Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Prep Day (file under Rain!)

Yesterday was an exciting day. As the weather was not ideal for patio service I called Executive Chef at around 11and asked whether or not I should come in. Graciously he said that I could come in and do some prep so that I would get some hours. While on that call we spoke about the Gong Show that happened on Sunday. He asked if we went through a lot of product. I said that I felt that because of the myriad of problems we probably had to comp a lot of food. I also said that we should have a better contingency plan for when the system goes down to make sure that the service is snafu free. He agreed. I also made sure to point out that both kitchens were firing food as quick as we could under adverse circumstances and that I felt we did a great job. He agreed with both points that I made.

So I got to work around 2:30 and started banging out prep both for the line and for the grill. I butchered four sides of salmon and three striploin. I had butchered striploin before and noticed that I am actually quite good at it. It is a magical thing of beauty to clean a striploin properly and I became almost giddy as I portioned them off into 10 oz steaks. From three striploins I was able to get forty two portions with minimal waste. I feel that I maximized the product that we got out of the three.

Shortly after arriving at work Executive Chef came down and asked how I was doing. I told him I was feeling great. He said that I should just bang out what I could and then take off at my leisure. All in I spent about six hours doing prep work yesterday. He also handed me a sheet of paper, as he does each week, with the items that I would have to play with both for inside Bistros and specials and outsides menu. Thus, this week I have Halibut, Chicken, Shrimp, Striploin, Pork Tenderloin and Ribs.

I was very excited to have Halibut and Pork to play with. I haven’t decided what I am going to do with them yet but will post later today when I do. Moreover, I mentioned to Executive Chef that I wanted to keep Ribs on the menu each and every week and change the sauces. This is for three reasons, relative ease of preparation, margin and customer satisfaction. He agreed and a big smile came over his face.

Anyone in the Toronto area knows that the weather is less than great for outdoor service so I find myself with a day to get work done on my menu, on my side project, the blog and the wedding. So it is going to be a busy day but a great one.

Publilius Syrus once wrote; “Every day should be passed as if it were to be our last.”

Back soon my friends.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Monday, May 25, 2009

Insight from Executive Chef (file under Lucky to have Him as a Resource)

As I mentioned in my previous post I had the marvelous occasion to spend some time with old friends. I don’t get out very often – the men in their white coats try to keep me (great double entendre). At least I can get out every once and a while. Supervised visits and all.

At any rate it was a fabulous evening. Great friends. Great music. Great environment and absolutely fabulous Vodka/7’s. Thanks Stu. Shortly after arriving I went out for a cigarette knowing that I would find Executive Chef there. It was great seeing him and we both greeted each other like old comrades. Big hug and big smiles.

As always he was excited to hear how I was doing. What was going on with me and in my new job. I let him know that I landed well at The Club at which point he gave me his telling smile and a wink; “I knew you would.” In retrospect it was a great decision on his part to force me to go out and experience something else. Hindsight is always twenty twenty.

We spoke freely and easily about how he is enjoying being Executive Chef. His voice was even more gruff than usual as the Head Chef at one of the other restaurants is having a baby so he is working the pass expediting. Though tired he let me know that he is absolutely enjoying the job.

I let him know about my experiences at The Club and he gave me some great advice. Naturally I wanted to talk about the horror of handwritten chits. His eyes seemed to almost glaze over. A tell tale sign of his many experiences with handwritten chits. I expressed, as I did, in my previous post, the story as best I could. He asked how I handled it and I explained but then I asked him how he would have dealt with it. He explained that I had the right idea and that as time goes on I will find myself even better at dealing with the hiccups that are a very natural part of the kitchen experience.

Using the resources that are available to me I asked him numerous questions about brigades, kitchen issues, etc. He was, naturally, more than pleased to give me advice. I asked him about how to handle issues of keeping the brigade motivated in times of trouble. Again recounting my experience that had just happened. I made a rookie mistake in dealing with it he explained. In that I acknowledged the storm. He said that I didn’t need to do that. It’s obvious he explained that there is a storm. And the last thing you want to do is give any negativity to your crew when you are in a situation like that. He explained that you take a moment, which I did, but different from my experience he said that I should have said to them something to the effect of;

“Listen guys, we all know our jobs. We know what has to get done. We can do this, it is in our blood, and it is what we do. Now lets do it. COME ON!” We spoke about this for another few minutes and I feel that by using him as a resource I have become a better cook. Moreover that if this is to happen again I will have a better arsenal of tools at my disposal to motivate any brigade.

