back. It is for my own good and by doing so he is actually ensuring that I can achieve what I want.
Now that does not for a minute suggest that I did not want to be back at Reservation. But I’ve come to realize that in the decision not to take me back the old adage of “familiarity breeds contempt,” probably came into play. It was not a comment on my contribution to Reservation, nor, for that matter, on me as a person. It was instead, at least now this is how I see it, on what I want to achieve and how best to get there.
Moreover, Executive Chef reminded me about; “ferme la bouche.” It was brought up in the context of my intelligence and working in a kitchen and how if I can not learn to control my voice, both inner and outer it will negatively impact on my ability to be a great brigade member. In many ways I feel as if, through repetition, he is wanting me to get a hold of myself, my sometimes manic outwardly expression, grab it by the balls, and become exactly what I say I want to.
I’ve always had a big mouth. In the past it has both helped and hurt me. And the more I hear about ferme la bouche, the more I realize that it is now time for me to be more than just the master of my domain but also my inner workings.
So for that I would like to thank Executive Chef for taking the time to see me. For taking the time to consider taking me back and for coming to the conclusion that the path that I am on is not one of comfort and familiarity but rather one of discomfort and lack of familiarity. I appreciate it and I will shine as Executive Chef desires. As I desire. And I’m sure as all of you desire.
Through reflection I have come to realize that, as the above quote says, staring at the closed door prevents me from continued growth and indeed success. So rather than focusing on the closed door I am instead looking for open doors. And the doors are opening.
This past week the Executive Chef at a prominent club in the city has asked me to come in and see him about a great position. Moreover, Chef has opened the door for me at a very nice French restaurant through a Chef friend of his, a Michelin trained mentor, that he says I can learn oodles from. So here I am, clearing my mind on this first Sunday of spring, readying myself for the onslaught of opportunity that will allow me to continue on this path. Spring is a time for renewal, for new growth and for the unfurling of something beautiful. And here I sit!
I am at times, unduly hard on myself; in fact I am harder on myself than anyone ever could be. I’ve come to realize over the course of the last week that while this is positive sometimes, more often than not, that nagging voice (don’t pretend you don’t have one) holds me in place or back. It creates a conflict within myself that does nothing to help me and more often that not, hurts me. So, another thing on my list of things to work on.
Everything in life, thus far, has helped me to get to this point. There have been some things, that naturally I could live without, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I am the result of my past and use that energy to promote a future of my own design. It is not always easy to look at ones self and acknowledge their flaws. However, if you can, and you adjust you’ll find a greater happiness caused my clarity of thought and action.
So I’m not going to stare at the closed door. Instead I am going to figure out how best to open the best door for me. To get to where I need to be,
Howard Thurman once wrote; “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
My First Question at http://www.askachefintraining.blogspot.com
So I’ve had a few comments and a question already at my new blog shown above. Very exciting.
I encourage any and all of you that have any food questions under the sun to send me an email at askachefintraining@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer your question, give you appropriate resources and do so as quickly as I can.
Moreover, I would again like to thank my friend L, for reminding me, why I love what I do and for revealing to me a new and exciting way to grow as a culinary monster.
Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote; “If a man loves the labour of his trade, apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
I encourage any and all of you that have any food questions under the sun to send me an email at askachefintraining@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer your question, give you appropriate resources and do so as quickly as I can.
Moreover, I would again like to thank my friend L, for reminding me, why I love what I do and for revealing to me a new and exciting way to grow as a culinary monster.
Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote; “If a man loves the labour of his trade, apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
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