I also asked him about how to handle it when dishes are being put out incorrectly. He immediately grabbed an empty glass in front of him and the started role playing with me. There was one lemon in the glass and so he looked at me and said; “Is this your dish? Did you create it?” I playing along said; “no.” He said; “Well then why is there not two lemons in it.” I looked at him blankly still playing the role. He said; “Listen, this dish demands two lemons and a shot of vodka. Make sure that you put in the two lemons. Anything less and you are messing not just with the dish but also with the customers’ enjoyment. Now, make the dish right and put the two lemons in it.” I started to giggle because after he said it made perfect sense to me. He also said that one of my issues is that I am verbose and have an extensive diction at my disposal. He said that I need to avoid lots of words where only a few will do.

He also pointed out that in doing the dish wrong, while cheating the Chef and the customer, you are also cheating yourself. It is your heart and soul going into the dish he explained. Are you satisfied putting out a dish wrong he asked? Then lets get it right. Now do it again. He also told me that it is the responsibility of the Chef to ensure that the dishes are going out wrong. He said you don’t need to correct behaviours publicly but can pull them aside the first few times. After that he said that you can do it publicly. POWERFUL MOTIVATION.

I am grateful for him as a resource. He asked about C and I said she was back in a couple of weeks and that we would all get together for a drink. A big smile came over his face.



Over the course of our conversation that was about an hour he also said that he regretted that he did not have as much time for me as he would have liked when I was there. His tone was apologetic and I expressed that I understood. Nonetheless he did seem truly upset that he hadn’t had more time for me. But he made it clear that he is always there for me to answer any question I have.

Thanks Chef! For everything!

Dan Rather once said; “The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth.”

Kahil Gibran once said; “The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

No Chit (file under The Gong Show)

The kitchen is always an exciting place to work. There is a cacophony of sounds and the ever present ballet that I have spoken about many many times. Sometimes the kitchen can be more exciting as the controlled chaos has a curveball thrown at it. Yesterday was one of those days.

The day started off good enough. Got in and started making sure that everything was ready to go for what was sure to be a busy dinner service. Gorgeous afternoon and the lake was calm as could be. The members were out in droves and we clearly were going to get rocked. Though none of us could have known how badly.

Service started rolling at around 4:45. Everything was smooth. The patio was full; BBQ and kitchen were in full swing. We were running a well oiled machine for about an hour before the controlled chaos hit a wall. The computer system which is responsible for the printing of chits decided that it was such a nice day that it would take the day off. As such we went from out regular printed chits to hand written chits.

Hand written chits propose a number of issues. Handwriting is typically atrocious and to make matters worse it is not the servers that write out the chits but instead the Members themselves. Another is that there is no time on the hand written chit which means that we need to mark the time and find a way to keep track of orders with appetizers. As I have mentioned numerous times before, timing is critical and with handwritten chits it becomes difficult though not impossible to get through.

The first couple of chits this way were a nightmare. Appetizers and kids meals served at same time. Some orders had to be made in the kitchen while others were being prepared out at the BBQ. The delicate balance of the kitchen being thrown astray by trying to manage the delivery of food from two locations and very different time structures.

We found our rhythm after the first few chits with me calling out the orders to the grill and the pans as well as the Garde Manger. At first I was not getting any response from any of the brigade and had to make sure that they knew to acknowledge the call so that I could move on to the next call knowing that we were underway on the last chit. Calmly I only had to remind the brigade once to acknowledge the call. To overcome this adversity we started talking about the gong show. This lightened our mood and made it quite manageable.

Naturally the servers were running around like crazy trying to accommodate everything that was going on. At one point I had to ask one of the servers to leave the kitchen as he was trying to have a conversation with the Garde at the height of a service which had numerous challenges. At first he thought I was kidding at which point the Garde said; “Actually, in a nice way, he is trying to let you know, that you need to get the FUCK OUT OF THE KITCHEN.” He understood that to be sure. To which I replied; “Thanks guys.”

It would have been easy for everything to place us in the weeds. Instead, like the professionals we are we managed the situation as best we could. The beautiful controlled chaos returned after a few minutes of trying to figure out how best to organize.

Throughout the entire dinner rush we had to work with the handwritten chits. Ironically, when we put out the last chit the printer started spitting out chits. We all laughed. But then we had another issue because the servers started to enter their chits into the computer and as we do, when the chit comes up, we started preparing. When the first one came up I asked for confirmation that this was a real order. The answer came back no. Another chit. Another confirmation. No. Another chit, so on, for about five or six minutes. Another wrinkle worked out and then we had about three or four orders before we successfully managed a very tough dinner service, through adversity, without complaints and got all the food out in a timely fashion. IT FELT AWESOME. It was difficult but very rewarding and telling.

All during service we were also having to run things out to the BBQ. So there I am, calling chits, running prep out to the BBQ and sweating my balls off. A true case of Chef Ass. But I wouldn’t have changed anything. We rocked it. And it made me very proud.

I then got to go to the event described in my last post. In my next post I am relating a conversation had with Executive Chef about this experience and some advice that he gave me.

Horace once said; “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Great Cause, Great Friends, Great Night (file under I Love my Life)

“Joy - noun

Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French joie, from Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, from gaudēre to rejoice; probably akin to Greek gēthein to rejoice
Date: 13th century

1 a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: delight b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion: gaiety
2: a state of happiness or felicity: bliss
3: a source or cause of delight”

Merriam/Webster

I am joyful today. Truly joyful. I went to support a great cause last night and in doing so got to hang out and catch up with old friends. The event was at Reservation and when I walked in I felt amazing. I was greeted with a warmth and generosity of spirit that is yet another positive factor in my decision to join a professional kitchen.

A good friend of mine if the Director of Community Development for Project Humanity. Please visit their website at www.projecthumanity.ca. It is an amazing not for profit group that does amazing work. Last nights event was called Shirts Off and is the second year in a row that I have made it. That being said if any of you have any old clothes in your closet or dressers that you would like to get rid of please contact Antonio Cayonne at antonio@projecthumanity.ca. I can promise you that he knows what to do with all the clothes that you no longer want.

Last night I witnessed the power of intention in full drive. When I got there I immediately started loading garbage bags of clothes into the truck. Last year it was a pretty good haul but this year I was really moved. There had to be about two or three hundred garbage bags of clothes. Next year I hope that we double that as the need is so great. So please, if you can, look through your closet and contact Project Humanity.

Another great benefit of being there last night was that I got to see my friend Ben Clost and his band the Emotionally Unavailable Mariners play. It is always such a delight for me to watch this band perform. They are truly engaging and make you feel in the depths of your soul the music they perform. It was a truly wonderful night and a truly magical experience.

These are but a few of the pictures of the band last night. Again, remember the name, Emotionally Unavailable Mariners, they are truly going places.








My next post is going to be about a conversation I had with Executive Chef.

A. Phillip Randolph once said; “A community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired? WHY NOT? And what can I do to help you?

A la prochaine

SDM

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Finding my Legs (file under it’s a process)

Well, another great day down and another to come. Just finished a great conversation with the love of my life. Technology is amazing isn’t it? Sitting in front of my computer in Toronto I can talk on video with my lover in NYC seamlessly and for free. What a world!

Yesterday was another great day. With a station map drawn out and feeling a little more comfortable I had quite the experience. Setting up was relatively easy because I knew where I wanted things to go so that I could work efficiently and smartly. I can see how the station is difficult to work at the height of summer but I think as I refine and retool my station it will not represent a serious challenge.

At the height of service yesterday I had twelve chits up and that amounted to seventeen different items I had to prepare, at the same time, with a total of fifty four components. Timing is critical. Why you ask? Well, quite simply, a filet of Salmon cooks much faster than a well done steak. Or ribs!

I feel as if I have a pretty good handle on how to work the station. I know that it is going to be at times a ridiculously tough station but I have never backed down from a challenge. Nor will I. And the best part is I do it all with a smile. Knowing that I am living my dream and doing it with a great attitude and a beautiful smile (at least that’s what my love tells me).

The weather outside is absolutely gorgeous. Feels like about twenty degrees with a slight wind. That means that by the lake it is going to be around fifteen degree Celsius with a cool breeze. I should be busy but not overly so.

And I am excited because I am going to Reservation tonight to see one of my friends play with his band. Ben Clost and his band The Emotionally Unavailable Mariners. ABSOLUETLY INCREDIBLE. You should check him out in this video; http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.channel&ChannelID=132539289. AWESOME!

I don’t get to go out often which is one of the sacrifices you make to be in this industry. It will be nice to see all of my friends from Reservation. Executive Chef, Sous Chef A and the Director of Operations. I’m bringing my camera to take some pictures which should be fun.

So here is to an amazing day. I have tomorrow off which is one the reasons that I can go out tonight. I have lots to do tomorrow too. I need to tweak my menu a little bit more and get ready to roll out my first menu of the summer on Friday. I am excited for the coming week.

As well I would like to congratulate C on finishing her first full year at Stella Adler. I could not be more proud or happy. She had her first NYC show on Thursday and Saturday saw her in two performances. I wish I could have been there but I was in spirit. Next year I will absolutely be there. At any rate, way to go Babe.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote; “The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM