In the Weeds

Water Off a Rock (file under I’m a Duck… Quack Quack)

2009-06-06T12:16:00.000-04:00

So the past couple of days have been strenuous. Thursday was a busy night and saw me so busy that from 6 until 8:30 pm my board was never clear. Once it was clear I breathed a sigh of relief and thought to myself how dreadfully hot it was going to be in July there.

Wednesday was filled with aggravation and a schizophrenic approach to the Grill. I wasn’t open, I was open, I wasn’t open. We decided, or so I thought, how we were going to deal with it by making food indoors for people indoors and outdoor people outdoors. But of course, schizophrenia kicked in and no one was either willing or able to remember what we had decided. As such I went from nothing set up to set up in about twelve minutes and four orders on the board. To say that I was angry would be an understatement.

Being angry and cooking is not a good place to be. I believe that it affects the food and the way that you deliver it. So on Thursday, after my first rush, Sous Chef R came out and we spoke about what was going on. I explained that I was frustrated by the “institutional” schizophrenia and the disconnect between the front of house and back of house. As our conversation ended he said that The Club would drive you mad if you let it. So I asked him how he deals with it.

He explained that you have to let it just drop off your back. Like water off a rock. I thought about what he said for a minute and responded by saying. Great, I’m a duck. QUACK QUACK.

It was a good thing he gave me that as a resource because on Friday morning I had to deal with some stress and thought to myself, water off a rock, water off a rock. By the time Friday night had come around I was now QUACK QUACKING at anything that deserved it.

It makes me smile and giggle to know that I can instantly change my mental state by something as simple as quacking.

I am going to write much more tomorrow but wanted to update everyone on this week.

The Earl of Beaconsfield once said; “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

An Introduction (file under Busy but Good)

2009-06-03T09:38:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a great day. At first it looked as if the weather was not going to cooperate. In fact it was cold and cloudy. But then, as so often happens by the lake, the weather changed and like magic I had a beautiful night. I had prepared for a moderately busy night and found myself scrambling quite a bit. It was a sign of things to come.

It was a lot of fun. At my busiest I had six chits up with a total of fourteen different dishes. This week I am serving Halibut, Jerk Chicken Breast, Striploins and Turkey Burgers. I switch up the rice everyday and have now started playing with my vegetables so that they are different from the ones used inside.

I was able to make the plates look really pretty at first. Picking and choosing how I would put the vegetables on the plate. The mix I am using right now is Carrots, Asparagus, Baby Bok Choi, Yellow Zucchini as well as red and green peppers. The mix is really pretty and offers colour and texture to the plates.

Today I have to go in early because I have so much prep to do. Everything I prepped yesterday is pretty much exhausted. So I will be going in a couple of hours early in order to accomplish the prep that I need to get done. The forecast says we are in for a nice day so I am expecting to get slammed royally. Which I love.

Moreover, I had three Members come and chat with me at my station last night. One said that I made her the best steak she had ever had. I had cooked it medium and truthfully I’m kind of shocked because to me (though it is a matter of personal preference) the only real way to eat steak, especially high quality steak, is medium rare. But I thanked her for her compliment and she assured me that we would get to know each other over the summer. I thanked her and wished her a great night.

Another Member had the Jerk Chicken Breast and said it was amongst the best he had ever eaten. I have to give most of the credit to Sous Chef R on that one as all I did was cook it. And I have to admit the Jerk recipe he prepared is amongst the best that I have ever had.

Finally another member told me that I had cooked the Halibut to perfection and that the pineapple salsa was a delicious compliment to the dish.

So not only am I working my little butt off in the kitchen but I am working my little butt off outside of it too. I’m managing the photographer globally that I mentioned before. You can check him out at www.michaelwilliampaul.com. He is amazing and we are working on some brilliant projects together that are going to see us traveling quite extensively. I will write more on this as the details become clearer.

It is amazing what happens in your life when you let go of your ego and allow your spirit to soar.

Da Vinci once said; “Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Today is A New Day (file under Thank God for That)

2009-05-31T10:49:00.000-04:00

I apologize for my inability to write for the last few days but I have been whirling dervish working really quickly to put something beautiful together which I will update you on later.

I had numerous days off this week due to the inclement weather. One on hand it sucked (that being I need the money) on the other it didn’t. In that it gave me time to put together this beautiful project.

Yesterday was an emotionally and physically difficult day. The weather couldn’t decide whether it was going to open up or whether it was going to be beautiful. As such at the Club there was a schizophrenic approach to deciding whether or not to open. Usually I would be open at five but in order to open at five I need about two hours of lead time in order to prep properly. Well the decision was made (inappropriately) by a supervisor that the patio would open before that Chef made determination. To make matters worse that same Supervisor started to take orders right away.

There is no worse position for a cook to be in from the very beginning of service than behind. Granted there were not a lot of people to be served but that is not the point. I struggled along with Sous Chef R and another helper to get the station set in one quarter the usual time which was both physically exhausting and spiritually draining.

I had a few orders. Barely enough to justify the expense of being open. However, that is not my call and I do what I am supposed to do. But at the first sign of rain, as I had last year (read actual rain falling) I closed the fryer but was happy to continue to serve everything else. That same Supervisor came out and I told him that I had to close the fryer. I explained that it was a Safety risk to my person and that at the moment it was a non issue because I had no orders that required it and that furthermore that fries could be done from inside the kitchen. He decided that I was incorrect and was less than caring about my needs. As such I looked at him and said if you want to have that attitude with me than I am refusing to work with the fryer on Health and Safety reasons.

I did not want to take it to that point. I was happy to work the BBQ and the fryer as long as there was no rain. As I mentioned numerous times last year – rain and 400 degree fryer fat do not mix well. The result of rain falling in the fryer is a massive explosion of four hundred degree droplets of fat. My arms are littered from the result of those droplets from last year.

Once the rain passed I reopened the fryer and went about my business. I was extremely angry that a Supervisor seemed to be so indifferent to my own personal safety and instead was motivated by the Members’ needs, wants and desires. I too care about the Members but not to the sacrifice of my own personal safety.

I did go back to him at the end of the night and explained my position. Today with the time to cool down overnight I feel that my hand was forced and that I had to make that statement in order to protect myself. Moreover, I would make that decision again as Executive Chef’s instruction to me from the very beginning was make sure that you get the lid on the fryer at the first fall of rain.

I only served about forty covers total. Barely enough to justify the expense. But definitely not enough to account for the physical and emotional toll of the day.

Today however, is a new day. I look forward to it. The weather is gorgeous and though I know I am going to get hit hard. I welcome it. I look forward to it. Because today is a new day.

I hope that you all get out and enjoy this beautiful day.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said; “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely...”

Be inspired today.

A la prochaine

SDM

Prep Day (file under Rain!)

2009-05-27T09:37:00.001-04:00

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

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

2009-05-25T13:31:00.002-04:00

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)

2009-05-25T12:56:00.002-04:00

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)

2009-05-25T10:54:00.002-04:00

“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

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

2009-05-24T12:19:00.001-04:00

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

The Grill (file under more like an outdoor kitchen)

2009-05-23T10:21:00.001-04:00

So yesterday was my first day on the grill at The Club. It was exciting and a great cold start to the season. Cold meaning that I was not overly busy, busy, but not overly so. I had some time to figure out how I was going to set the station, drawing a station map and figuring out my organization for the station.

One of the biggest differences between the grill at The Club and that of Reservation is that it is truly a self contained outdoor kitchen. Reservation’s was really just a BBQ, a fridge and a freezer. At The Club the grill is in a shack that measures about five and a half feet wide by about fourteen feet long. It faces the lake and all the gorgeous boats that are in the water already. Within that space I have a 9 foot grill. TWO SINKS! I mention this in bold because at Reservation there was no sink, I would have to run inside or use a hand washing station. Two fridges, one a nine foot and one smaller cube. I also have a freezer. Two hot lamps, a pass, a printer for orders and two, TWO induction burners. And this is where it gets really interesting, there is a HOOD! For those of you who don’t know what a hood is it is the device which sucks the fumes and exhaust out of the area. Very handy when you are working forty feet from the lake. It truly is a stand alone outside kitchen.

So the menu that Executive Chef and Sous Chef R came up with this week is the following;

Chicken Souvlaki (all made in house), Tzatziki, Pita Bread and Sautéed Vegetables
Filet of Salmon with Cucumber Salsa and Sautéed Vegetables
Angus Sirloin Steak with Jus and Sautéed Vegetables
Fresh Turkey Burger
Back Ribs with an Apple Chipotle BBQ Sauce and Sautéed Vegetables
New Zealand Lamb Chops with Jus and Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille

Each of those items comes with your choice of sides which include Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Baked Potato, House Salad or Rice.

Oh and I forgot to mention. At Reservation you’ll recall that I had to transport everything approximately one hundred and fifty meters across cobble stone roads to the barbeque. This was extremely annoying and had to be done twice a day. Once to set the station and then after a ridiculously long and hot day back to Reservation. At The Club it is about one hundred and twenty feet from the kitchen to my station. NO COBBLESTONES. It’s like I died and went to Grill heaven. You think I’m kidding? Trust me, I’m not.

Yesterday I did about one hundred orders. In all I prepared approximately two hundred meals. The components of which bring me up to approximately six hundred distinct items that I made yesterday from 5pm until around 9:30 pm. A great first day. Giving me the opportunity to reflect on last years experience, what this years experience is going to be and how I am going to become even better at what I do.

I think that my theme song for the Grill this year is going to be Van Morrison’s; Jackie Wilson Said. If you haven’t heard it lately I think now is a great opportunity to give it a listen because; I’m “going to let it all hang out.”

So with the first menu I have a concrete idea of the type of things that I am going to be doing for the summer menus. I am going to play a lot as I had mentioned before with condiments and sauces and I am also going to try to find interesting ways to expand and broaden peoples culinary experience. It is going to be a lot of fun. A lot of hard work. And extremely rewarding.

That being said I expect to get absolutely pounded today due to the gorgeous weather. And I could not be more thrilled. Its like a culinary drug, a super upper which makes me feel, well, effusive.

Today it is going to be 23 Celsius and partly cloudy. GORGEOUS. And it is kind of funny, those who know me know that I wear a hat each and every day. I have for almost twenty five years and it has caused my once blonde (almost white) hair to go much darker. But as I have rollerbladed home (when working mornings) I have been taking off my hate to get some sun to my hair and shock of shocks, my blonde hair is coming back. Another ancillary benefit. Now working days and being outside I expect that it will become even blonder.

So I hope that you all have as rewarding a day as I am going to. I would also like to send all my love and supportive energy to the love of my life, C, who is in her first New York City Show at Stella Adler. A sign of things to come – I think so.

Albert Camus once said; “In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

Menu Development (file under continuation of Creative Process)

2009-05-21T14:11:00.002-04:00

In my post today on the creative process that I engage in when creating new dishes I explained how I go from ingredient to dish. Well when creating a menu the process is different. A dish is a stand alone item whereby a menu has to have a certain continuity and for lack of a better description ‘make sense.’

When creating a menu there are several factors which one needs to take into consideration. Some but not all will be true all of the time as certain factors are not applicable in certain settings. Therefore, what do I consider, in this time, as I am truly creating my first menu in a professional sense. Moreover, how do I develop that when I am creating new dishes each week? What follows is my explanation of how I am developing the menus for this summer.

It all starts with the ingredients. Every Chef on earth worth his or her weight in salt will tell you that it all starts with the ingredients. At The Club I am in an extraordinary environment that provides me the freshest and best ingredients available in Toronto as the first concern. I know that on a daily basis I am going to receive the best of the best, whether it is a strawberry or any manner of protein. If it is not the best The Club will send it back. This is due to two factors; one is the demand of our ‘captive’ consumer. The other is our desire to provide the best and most delicious dishes to continue pleasing our captive consumer, that being the Club Member.

As I have worked for the past few weeks I have looked at ingredients that are seasonal and available to me during the summer months. I have over the past year and a half assembled a list (lists) of what is available in Ontario that is fresh, local and seasonal. By no means is it exhaustive but it does represent a pretty thorough list. In Ontario we are spoiled by the amount of diversity that we have with regard to our produce and proteins. Once I understand what is available and when I have started to consider what it is that is going to please Club Members.

Ingredients (in this context) for me can be broken down as follows;

Protein (meat, game and fish)
Vegetables
Fruits
Staples.

In Ontario, as I mentioned above we are spoiled by the availability of gorgeous and delicious fruits and vegetables. Proteins too are in abundant supply. Due to the vast expanse of Ontario there are numerous growing regions and a wide variety of foodstuffs available.

As I mentioned in my post on the creative process it all starts with the ingredient. I used the example of Smoked Salmon in that post and how I wanted to do something that was based in a lengthy tradition but still could be tweaked into a new and exciting dish.
Purveyors are your best friends when developing a menu. They have their finger on the pulse of what is available and when. When certain things are cheaper and readily available and have the best quality. After considering the ingredients available the next step in the development is to consider what the purveyors are telling me is best right now. As I am working on a menu that is not static for months at a time I have an advantage of being able to change things on the fly.

For the summer I have created at this point approximately 50 dishes which each have a protein, a starch and a vegetable as well as a condiment and in some cases a garnish. As I have mentioned before, the customer is of paramount concern. What is their comfort zone? What do they like? Dislike? Can I expand their culinary palette? Do I need to play it safe? Where is the comfort zone? The happy medium?

Some of the produce I have looked at playing with over the summer are;

Apples
Apricots
Asparagus
Beans – Green/Wax
Beets
Blueberries
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cherries
Corn
Crabapples
Currants – Red/Black
Eggplant
Gooseberries
Grapes
Leeks
Muskmelon
Mushrooms
Nectarines
Onions - Green
Peaches
Pears
Peas - Snow
Peppers - Field
Peppers - Greenhouse
Plums
Potatoes
Radishes
Rapini
Raspberries
Rutabaga
Spinach
Sprouts
Squash
Strawberries
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes - Field
Tomatoes - Greenhouse
Zucchini

Each of these are available to me from Ontario farmers according to seasonability. Each of these will be available to me this summer. The question then becomes how do you create something that is not commonplace which expands the horizons of peoples food comfort.

In my case I am going to play quite extensively with garnishes and condiments. As I roll out each menu I will explain to you my thought process, creativity and how I arrived at that ingredient and technique.

Proteins are readily available as are staples.

In developing the menu I consider the steps involved in the creation, the prep work, the ingredients, the end result, the mouth feel, smell, taste, texture, etc. I also consider regional and traditional cuisines from a round the world and whether or not I can expand peoples culinary horizons.

This weeks menu is being created by Executive Chef and then each week going forward we will bounce back and forth with each other to ensure that we are pleasing our Club Members.

I hope this has illustrated at least in general the things that I am considering in developing my menus this summer. As I get deeper into the summer I will explain how I created certain menus and the reasons behind their creation.

Anthony Bourdain once said; “A perfect meal is a confluence of forces – a certain sound in the background, the right smells in the air, who you’re eating with, it’s the colours, it’s EVERYTHING!” I hope this summer to create many perfect meals.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Some More Interesting Viewing (file under cause I know you love it)

2009-05-21T12:29:00.001-04:00

Eric Ripert; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDPln8cDL2Q

Anthony Bourdain; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfyxJifcAX8

Marco Pierre White; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bjQy0S6Un4

Masaharu Morimoto; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNyRCHMIWDw

Alice Waters; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EGXhvS5UrU

Grant Achatz; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilnl4SRv3hw

I have seen each of these numerous times now. One of the beautiful things in this age is that I have an endless supply of videos and information on the internet. What makes it beautiful is that you do too.

An old Chinese Proverb says; “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

My Creative Process (file under Food Adventures)

2009-05-21T11:26:00.002-04:00

When I originally started on this adventure I had a creative process that is very different from the one I have today. I would say that historically my creative process had been uninformed and chaotic. Not that that’s a bad thing but I’ve come to realize as I studied many of the worlds greatest Chefs that there is a much more detailed and rewarding way to create new dishes.

As a writer I am stream of consciousness and for a long time before joining a professional kitchen I applied the same process to cooking. I would go to the store or market as an open slate with little or no idea what I would be cooking that night. C has always loved shopping with me on these excursions because, I believe anyway, that there is a thrill to the uncertainty. It was exciting for me as well. I no longer, by necessity of experience, ‘fly by the seat of my pants.’ I apply a methodology which is heavily influenced by the worlds greatest Chefs. Adria, Achatz, Blumenthal, Alice Waters, Ripert and so many more. I have studied their methods with great interest and hopefully a better creative result.

I have to admit that much of my creative process is taken directly from Adria and Ripert. At the moment these are my two favorite Chefs and though their methods are different the result, on a high level, is the same, delicious and interesting food. For a great insight into Chef Adria's process look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTuSZHO3GU8 .

The first step in my creative process is to look at (direct influence of Adria and Ripert);

Traditional Cuisine
Local Cuisine
Techniques

To date I have studied the following cuisines both experientially and through books and videos;

Classical French, Nouvelle Cuisine, Classical Italian, New Italian, Mediterranean, Cajun, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Chilean, Peruvian, Brazilian, Caribbean, Spanish, Californian, Moroccan, Irish, Scottish, Soul and Southern, German and some Chinese. I have studied as much as I can get on each of these cuisines and further have broken much of these cuisines down to the local level that is as varied as there are people on this planet. In total I would say that I have read approximately 150 books just on world cuisines making copious amounts of notes.

Thus the first thing I look at is the ingredient with which I want to play. After all, even though your parents always told you at the table not to play with your food, as a cook, I can say they were wrong. PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD. Once I have isolated the main ingredient I want to create with I then turn to traditional and local cuisines to identify the type of dish I would like to create. That is to say do I want to create a dish similar in style to Michael Guerard, meaning Nouvelle, or do I want to create a home style German Dish? Or do I want to create a spin on Pad Thai? These are but examples of a nearly inexhaustible list of dishes I have looked at.
Once I have identified the ingredient and the type of cuisine I would like to cook it in I then turn to the local cuisine or regional varieties of that dish and see how I can best use the ingredient. How I can accentuate the natural flavours of the ingredient without overpowering it? Within each cuisine there is an endless list of possibilities that you can play with.

The final step in the initial component of my creative process is to ask myself what techniques I would like to the ingredient and dish. It would take forever to illustrate all the techniques that could be applied but here is a partial list for illustration; Frying, Sautéing, Poaching, Steaming, Broiling, Baking, Roasting, Sous Vide and Confit.

Next in the process is to start looking at the traditional accompaniments. Do I want to make a traditional dish? Do I want to be adventurous and try something new? Do I want to use various components in different ways to arrive at a new result? Food is so glorious that there is an endless supply of inspirations that you can draw from.

Personally I have been exploring inspiration a lot recently. There is no end to where you can draw inspiration. I draw a lot of inspiration from my endless travels and my innate curiosity when confronted by something new. I also draw a lot of inspiration from nature, writing, music, art and architecture and culture. Recently art and architecture have been big influences on me. I do not want to be a purveyor of ‘haute cuisine’ in the vain of Alain Ducasse or Michael Guerard but that does not mean that I do not want to compose plates that are artistic in nature. I know that as I get closer to opening my own restaurant I will take some time to explore inspiration and innovation as a means of advancing my own personal culinary philosophy. This will entail lots of reading, travel and well LIVING!

When I was at Reservation I had numerous conversations with Executive Chef 1 and 2 (1 now being Director of Operations) and Sous Chef A about the creation of a new dish. With Executive Chef 1 I began to learn that there are a number of different considerations when creating a dish. From his description (and later Adria’s) I came to know that you need to consider flavours but also senses and the way that they receive the dish that you are creating. How does it smell? How does smell affect the dish? I remember seeing a show once about Achatz use of a Lavender scented pillow at Alinea and then having to send an email to him because I thought it was such a wild concept. One that was at the time out of my breadth of knowledge or experience. But it caused me to start thinking.

You also want to consider the way the dish looks. After all food is first a feast for the eyes. It is possible to just slap food on the plate and make it taste good but if you can visually impress the person eating the dish you will be able to exponentially increase the joy and wow factor of the dish for the consumer. You can play with shapes and sizes, plating, different plates, levels, colours, etc. The end result being a dish that really does awaken the senses through the initial impact of sight.

Taste is of course of utmost importance and trumps everything else. But taste is more than just umami, sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Taste can and does include the texture of what you are serving. Moreover you have to consider how the texture plays into the flavours. As well as texture (Soft, hard, crunchy, etc.) so too does the temperature affect taste and the way that the mouth receives the various tastes. It is a delicate balance of these considerations that really imparts the wow factor in a dishes taste component.

Chef Adria also illustrates that there is a sixth sense to food. It is that intangible that can not be measured. This involves as he points out the intellectual enjoyment of the food, the knowledge of where it came from, how it was prepared, the various elements, etc. It is truly intangible and possibly difficult to explain even for the consumer.

So now that I have explained the considerations I put into my creative process I want to illustrate with an example. Lets use a dish that I have started conceptualizing in the past year. It is about juxtaposition and utilizing technique and various ingredients that would not otherwise be put together. I am yet to try it but might at The Club this summer.

Smoked Salmon is one of my great pleasures. It has an awesome oily texture and a sweetness that is evocative of joy, at least in my experience. Knowing that I want to use Smoked Salmon I then ask myself; what do I want to do with it?

Due to the considerations of timing, organization, space, prep and all the other things I need to consider I thought about the various uses for it and how people most enjoy it. Commonly in Toronto Smoked Salmon is served on a bagel with cream cheese. At The Club with do Smoked Salmon sandwich, Eggs Benjamin (Eggs Benedict but instead of Peameal you use Smoked Salmon) and a Smoked Salmon Scramble Eggs. All of which are delicious incidentally. But because I am beginning to branch out in my creativity I started asking myself; what can I do that is different?

I started to consider natural pairings for Smoked Salmon which obviously are dill and cream cheese. Knowing these as the natural pairings I wanted to discover conceptually how I could use them in a new and different way without turning them on their head. Thus I thought about making a quesadilla. Instead of cream cheese I started to think about the texture of cream cheese and what cheeses I could use to replace it. Obviously the creamy cheeses are the mot natural fit because of their texture. This meant that I started to look at Brie, Camembert and Taleggio as obvious choices. Each imparts a different flavour and a moderately different texture. Personally I would like to have it with a nice double cream Brie. Though I will try all three. The next question was how to incorporate dill while not being traditional. Usually quesadillas are served with Salsa and Sour Cream. Knowing this I thought about either an avocado sour cream or a dill crème fraiche. Again I will try both.

The whole process of this conceptualization took about five minutes from beginning to end. But the concept is easy. Ideas are as the expression goes a dime a dozen. Next comes the real work. The experimentation. Trial and Error. PLAYING WITH MY FOOD. It may be that I get a better result with one Brie over another. Or Camembert. Or Taleggio. There are so many different varieties of those cheeses that it could take me months, years even, before I find the right texture and flavour that I want to impart on the dish. Moreover, I need to ask myself; how big do I want it to be? At what point do the flavours fall out of synchronicity? How do I want it to look, taste, feel?

As I start to play with the different variations I take notes as to the flavours, the way they interrelate, the effect no the senses, etc. These notes then become the way that I refine and fine tune the dish until ultimately I am happy with the result.

So this then is the way that I utilize a creative process to create new dishes and flavours. To date I have a repertoire of approximately 300 of my own recipes which are unique and will someday make it to my own menu in various forms. For the time being I continue to tweak and enhance them.

I hope this is somewhat useful to you in understanding my process.

As Chef Adria says; “Creativity means changing your mind everyday.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Some Interesting Viewing on Food Policy, GM Foods and The Future (file under follow up)

2009-05-20T18:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry guys, its still in my mind and I wanted to share with you some of the things that I have been watching which give me cause to have great concern for the future of food.

Again, draw your own conclusions…

http://www.viddler.com/explore/farmsteadwines/videos/25/

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4147551008386395793&ei=xoAUSq6PBYraqQKoj7C7Bg&q=genetically+modified+food&emb=1

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4499930634181592531&ei=AoEUSvOpLqHqqgLL2rGuBg&q=genetically+modified+food&emb=1

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8098965482866581381&ei=VoEUSoq9K6HqqgLL2rGuBg&q=genetically+modified+food&emb=1

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8613276733389870510&ei=_oEUSsP_EpHwrgLVvPy4Bg&q=food+scarcity&emb=1

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4386232376777484955&ei=hIIUSuimGI24qQKqr6GrBg&q=water+scarcity&emb=1

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6262083407501596844&ei=o4IUSs-KBYK2rgLGraywBg&q=monsanto&emb=1

http://fora.tv/2006/02/13/J__Stephen_Lansing_A_Thousand_Years_in_Bali

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=733owHYcMf0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3XNwNyRsfI

These are but a few of the many, many, many documentaries I have seen on top of my wide reading on the subject. I wanted you all to have sources to look at for yourselves.

To steal a line from ‘The X- Files;’ “The Truth is Out There.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

And Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Blog (file under Exciting Times)

2009-05-20T10:05:00.002-04:00

John Henry Newman in his ‘Apologia pro vita sua,’ said; “Growth is the only evidence of life.” And I could not agree more.

Today is my Saturday. To anyone outside the food industry that may sound like a weird statement but when you realize that weekends are usually our busiest times then you can understand that more often than not we are scheduled in such a way that our weekends fall when most of you are at your jobs.

The tile of my post today and the quote that I have used to frame it are the result of three posts written in the last week. The title specifically is in reference to my return to my capturing my daily experience and the quote represents what I feel each and every day. As I grow and continue on this path that I started on over a year and a half ago.

Over the next couple of days I am doing some menu development. Working on some of the items that I am going to include in my menu for the summer on the grill. You’ll recall (if you’ve read long enough) that last summer I was supposed to have the same opportunity at Reservation. The lack of willingness or inability on the part of Reservation to let me toy with the grill menu was extremely disheartening to me. While I understood, at least in part the logic behind it; that being that it was high volume and quick turnover, the whole experience left me feeling like I was nothing more than an over priced McDonalds, merely slinging food to the hungry throngs that wanted to sit and have a beer. As I remarked many times last year I developed relationships with my customers, many of whom returned each week, as they expressly told me, just to come and see me. That felt good, but it did not nearly make up for the emptiness I felt working the grill.

That is not to say that I did not learn things while working the grill. In fact, some of the lessons I learned were key to my early development as a line cook and still benefit me today. Those include understanding organization, timing, set up, pride of ownership and a few other lessons as well that were difficult at the time to choke down.

My experience at The Club so far has demonstrated that when people truly believe in you and what you are doing that they will give you the freedom to explore your own comfort zones. And unlike other places I’ve been they will not allow you to fall on your face but instead will do their utmost to ensure that you learn the lesson, not without pain, but certainly without the deepening void which can taint and corrupt even the most strong willed of people. Executive Chef and I as well as Sous Chef and I have had conversations about the grill. Numerous in fact. And with each one I feel my resolve building, my excitement at the opportunity of creating my own culinary voice and demonstrating what I can do when given the opportunity. The first menu will be of Executive and Sous Chefs design. I asked for this to be the case so that I can get comfortable with the environment, demands and the people for the first week or so.

After that time I will start developing my own menu each week. This will consist of multiple proteins. A fish, a beef dish, possibly a pork dish as well as a few specials. I have slowly but surely been building my menu and today and tomorrow (my Sunday) I will be working on them for several hours.

By doing so I will have multiple posts to write. One of which will include my creative process, the process of menu creation, what I want to try and possibly a couple of others. I am feeling quite good (despite the last few posts being on my mind) and know that I have lots to accomplish in the next two days.

As well I am excited and thrilled for the love of my life C, whose show ‘Spinning the Butter’ goes on at Stella Adler starting tomorrow. Today is about refinement and tweaking and then the show must go on. I wish I could afford to be there but unfortunately I can not. My spirit and energy are with her as I know that she will be fabulous. She always is.

With that said, I need to stop writing now and get to the work that is a ahead of me. I also have to clean the house. Which anyone that knows me can tell you, I really dislike cleaning. But I have the time and it needs to get done. Stay tuned; the next couple of days are going to have a flurry of posts. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I enjoy doing the work necessary to relate my experience to you.

Buddy Hackett once said; “As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it” My menus will feature many more choices.

Are you dreaming big and inspired? Why not? And how can I help?

A la prochaine

SDM

Urban Farming Cont… (file under Sorry needed some rest…)

2009-05-19T15:50:00.002-04:00

As you’ll recall I ended yesterdays post with Section 25, Subsection 1 of the United Nation Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As it is not germane to this conversation I will not touch on the United Nations. But this document was the result of a period of prolonged war and strife from which a new system had to develop. The Declaration, in and of itself is a beautiful document, in the same way I look at the Canadian Constitution (which in point of fact is a myriad of documents) and the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution. However, these documents are living, they need to evolve, to accept the realities that are ever present and constantly changing. But I don’t want to get into the high politics associated with that statement. Instead I want to continue on the post from yesterday.

I had given you a series of websites to go to as a starting point to start drawing your own conclusions.

I have had an intellectual love affair with Alice Waters (http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgalice.html ) since I first learned about her about two and a half years ago. Not a Chef, in her own words, merely a lover of food. Her entire food philosophy changed when she had a great experience in France as a young woman. Of course the world was changing then and she, to her credit, saw what was happening. She started Chez Panisse and in so doing started a food revolution that first touched Southern California and now, literally, is absolutely global. It is because of her, at least in part, that the White House for the first time has a garden on its grounds, from which, world class Chefs, can draw upon its resources for dinners for the Obamas and for state dinners. I wrote a post on this when it first happened because for me it represented an ideological and philosophical symbol which would trickle down to the rest of the country and possibly the world. A symbol just as powerful as the Victory Gardens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_garden ) which ended up providing 40%, FORTY PERCENT, of the countries produce needs. It was also practiced in Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany. May I also remind you that this was only 64 years ago.

I bring this up because it illustrates what can be done in times of need. When there is a will there is a way. What has happened to us that we have lost sight on the basic needs of everyone. Is it comfort? Contempt? Greed? Collusion? These aren’t rhetorical. I really don’t know. I do know that profit, as outlined in my previous post on the subject, plays a huge role in the decisions that are being made with regard to food policy. Moreover I am acutely aware of the fact that those decisions are the gap between me eating and someone in Africa dying from malnutrition.

These, as I see them, are the irrefutable facts; there is enough food in the world. That food is being distributed in an inequitable fashion. There is a better way. We all need to act now or our kids kids will not be able to eat the very basic food stuffs that we take for granted today.

Some of you may brand me as a socialist. Maybe even a communist. My answer to that is that I live in one of the greatest socialist countries in the world. Our social system is one which still, despite endless cuts and slashes, is the envy of the world. Why is it that we can not ensure that not only all of our population eats, and I don’t mean Big Macs, let alone contribute to the well being, in a nutritional sense of those places in the world that are incapable of supplying their own needs, be it through greed, famine, collusion or whatever.

There exists a social responsibility, not nearly the same as the one which was outlined in the United Nation Declaration, which both demands and commands that we, as citizens, do our utmost to stand up when we see tyranny. Whether it is in a fascist country or in food policy. And what we are witnessing now is the tyranny of one class over another. That being the industrialized world or the less than developed world. Sure they can plant plantations and contribute to our food supply, but how many of them get to eat?

Basically, and I do find this emotionally taxing and physically draining, what I am saying is that yes we need to look at Urban Farming as an impending reality. We need to accept that current food policy can not be maintained NOR SHOULD IT BE. The World Food Program is ineffectual because of greed, theft and collusion. The supposed loans of the IMF and the World Bank which are in theory supposed to be positive and transforming are in fact negative and the beginning of a system of debt that can never be gotten out from under.

Please, examine the websites that I suggested yesterday. Please educate yourself as to where your food comes from. Ontario grows massive amounts of food. Canada grows massive amounts of food and has an abundant supply of fresh water that is being siphoned off by the Americans. All legally and with the tacit approval of the Canadian government. If you think I’m lying I entreat you to prove me wrong. But you won’t. For it is true.

I think rather than my illustrating this point any further I would rather you take a step for yourself and start to explore the realities of what is on your plate.

Find out where it comes from. How it gets there. Who gets it there and why. I think that the answers to these questions will open up your mind.

A good place to start your investigation into the impending food crisis, as I have mentioned before is Jeffrey Sachs. This article is pretty good, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1734834,00.html . You may also want to read; http://www.larouchepub.com/other/1995/2249_import_dependency.html .

Draw your own conclusions and then for the love of your grandchildren ACT!

Jeffrey Sachs recently said; "It's the worst crisis of its kind in more than 30 years. It’s a big deal and it’s obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes, and I think there’s more political fallout to come.”
What are you going to do?

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Urban Farming (file under possible solutions but…)

2009-05-18T18:48:00.001-04:00

In the past few weeks I have heard more and more about urban farming. It first came to my knowledge about a year ago. It had been presented to me as a means of solving the impending food crisis. At first I thought it was a great idea. But I also realize that it is a band aid solution to a gaping bullet wound. But that does not mean that we should not explore it as a means of at the very least aiding the problem.

I have gone to many sites on the issue such as;

http://www.urbanfarming.org/
http://www.cityfarmer.info/
http://www.urbanagriculture-news.com/
http://www.dott07.com/go/urbanfarming
http://urbanfarm.org/index2.html

This is by no means an exhaustive list. But it represents some of the sites that I have gone to for information on the subject. As I may or may not have explained before ‘truth’ which is elusive can only be arrived at by consulting as many sources as possible on the subject and then drawing your own conclusion.

The basic problem is this how do we allow sustainable growth and still enable vast populations to eat. The urban farming of the future that I have seen is presented as this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scs2SIeIkkM which is a short news snippet from The Discovery Channel. Again, this is a possible solution but is it the right one. You see the problem is so vast and complex that there may be a million solutions. By problem with this solution is that it does nothing to address the real problem; wanton waste, manufactured scarcity as well as hunger and famine elsewhere in the world. The point of the story is how doe we keep cities fed as we continue to grow and expand our cities. To my point of view this does nothing to address any of the very real issues that I touched on in my previous post about food policy. Does that mean that it should not be explored? Absolutely not.

If you go through the Urban Farming Organization website you will quickly realize that they are very interested in ensuring that the poor and needy get food. This is a beautiful project and I support it whole heartily. If you go to http://www.urbanfarming.org/presentation.htm you will see that they have opened approximately 500 gardens in less than four years. Their goal, stated, is to eradicate hunger worldwide. BEAUTIFUL. But again, you watch it and draw your own conclusions. What makes it so beautiful is the coming together of people to help others. And it is something that WE ALL CAN DO!

Many times (at least a few) I have mentioned that my Mother, giving up lots, chose to move to Africa, in Malawi to provide much needed medical services to people that would otherwise not get any medical services. I commend her for what she and my Stepfather are doing. It touches my heart and soul in so many beautiful ways that sometimes I break down.

When I decided to become a Chef, I knew that I too would have a mission. Not only one which saw me feed people in my restaurant but also people from all over the world. I believe that food and water are BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS and need to be guaranteed. Right now they are not. They are used as weapons. Against people that would literally start a fight to eat even one one hundredth of what we do. My goal is to create an environment which enables me to provide food, food knowledge, food product and service to people all over. Starting of course in my own back yard and then extending that to a much wider, READ GLOBAL, community.

I am going to write more on this subject tomorrow. Unfortunately, I am tired and I need to get my rest so I can continue. Sorry to cut the post short but I feel like I am going to fall flat on my face.

Food for thought? I think so. I will continue this post tomorrow. In the mean time, consider what I am writing about. Ask yourself, what can I do? How can I help? Believe me, it is a lot easier than you think. But it takes all of us, one at a time, to solve this very real issue.

Article 25, Subsection 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states;

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

It is not merely enough to state that people have these rights.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote; “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.” 200 years on and we still aren’t getting it right.

Are you dreaming big and inspired? Those dreams and inspiration MAY be the answer that we need.

A la prochaine

SDM

Mentoring a Newbie (file under Paying it Forward)

2009-05-18T17:54:00.001-04:00

I know I know I said the next post would be about Urban Farming but I am so excited after the conversation I had with the young man I am mentoring that I wanted to write this post first. SO THERE!

I don’t know who said it but I have always believed it to be true; “Mentor: Someone whose hindsight can become your foresight.” I believe this to be true and consider it to be a great honour to mentor someone in my chosen field. It makes me feel amazing and all I am doing is helping someone else realize his or her dreams. I would like to send a big THANK YOU to L for thinking of me and pointing this young man in my direction.

This young man is 19 years old. Completed high school. Has some experience in the culinary field having worked for Swiss Chalet and The Outback. At the Outback he was a dishwasher and prep helper while at Swiss Chalet he was a “line cook.” He was at the Outback for about a year and Swiss Chalet for about two.

From our almost hour long conversation I was able to glean that he became interested in cooking while he was in high school where he took some classes related to cooking. He told me that it was mostly home style or family type cooking but that he really enjoyed it. I asked what his favourite dish that he learned was while he was there and without hesitating he said that it was a Parmesan Chicken. This gave me at least some insight into where he was coming from and actually made me feel pretty good because he didn’t hesitate and that I was able to find that he had some experience.

Naturally he was chalk full of questions. In my words he asked about the length of apprenticeship, how many hours he would have to work, whether he could expect to work on holidays, how long the training is and then he asked a lot of questions about how to start up your own restaurant with out actually saying that he would like to.

I explained to him that the Apprenticeship for Cooks (as far as I know) would amount to around 3000 hours. I also explained that because he had some experience at Swiss Chalet that those hours may count toward his apprenticeship which made him feel pretty good. I explained to him that during my apprenticeship I worked no less than ten hours a day and sometimes as many as seventeen or eighteen. I told him that I didn’t believe that that would be the case for everyone but that was my experience. He didn’t seem phased by the hour commitment which was a good sign to me because as this blog has demonstrated time and time again – it takes a different kind of person to work in a kitchen.

He asked about holidays and I explained to him that the kitchen doesn’t know what a holiday is. People are always going to need to eat and holidays are no exception. He then asked how you go about getting into a professional kitchen. I explained that there are several ways and that when I am a little more comfortable with him I would be happy to help him by not only pointing him in the right direction but by helping him find a good place to help him get to where he wants to go.

He asked a lot of questions about starting a restaurant. Which I was only too happy to answer. He asked about where to build a restaurant, how the interior is done, how you go about staffing it, etc. I explained that there are lots of things that you need to consider when opening a restaurant. The location, the demographics, the type of food you want to serve, what you want it to look and feel like, etc. I told him that when the time comes I would be happy to share my knowledge on the subject as well as all the books that I have read to date on the subject. He got genuinely excited that I was willing to share all this knowledge.

From what I can gather he really would like to own a restaurant but, like me, knows that he needs to get the right experiences first. I explained a bit about me and how I arrived in the culinary industry. How the industry chooses you and not the other way around ( Thanks Director of Operations… you know who you are.).

I asked him what made him want to be in this industry and he told me that eh has watched a lot of cooking shows. I explained right then that television glamorizes the industry and that the realities are not anything like what you see on television. He had mentioned Hells Kitchen (which I also watch) and again I asked him to make sure that he did not think that was ‘reality.’ He assured me that he knew that it was much different than how it is portrayed on television. I sighed a huge sigh of relief.

So as it stands now I have instructed him to go out and buy Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Kitchen Confidential.’ I explained to him that Bourdain is a no muss no fuss representation of what the cooking world is really like. The ups, the down and the in betweens. I also did this to see just how serious he is. By making him take an action and then having a conversation with me about it I will be able to tell a lot about him. I then told him that after we had met and discussed Bourdain that I would be happy, one book at a time, to loan him books from my extensive collection. That excited him. AND MYSELF AS WELL!

On Monday next I will give him a call again and set up a time to meet him. I’ll have a list of questions and I am certain so too will he. So again, L, thank you, for letting me share with someone else who seems genuinely interested and interesting. I promise I won’t let you or him down.

John Quincy Adams once wrote; “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

My Work Speaks For Itself (file under the Saga Continues…)

2009-05-18T16:26:00.001-04:00

First off I would like to apologize that I have not posted in the last few days. Needless to say I’m sure you all figured that there was a reason as I am generally quite good about keeping current. Not only have I had a lot on my mind but have also had a couple issues which scared the bejesus out of me. I would like to report though that everyone is okay and so too am I. So here I am again happy to be writing.

I’d also like to say that I am extremely happy with my last post. Many of you may not know but I have written for along time. All kinds of things, poetry, movies, books and plays. What you may not know however (although I have mentioned here once or twice) is that I am a stream of consciousness writer. And yes that even applies to things that I am writing such as the last post. In fact that post took me about two and a half hours to write. But the real reason that I am so pleased with the last post is that I broke my highest readership number with that post. Why that pleases me is because it means that those people might start having an interest in food policy. Moreover, it gives a starting point from which to educate yourselves on the subject. I know that as time goes on I will write many more posts on the subject. In fact my next post is going to be on Urban Farming. But more on that later.

As the title of this post would suggest I am still having issues with the work ethic of some of those at work. Naturally as I have gotten comfortable in my position I have begun to see the little things that people do or don’t do that bothers me. I routinely arrive at work at between 6 and 6:10 am. I do my setup as you all well know by now and then start banging off the specials and any other prep work that needs to get done to make sure that the day runs smoothly. Of course because there are only two shifts in our kitchen a lot of prep gets done by my morning comrade and myself. However, as I have mentioned before, I believe and can demonstrate that we are being abused in the prep work that we are having to do because of what I perceive as a lacksidaisical attitude toward their position and at the very least a work ethic which leaves much to be desired. And to me it makes no sense because this kitchen is like Nirvana, Shangri La, Heaven, Paradise or El Dorado.

What I’ve come to realize is that my work speaks for itself. It truly does. I don’t just show up and go through the motions. I work and I continue to work until the work is either done or it is time for me to go home. Sure I take a couple of smoke breaks but beyond that I work. And I do so because I love what I do. I love the environment. I love the job. So I’ve become resolute with myself, that all I need to do, is to continue demonstrating my work ethic each and every day because… My Work Speaks for Itself.

In advance of tomorrow I made a sun dried tomato pesto for a tortellini special. I also made a red pepper sauce which I am going to use for a Mediterranean pizza.

Also exciting is the fact that we rolled out our new menu on Thursday. The summer menu means that we need to relearn and quickly an entirely new and varied menu. Items on this menu include Veal Scaloppini, Pan Seared Mackerel, Ahi Tuna, Tournedos (Filet Mignon) and a couple of new pasta dishes. I’ve already had to make everything on the menu and was surprised with the ease that I was able to learn and execute the new dishes. It is really only the second time that I have done a complete menu change and the first time that it was required of me to be able to cook everything that was on it. It feels pretty good. We change the menu there about four times a year so I look forward to always learning and expanding my own repertoire as a result.

Also exciting is the fact that I start on the outdoor grill on Friday. The only thing I don’t like about it is that my hours go from morning to evening. But I guess you can’t have all the things you want all at the same time. So I will stop doing the mornings on Tuesday and then I have two days to do some research and get ready for the summer. I am excited to see what is to come. To spend the summer by the lake watching as the boats go by, pleasing my customers and putting everything I have learned thus far to the test. And ultimately… MY WORK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

I also was in touch with the young man that L put me in touch with. In fact I am about to call him so I will probably be able to post an update after my Urban farming post.

There is an old Asian Proverb which states; “ He that will not reflect is a ruined man.”

Are you dreaming bug and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Population, Food, Development, Scarcity and Policy (file under WAKE UP)

2009-05-13T09:56:00.002-04:00

I have touched on this subject only once or twice before as I have an inner battle which rages between keeping this blog only as a means of relating my experience as it related to cooking. I have been thinking about this post for quite sometime and am thrilled that I finally have the time to write it.

Thomas Robert Malthus was a brilliant scholar (British) who produced incredible works on population and political economy. He spent a massive amount of time dedicated to understanding the problem he recognized probably two centuries before it was to become a massively important issue. His seminal work is called “The Principle of Population.”

In Principle he presents two very important theories which can be summarized as;

1) Population grows at an exponential rate while food production grows only arithmetically. (This has been untrue in the modern world because of advances in science and technology but ultimately will prove true in the coming decades.) Any shift in that balance between the two will illustrate that the power of the first is MUCH greater than the second.

2) In all societies there is a drive for population increase. This causes (my words not his) a class struggle which subjugates the lower classes and will never allow for a correction in standard of living for those lower classes.

He quite correctly in my opinion suggests that; “The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction, and often finish the dreadful work themselves. But should they fail in this war of extermination, sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and tens of thousands. Should success be still incomplete, gigantic inevitable famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world.”

I have long suggested that Malthusian theory was now obsolete as we had surpassed the ability of the earth through technology and science to produce food exponentially in relation to population growth. As I have worked in the food industry I have read countless volumes (which by their very existence) suggest that this is untenable. That eventually technology will no longer be able to keep pace with the population explosion and that such being true will lead to the inevitability of class struggle, food shortage, famine and ultimately the death of tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of people. Moreover that our current policies do nothing to address the core problems.

Since the end of World War Two we have lived in a time of great peace and prosperity. Naturally there has been armed conflict but it has been limited to specific region and hot zones and has not become a global conflict. War, Malthus argued, was a positive influence on keeping population in check. Along with famine and people getting married later which lowers populations advance as the window for child rearing lessens. (again this is proving untrue as fertility drugs and treatments have shown us that grandmothers can have children… DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON). Populations’ necessity to stay in check as an important precursor to sustainability is being largely dismissed until very recently.

Now the question must be answered. How have we been able to stave off Malthusian theory from being correct until now? Well as alluded to above, since World War Two we have seen a great leap forward. In terms of population at the end of the war the earth stood at approximately 2 billion. Depending on the source the total war dead was anywhere from 55 million to 70 million which represented a decrease in world population of approximately 2.7 to 3%. However since the end of World War Two the population has exploded to approximately 7,000,000,000 today. A 300% increase.

We have been able to stave off Malthusian Theory through the ever increasing use of genetically modified food since 1990. I have written a much shorter post on this in the past. Genetically Modified Food or GM Food is food stuffs which have had their DNA changed by scientists through genetic engineering. This is troubling for two reasons; one is profit. There is a huge amount of profit to be made from the control of genetic engineering of food and the corporations that control the supply chain related to GM seeds will do anything to protect their value. Secondly it is alarming because as I touched on in the previous post I wrote on the subject, natural selection has fallen prey to GM Foods and has seen an extremely diverse food supply become increasingly homogenized. This homogenization has been largely left unstudied in terms of its impact on the food supply and the possibility of various forms of pests evolving to best our scientific achievement. These are very serious issues.

One such case I used was the case of the tomato Florida 47. There is a similar tomato which comes from California which is escaping my mind right now. However, these two tomatoes account for a ridiculous amount of the market in North America, somewhere in the neighborhood of 80%. 80% from two varietals that have been selectively modified and engineered not to deliver the most nutrients as the original fruit did but instead so that they are uniform, able to travel long distances, be red, plump and juicy. How do they achieve this? Through the modification of certain DNA parts of the plant which results in a lower amount of water, vitamins and nutrients and a devastating increase in the amount of SODIUM among other things. When you go to a supermarket to buy your tomatoes next time, look at them, feel them, smell them. I am sure that you will notice that smell is largely gone, they do not feel as tomatoes should and are instead as hard as tennis balls and they are all big and red. Then ask yourself; is this what a tomato is supposed to look like?

The same is happening all over the industrialized world. This is being done without much alarm, so that Food Production can keep up with Population explosion. EXACTLY WHAT MALTHUS WARNED ABOUT 200 YEARS AGO!

It is not restricted to Tomatoes either. Some of the most common food stuffs we eat are now genetically modified, including; Soybeans, Rice, Sugar Cane, Papaya, Cotton, Corn, Potatoes and Rapeseed. IN NO WAY IS THIS LIST EXHAUSTIVE MERELY ILLUSTRATIVE. Moreover is the current trend of farmers to switch to corn production as a means of producing ethanol. Foolish!

So what you say? Why does this matter? Well the problem with GM foods is that they are largely grown in areas that the environment is not meant to support them. As such it is necessary to transport massive amounts of water (another alarming and important issue which I will touch on after) and massive inputs must go in to the soil in order to sustain farms. I will elaborate presently.

GM Foods are expanding their reach at an alarming rate. Its influence on our daily meals has expanded by as much as 50 times (50 x) in a ten year period. And don’t think for a minute that this is happening in someone else’s backyard. It is our problem too. Canada for instance as of the latest statistics produces about 94% of its crops by time proven conventional methods. But that means that 6% is grown using GM seeds and methods.

In order to use GM seeds you must of course purchase the seeds from any one of a few massive multinationals that operate outside of the bounds of law. Though recognized as legal entities they largely operate with impunity. Such companies include; Monsanto and Bayer Cropscience just to name a couple. There are many, many companies which have at their core GM or GE (genetically engineered foods).

These companies, as mentioned above, largely operate outside of the law. While there have been numerous rulings and conventions with regard to GM or GE foods most of them favour the large multinationals and thus represent and clear and present danger to the food supply.

The practices of these companies is predatory and can be witnessed by Monsanto’s purchase of Delta & Pine Land company largely to gain access to what the company called its “Terminator Seed.” The purpose of which was to produce a plant which is seedless so that the cycle of production is entirely dependant on those select companies which own the seed. As if this were not predatory enough, in order to grow GM crops in places that were never meant to grow those crops, it is necessary to put massive amounts of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides which poison the soil and erode the soils ability to grow anything let alone GM crops.

For years, millennia in fact, it has been known as standard farming practice, that you had to rotate the crops, in order to maintain the quality of the soil. Those days no longer exist as massive industrial farms have taken over from the independent family farms. Which incidentally are suffering because of the inputs that they must buy in order to grow the crops which do not as promised, have greater yield or are less prone to disease. This millennia long practice going to the wayside has seen massive industrial farms set up in places such as Africa or South America in order to keep up with the ever increasing food demands.

Another (often not discussed) impact of our ever increasing use of GM or GE foods is that the inputs which are being used to grow these crops are now having a negative impact on water, causing both shortages and a poising of our water table as the fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides due to the increased amount of water to grow the crops eventually leaches into our water system. What is the impact of that decision for our species in 50 years?

Evolution has enabled us over long periods of time to deal with certain changes to climate, etc. One thing I am not certain that evolution can or will be able to do is to deal with increased toxins in our food while nutrients are being selectively and purposefully for profit removed from our food supply.

Make no mistake about it. I am not Chicken Little. BUT THE SKY IS FALLING! Malthusian theory through human ingenuity has been sidelined up until now. However, I believe, strongly, that the next fifty years are going to see massive food shortages which result from inadequate and ill informed food policy today. That these shortages are going to lead to a break down of those things that we consider civilization forming. And that the erosion of those forces of civilization are going to lead to untold strife. And yet countries pour billions into machines of death… does that make sense?

Our food supply chain in the oceans and rivers of the world is also unsustainable. As a result we are seeing large fish farms created with little to no study on the environmental and species impact. Extremely dangerous. As a species we are so greedy that we are eating ourselves to death, in fact to extinction and yet when is the last time you heard a World Leader, Obama, Harper, Sarkozy or anyone for that matter utter a single sentence on the coming shortage and crisis. There is a lack of true leadership at the levels that there has to be in order for our children to eat. This is not an issue which can be avoided. It is going to become reality. Sure we may be able to stave it off for a while but AT WHAT COST!

In the industrialized countries we have manufactured scarcity in order to inflate prices and thus stabilize profit centres. In Canada alone we destroy enough grain to feed the worlds hungry every year merely to protect profitability. Sure the powers that be will tell you that it is not fit for human consumption but do you really think that is the case? The same is true of other industrialized powers, the United States as well as the European Union. We also rely heavily on the World Bank and the IMF to create policies and funds which will help the problem. Unfortunately history proves that they are not concerned with the problem. Look at the conditions of loans in developing and under developed countries. The conditions create a consistent debtor country which has no means to get out of debt. When are we going to stop focusing on profit and start focusing on our species survival? A short reading of the history of Africa and Latin America bears witness to the previous statement.

Population has risen largely unchecked since the end of World War Two. The emergence of China and India as powerhouses in the next twenty years (best case scenario, worse is in the next five to seven) is going to strain the ability of the earth to produce even the most basic food stuffs for survival. Ultimately, I believe the answer we are going to be provided is a pill of some kind. My question is this; Where is the leadership on this issue? Where are the people raising the alarms about our imminent demise (in earth’s timeline sense)? Where are the people in power protecting us?

So where does this leave us. What can we do? First is buy local from local farmers. There is no shortage of Farmers Markets all over the industrialized world. In Ontario we have access to a seemingly endless supply of fresh foods, vegetables and fruits, game, etc. Buy local. Support your farmers.

Of course there is a big move to organic foods right now. But again I caution that organic foods have taken on the same life as GM or GE foods but in the opposite. Organic is largely unregulated and has a smattering of regulations from various bodies but nothing that is consistent or global let alone national in nature. This is not an attack on organic as I believe that it is a great movement. It is merely an acknowledgement that anything left largely unregulated ends up becoming less than the original idea and can be destructive.

We need to move away from industrial farms which are poisoning us. We need to demand, TRULY DEMAND action from our leaders today. For if the world continues on the same trend as the past sixty years we are headed to a world of 15 Billion people soon with little to no plan to feed that population or provide it with clean drinking water. Our current system is pushing us ever closer to the brink of destruction and NOONE IS PAYING ATTENTION.

Malthus was and is right. He was just off by a few years. There are countless articles, scholarly and opinionated on the matters discussed in this post. Find them. Figure out what you can do to make yourself healthier and in turn providing support, much needed, for the survival of our children. We can make a difference one person at a time. But we need to act now.

Adam Smith (you should also read Wealth of Nations) once wrote; “Such is the delicacy of man alone, that no object is produced to his liking. He finds that in everything there is need for improvement.... The whole industry of human life is employed not in procuring the supply of our three humble necessities, food, clothes and lodging, but in procuring the conveniences of it according to the nicety and delicacy of our tastes.”

Norman Borlaug once said; “Civilization as it is known today could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply.”

Jeffrey Sachs in Scientific American wrote; “The recent surge in world food prices is already creating havoc in poor countries, and worse is to come. Food riots are spreading across Africa, though many are unreported in the international press. Moreover, the surge in wheat, maize and rice prices seen on commodities markets have not yet fully percolated into the shops and stalls of the poor countries or the budgets of relief organizations. Nor has the budget crunch facing relief organizations such as the World Food Program, which must buy food in world markets, been fully felt. The results could be calamitous unless offsetting policy actions are taken rapidly.

The facts are stark. A metric ton of wheat cost around $375 on the commodity exchanges in early 2006. In March 2008, it stood at over $900. Maize has gone from around $250 to $560 in the same period. Rice prices have also soared. The physical inventories of grain relative to demand are also down sharply in recent years.”

Oxfam has also started publicly crying out about the shortages that are coming;

"World leaders have a window of opportunity to prevent a worse situation resulting from the triple crunch of the economic crisis, climate change, and energy and water scarcity," Oxfam agricultural policy expert Carlos Galian said in a statement.

"Failure to act will see millions more people falling into hunger," he added.”

I am hopeful that something will be done in the coming months and years which can stave off our own destruction. We all have a part to play. Are you going to play yours?

Einstein was right when he said; “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Day 14 of 14 (file under The Shiraz Helps)

2009-05-13T07:48:00.001-04:00

I know it doesn’t sound like that much but since getting back from NYC I have worked fourteen days straight which amounts to approximately 126 hours. Not to mention the hour a day I spend rollerblading to and from work. Which incidentally is causing my legs to go from fit to Uber fit. I’ve noticed that my lung capacity is increasing a bit and that I can really push my body now. Yesterday when I got home I opened up a bottle of Shiraz which immediately took the edge off the past fourteen days. I found myself wanting to do nothing more than sit on the couch, but, as there are only 24 hours in the day, I had a smattering of work I had to get done.

This morning my body wanted me to get up at 4:30. I told it, ever so politely, to take a hike and found myself still on the couch at 6am. By that point my body was winning the battle and I pulled myself out of bed and went to get a coffee. In what bizzaro world does 6am constitute sleeping in? Not that it matters; I have a lot to get done today.

Yesterday was another great day at work. Even after fourteen days straight I found that my energy was not diminished, that my capacity for work was still at the same level it was when I started this stretch. It feels wonderful. I mean truly wonderful.

When I arrived at work I had to do my regular set up, which to remind you all, consists of putting in the muffins, starting the bacon and sausage. Turning on the toaster, fryers, oven, flat top and heating lamps. I then fill three blanching pots with water and put them at their various burners. Fill the ice on the cold line. Fill the hot water on the hot line. Set up the cutting boards for both stations (and I have now made it a habit to set up boards for Garde Manger as well) and starting two pots of coffee for the servers. Grabbing six pairs of various sized tongs, two flippers for the flat top, two slotted spoons, and one regular chef spoon. I then refill anything that needs to be topped off (which in theory should be done the night before, but we have spoken about that). Yesterday I had to top off the lettuce, tomatoes, green, red pepper and onion mix, oranges, lettuce and pea shoots. All in all the set up process takes about fifteen minutes. Ten if I am really hustling. About fifteen minutes after that the bacon, sausage and muffins are ready so I get them to their various stages and get ready for the inevitable order that comes in at 7 am.

Sure enough the first order popped at 7 on the nose. But I was ready and excited to start the day. It was a relatively slow day but for a Tuesday it was anything but. I would say that I did approximately 70 orders and along with Garde Manger that was probably double that number.

We operate as a team, if he is in the weeds and needs assistance, without being asked, like a real team member, I jump over and start helping him.

I had some prep to get done yesterday as well so that I didn’t leave anyone in the lurch. Prep included chopping stir fry vegetables (onions, celery, yellow and green zucchini, carrots as well as red and green peppers).

I think one of the things that I really enjoy at the end of my days is the sense of achievement. The feeling that I have accomplished something and done it with a smile. Which also leads me to the next point;

The small things in life are usually those which bring us the greatest joy. You’ll recall that a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I had started writing on the take out containers of members. Usually something that is short and sweet but will definitely impact their day in a positive way (or at least that is the attempt). Yesterday I started writing on many of the boxes so that while I was on my days off they would still have some with writing on them. The messages I wrote yesterday were as follows;

Carpe Diem and I also wrote it in English on a few boxes Seize the Day
The Best Part of Wisdom is The Practice
Love is the Truest Wisdom
The Shadows in our lives are Usually caused by OUR standing in OUR OWN sunlight
Inspiration and Genius – One in the same
Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness

Each morning while I am rollerblading to work I think of little statements that have made me smile over time. Whether it is from Longfellow, Aristotle, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Doesn’t matter, the impact, is what matters. Apart from making a terrific meal that I am preparing for them to take away with them I am also trying to give a little ray of sunshine where there may have been none. As was the case the other day when a server came in and told me about a woman who was having a horrible day, nothing was going right, but when she got home and opened up the bag and saw the message she almost started crying. Coming back the next day she asked who had written it. They informed her (this is now the second time this has happened which only makes me want to do it more) that it was me and that I had gone home for the day. She asked them to relay the message that I had made not only her day or her month, but also her YEAR! A rewarding feeling to be certain.

So it is now 7:42 am. I have the whole day ahead of me. A couple more blog posts to come. I am also working on some writing for a friend of mine resident in NYC at the moment. Exciting times. I am also cleaning up my iTunes today. I started the day with 6000 songs amounting to almost nineteen days of continuous music. Today I am getting rid of some of the crap. Time consuming but necessary to make way for more great music to be added.

As I said at the beginning of this post. The Shiraz Helps. And it sure did last night. Today I am fresh, alive and filled with the wonder of where this day will lead. I hope the same is true for you.

T.E Lawrence once said; “All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.”
Are your eyes open? Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Day 13 of 14 straight (file under I LOVE IT!)

2009-05-11T16:09:00.001-04:00

So I fired off an email on Friday to L’s acquaintance that had mentioned he was interested in becoming a Chef. As stated in the email I gave him a call when I got home this afternoon. When I did not get him I sent him another email asking him to get in contact with me when he is ready. I will definitely keep you posted on any updates.

So today was Day 13 of 14 before I get a day off. Such is the price of going to NYC and having so much damn fun. But unlike other times in the past when I pulled long stretches without a break I find that I have oodles of energy and am brimming with positivism as I know that every day I am one day closer to my goal.

Saturday was a very interesting day at work. As I may or may not have mentioned my morning partner was off all last week and I was alone. On Saturday my relief came in at 9 am and I pretty much left him to take care of prep and anything else that came up as I wanted to see just how well I could do the line dance. (Not to be confused with line dancing as in cowboy boots).

I have always been someone who looks challenges directly in the eye and then, to the best of my ability, knocked them out of the park. Saturday was no exception. It was a challenge that I needed to give myself in order to grow as a cook. So naturally I got there at my usual about 6:10 am and started about my daily tasks. I’ve taken on starting coffee for the servers and laying out the cutting boards for the Garde Manger as well. It is a little thing but I know that it is appreciated.

It felt great to challenge myself on Saturday. I mean really great. I managed to Tango, Salsa, Pirouette, Meringue and Waltz all at the same time. At one point I had four omelettes, eight or nine orders of eggs either over easy, over hard or Sunnyside up and about five orders of Eggs Benedict, Florentine or Benjamin all going at the same time. My body with attention to detail moved gracefully from one side of the line to the other, almost as if I was on skates, sliding down the line, dropping the plates, putting on the various components, turning around and tending to the eggs and then right back to the plates and their various presentations. It was the first time that I had intentionally put myself in the weeds to see if I could pull myself out. I could have at any point called for help and it would have been there in two seconds flat. But I refused to, I wanted to put pressure on myself, I wanted to see how fast I could turn around chits, I wanted to see if I could ensure that the food did not suffer and that I still got it out in a timely fashion. Feel good? DAMN RIGHT! It was a personal victory which revealed to me that I could handle the various stresses in a high paced environment without losing my head or my chits. I am extremely thrilled to report that I was able to turn around orders in as little as three minutes and my longest took twelve when I was getting severely slammed.

Of course because the club is all about making sure the members are always happy you can get breakfast any time of the day. This presents a certain set of challenges when you approach lunchtime. Again because you could get three or four orders on a chit, one for breakfast and the rest for lunch. Organization and timing becoming your paramount concern next to ensuring that the food tastes and LOOKS good. As 12:30 passed I was busy. I had about twelve chits up and I would say it was thirty percent breakfast and the rest lunch. Every time I got that many chits, M would ask if I was okay. I assured him I was and just continued doing what I was doing.

By the end of my shift I had worked about one hundred and forty chits which amounted to about four hundred different orders with (approximately) nine hundred different components. Did it feel good? DAMN RIGHT!

I thought back to Reservation and my experience on the grill and thought how I believe I could pull myself out now without much assistance. Yet I began to wonder why I was left to essentially hang. My relief never came as quickly as it could have and only now do I find myself wondering why in any substantial way. Was it part of the process? Was it some design that I still am unclear on? Or was it something else? I believe as I go forward I will be able to answer that question better. But nonetheless it felt pretty good to wonder about.

I am finding that I am not sleeping well. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I am currently alone in my place. No roommate and no C. That will change when C gets here in less than a month. However, I also think it is because I have so much on my brain. I am constantly thinking about food, about new concepts, new dishes, new techniques and all of it with an eye to making the best food I possibly can.

All in all I am thrilled. Absolutely thrilled with my decision. I have found a place that I can call home for a while and continue to test my dishes and techniques. All with an eye to the future but maintaining quality and consistency in the present.

This post caused me to think of two quotes. One from William Faulkner; “People need trouble -- a little frustration to sharpen the spirit on, toughen it. Artists do; I don't mean you need to live in a rat hole or gutter, but you have to learn fortitude, endurance. Only vegetables are happy.”

The other from John Heywood; “If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired? WHY NOT! I’m here for you anytime. Just let me know what I can do.

A la prochaine

SDM

Food for Thought (file under considerations)

2009-05-08T18:16:00.000-04:00

I received an email from a friend today asking if I might give some advice to a young man who is considering becoming a Chef. Naturally I said that I would be thrilled to do so. I have a lot going on in my head right now so I just wanted to use a two quotes to frame how I feel about this tremendous and touching opportunity.

Albert Einstein once said; “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

Benjamin Disraeli said; “How very seldom do you encounter in the world a man of great abilities, acquirements, experience, who will unmask his mind, unbutton his brains, and pour forth in careless and picturesque phrase all the results of his studies and observation; his knowledge of men, books, and nature. On the contrary, if a man has by any chance an original idea, he hoards it as if it were old gold; and rather avoids the subject with which he is most conversant, from fear that you may appropriate his best thoughts.”

I will unmask and hoard no idea as I know what I am here to do and it involves anyone interested, truly interested, in being the best they can be.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Lots of Work (file under but lots of play too…)

2009-05-07T16:42:00.000-04:00

One of things I find remarkable about where I am is the amount of complaining I am subjected to. To put it in perspective I work in a kitchen with air conditioning. Access to just about anything I want. Every ingredient I could possibly dream of. Good hours. Great pay and so much more. OH AND BENEFITS. There are only a couple of complainers and I tend to just let it go in one ear and out the other.

Today was busy for me. I had a lot of prep to do and had a moderately busy service. But unlike some people I enjoy being busy. I enjoy working and I LOVE WHAT I DO. I am sure that I have mentioned that at least once or twice.

I was so busy today I did not have a chance to work on any specials. But that does not mean I don’t have anything to write about. As I pointed out above I am essentially in the cooks equivalent of paradise. One of the things that I haven’t touched on yet is the fact that I have an endless supply of side towels. Sound silly, well then, let me explain.

I have worked in a ten million dollar a year operation and about a two million dollar a year operation. In both there were efforts by every cook to hide towels to ensure that there was always an availability of towels. You see, Faster Linen, which is the one which we used at both Reservation and Without Reservation, charges an arm and a leg for towels. Quite literally. As such, a seemingly appropriate number of towels would be ordered, but because of hording, come certain days it would be like searching for the Holy Grail to find towels. I know that this may seem trivial to you as people that do not operate inside a professional kitchen, but it is far from trivial, cooks use towels for all sorts of things. To illustrate;

We need towels to handle hot pans, remove things from the oven, wipe down plates and dishes that we are serving, to wipe our hands, to hold our cutting boards in place, to dry certain ingredients, to place between ingredients. I mean the list of things that we use towels for is truly, quite endless.

One of my great joys at The Club is that Towels are NEVER an issue. The club always has a ready supply of side towels because it takes used towels from all over the club, rips them up appropriately and makes them our side towels. It truly is like Manna from heaven Towel Paradise. And I could not be happier.

At Without Reservation, Faster Linen would come twice a week and would deliver far less than we required. I make no judgments but I can tell you that between Tuesday and Friday, either late Wednesday or early Thursday finding a towel was like finding an answer to peace in the Middle East. I shit you not. It literally was. And now at The Club it might as well rain towels because I never have to walk more than six or seven feet to find a fresh one. Such a great feeling. And is quite a distinction in the world of cooks. You don’t need to accept what I’m saying at face value, look at Bourdain, Ramsay, White and Blumenthal, somewhere in their stories of their journey is one of a lack of side towels.
I have a lot on my brain recently. Well, no, actually, ALL THE TIME! I find myself now considering, as I have pointed out here, the possibility of traveling to learn new cuisines in order to enhance offerings at The Club. I am still a ways away from asking but it is on my mind.

I have a few other things that I am considering currently, but, it is too early to let you in on it.

Are you dreaming big and inspired. I know that I end my posts this way and lately I have been saying how can I help you. I am not saying this just to say it. If you have an idea and need to work it out, I am here for you. The greatest gift I gave myself is pursuing my dreams honestly, with my eyes and ears open, to be the me that I know I am. If I can help you, I am not hard to find. Please do.

Harriet Tubman once said; “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” I know, just as I do, you all have it within you. DREAM ON! DREAM BIG! DREAM INSPIRED!

A la prochaine

SDM

Life has a funny way (file under Kismet, Karma and True to You)

2009-05-06T17:45:00.000-04:00

My friends I hope this finds you truly inspired. Ready for what you have in store for yourself. Have you been thinking about your dreams? Where you want to go? How you might get there? I sure have, I spend every minute, pondering what the next step is while always making sure I pay attention to the current one (you know, left foot, right foot thing) so that I don’t fall flat on my face.

Making the move to The Club is the best move I have ever made in my life. It was an informed decision brought on by a conversation I had with a friend. A friend who was caring enough to ask exactly what I hoped to achieve. After listening to what I wanted he said that I should go this route. And, as is often the case, I listen to those I know to be able to give me informed advice.

Today my head was spinning. I have so much going on. Seemingly all at once. But when I stop to consider it for a moment I realize that what is going on today is the result of hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, character and drive. It is the result of people having patience, caring, support and understanding for me. I mean truly for me, who I am and what I hope to achieve in my life. I thank each and every one of you for having the bravery to be my friends and confidants. I assure you, the best is yet to come.

Life has a funny way of having things creep up on you that you didn’t quite expect. Or maybe you did but you couldn’t have conceived of it in a meaningful way in order to express it to the world. I have been noticing that the more I do each day in the pursuit of my dreams the more the world opens up to me. It is as if a Karmic force is bringing all kinds of goodness to me which I in turn repay to the universe or Karmic force to the best of my abilities.

I have a lot going through my mind right now. I’m in the present, considering both the past and the future. Knowing that I have come so far yet have so much further to go. Yet I accept that universal truth as a beautiful understanding between me and whatever maker is out there.

At work today I had to prepare more of the Fish Bistro (Coconut Tilapia with Spicy Apricot Marmalade). That means that since Thursday we have gone through forty or fifty pounds that amounts to about one hundred or so portions. I could not be more thrilled.

Tomorrows Pizza is a Pesto Shrimp while the pasta is a Whole Wheat Penne with Spinach, Shallot and Mushroom in a lemon scented cream sauce.

The best is yet to come my friends. My culinary journey began a while back but I feel that I am really beginning to find my stride. Or at least the beginning of one. And that excites me. It makes me feel whole. It makes me proud that I am a part of many peoples days in a meaningful way and I am richer for it.

What about you? What’s your dream? How can I help you get there? Are you ready? I am.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said; “Those who have changed the universe have never done it by changing officials, but always by inspiring the people.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Today (file under AMAZING YET AGAIN)

2009-05-05T20:21:00.000-04:00

I believe it was Deepak Chopra that said; “There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.” Today another piece presented itself to me and I am excited and pleased to have been thought of.

Work was awesome. I had a great day there. The specials for tomorrow are a Cheeseburger Pizza with Onions, Ground Beef and Four Cheese Mix. The pasta is Cavatappi with Broccoli, Leek and Prosciutto.

I have always believed that I was put on this earth for a reason. I have further believed that as long as I survived the tough times, eventually, it would become clear. Another piece dropped today. A piece that allows me to continue doing what I am doing beautifully and wonderfully. And I could not be more thrilled.

One day at a time. Each better than the last. Dreams are built on the foundation of hard work, purpose and understanding. My dreams are my every thing. I dreamed of my love and she is now here. I dreamed of a life that was on my terms and it seems to be availing itself to me. I dreamed of doing something more than just filling a neat little box. My dreams are my salvation. And I feel, every day, that I stand on the precipice, inching ever closer, to my nirvana.

Today was yet another amazing day and I am TRULY HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL FOR IT!

Dostoyevsky once wrote; “We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.” Have you encountered such a person?

After work today I rollerbladed downtown (about twenty five km today) to have a meeting with an old friend. It was a great meeting and revealed to me that the world is truly moved by those who have the balls to take the first step.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Purpose (file under Working toward a defined goal)

2009-05-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

I have been giving a lot of thought to life recently. I have found myself reconnecting with people from a very tumultuous time in my life. Kind of like the narrator in Fight Club says; “You met me at a very strange time in my life.” I have spent a lot of time trying to define myself in terms that are comfortable to me rather than the world at large. I longed for as long as I can remember to fit neatly into that box (whatever that box was) so that I could be normal. However, I’ve come to realize, I am not normal, and that is far from a bad thing. I think the biggest problem I had was trying to grapple with how I can make peoples day better each and every day. And believe me I have tried everything under the sun to try and achieve this goal. And then I finally stopped fighting with myself and allowed myself to do exactly what I felt I should; join a professional kitchen.

Yesterday I wrote about serendipity and how at just the right moment in my life it has blessed me with its beautiful contributions. Today I am expanding on that by talking about my life purpose.

Paulo Coelho once said; “But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for.” I have lost many battles in my life. But now as I define and refine my purpose and how I am going to achieve it I am finding that the world is my oyster. And so too can it be yours!

Today, important word here, TODAY, I am finally putting to paper in a meaningful way what my plan is for the next few years. In it I am detailing what I hope to achieve, how I hope to achieve it, plans for my restaurant and all the things that that entails. I am taking the conceptual steps necessary to make sure that every day I am actively pursuing my dreams AND limiting by that writing the mistakes that I will make which usually are the result (at least in this case) of poorly defined goals and metrics.

I am thrilled that I have found myself in the enviable position that I am in. I am loving my job. Loving the work. Loving the creative aspects of what I do. Loving service and serving people. I make peoples day better each and every day and it leaves me filled with wonder, awe and inspiration. It allows me to be the me that I know I am and the me that so many of you have had the courage to be in relationship with over all these years of struggle. But I assure you, it has not been in vain, for it is time to say WATCH OUT WORLD… Ready or not… here I come.

Dr. Seuss (one of my all time favourites) once wrote; “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.”
For the longest time I looked at the brain in my head as a double edged sword. Both a blessing and a curse. As long as I can remember, perhaps as early as fourteen, I recognized this as a personal truth. NOW, in this moment, I realize and have taken action to affirm, that I am in control of my brain and not the other way around.

Cautionary note; PLEASE DO NOT SEE THIS AS ARROGANCE or AN OVERSTATED PERSONAL RECOGNITION. As it is not. I have been told that I have too much brains for my own good my entire life. By people I love and admire and by people that would call themselves much less than my friends. I recall, a few years back a friend (through politics) of mine had said to me while we were out drinking on a Thursday night; “We are going to get you there in spite of yourself.” Expanding upon this thought, which at the time was troubling to me, I now realize that I am getting there. It comes from the personal realization that I need only satisfy my own insatiable desires (as well as my C’s). As Virginia Satir said; “I am me and I am okay.” Being comfortable with this has freed me from the bonds of conformity. It has liberated my spirit and my drive. It has made me see that I am what I am and I am in control of that.

Thus today is a beautiful day for me. Through my liberation I have found a boundless source of energy, passion, spirit and drive. It feeds my soul and lifts me up to ever new and lofty heights. So without further ado you must excuse me as I finally put fingers to keyboard to record the map of my next few years in as much detail as I humanly can.

But before I go, I entreat you, find that voice inside of you, the good one not the bad one, allow it to lift you up to where you want to be. WORK TOWARDS it EVERYDAY and I can assure you, with one hundred percent certainty, if you are willing to work your ass off YOU WILL GET THERE. What are you waiting for? What’s your dream? What’s your purpose? WHAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY EACH AND EVERYDAY and what can I DO TO HELP YOU? Asking questions and for help are two of the most important things that will help you on your way. I’m here anytime. LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST and only YOU can define what that means.

Walt Disney once said; “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Serendipity (file under My Life is Chalk Full of IT)

2009-05-03T17:59:00.000-04:00

Henry David Thoreau once wrote; “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favour in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

I embarked on this journey approximately 435 days ago. That amount to 10,440 hours, 626,400 Minutes or 37,584,000 seconds. This journey is not an easy one. In fact, it is one that I’m sure (though not myself) many have considered, have dipped their toe in, and have decided to forego because the path was uneven, rough and even painful at points. Every day, every minute, every second that has passed has revealed more of myself to me. Every one of those incredible numbers has brought me closer to a deeply personal revelation, a deeper and personal understanding of the reason for my life. It has made me feel like I am a man, searching, finding and then searching again, for the answers that have long haunted me. I believe, as the Thoreau quote above states quite plainly, that my decision, has brought me to a paradigm shift in my own life, one that I could not imagine a short few years ago, AND THE BEST PART IS, that it is the result of a fervent desire to be happy on a daily basis.

I have now worked for three restaurants in my professional cooking career. I have toiled, sweated, bled, cried, slept on floors, been up at ungodly hours, worked myself to the bone and all of it, every second, is what lead me to here.

When I met the love of my life, C, I knew instantly that there was no other woman for me. That she HAD to be my wife. That my life, had led me to her and that in a moment of unusual clarity, I knew, I had to do everything in my power to ensure that she became the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. In my humble and learned opinion, so too, was my decision to join a kitchen.

This post results from conversations that I have been having lately with members at The Club, people that know me well, friends and family, new and old and people who don’t know me from Adam. The same feeling that came over me when I first saw C, and literally I mean saw, I didn’t even now her name, is the same feeling that I had the first time I picked up my very own Mac Knife. It felt right. No, it was more, it felt like I was meant to hold one my entire life and that I had spent most of my life, fighting with myself. Fortunately however, I did make that decision, to enter a kitchen and I have not looked back since.

Many times I have expressed that it is my fervent desire and dedicated goal to have my own restaurant by the time I am 40. This gives me 2078 days, 49879 hours, 2,992,754 or 1,795,565,266 seconds as of the writing of this post. I know at least in broad strokes what it will look like. I know for certain the name. I have an inkling as to the food. But, I feel, for the first time in my life, that my decisions are being based in a grounded way, in making that a reality.

For the past few weeks I have been having great conversations with Members early in the morning. Apparently they have been asking Executive Chef about me as well and my political experience came up today. I spoke candidly, but guardedly, about my experiences. One of the questions I got was what was the best line I ever wrote politically. It took me a moment and I had to go out and smoke before I could answer the question. I came back and said to Mr. S that while this was not for a politician it was my favourite line; “I have used illiteracy and crack with the same force of destruction as I have an M-16.” Without hesitation he held out his hand and said something to the effect of; “Fucking incredible.” He asked about my other experiences and I was open, still guarded, but open and told him. I told him I had climbed into Trash Compactors and cleaned them in order to live. I told him that I have done many things that most people would not as I felt that my survival was more important that what I did. I’d always felt that way and always would.

I told him a bit about my family. About where I’d come from. About my Mother and her mission in Malawi with www.lifelinemalawi.com. About my brothers and sisters. My impending wedding etc. He and another at the table asked if they could come. To which I said it was going to be in Cuba. He said great. And then asked if he could pay for the flowers.

I should point out that all of this took place over two conversations this morning and took a total of less than ten minutes. He then asked about my restaurant and I told him I wasn’t there yet. I had told him the other morning that I was using my experience at The Club as a test kitchen for my eventual restaurant which he loved. Today he took it one step further and said that he and another gentlemen sitting at the table would be very upset if I did not give them an audience and the right of first refusal to be investors, “the investors,” in my restaurant. I’m sure I was blushing at this point. I assured him I would definitely give him an audience. He asked if I had given any thought to the name and when I told him the name he again lifted his hand and laughing hysterically repeated his request. I assured him when the time was right, but that for now, I had to continue doing what I was doing at The Club.

So how does all of this lead to the title of the post?

As is stated much better than I ever could in Thoreau’s quote; “that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” I never dreamed that The Club would lead to someone taking an active interest in me. I never expected to meet someone humble and interested in the world around them. I did however expect to grow as a cook. To expand my offerings! To work towards the realization of my dreams. And now I feel that all I need to do is to continue doing what I am. AND IT IS SO EASY! My passion shows, my love of food shows, my character is an asset for the first time in my life and not a detriment.

I have found a calmness I have never known in my life. A joy that is seldom experienced, by anyone, let alone myself. And I am a richer, more wealthy, happier and more directed person for it.

All I can say is watch out world. I’m here and there is even more to come. Are you ready?

Antoine de Saint- Exupery once wrote; “If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” And I think I am…

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Another Great Day (file under feel like Dancin)

2009-05-03T17:30:00.001-04:00

This is a brief post to say that today was another wonderful day. It feels nice to have found my stride at work and to feel that I actually belong. I think that my decision to avoid the politics of the club, both for employees and members, was a great decision and that it will serve me well. It eliminates the bullshit. It provides clarity of purpose and a steady direction to go in.

The specials for tomorrow are a Philly Cheese steak Pizza with Steak, Swiss cheese, Caramelized Onions and Peppers. The pasta special is a Farfalle Bolognaise.

The Pad Thai Special that I created for today was flying like hotcakes when I left. I had sold seven before I left today. I did have to take that with a grain of salt as one of the members sent it back claiming that it was; “tasteless.” To my mind there is no greater insult that one can say to a cook then their food is tasteless. But I did take it with a grain of salt as the Day Manager grabbed the dish and started eating it right away. He is a celiac and so this is the first dish I’ve made that he could eat. NEEDLESS to say, he did not find it tasteless. And, I, who had it for lunch, did not find it tasteless either.

But, just to put it in perspective, so that you understand, I got a complaint the other day because the toast that I sent out (Rye) was to “hole-y”. And NO I AM NOT KIDDING!

At first I was upset and then I realized that I can please some of the people most of the time but not all of the people all of the time. Part of the growing experience.

I have another post following this one which explains why I had such a great day.

Thich Naht Hahn once said; “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired? START… right… NOW.

A la prochaine

SDM

Life truly is WHAT YOU MAKE IT (file under Always Appreciative)

2009-05-02T15:00:00.001-04:00

Everyday offer the opportunity anew to rise to the challenge and shine. It is there for you, all you need is a bit of passion, some drive and a whole lot of patience and a great work ethic. You can be whatever you want. All you need to do is, grab life by the balls, and get ready to rock and roll.

Currently I am sipping fabulous Bordeaux. What makes it so fabulous is that I just got home from work. I managed to rollerblade home before the rain. I find myself with an afternoon to catch up on all the things that I need to catch up on AND I HAD A FABULOUS DAY. It is amazing the difference that a day can make. You’ll recall that yesterday I included a quote from Benjamin Franklin that said; “Sloth and Silence are a Fool's Virtues.”

Yesterday I had a choice to make. Allow myself to continue to be taken advantage of, or to take action, measured and calm, to attempt to stop the actions that I felt were abusive of both my character and my work ethic. I am no fool and opted to not be silent this time. To make a measured and reasoned case for why I felt I was being taken advantage of. And I know, I mean I truly know, that my work ethic speaks for itself.

Well, to both my shock and surprise, when I came into work today (partially because my morning partner and I had knocked off quite a bit but also because my pleas were heard and received well) there was a minimal amount for me to do. Which was a beautiful thing because The Club is usually jumping on a Saturday. I took a brief interlude there and quite fittingly “Strawberry Fields” just came on. “Nothing to get hung about.”

At any rate, TODAY WAS A FABULOUS DAY! Knocked all the prep out of the park and found a truly beautiful rhythm in the kitchen dance on the line. I would say we did about one hundred and twenty covers between lunch and dinner today. My partner and I found a great pattern of movement and we were knocking dishes out of the park very quickly. At one point I had five Meat Bistro, a hot dog, two hamburgers, three scramble and two omelettes and I just knocked it out of the park. I know it doesn’t sound like very much but I found that something had changed in myself today. I think that by speaking out about what I perceived as injustice and inequitable work ethics that I caused myself to elevate my game. To put it in perspective;

The Meat Bistro dish this week is Jerk Chicken Skewers with Dirty Rice and Seasonal Veg with a mango salsa. What this means is that there are seven steps from the beginning of the dish to the end. As I have said many times here in this blog, timing is critical. You need to be able to work on multiple of both the same dishes and varied dishes but time them accordingly so that orders go out together. Today, possibly for the first time, I found that I didn’t need to consider the timing. I merely allowed my body to do the things that I have trained it to do in the past year and a half. However, I do need to admit that for the first time in the kitchen this week I have been wearing a watch so that I rely on both intuition and actual timing.

Finding your stride is something that can not be taught. This is something that Executive Chef told me many times at Reservation. As did Sous Chef A. Some people have it and some people don’t. And PLEASE, do not read this as arrogance or some attempt at patting myself on the back, BECAUSE IT IS NOT! Instead it is an acknowledgement, deeply personal, that my skill level is rising. That my ability to deal with complex and time critical issues is getting MUCH MUCH BETTER. And that to me is both wondrous and a fabulous feeling. TRULY!

The rest of the crew came in at noon as is commonplace on Saturday and it was nice to see that they all seemed motivated to work. Obviously I had knocked off all the prep that needed to be knocked off, but each of them, in their own way, approached and asked what needed to be done. I literally had to look for things to get done, but good naturedly and in great spirits, they all were happy to help in any way they could. I hope it lasts because today I felt like the whole crew was working as a team. A TRUE BRIGADE. Nobody left out to dry. Instead all working toward a common goal. A common satisfaction. A common purpose. It felt truly inspired and wonderful.

When Sous Chef R came in he looked at me and told me how well the Fish Bistro did last night. Of course I had already known this as I had prepared twenty four portions and it looked as if there were only six or seven left. Naturally I made another deep half pan that should get them through service tonight. It looks beautiful on the plate and the flavour is quite well balanced. It felt SO GOOD. I know it sounds Hollywood cheesy but I could have cried.

I have known all my life that food is something I was meant to be surrounded by. And now, I am in an environment which is highly demanding, at the very least an educated if not refined palette AND MY FOOD IS BEING RECEIVED BRILLIANTLY. I have received about ten or twelve comments about my food and it feels incredible. All I need to do is keep on doing what I am doing.

All in all, as I have said before, I felt that today was new day and I treated it that way. I feel lucky to be where I am, to be given the latitude to create and implement dishes and to be part of an environment which appreciates me. Fortunate does not even begin to cover it.

But tomorrow is another day. And I am only as good as the last plate I put out. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote; “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely...”

Are you dreaming big and inspired? WHY NOT? What is stopping you? How can I help you to know the same joy that I do?

A la prochaine

SDM

No, No, is too much (file under Let me Sum Up!)

2009-05-01T17:25:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite lines from any movie is; “No, no, is too much, let me sum up, Buttercup is marry Humperdink in little less than half an hour.” Which these days is how I feel. So much to say and so little time to say it in as I have so many things on my plate these days. However, I will, as always, do my best to spit it out.

I didn’t write yesterday because I was torn between an emotional response and an intellectual one to the day that I had. I had both successes and failures. And sometimes when that happens I am torn between my responsibilities to myself to be genuine and that of my readers who want to understand.

So I will start with the minor (truly minor) dressing down I got with regard to Health in a Glass. Due to the person that I am and wanting to share the goodness that comes my way with everyone possible Chef called down and told me that the smoothies had to stop. My belief is that my regulars sent him a message somehow saying that they really appreciated me and all that I was doing – including the smoothies. He wasn’t angry and he certainly didn’t let on to how he found out. He was merely stating his position on the matter in a very cordial way. Naturally I said; “Yes Chef!” And true to my word instead this morning I had a grapefruit juice. I certainly don’t want to rock the boat.

I hustled a lot yesterday and for seemingly no reason as the night crew had not been very busy. This happened again today and so very good naturedly I mentioned it to Sous Chef R. I did this not to be a snitch but because I felt that I was being taken advantage of and that I wanted to nip it in the bud. The story to follow;

As I had mentioned earlier when I started at The Club there is a disconnect for some of the people that work there and reality. In that, they fail to see, or refuse to, that they have a great job and do the bare minimum to maintain the status quo (as in their job). As we all aware I am a work horse. I am happy to do the work and do more than my fair share. I am happy, neigh, thrilled to pick up the slack when it needs to be picked up but I am not there to be a whipping boy. Yesterday I didn’t really say much because I just felt that I would get the job done that I needed to get done. However, today when I came in, I was greeted by the stench of laziness and it drove me crazy.

When I came in I did my regular set up. Yet, the line was not adequately ready and thus I had to do all that. I then had to do all the prep for the evening crew despite the fact that they had a quiet night last night. By quiet I mean that they had to work for about an hour. Meaning that they had six and a half hours to get the things done for themselves. Well as so often happens, they cherry picked what they wanted to do and left the things they didn’t for me to do. Again, I don’t mind doing the work if there is a justifiable reason for me to do it, but I am not going to get into another situation as it has been for me before.

In speaking with Sous Chef R I made it clear that I am not complaining for the sake of complaining. Before saying anything I asked if last night had been busy to which he responded by the time he left around 9 it was pretty quiet. At this point I explained that I felt that I was doing the best I could to knock off the prep work that needed to get done while at the same time managing my time when orders came in. I felt that it was unfair that I was being hammered (every day this week) with an unreasonable amount of prep. He promised that he would have a conversation with the culprits. Which he did. And I know this because the culprit came to me and complained. I said nothing to him, nor will I, for I think it is not my place, nor responsibility to. I am a worker bee, there to work, and so I will. I have taken on more than my fair share, gladly, and will continue to, but I am not going to allow internal politics or personalities to diminish either my character or work ethic. Head down, mouth closed, WORK!

Part of the problem as I see it is that my morning partner and I can work and talk at the same time. While it would appear that certain of the night crew, feeling untouchable and above reproach, just talk and talk and talk and then when the night is over add to my already large prep list. Again this is just my observation.

I do think that this should not be an issue going forward but it was enough today that it affected my mood for a good hour or so.

Politics and personalities are big inside the restaurant world. Some people work, some don’t, that is true of any environment. But I made myself a promise that I would not allow myself to be taken advantage of again as it negatively impacts my spirit. I like being happy. I love what I do. And while I don’t think that everyone has my attitude when it comes to work I really do wish that people I currently work with would realize that we are in paradise compared to most kitchens.

At any rate, I choose to remain above the fray, put my head down AND WORK. To me the issue has been resolved, at least in the now, and will remain for me a done issue until such a time as I feel that the work ethic is sliding again. And rather than dealing with the person directly I will deal with Sous Chef R as that is the way to deal with the issue. It may not seem cool to some people but I am not working to be cool. I am working because I love what I do. I am only in control of myself. But there is a standard operating procedure and syntax to events that I adhere to now because I am not falling into the same pit falls as the past. We have to learn and grow from our mistakes.

As I like to present the good, the bad and the ugly. I want to now let you know that yesterday I did the prep work for Sunday’s pasta special which is an Authentic Pad Thai. The sauce is delicious and took time to make, but, as I have said time and again. Good food takes time.

As to the Bistro Fish that I created I made a sample of it today and was really happy with what I had created. It is a truly “sexy dish.” It is beautiful on the plate. The flavours match each other quite nicely. It is a dish that I am quite proud of and know that anywhere other than the club I could charge at least $40 for it. The colours are all complimentary and yet at the same time provide a nice contrast. The crispiness of the coconut and Panko breading contrast well with the spicy sweetness of the apricot marmalade. While there are definite refinements to be made to the dish it is one that I know I will make variations of for the rest of my life.

Benjamin Franklin once said; “Sloth and Silence are a Fool's Virtues” This is something I thought of many times today as I did my best to bang out what needed to get done.

However, as we all know I like to end these posts, positively, with food for thought, and so, James Joyce once wrote; "I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day."

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Today at The Club (file under Ever the New Adventure)

2009-04-29T17:39:00.003-04:00

Hello friends. I apologize for the flurry of posts but I find myself with a bit more energy than I had yesterday. Probably care of the sleep that I got. So when I got in this morning I did my usual set up and then set to work doing the prep and creating the specials.

Tomorrow I only worked no the pasta and decided to go with a spinach and cheese cannelloni topped with a basil tomato sauce. I also created the weekly quiche and fish specials. This week we are going to be serving a Quiche Alsacienne which has bacon, Swiss cheese and onion. The fish dish that I created was a Coconut and Panko Encrusted Tilapia which will be served on a red quinoa and topped with a spicy apricot marmalade. It should, in my humble opinion, fly off the line.

I also realized today that Sous Chef R and I think very much alike. Not just when it comes to food but also the world at large. As we worked away we spoke about all manner of subjects including the Disclosure project and the Nazi Bell. It is nice to have intellectually stimulating conversation while I work. Very nice indeed. I also got to bond a bit with one of my colleagues who I am going to call Ma. Great kid.

So the next few days are going to be quite busy, but, that’s what I love to do. Oh I almost forgot, I got to speak with Mr. S and Mr. M again this morning. They asked a bit about me and why I do what I do and I told them because I love food and I love to serve people. It s what I was put on this earth to do and that I am very passionate about it. They both said it is obvious and it shows and that they don’t want me to go anywhere. I explained to them that I am treating the club as my test kitchen and I didn’t plan on going anywhere fast. They both breathed a sigh of relief. I wished them a great day and went on my way.

Also I got two great compliments from members yesterday. When people order food to go and I am not in the weeds I write little messages on the to go containers (did the same thing at Without Reservation). Messages like; “Do something that scares you today.” Or “Be inspired today.” Or “Have a fabulous day.” Just a simple little note, along with “Enjoy” and I sign my name to it. Well a woman came in and asked the manager who writes the little notes on the boxes. He told her and she said that the notes make her day and that she can hardly wait to see the guy that does it. I don’t do it because I want recognition, I do it, because it is at the core of who I am as a human. I want to enrich people’s lives and that is why I do what I do.

Carnegie once said; “No man can become rich without himself enriching others” My only addendum to that is I am already wealthy for enriching others lives. Each and every day. What about you?

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Yesterday (file under All my Troubles seemed so Far Away)

2009-04-29T17:27:00.003-04:00

After the whirlwind of the weekend (sleeping maybe six or seven hours) and on Monday night only catching about four hours I was dog tired. But true to who I am I got up, rollerbladed and went to work and gave it my all. In fact it felt pretty darned good to know that I can still push myself.

So I only created one specials yesterday which was risole Tofu, risole Butternut Squash, brunoise carrots with spaghetti tossed in a Tomato Basil sauce. It tasted pretty good.

I also learned that my specials sold pretty well in the last week. That felt pretty good too.

Health in a glass was good but had an awful aftertaste. It was, egg, watermelon, blueberries and banana with mango. But hey, how can we learn if we don’t try. The watermelon lingered on both the palette and the throat leaving a curious and sometimes gross aftertaste.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Pics of The Club

2009-04-29T17:00:00.004-04:00

Pics in Birds Eye

2009-04-29T16:51:00.003-04:00

There are more to come but this gives you the idea

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

C’s Birthday Extravaganza (file under Manna from Heaven)

2009-04-29T16:40:00.006-04:00

As I mentioned in the last post, I did all the shopping at the Union Square Green Market. For proteins I had to go to the Union Square Wholefoods. The menu I decided upon was; Organic Stuffed Hudson Valley Mushrooms which were stuffed with Blue Crab meat which marinated overnight in Sake. Once stuffed it was topped with some sea salt, Parmesan and parsley. So good I assure you. As if that weren’t enough at the market I picked up some Raab and made a pesto from it which I put the crabmeat on top of. I also made a nice Bruschetta.

This was followed by a beautiful Spinach Salad into which my Sous Chef L put red onion, crab apples, Monterey Jack cheese and organic Hudson Valley Mushrooms on which I put a delicate Truffle, Balsamic Shallot dressing. On the side (some people were vegetarian) I put some delicious slab bacon which was provided to me at no cost by Paul Dench – Layton from the Violet Hill Farm (strongly recommend to everyone who is ever in the NYC area) because I told him what I was doing and what I did for a living.

One of C’s friends J, who works for a high end Hampton’s caterer made some of the most delicious and visually appealing spring rolls I have ever seen.

I then made a Truffled Parsnip Puree which must have been good because there was none left and it looked as if someone had licked the pot. I have my suspicions as to who (A) but they will remain an anonymous consonant in this post. I also for the vegetarians made a pasta caserole with organic rice penne which had eggplant lining the bottom with red peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, raab and basil.

This was followed by gorgeous Truffled organic purple potatoes and a very slow roasted brisket which I also did with a truffle red wine sauce. I did all these dishes with Truffles because I wanted to show the range of flavours that can be enhanced with Truffles.

Dinner served about fifteen to twenty people and all loved it. It was so amazingly gorgeous in NYc this weekend that we actually were able to eat on C's Brooklyn rooftop, sharing laughs, food and fun.My only real critique was that because I had to reheat the brisket due to having but one pot to cook everything in which caused it to be a little overheated. But on the whole, people loved it and I was thrilled. As was C. Happy Birthday indeed. Pictures of the dinner will follow but I have so much to do that I need to do it in another post. Sorry!

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

Taking another Bite (file under Bright Lights, Big City)

2009-04-29T16:22:00.004-04:00

Thomas Wolfe once wrote; “One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years” And I believe this to be absolutely true. It is such an immense city that requires immense personalities in order to maintain its greatness. The beautiful Gotham. Constantly reinventing itself but at its core New York remains the same and is the perfect example of what is right with America.

I love flying into Newark because it is cheaper and to me at least, seems like less of a struggle and hassle to get to. The train takes you right there cheaply and efficiently. Of course this blog is about my cooking experience so I won’t tell you everything in the same vivid detail that I do my cooking experience. Suffice to say I saw all the sites (that I hadn’t yet had pictures of), Grand Central, Rockefeller Centre, Central Park (in the day), Tavern on the Green, etc. Most of these are places that I feel drawn to when I am in New York because I am in love with the Art Deco architecture and rich history. Before I get to the dinner that I cooked on Sunday night for twenty of C’s friends I will let you know about my food experiences in New York.

Friday night we met up with some friends in Little Italy. They had already eaten but I was famished so we ended up at this little joint (if it was good believe me I would give you the name and I am not in protest to the food) which billed itself as authentic Mama cuisine. Of course it didn’t say Italian Mama and all our servers and the managers were Mexican (not that that is a bad thing) but it certainly allowed me to see that I wasn’t about to eat authentic Italian Cuisine. However the Peroni was authentic and was going down like water.

C, L and I split a Caprese Salad which I had used as a benchmark for the meal. It was ok, but, when I am in New York City, in Little Italy, I don’t want ok, I want Tony Soprano’s mothers recipe which will knock my socks off. Due to my earlier observation I opted for the simplest dish on the menu. Penne a La Mama (again, should have known). Billed itself as Penne in a Red Sauce with fresh mozzarella and basil. At least the basil was fresh. C and L shared a Lobster Ravioli special which they enjoyed. I had taken one bite of it and felt that I could do a better job cooking with my feet. Horrible, BUT TRUE! Again the Peroni was authentic and eased the blow of the crappy food. For the rest of the night as we walked around doing a New York City Pub Crawl (beer, to next beer, to beer, to next beer) I practiced my best Irish diet.

Saturday started off with so much enthusiasm and excitement as I was going to go to Union Square Greenmarket with L to get the ingredients for the extravaganza the next day. I did what I always do, walked the whole market once, looking, touching, smelling and then went to sit for a smoke and start creating. The produce is amazing. Beautiful, big and fresh and to me remarkable that in the middle of this bustling city is a market of great food. Not just good food but great.

C had to work on Saturday so L and I walked around NYC and had some fun. We ended up eating at some BBQ place for lunch because we were starved. It was alright. Nothing spectacular but it was more than enough because we were absolutely famished. When we started walking again we ended up on Central Park West. As we approached I mused whether or not Tavern on the Green would be busy with a wedding or something of the like. There must have been what seemed to be a million people in Central Park but we managed to walk in where we had a great experience meeting some new people. A firefighter and his girlfriend from Arizona. In fact he is a Captain and as so often happens in my life she is the manager of Food and Bev for a big company where they live. The story of how we met was great. There was only one table left and we both approached it but they beat us there. Never one to concede defeat I asked them if they minded if we joined them. They said no and thus a new friendship was born as we waited for C to be done at work. I can hardly wait to see them again. They have promised to come up to Toronto very soon, in fact, they are already planning it.

That night we went to the birthday party for a friend that I had not seen in twenty years. It was awesome to reconnect after all this time (naturally we had spoken on facebook numerous times) but it was great to see her all grown up and living in the city that never sleeps.

Sunday morning we woke up and started our day by going out and walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. For some reason I don’t quite understand I love crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. I try to cross it every time I am there. After we crossed it we hustled to Pace University for a taping of Inside the Actors Studio with the cast of Family Guy; Seth Macfarlane, Seth Green, Alex Borstein and Mike Henry. One of the greatest experiences of my life. It was a great treat to see them in person, learn their stories and a bit more about family guy. James Lipton has to be one of the sharpest eighty year olds to ever live. When that episode airs you all should watch it. Unfortunately we had to leave so that I could start cooking the extravaganza which is the subject of the next post.

Monday ( I know I'm skipping ahead but...) L had to go and get some paper work done at the Canadian Consulate so I had to do some running around on my own but then we ended up going to the Top of the Rock. From there, we were in NYC and I thought it would be great to go to Ruhlmann which is right across the street. They both had the Lobster Bisque which was to die for and I had the French Onion Soup and a Croque Monsieur which was awesome. Ok Extravaganza now...

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Elusive Hudson Sturgeon (file under I'm Out)

2009-04-24T14:25:00.003-04:00

Well my friends, it is time for a much needed break from reality. Where does one go to break from reality, well, naturally the hyper reality of New York City. It was C's birthday last week and I am coming down to cook dinner for between 20 and 30 people. And to show my old business partner L around the big city. I am beyond excited. I might even find one of the elusive Hudson Sturgeons. But seriously, I will have some great tales for you (and pictures) when I return. Look for it on Tuesday or Wednesday. And I know that I still owe you a post with pictures from work. That too will materialize on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Carrie once said (as in Sex and the City); “But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

I guess my life is fabulous then.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine, and one more thing....

LIVE FROM NEW YORK ITS....

SDM

And it just keeps getting better (file under Wowzer)

2009-04-22T16:49:00.001-04:00

I truly hope that everyone knows even half as much joy as I do. I don’t say this to sound like a braggart, instead, I say this, because I made a conscious decision to awaken my own happiness by deciding what I truly wanted to do with my life and then went after it.

What have you done today to realize that long held dream? They say the longest step in a journey of a million miles is the first and I tend to believe them. Whoever they are?

I woke up real early this morning. Somewhere around 3:45am. My body just doesn’t want to let me sleep as I am so insanely excited each and every day to go to work. So I took my time getting ready. Spent some time working on the plan for New York City this weekend. Responded to some emails and got a great email from C about this weekend. It would appear that James Lipton and I (and a few hundred others) are going to get intimate with Seth Macfarlane of Family Guy and American Dad fame. It is an ever so happy accident which reveals, there are no accidents, merely opportunities. Needless to say I am thrilled.

I left the house around 5:40am and did not rollerblade today as the road was slick but I did bring them so I could run a few errands after work. Though still slick it was a great rollerblade home. Possibly because I knew that I now have thirty six hours to myself to get all the things I need to get done before going to NYC.

So I started when I got to work by taking care of the muffins, bacon and sausage. Set up the line and then on to the days prep which as you all know includes getting the specials ready for the day, conceiving of the specials for tomorrow, etc. Naturally my morning regulars were there and happy as could be to see me. Little did they know that I had specially prepared 6 carrot muffins for one of them and had the Health in a Glass ready to go. I got to meet two other regulars this morning who asked; “Well how come I don’t get this kind of service, I’ve been a member for thirty five years.” At this point Mr. S explained that I had just started and explained a bit about my story, where I come from and why I love my job. Bang on in his description by the way. I thanked him for his kind words which were, VERY kind and then found my way back to the kitchen to finish the H.I.A.G.

Today I had to prepare H.I.A.G. for six and the ingredients were; Banana (in case you haven’t noticed my favorite and has been since a child), Mango (another lifelong favourite), Raspberries, Orange Juice and Ice. I call this one Tropic Thunder. When I went out to refill my coffee (Peruvian sunrise and fair trade and organic) I could hear them all loving it. They thanked me profusely. It feels REAL GOOD to be appreciated.

Yesterdays specials went like hotcakes and they had no prep left which means that I sold all of them. The specials today were selling like hotcakes. I did about ten of the pasta and four of the pizza by the time I left.

The specials tomorrow are a Fusilli fagiole with shallots, red beans, red peppers and black olives. While the pizza is a Caprese; Boccini, Tomato and Basil.

I also took pictures of work today and will post them tomorrow. All in all I am truly loving life. I feel honoured and privileged that other people recognize what I am and what I have to offer. In the pursuit of service I have realized my life mission.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Yousuf Karsh (Turkish born Canadian) once said; “I have found that great people do have in common an immense belief in themselves and in their mission. They also have great determination as well as an ability to work hard. At the crucial moment of decision, they draw on their accumulated wisdom. Above all, they have integrity.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Work Ethic (file under some have more than others)

2009-04-21T16:16:00.001-04:00

Today was another wonderful day at work. I really enjoy getting up and going in to work. I enjoy the absence of anything but purposeful movement in the morning. I enjoy the empty streets. The smell of the city in repose. The soft light that slowly climbs the horizon to create that beautiful glow. I LOVE IT! It also gives me an opportunity every day to look at my place in this world and to give thanks for that position. Of course being a Rasta Buddhist (Rabu for short) what I don’t forget I just let go of as meaningless in the grand scheme. But seriously, it is a rare joy, that I experience every day.

This morning I was expecting to be greeted by a smaller prep list than the past few days. To my surprise it was quite big and as I touched on yesterday, I know the reason why. Partly FNG but partly laziness on others part. But, as I said yesterday, no big deal, I love to work. I mean I REALLY love to work.

I also forgot to mention yesterday that I cooked for the Comptroller and his son. The Comptroller comes in from time to time and asks for something that is different from what we would normally serve, His son was having an exam yesterday afternoon and needed some brain food. The Comptroller told me what his son wanted which was less than a great description because it left lots of room for interpretation, which, when you are serving someone you don’t know, is VERY difficult. He gave me the basics which were rice and shrimp; “with a little spice.” So I asked him; “Heat is something that is different for everyone. Think curry.” He interrupted and said; “no no, not curry.” I said; “Yes I understand but if the heat was a curry, would it be red, yellow or green?” He looked at me and said; “Yellow.” I told him great and that due to his desire for a well done rib eye (some people… geez) that it would take about fourteen minutes.

The dish I came up with for his son was a sambal, honey, soy sauce and sesame oil reduction which I marinated the shrimp in quickly and then grilled them. After grilling I reduced the remaining marinade and topped the shrimp with some sesame seeds and pea shoots. When his meal was over I got a massive thank you for being able to decipher exactly what was wanted. I responded that; “This is what I love to do. It is who I am. Thank you for your compliments.”

So today I had to do eight trays of 12 cookies no each tray. I also had to clean and roast two massive top butt roasts. I cooked off some linguini. I cut up a bin of fruit for fruit cups and much much more.

H.I.A.G. this morning was absolutely divine. No really, I mean, think Ambrosia and you have what I mean. In fact I think that I will call this one Ambrosia;

Grapefruit Juice, Banana, Mango, an egg and strawberry yoghurt. DELICIOUS and full of that all important energy boost and vitamin cocktail.

At the time of my leaving I had sold only two of the pizzas but had sold four of the pasta. I gave some of my colleagues some to try and they each thought it was brilliant. The dishwasher was beside himself. In his broken Taiwanese English he asked me; “Where do you learn to cook like this?” I thought about it for a moment and pointed to my heart. He laughed merrily and thanked me for sharing some with him. The servers loved it. Thought it was great. They too asked where I learned to cook like that and I gave the same answer.

I asked the servers, as I do everyday to get me some feedback from the members about their food. ALL POSITIVE. Very positive. In fact I got two; “Compliments to the Chef.” Of course they don’t know that I am a cook, but the point still stands.

Tomorrows specials are Gnocchi with double smoked bacon, spinach and mushrooms in a cream sauce. The pizza is with bacon, mushroom, onion, green pepper and banana peppers.

Today also marked the first time that I got to do the Bistro Specials. This means that I had to create a quiche, a sandwich, a meat special and a fish special. I mentioned to Executive Chef that Sous Chef R had wanted me to do them and so I spent some time while working today considering what I wanted to do. I wrote them down and went to Executive Chef with what I was suggesting. He thought they all were great and gave me a big thumbs up. The bistro specials are as follows;

A Reuben Sandwich; which naturally is corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese and I opted to do it on dark rye.

Provencal Quiche; which has zucchini, tomato, shallot and Brie.

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Mash and Seasonal Vegetables with a mint scented jus.

Mahi Mahi on a bed of saffron rice with seasonal vegetables and a mango Beurre blanc.

I am excited to see how these specials do compared to the last two weeks that I have been there. It was positively exhilarating to do these specials and I look forward to the feedback from the members.

So, as you can see, I LOVE WHAT I DO. I LOVE WHERE I AM. I LOVE WHAT IT IS HELPING ME TO BECOME. I LOVE THE DOORWAYS OF PERCEPTION INTO MY OWN SOUL RESULTANT FROM THIS SAGE LIKE MOVE TO THE CLUB.

Oscar Wilde once said; "I hate people who are not serious about their meals." While I don’t hate ANYONE (incapable really) I do wish that people would take their food more seriously.

Are you dreaming big and inspired? You can you know! All you have to do is let go of that nagging voice inside of you and let you spirit lead you where you need to go.

A la prochaine

SDM

Happy Birthday Lover (file under my greatest joy)

2009-04-20T17:32:00.002-04:00

Happy 27th Birthday Lover! I am shocked to find out that women have an inalienable right not to age past 27 if they so desire. But seriously;

I loved you the moment I laid eyes on you. I have loved you even more with each and every breath I take. You are my best friend, my confidant, my lover and my raison d’etre. I am in awe of what you have become and each and every day watch as you blossom even further. I am so proud of you. In the pursuit of your dreams. In the steps that you take every day to make yourself, and this the world, better.

It is because of your love, elegance, grace, patience and support that I have become the man I am and I continue to grow.

I thought, all day about what I could say and these three quotes kept running through my mind;

“I SING the Body electric;
The armies of those I love engirth me, and I engirth them;
They will not let me off till I go with them, respond to them,
And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the Soul.”

“No sooner met but they looked;
No sooner looked but they loved;
No sooner loved but they sighed;
No sooner signed but they asked one another the reason;
No sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy;
And in these degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage...”

From “As You Like It.”

“I have named you queen.
There are taller ones than you, taller.
There are purer ones than you, purer.
There are lovelier than you, lovelier.

But you are the queen.

When you go through the streets
no one recognizes you.
No one sees your crystal crown, no one looks
at the carpet of red gold
that you tread as you pass,
the nonexistent carpet.

And when you appear
all the rivers sound
in my body, bells
shake the sky,
and a hymn fills the world.

Only you and I,
only you and I, my love,
listen to it.”

Pablo Neruda

C, today, as any other, I celebrate you – because you are – nothing short – OF MY QUEEN! I honour you, adore, admire and respect all you are. Happy 27th Birthday… AGAIN! I love you!

Shine on Mon Petit!

Are you dreaming big and inspired? I know C is!

A la prochaine

SDM

Rainy Monday (file under wet and tired… BUT LOVING IT)

2009-04-20T17:14:00.001-04:00

I couldn’t really sleep last night. I woke up every hour on the hour. Yet, I find myself filled with all kind of energy, so it didn’t really affect me all that much. I think I am excited for my trip to NYC.

Today was a busy day. Beyond the usual I found myself with a massive amount of prep to do. I believe the old expression goes while the cats away the mouse will play. Due to Sous Chef R being away I think that some people are just on automatic pilot. Although my 8 am partner this morning told me that if I do their work once it will always be expected. I replied that while that may be true, I am here to do a job and regardless of who does it that job is going to get done. I prefer to let my work do the talking rather than my mouth. AND MY WORK IS BEYOND REPROACH! So I just went along my merry way banging one thing after another off of my list.

Health in a Glass (H.I.A.G.) this morning was absolutely awesome. I did two of them. The first was with an egg, grapefruit juice, grapefruit, raspberries, raspberry yoghurt, honeydew melon and ice. DELICIOUS.

The second was also fabulous. Two bananas, blackberries, raspberry yoghurt, an egg, pineapple juice and ice. AWESOME!

The specials that I created for yesterday flew off the line. When I came in there was none of the prep that I had done which means they sold it all. Good to know. Mental note to self.

By the time I had left today the specials that I created were doing quite well indeed. I would love to go two days in a row with all of what I prepared gone.

As for tomorrow the specials are as follows;

Hawaii 5 – 0 pizza (I had something in mind but by the time I left the ingredient hadn’t come in so I figured I would go with H50).

The pasta on the other hand is WOW. It is cavatappi in a crab rose sauce with mushrooms and shallots finished off with some truffle oil. YUMMY! I know that will go like gangbusters.

I also got to speak with two of the members today. My regulars. They both love what I am doing and gave me a big thumbs up. In fact one of them said that he wanted to make sure that I’d stay around so he would get me a membership. I assured him that I was going nowhere quickly. Murphy’s Law, today was the first day in a week that I had not made Carrot Muffins. They wanted one, which I offered to make, but sold them on a smoothie instead. However, tomorrow morning I am going to make some mini carrot muffins and give them to him.

I love this job. I love serving people. I love being an important part of peoples day. I love the way that food can transform not only lives but also the world. One stomach at a time. IT FEELS GREAT!

Napoleon once said; “An army marches on it's stomach”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Ramsay, What the F$%^ are you thinking? (file under hypocrite)

2009-04-20T16:56:00.001-04:00

While many of you are aware I have a love hate relationship with Gordon Ramsay, this piece of news, which reached my desk, care of my father, sent me flying. My father sent me a link to a news story about Ramsay’s use of off site prepared food at his gastro pubs. Read more at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a52loTLwyVCM&refer=muse .

What strikes me as odd is that Ramsay presents himself as the king of fresh. That the freshest ingredients are of paramount importance. And then, right out of the dictionary definition of hypocrite, uses a kitchen, formerly owned by the venerable Albert Roux, to par cook and prepackage food.

Another reason I find this troubling is because the mark up on the items that he is prepackaging is preposterous.

I will say that I give Ramsay a lot of credit. However, I must admit, that even I found this to be shameful. To own and operate a restaurant(s) which you claim are preparing high end food, a la minute only to exposed as someone who gets the work done off site. Another troubling aspect of this is that it removes the need for cooks to be in the kitchen. Merely someone who is capable of sous vide or even worse using a microwave.

I wonder what the wunderkind would say if he walked into an establishment which did the exact same thing he was doing. Oh no, wait a minute, I don’t…

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/02/ramsays-great-british-nightmare-video/

Stealing a line from Ramsay himself; “Come on Man, use your fucking head.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

A Little Less Conversation (file under a little more action PLEASE)

2009-04-19T15:43:00.001-04:00

I hope that you all have had a fabulous weekend to date. The only thing that could have made mine better was a big wet kiss from the woman I love (who incidentally turns 27 all over again tomorrow).

You’ll recall that yesterday I touched on something that happened at work but only in passing. I did this because I am coming to realize that while I don’t censor myself when I am writing (and very rarely edit) that there are some things I may choose to write about that require sober thought and purposeful writing.

Yesterday my morning partner and I got a strip torn off us (but unlike ever before, Executive Chef here cares about results and not much more, as long as they are good.) I was going to write about it but knew that I would be angry as it had nothing to do with me that we got a strip torn off us for.

Today, after thinking about it the following are my thoughts. My partner and I were getting killed on the line when Chef came down and it appeared that we were unorganized. Though in fact it was that we were putting up food faster than the servers were getting it out. My partner tends to get a little flustered when things are not perfect. In fact, a little high strung, kind of like I used to be, and this affects the way that he does his job. Add to that the confusion of orders being jumped and items going where the expediter wanted to send them rather than the bills they were meant for and somehow a breakfast sandwich got lost in the shuffle. We both got a good strip ripped off us by Chef. I was angry. I MEAN ANGRY. That I was getting in shit because of someone else’s mistake. But then I realized that I am part of a team. Not that I ever act as if I am not but this realization caused me to calm down. Accept the criticism and start looking for ways to fix it.

Prior to leaving yesterday I looked at my partner and said; “Remember, stuff is going to get fubar’d in the kitchen. It is the nature of the game. We are only as good as the last plate we put out AND TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY.” He smiled and thanked me. I knew he had heard what I said when I came in today and he said; “So new day has begun.” I chuckled to myself thinking how I might have come unraveled at the events of the day before even a few short months ago. I now realize that not only do I need to control my own character flaws in the kitchen, I need to observe the positives in other people, and lift them to that point, should we falter. WE, being the key word. As team players and members. This realization makes me smile. A soulful smile. As I think I am beginning to get a little traction. But that is a different issue which I don’t want to discuss right now.

Today was a new day. And a great day at that. I woke up this morning at 4:00 am and could not go back to sleep. So I started formulating my day, working out specials in my head and thinking about the coming week. Which includes my raison d'etre's birthday tomorrow. I can hardly believe how many times women can turn 27. Though I am grateful that they do.

It was a relatively slow day so I was able to punch out prep for the next three days. I also managed to punch out prep for a couple other people too. I find prep to be quite cathartic and liberating. It lets me rest inside my own mind. Going to whatever or whenever place I feel. Start working on specials. Think about the grill. Whatever it is. But I LOVE IT!

Today’s H.I.A.G. was; Honey Dew Melon, Blackberries, Ice, Orange Juice and Banana. DELICIOUS. I am still playing around with the texture, flavour and beneficial intake of them. It may take me all summer but I will get to the point that I optimize my vitamin, mineral, fruit and vegetable intake. I am already seeing a major difference in the way my body is treating me.

As for specials for tomorrow; Pizza is a Meatlovers with Pepperoni, Sausage and Prosciutto. Pasta is a Tri Colour Fusilli with Rosemary Braised Chicken, Green Peppers and Onions in a Roasted Red Pepper Basil Cream Sauce.

As for today’s specials. By the time I left they were almost all gone, so I must have been doing something right. Felt pretty good.

So here I am. Feeling good. Relaxed. Solid if you will. Loving where I am. What I am doing. It is truly the most rewarding experience of my life to date. And I feel changes inside of me that have been a long time coming.

Charles R. Swindoll once said; “We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Free (file under like the wind)

2009-04-18T16:05:00.001-04:00

Aldous Huxley once wrote; “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” I have often referred to myself as a work in progress. Naturally the core of who I am is the same today as it was many years ago. But, over time, with maturity and an inward looking desire to improve I am constantly searching. Ultimately, to improve myself, but hopefully, everyone that knows me too.

That search has by and large left me free to explore areas of myself that are uncomfortable. It has caused me to come to grips with parts of me that I don’t like but also those that I do.

I feel today that I am freer than I have ever been in my life. And let me tell you, it is so liberating.

I didn’t write yesterday because I have had lots going on. Yesterday’s specials that I came up with were;

Pizza; Grilled Eggplant, Green Olives, Andouille Sausage and Asiago Cheese

Pasta; Roasted Red Pepper Cream Risotto with Red Peppers and Mushrooms.

For tomorrow I came up with;

Pesto Chicken, Mushroom, Red Onion and Red Pepper Pizza

Bowtie al’olio with black tiger shrimp, lemon confit, mushroom and red pepper.

I made Health in a Glass for the General Manager yesterday. It had Pineapple, Cantaloupe, Banana, Raspberries, Blueberry Yoghurt, Fresh Orange Juice, Ice and an egg. After a while she comes back in stating how delicious it was and that because it tasted so good it had to be jammed full of calories. I told her I didn’t know the caloric intake of the smoothie but that I would find out. I have since found out that a glass of my concoction had 184 calories (+ or -). Pretty darned good when you consider that for those 184 calories you are also getting 200% of your daily recommended Vitamin C as well as at least 80% of your potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, Calcium, Selenium, Iron, Vitamin 8, Folate, Vitamin B6, Niacin and Vitamin E.

In other words, HEALTH IN A GLASS is definitely the right name for the smoothies.

Today was a good day. Extremely busy. I was working on prep and daily specials until around 10:45 am. At that point we got swamped until around 1:30 pm. It was fun, challenging at points, but the attitude in the kitchen is light and it makes it easier to work when you are swamped.

There was a little bit of an issue getting food out today but I think it was because we got killed all at once. That and the person who I work with in the morning seemed to be a little off today. Possibly hungover, definitely tired.

I am absolutely appreciating the fact that I am free. A lot of which has to do with being in an environment which is extremely well suited to my needs. I go in and do more than is expected of me (as has always been the case). I have conquered many of my demons and leave any negativity at the door when I leave.

I have come to embrace fully the belief that today is today. Tomorrow is a new day. An opportunity to start fresh. AND IT FEELS GREAT.

So of course it is a beautiful 20 degrees outside and while I could sit here and regal you all with wonderful tales of the kitchen I’d like to get some Vitamin D.

Buddha once said; “To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our mind strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Struggles with Past Lives (file under its all a trip)

2009-04-16T11:07:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a GREAT day off. I spent the morning writing a blog post or two and then rollerbladed about 30 to 40 kilometers and it felt great. I am absolutely loving having my blades back. It is such great exercise and a great method of transportation.

I also spent some of the morning doing some menu planning and special design. I am doing that again today. Moreover, I got another question about a dinner party for two from my friend Canadian Foodie Girl which I will post at some point today. She emailed me on facebook but any of you can email me at askachefintraining@gmail.com

I also got to see my father yesterday. Something which has happened pretty infrequently over the past couple of years because of the amount of time that I work. Which as you all know is quite a bit. We started off amicably enough but then it degenerated, for some reason, I am yet to figure out, into a typical family struggle. We all have them. I’m sorry it happened because the more I get older the more I realize that there is no need for the struggle. Measured dialogue and thoughtful responses can always overcome any issue.

But like everything else in my life I have come to realize that I can fixate on the issue or treat it as an isolated incident. I’d rather focus on the positive in life. Especially that I have started to act as a more responsible and mature adult. Aghast, I never wanted to be an adult, always more of the Peter Pan type if you know what I mean. I is what I is as the old expression goes.

Also, the other day, I took some pictures on the way to work so that you all could experience the same beautiful vista that I get on the way to work and back. I hope to take pictures of the kitchen tomorrow when I’m back at work. That reminded me to send Executive Chef an email to ask him which I just did.

So without further ado, my morning and afternoon vistas, for your enjoyment. I absolutely love going to work so early in the morning. The city is not yet alive in the way it will be in two short hours. I use to think that I was a night owl, but now I am wondering, is it possible to be an all day everyday person?

I will be writing a few more posts today. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, with regard to the Vietnam War (and Mos Def then did a song about it); “We must move past indecision to action. Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Today’s Specials (file under Love it)

2009-04-15T10:53:00.002-04:00

So today’s specials which I came up with yesterday are a quattro formaggio pizza and a linguini with chiffonnade smoked salmon, capers and asparagus in a garlic dill cream sauce. I am pretty certain that both will fly.

Yesterday I made two Health in a Glass;

# 1 – Blueberry Yoghurt, Pineapple, Cantaloupe, Blackberry, Orange Juice, Ice and an Egg

# 2 – Peach Yoghurt, Pineapple, Banana, Strawberry, Blueberry, Cantaloupe, Ice and 35%.

Today I am spending much of my day running around and doing errands. But I am also working on my recipe book for specials and for the summer menu. These are exciting times my friends. Exciting I say.

I have a few posts that I will be putting up in the next day so stay tuned. As well I owe a response to askachefintraining.blogspot.com related to the storage of cooking oils. I believe I will get that done in the next little while.

I also have had another question emailed to me at askachefintraining@gmail.com which I will endeavour to answer today as well.

The venerable coach Vince Lombardi once said; “The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

Are you all dreaming big and inspired? Get out today and enjoy the sun. Be young. Have fun and be free. Life is too short so make it count. STAND UP!

A la prochaine

SDM

8 Days a Week (file under Ain't got nothin' but love babe)

2009-04-14T15:42:00.000-04:00

So my friends, I have completed the first stint at The Club. 8 days on and now two glorious days off. Not that I plan on changing my schedule all that much as I have so much to do.

So what has been accomplished in the last week?

I have created no less than ten distinct health in a glass.

I have created 16 specials. 8 pasta and 8 Pizza.

I have cracked two cases of eggs.

I have cooked another four cases of eggs.

I have made approximately ten omelettes.

30 orders of Eggs Benedict, Benjamin or Florentine.

20 trays of Bacon.

About 100 sausages.

108 Muffins.

24 cookies.

I have prepared approximately 20 pastas; my specials, Roasted Vegetable Linguini and kids pasta in either red or butter sauces.

I have made approximately 30 burgers.

3 steaks.

2 Frenched Veal Chops.

15 Asian style soups.

6 Crab cakes.

3 beef ragouts.

Countless orders of French fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings.

6 Asian stir fry.

I am sure that there is more and I am racking my brain trying to figure it out. But you get the idea.

I have also rollerbladed 144 Kilometers and written nine blogs posts.

Not bad for the first week if I do say so myself.

So now the question begs. What do I do with two days off? Well I am going to start putting together my recipe book, start working on the summer menu. Run some errands for my loving, talented, intelligent and beautiful fiancé. And somewhere I might actually find some time to relax a bit.

I know that there are at least three more blog posts that will be coming in the next two days so hold on to your hats.

Aristotle once said; “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Progression (file under Thinking about the Future)

2009-04-13T16:53:00.002-04:00

Menander of Athens once said; “The school of hard knocks is an accelerated curriculum” And quite frankly I couldn’t agree more. I am a massive lover of all things knowledge. Granted, as I look back on it there are a few subjects that I could’ve done without studying; like the minds of serial killers (I mean really, how often are they going to come up in conversation). However, I find on the whole that the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge is one of my greatest passions. The framing quote of this blog post, as set out above by Menander of Athens is a reference to the many obstacles and roadblocks that I have faced and overcome in my life. And it is absolutely true; if the school of hard knocks were not an accelerated curriculum it would instead be called light taps and that would throw the old adage right out the window.

I bring this up because as I was working on my prep today I found myself thinking of courses that I could take which would be relevant to the course that I am on but are not culinary. It did not take long before I found myself on the computer looking up what it takes to get your Sommeliers certification. Lo and behold I found the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) Ontario Chapter (http://www.capsontario.ca/). By quickly going through the site I found myself looking at the curriculum at George Brown College.

What I found was that there are a total of eight courses that I need to take. The total hours involved is about two hundred in class and another one hundred or so out of class including thirty hours of stage. The approximate cost is around $3,000. At the time of writing this I am yet to apply to the program but by the time the week is out I will have.

I had mentioned this to the floor manager at work and he asked if I would like to get my SmartServe, to which, of course I said, I would be thrilled. So I am going to get my SmartServe in the next couple of weeks. I then asked when the next CPR course was and he said he wasn’t sure but he would be pleased to put my name at the top of the list.

I didn’t ever think that I would go back to school. But, I have been rethinking a lot of things that I said I would never do again lately. And I decided that because of the course that I am on it would be foolish of me not to gain as much knowledge and experience as I can, both in a class and practically in the real world.

This is very exciting to me. One of the big things standing in my way of doing certain courses has been money. However, The Club, will pay for all courses which are of benefit to the club as long as I get a 75% or higher. So not only have I landed in a job which I absolutely love but it is also giving me the opportunity to expand the breadth and depth of my knowledge which ultimately is a win for them and for me.

Lao Tzu once wrote; “Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Day 7 (file under What a difference a week makes)

2009-04-13T16:26:00.001-04:00

So here we are; at the end of my first even days at The Club and I feel reborn. I feel as if the best parts of me, that for a while seemed absent, have come back larger than life, and those pesky little negative things, have melted away with the renewal of spring. It feels awesome to be alive, doing what I love and in a place that I am appreciated for it.

Today was a relatively easy day. I’ve gotten so quick at getting to work that I was there at 6:10 am this morning. I did the morning set up and then ran out for a smoke before service started.

Again today I made two versions of Health in a Glass;

Version # 1; Purple Haze

Pineapple, Blackberry, Blueberry Yoghurt, Mango, Raw Egg, Orange Juice and Ice

Version # 2; Spring Breeze

Pineapple, Peach Yoghurt, Honeydew Melon, Raw Egg, Orange Juice and Ice

Both were absolutely delicious. I think that I personally preferred the second one today. It was extremely refreshing and light. Who knows what will strike my fancy tomorrow morning.

Specials yesterday sold well even though we were relatively quiet. We ended up selling seven of the pizzas and nine of the pasta. Not bad when you consider that there were very few people there yesterday.

By the time I had left work today I had only sold one pizza special and one pasta special. Although I am quite certain that they are going to sell well tonight. As for tomorrows specials;

Pasta is a Penne Al Arrabiata. For the pizza I decided to get creative and play around with ingredients and peoples comfort zone a bit. I looked to chicken for my inspiration and after having a delightful conversation with one of the servers who happened to be from Georgia (the country not the state) I decided to make a Chicken Kiev Pizza. Thus it is with Roast Chicken, minced ham, Swiss cheese and for fun I thought I would include Asparagus.

Sous Chef R and I had another conversation about specials again today. He looks at me as he is handing me a present of a double McDonald’s Cheeseburger and says; “you know that I can order in anything you want for specials too?” I didn’t say anything for a minute and then replied; “really?” He said; “For sure, anything you want just let me know, proteins, produce, dry goods, anything you want I will bring in for you.” This started me thinking of all the fun that I can have. And believe me it is LOTS! He told me that he loved what I was doing with specials and so did the members. I thanked him and assured him that I would just keep on keeping on. He gave me a big thumbs up and a smile. I also told him that seeing as I had banged out most of the prep before anyone had even gotten there that I took my time making a garlic dill cream sauce for the special that I am going to run on Wednesday. He laughed and made some comment about my enthusiasm. I explained that I wanted the sauce for Wednesday to taste just right and that it takes time. I will let you know what the special is going to be tomorrow. Wouldn’t want to leave you without a day of posts.

I did about sixty covers today in total. It was about one third breakfast and two thirds lunch. I also got to speak with a couple of members today who gave me their compliments with regard to the food. It felt really good. Especially when one of them said I can hardly wait to see what you come up with next.

One of the staff made a comment about my attitude today. I looked at her and said; “Listen, I’m not like everyone else. I am me. I love food and I love what I do. And that is what manifests itself here everyday.” She made some comment about how other people were in the kitchen to which I remarked the same thing. “I am me. I may do things a little differently, but I’m not here to rock the boat, only to make the boat go in the right direction.” The floor manager overheard the comment and my response and said it had been a long time since he had seen anyone with that enthusiasm in the kitchen. To which I responded; “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

As I had a little time on my hands I asked if I could use the office computer to do a little research. Of course was the prompt reply. I will cover in the next post what I was researching. It is EXCITING!

Benjamin Franklin once said; “Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Happy Easter (file under Grateful Appreciation)

2009-04-12T15:02:00.001-04:00

First and foremost, Happy Easter everyone. I hope that it is a day filled with family, joy and of course the beautiful sun. Get out and play for a while.

Since going out with my brother a couple of weeks ago I have been without my Ipod. But this morning I took my roommates and let me tell you, the ride is much quicker when I have some go get’m music playing. I can hardly wait to have my Ipod back. Hopefully today.

It was relatively slow today at work so I took the opportunity to beef up prep for the next few days, make two different Health in a Glass and created two specials for tomorrow. The prep I took care of included par cooking linguini and penne. Cooking two different kinds of rice. Portioning off my capellini for today’s special. Veg for tomorrow’s pasta special. I also made sure we had three trays of muffins ready to go.

Today’s Health in a Glass were;

1) Banana, Pineapple, Strawberry Yoghurt, Blackberry and Orange Juice, Ice and two eggs.
2) Pineapple, Raspberry, Blueberry, Banana, plain yoghurt, ice and 650 mls of Orange Juice.

Both were absolutely delicious. Today I ended up making enough for about fifteen people. By the time I get to work my muscles have been working quite a bit and I have noticed that the smoothie really perks me up and is a great way to start a day.

Today I was so hungry that I ended up making myself a beautiful breakfast wrap. In a whole wheat tortilla I put lettuce, tomato, mayo. I then sautéed green pepper, red pepper, red onion, mushroom and spinach with a little garlic. I added a couple of over easy eggs, some bacon and Swiss cheese, wrapped it all up and then grilled it for a moment. It was a two hander for sure. I could barely hold the thing. But it was so delicious. I am still full and I ate it approximately 6 hours ago at the time of writing.

For tomorrows specials I created a Pizza Al Arrabiata with Andouille sausage, mushroom and green pepper. For the Al Arrabiata Sauce I first soaked the chili flake in water for about an hour. I took a large pot, put in olive oil and some crushed garlic. I then added some onion and sweated it down. Added some red wine to deglaze the pot. I then added grape and Roma tomatoes. I let that cook down for about ten or fifteen minutes and then added some parsley and basil. Took it off the heat and then blitzed it with an immersion blender.

The pasta is a Penne Primavera.

I would say I did about thirty or forty covers all day at work. Two of which were the Seafood Carbonara. Before it went out I asked the floor manager to do a quality check to let me know how the member enjoyed it. He came back a few moments later and said that they were thrilled and that it was absolutely delicious. I explained to him that I will be asking for quality checks everyday so that I can start to ascertain what the member likes and dislikes are.

I also prepared a fourteen ounce striploin today with a peppercorn jus served (in this case) with French fries and daily vegetables Usually I would do mash but they wanted fries. I also asked for a quality check on this item. The steak was to be cooked medium and for some reason I find this to be one of the harder temperatures to cook. About fifteen minutes later the server came back ad assured me that the member was happy as a clam.

Have I mentioned at all this week how much I love this job? How much I love waking up before the sun and serving people food that starts their day in a great and wholesome way? It is a pleasure and an honour.

So, I hope that you all have had as eventful and fabulous a day as I have. I hope it gets better. I am about to call the love of my life and send her some love on this Sunny Easter Sunday. Make sure you tell the people you love that you love them today.

Buddha once said; “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” Have you found your work yet?

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

There’s Something to be Said (file under PURE Joy)

2009-04-11T16:47:00.001-04:00

Goethe seems to be my guy these days. He once said; “Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though t'were his own.” This quote seems to be the greatest explanation of the reawakening that I am having right now.

As a cook it is true that my greatest happiness and joy is the result of others pleasure. Some might even say that my ultimate purpose now is to revel in the pleasure that others receive from my actions. And that, to me, is both thrilling and a massive responsibility. It means that I need to forgo my emotions and feelings in order to ensure the pleasure of my patrons. That in order for me to increase their pleasure I need to allow myself to leave the outside world at the door when I get to work, leave the outside there and concentrate, in the moment, to making the best possible dish that I can. If I do this, I am certain, that I have contributed to someone else’s pleasure which thus ensures my happiness.

As I am rollerblading to work these days I have a lot of time while pushing my body to push my mind and these are some of the thoughts (outline above) that have been running through my mind. Does that sound silly to you?

I love waking up in the morning. Alive, I roll out of bed, and start the process of my day. Vitamins, shower, dress, blades on and out the door. Arrive at work, get changed, punch in, start the set up for my stations and then prep for the day. This includes, as you are all aware, creating the next days specials.

As well today I did two smoothies again and they both were delicious. So much so that I ended up making enough for about twelve people. Calls of yum and ooh and ahhs could be heard throughout the building and all I could do was smile. It would seem that Health in a Glass is making a come back and I think that I might actually start recording all the smoothie recipes too and put out a book of those someday.

Yesterdays specials went very well. Which is above all, supremely satisfying to me. Even my coworkers have noticed how I relish in creating a great special. While I was at work today we sold about four of my pizza specials and three of the pasta. AND it was relatively slow. I am sure that tonight they will sell out of the special.

Today’s specials that I created are a grilled Portobello mushroom, artichoke hearts and crispy double smoked bacon. The pasta is a seafood Carbonara with scallops, crab, shrimp and double smoked bacon. DELICIOUS.

In case any of you could not tell, creating these specials is one of my greatest joys. I get to use the freshest ingredients and can do anything I want. I am building a repertoire of dishes that are distinctly me. And I have started a recipe book. Which at this rate should be pretty full by the end of the summer. Can any one say self publish?

Not only that but I shaved another five minutes off my return trip. Not so bad if you ask me. I think that within a few weeks, perhaps a month, I should be able to get to work in fifteen minutes and back in about twenty. We’ll see and I will keep you posted.

At any rate, Happy Easter or Passover every one. I hope that you feel the same blessings and joy in your lives that I do. It really is a matter of choice you know.

Confucius once said; “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

A la prochaine

SDM

Treats and Specials (file under Grey Skies are Gonna Clear Up)

2009-04-10T16:21:00.001-04:00

Hello all. With renewed vigour, passion and purpose I find myself thrilled to be back to me. For a while I had become jaded and it made me someone other than I am. It sucked in fact. But like the song from Bye Bye Birdie says;

“Gray skies are gonna clear up
Put on a happy face
Wipe off the clouds and cheer up
Put on a happy face”

And I have. I feel different. Refreshed.

So first I wanted to let you know that I shaved ten minutes on my way back from work today. Felt awesome. I mean I have only been rollerblading again since last week and I have already shaved approximately a third off my return travel. My legs are screaming at me but that will only last about another week I figure.

Due to the fact that he Club is a private members only venue we were busy today. I did about thirty breakfasts and approximately 120 covers at lunch. In the time between orders I created two specials; An Arugula and Cashew Pesto Pizza with Prosciutto and Grape Tomatoes and a Farfalle that I called Zorba The Greek; Farfalle, feta, black olives, red peppers and brunoised red onion with some fresh parsley.

The specials that I created for today were flying out the window. My partner in crime prepped 6 pizzas and they were gone by about 11:45. So more were made and I am excited to see how many went. I am pretty sure that tomorrows will fly off the line too.

Speaking with Sous Chef R he mentioned that he loved my enthusiasm and my creativity. He did caution me that (not that it has been an issue yet) I need to create specials that the lowest common denominator can make should I happen to be off the next day. I assured him that I have requisite variety and that I could do that no problem. I asked if he had any observations or concerns with my performance or me and he laughed. The good laugh, not the bad one.

We also spoke about me doing the outdoor section for the summer. He has recommended to Executive Chef that it be me that does it and so I am now going to start creating a menu book that I can use for the summer. EXCITING. I need to create all manner of protein dishes and can be as creative as I want. I can also have any ingredient that I want brought in to be used for that purpose. EXCITED. I’m laughing as I write this.

You see because it is a private members club it operates as a not for profit. So although we still try to adhere to a 30 % or less food cost it is not the primary focus. We have a captive audience that wants to eat there and so our concern is to make sure that they WANT to eat there.

So after my first four days I know that this is somewhere that I can stay for quite some time and hone my skills. My menu development. My people skills and my basic kitchen presence. I am thrilled to be here and it shows on my face. In my attitude and in my soul. I am shinning again and frankly, it hurt to be where I was for the past six months or so, in that, I was not myself. I felt like a slave. Nobody wants to feel like a slave. But now I feel as if I am a member of a team. A REAL TEAM. Where it is only as strong as its weakest link. The kitchen thrives on teamwork and while it is like other kitchens in terms of the way that people are with each other, when it comes to the work, we all pitch in.

I AM EXCITED and thrilled to be back to me.

Rabindranath Tagore, the great Indian poet and playwright once said; “Life is perpetually creative because it contains in itself that surplus which ever overflows the boundaries of the immediate time and space, restlessly pursuing its adventure of expression in the varied forms of self-realization.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Is it wrong to LOVE going to work (file under passions reignited)

2009-04-09T19:01:00.001-04:00

Ferdinand Foch once said; "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire."

The beauty of that quote is that he does not define the use of the weapon only its usefulness. What if, as is the case with me, that human soul, is engaged in a life long quest to improve the human condition. It used to be on a macro level, figuring out (or at least attempting to) complex legal, social, emotional and political issues. Then I realized that if I followed my heart, my soul and my passion that my impact could be far greater on the micro level. Hence, at least in part my desire to join a kitchen.

I have not been sleeping well this week. As I explained yesterday. C feels that it is just because I am excited. I think it goes beyond that. I feel that my soul has been put on fire again after aperiod of uncertainty and doubt.

Naturally got everything set and then started to work on the prep that needed to get done including doing the specials for tomorrow. I decided to do a roasted red pepper and goat cheese crumble pizza with fresh basil and a scallion oil to finish. It is going to go like hotcakes I am sure.

Yesterday, after speaking with Sous Chef R, I knew that he had a sauce in mind for the Tortellini special today. He told me that I could create a garnish. My thought was immediate; A Parmesan Chip! That’s right, I said a Parmesan chip. To do this you just grate some Parmesan and place it on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place it in a four hundred degree oven until you see it bubbling. Turn it around and then cook it for about another minute. When finished give it about ten minutes and voila you have a crisp Parmesan chip. DELICIOUS. And the rest of the staff loved the idea. I strongly recommend you try it yourselves.

I worked the complete line today and made in total about forty orders. Most were breakfast but I did two or three pasta specials, one meat special which was a Frenched veal chop with pomegranate jus.

It feels awesome to be somewhere that I am appreciated and given the free reign (under supervision of course) to put into action some of the things that I have wanted to try for a while.

As the title suggests, I found myself wondering on the way home, is it wrong to love work. I mean really love work.

All I can say friends is watch out because my soul is again on fire and in a place that it will be nurtured and allowed to grow.

Craig Claiborne once said; “Cooking is at once one of the simplest and most gratifying of the arts, but to cook well one must love and respect food.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

In that Vain (file under How’s that working out for you)

2009-04-09T18:22:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before I started at The Club, I went out and bought myself a treat, Rollerblades. I did this for two reasons; One, I haven’t had a pair in years and I’m certain that anyone that knows me well can attest that at some point between the ages of twelve and twenty four that they believed my feet were in fact Rollerblades. The other reason is that I am currently saving up for C and I’s wedding and it made sense to me that I spend two months of travel up front so that I could spend that money saved on the wedding.

As it turns out I live about 8 kms away from work. A big change from the twenty that I used to. Which would take between an hour and an hour and half of travel. To get to work this morning took approximately twenty minutes. A five minute improvement from my first time getting there on my blades. Most of it is on a downgrade on the way there so it is pretty easy. On the way back it takes me about double the time because of wind and going up grade.

I have already felt the reward of my body being back on blades. There is a bigger spring in my step and certainly in my spirit. It is my goal to be as fit as I was at 16 by the time of our wedding. This has included doing sit ups and pushups and now cardio with the Rollerblading to work.

It feels good. Damn good. Have you treated yourself to something recently that makes you feel as good?

Buddha once said; “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Health in a Glass (file under Redux)

2009-04-09T17:41:00.003-04:00

Imagine if you can for a moment walking into a fridge and being punched in the face by the sweetest, stickiest and most appetizing smell. Now, if you can, picture, mangoes, bananas, grapefruits, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, oranges and all manner of exotic fruit. What would you do with those things if you had them?

At Reservation, as many of you will recall, I started the daily treat of Health in a Glass right before service everyday. At The Club, it is not only a once a day ritual but, today for instance, one that was repeated, twice. And then before I left I had a fresh Mango smoothie. Health in a Glass is right.

According to Health Canada we should be eating between 5 and 10 servings of fruits or vegetables every day. I can assure you that for the past seven years but probably closer to ten I have come nowhere close.

As many of you know I am rail thin. I weigh 130 pounds soaking wet with all my clothes on. At 5’10 and that weight you can imagine that for whatever reason my metabolism is quite different than that of most people. I am in incredible health, I have low blood pressure (in a good way), low cholesterol and a fantastic body mass index. However, many people have said that I am too thin. Well, I made myself a promise when I started at the Club that I was going to do my best to eat a little better, live a little better and take care of my body a little better.

As such, it is my absolute pleasure to let you know that today I had approximately 15 servings of fruit and or vegetables. I can feel a difference. Yesterday I only had one Health in a Glass and it is weird because I can actually feel the result (metabolism of course) very, very rapidly.

In that vein I would like to give everyone a couple of my favourites Health in a Glass recipes;

The Pressure Refresher (serves 4)

2 Bananas
Quarter Pint of Raspberries
200 mls of Peach Yoghurt
350 mls of Orange Juice (preferably fresh)
Ice as desired

Put all ingredients into blender and mix. I call this the Pressure Refresher because almost immediately you can feel yourself relax and you get a HUGE jolt of energy.

Pineapple Express (serves 4)

Half a Pineapple (make sure to remove the core)
Quarter Pint of Raspberries
350 mls of Orange Juice
200 mls of Strawberry Yoghurt
Ice as desired

Same as above to make. And yes the name of this Health in a Glass will help if you have seen Pineapple Express and enjoyed some of its wares.

I am tweaking these recipes and have about twenty now that I use. However, because walking into the produce walk in at work is like dying and going to fresh fruit heaven I am sure I will have about fifty by the time September runs around.

I have lots in my life that makes me want to become even healthier. In the past I had thought that I could do what I want and never have to pay a price for it. (Thanks Doc) But now, as I get older I realize that I need to take care of my body and so do you.

Let me know what you think?

An old Spanish Proverb states; “A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

I Got the Joy (file under Adventures in Kitchenland)

2009-04-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

Barack Obama once said; “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled.”

Ain’t that the truth? As we all are aware by now I have had numerous jobs which have left me unfulfilled and left wondering what the whole purpose of life is. As I have documented here, my decision to become a Chef and join a professional kitchen had less to do with money and a whole lot to do with defining my life for myself.

Today was my second full shift at The Club and I have to admit that beyond loving it I am ecstatic that I have found my place here.

Beyond the obvious benefits which I have outlined over the past couple of posts there are numerous culinary benefits to being at The Club. The ability to survive is much different that solely focusing your life on a buck. It is necessary to survive in order to dream. So I bear no guilt over my decision to join a stable and nurturing environment.

Oh and before I get to far… the specials that I developed did so well yesterday that they had to make some on the fly. (Note to self; always make sure that you prepare at least enough mise en place for 15 portions) In retrospect I have to admit that I think that the sun dried tomato ravioli with sun dried pesto was not an ideal pairing. A little overkill on the sun dried if you know what I mean. I think it was just the excitement of creating specials first day. I did get positive feed back from Sous Chef R and the club members seemed to enjoy it.

I was beside myself this morning. I could not sleep. I finally was able to close my eyes and get a rest at around 12:30 am. I awoke startled at 2:36 am and found myself considering whether or not to get up and work or try to get myself back to sleep. I opted for sleep as I felt that I should try to be as sharp as possible in the first few weeks. I woke up again at 4:45 am and decided to just get up and do a little research on the Internet.

I climbed into the shower at around 5:10 am and took a long soak after deciding that it was both too windy and cold for me to rollerblade. I will tomorrow though. In the shower, as for the hour before, I was extremely excited to be going to The Club. I look at it less as work or a job and much more as the daily steps toward the actualization of my dream. Did I mention in a stable and nurturing environment? (Rhetorical)

I arrived at The Club at around 6:10 and got changed right away. Played with the time clock for about ten minutes trying to figure out how the hell to punch in. There were instructions over the machine but they were about as useful as Chinese instructions from Ikea being translated by Maori Indian.

Finally, punching in, I went downstairs and started the grand circle of opening. Fryers, Salamander, Ovens, Stove, Grill, Heat Lamps, Hotline on, Cold Line filled with ice. Blanching pots on. Muffins, Sausage and Bacon in the convection. Make sure there is enough on station and then start prep for the day.

Rather than regaling you with the exciting world of prep, which to you is probably anathema, like a trip to the dentist, I will instead write of the things that were awesome.

First and foremost, I got to work on my butchery skills and broke down twenty pork tenderloins. The reason this is exciting to me is because to my view pork is easier to screw up than beef. I found myself playing with various knife positions, cuts and techniques that I have either learned directly or figured out on the fly today. All the while I was having a great conversation with Sous Chef R which was clearly designed to figure out where I was coming from and where I wanted to go to. He, like me, is a voracious reader and as such the conversation was all over the place. Segues that flowed naturally from conversations of musical likes to the Disclosure project. After breaking down the tenderloins I portioned them off and placed them in a deep half pan covering each layer with a towel. I also helped with a lot of other peoples prep today. No different than I normally would but it was clearly noticed and appreciated.

Slowly, I am beginning to remember faces and names. And there are a lot of faces and names to remember. And just like any other kitchen I have been in it is filled with characters, dreamers, misfits and people who just consider it a job. The difference in this kitchen is the way that I interrelated with them. Cautious but friendly. Calculated but calm. And by calculated I am not meaning in some neo- Machiavellian sense.

Sous Chef R asked me directly whether or not I would be interested in… get this… deep breathe… handling the patio. Cue the hairs on the back of my neck raising momentarily. My answer was the best that I could give… I am here to serve in any capacity that serves both the Club and this kitchen well. After that Sous Chef spoke to me about the virtues of the job. The only one of which I didn’t necessarily like was that it is an afternoon/evening job. That was the only drawback in that I felt it might interfere with the other things I am working on.

I argued with myself over the last paragraph for about a minute there. Unsure as to whether or not to include you in the brain farts that I am having in that regard. However, as you can see, I decided, as usual, not to censor myself and share completely.

So what are the pluses in my mind to taking the assignment?

Best ingredients available in the city. Whatever I can dream up they will bring in.

Menu freedom and control (with oversight of course)

Being outside in the summer on beautiful Lake Ontario

Direct interaction with Club Members which I excel at

So with that said; when the conversation comes up directly as to whether or not I would like to do that this summer. I am almost certain that I will say yes. Also in speaking with Sous Chef R, he made it clear that he felt it was ideal for me, as I don’t need to have my hand held or to be coddled. The conversation, to my mind, was a recognition, and not, as was the case at Reservation, that they have no one else to do the job. It is an extremely nice feeling.

From that we segued into various ingredients I might like to work with. Price/Cost structures. Member wants and needs versus realities. It was quite refreshing as I mentioned earlier.

Thus, from all this, do you get the feeling that I finally found a place that I can grow? I DO!

I am excited, thrilled, ecstatic and could use a thesaurus or that big brain of mine to give you twenty more words to describe the euphoric feeling that I have right now, but instead I will say this; I feel that I have joined a place that will allow me to grow, to be nurtured, to nurture and to fulfill greatest dream in life (next to starting a family with my loving, gorgeous, talented, funny, elegant and dreaming fiancé C, that of becoming a great chef. But first, I need to cook (and practice starting a family), A LOT!

Oscar Wilde once said; “I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

First Day (file under AWESOME)

2009-04-07T11:16:00.001-04:00

Shakespeare once wrote; “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” I awoke early, before the alarm (which is happening more and more often these days) and I was excited at the prospect of starting a new job. One which would allow me to my own self to be true.

The plan had been for me to rollerblade to work. Of course Mother Nature had a different plan. I have to admit that it is much easier to wake up when it is warm out as opposed to when it is cold. But nonetheless, waking up, I strolled to the shower and took a nice long shower. While in the shower I became aware of a change that had happened in me sometime in the past few months. For some reason a sense of personal urgency had developed with regard to my direction, where I was going and how I was getting there. This thought stayed with me as I grabbed my Tim’s and waited for the bus.

Usually I would have a soundtrack for my life playing on my Ipod but alas I left it in my brothers’ car and haven’t had it for a couple of weeks. Instead I played a game with myself while reading the paper, imagining what that soundtrack might be on this day. A new day. A new job. A new beginning.

The trip was short to the club. Maybe twenty five minutes in total. Including a walk which lasted four or five minutes as I walked at a good clip due to the freezing rain that was trying to come down on my parade. To no avail though as I arrived at around 6:16 am to start anew. FRESH!

My colleague was waiting for me at the Front entrance to walk me through a “training day.” We were the only ones in the kitchen at this early hour. He walked me through the various start up requirements and how to frame the day before starting in on work.

Fill the blanching pots. Light the stoves, start the fryers, the grill, the convection ovens and the flat top. Fill the hot line water and the cool line with ice. Utensils on station and then check the stock of each of the station fridges to ensure that we were ready to go. Make sure to remember to put the muffins, bacon and sausages in the convection. The whole start up ritual took perhaps twenty minutes. Then off to the walk ins to figure out what prep needed to get done.

Monday is a pretty quiet day at The Club. With most of the prep trying to stay at least a day ahead. My coworker asked if I felt like doing any specials for today. Sure I said and proceeded to do the mise en place for a Pesto Margarita Pizza and a Sun Dried Tomato Ravioli with a Sun Dried Tomato Pesto. They were the first things to come to mind and I didn’t want to rock the boat.

The ability to create specials from the finest ingredients that can be found is relatively easy with a bit of knowledge and creativity. But it did cause me to think that I need to get a new notebook to start recording both my ideas and the realities of the specials I will help to create each day.

It was a slow day. I think total we had about twenty orders. But there were other things I could do; walk around and get my bearings. Get a feel for what was in the walk ins, dry stores, etc. To figure out what the work ethic was, what was expected, etc.

My day finished around 2:30 pm. I was home by 3:10 and started thinking about the day that had just passed.

What I realized is that I am being given an opportunity to start fresh. To become part of a team. To work on the things that I know personally I need to. I am joining a team that cares about what they do, for the most part, and are happy to come to work every day.

This job means a lot to me. First off, though there is a lot of work in a kitchen, I feel it important to say, that I don’t really look at it like it’s a job. For me it is a passion which burns bright and deeply. At The Club, I will have the opportunity to grow and learn. To work my way up from the “bottom” and bear witness to my own progression each day.

I don’t want to write too much on an abstract level about yesterday. But for me, a lot of it was abstract. I could see the commitment that I had made was a good one and that this is exactly the environment that I need to be in right now. And that feels good.

Naturally there are a slew of operational things that I realized during my day yesterday. None of which I will bore you with here. But it is a completely different environment than any I have been in to date. Excited, I know that the coming days, weeks, months are going to be filled with purpose, joy and meaning. I am grateful for the opportunity and plan to incorporate all of the things that I have learned so far in a meaningful way to my own progression.

I purposely did not write over the weekend because I wanted this to be my 300th post. How Spartan of me? And yet in my mind, it made sense, that my 300th post would be this one, which heralded a new day, a great opportunity and my souls smile.

Goethe once said; “The day is committed to error and floundering; success and achievement are matters of long range”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Starting from Scratch (file under New Beginnings)

2009-04-05T12:59:00.002-04:00

So again my friends, here I stand on the precipice of something new, wonderful and exciting. One of my favorite authors, F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote; “Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.”

It has been one year, two months and eighteen days since I started this wonderful journey that I am on. I have worked in two different kitchens which have given me a good foundation from which to build. And now I find myself in the enviable position of starting anew in a great kitchen, where, with the knowledge I have gained, I know I need to stay and grow organically to best achieve the result I want. I am grateful to both Reservation and Without Reservation for giving me the opportunity to work with them, to learn and to grow. Each has a place in my heart and in my tale.

Today, I am readying myself for the new job at The Club which starts tomorrow. I had a meeting with Executive Chef and the Sous Chef that I will be working under on Thursday. Rather than writing about it immediately I wanted it all to sink in before I wrote a commentary.

To prepare for the meeting I went out and bought myself a treat! It is my intent (and I have been working on It for about a month now) to make sure that I am in great health for my wedding. I have started doing push ups and sit ups and have now added to my regiment by buying myself a pair of rollerblades to get to and from work. Excited doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The meeting went extremely well. I filled out some paper work and got a great tour of the facilities. Being introduced to the Sous Chef that I am to work under I was kind of shocked at his lack of animation. Here he was responsible for the inner working of a sizable kitchen and he exhibited the same kind of Zen like calm that Director of Operations did at Reservation. It was something that caused me to start thinking. I will expound on my thoughts later.

I became excited to be joining the team even before the meeting but after it I was thrilled. I am being paid a fair wage, am entering an environment which is extremely stable, where I can learn everyday, where I am part of a team, which will guarantee that I get a minimum of eighty hours per pay period, which leaves me with time in my day to do the many things that I do outside of the kitchen which are part of my learning experience. These are just some of the great things, what’s more, BENEFITS, they will pay for courses that I choose to take which I get a 75% or higher mark in. They reward attendance and promote from within. Do you get that I am a little excited?

I have a game plan for my time at The Club. I know what I need to do. I know what I need to be and Zen like is going to play a big part in it. I have learned valuable lessons from my experiences in the kitchen and plan on putting all of them to use in my new position. Officially I am First Cook and man is that exciting.

I know that I have found myself a place where I can learn and grow which nullifies some of the concerns that I have had to date. I look forward to becoming a member of the team and putting into action everything that I have learned in the past year and three months.

So the ride is going to get a little more interesting for me. And thus, for you.

Dante Alighieri once wrote; “Consider your origin; you were not born to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.”

It has become time for me to release the sometimes brutish nature of my own existence in order to become a better man, a better son, a better brother, a better lover, a better friend and a better member of humanity. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead and recognize the opportunity in each and every one of them.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

The Chopping Block gets The Well…(file under Chopping Block)

2009-04-01T11:20:00.001-04:00

Marco Pierre White’s entrance onto the North American scene through a poorly conceived and executed vehicle has come to an end. Last Thrusday NBC pulled the plug after dismal ratings.

For my part I have to admit that I watched the show (in fast forward) and found it to be an attempt to compete with Gordon Ramsay and Hells Kitchen. I worry that through no fault of his own Marco Pierre White has become victim to NBC’s continual effort to regain its glory days.

I hope that Marco Pierre White will not take too much grief as a result. I don’t believe he was anything more than the star of a vehicle. Americans need to see this great Chef for what he is and not only as he has been portrayed; an over opinionated bully with exceptional culinary skills. He is much, much more than that.

So while I feel as if the Chopping Block did deserve to be on the chopping block I hope that Marco Pierre White finds a new vehicle which fits his character and skills so that people in this part of the world can understand the sometimes mad but always culinary genius that is him.

Marco himself said; “I do not perform for a camera. I am myself. I'm a great believer if you do reality TV then you have a duty to put reality into TV. If you don't do that, then what you're doing is questioning your integrity.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

My Last Supper (file under Morbid Fascination)

2009-03-31T12:53:00.001-04:00

I used to say all the time that I was going to die at a young age. No more do I think this way but I used to and as such this is a topic that I have considered more than once in my life.

I think, as with everything else, with age, and experience and hopefully a modicum of wisdom, this answer changes, at least in part.

So there are elements of the question that are relatively easy for me to answer and others that are not. The who would be there is relatively easy for me;

My beautiful, talented and intelligent fiancé would be there, of course. As would my family and hers. The guest list would also include Hunter S. Thompson, Bob Marley, Plato, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Nero, Jimi Hendrix, Beethoven, Marco Pierre White, My friend Aarik (you know you’d want to be there), John F. Kennedy, Tesla, Walt Whitman, Einstein, Billy the Kid, Walt Disney, Henry Kissinger, Queen Elizabeth II, James Carvel, Edgar Allen Poe, Malcolm X, Bill Clinton, Jean – Michel Basquiat and Leonardo Da Vinci. Imagine the conversation at that party.

The music I would most like to hear would include special guest performances by Bach, specifically playing Air on the G, Mozart, Liszt, The Roots, Bob Marley, Dizzy Gillespie, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, the reunion of Public Enemy, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.

The place for me would be one of the world’s great (by me definition) libraries. Search Google images for the following which are in no particular order;

El Escorial Library, San Lorenzo, Spain

Library of the Benedictine Monastery of Admont, Austria

New York Public Library, New York, USA

Russian National Library, St. Petersburg

Trinity College Library, AKA, The Long Room, Dublin, Ireland

Vatican Library, Vatican City, Rome

Pierpont Morgan Library, NY, NY, USA

Just to name a few and believe me there are many, many more.

As to the who I would have prepare my dinner; Apicius, Bacchus, Careme, Escoffier, Eric Ripert and Raymond Blanc.
So, what would we have;

Foie gras, caviar, oysters, lobster and all manner of seafood. We would then have a roman truffle. We would then have a roast pick, hip of beef and either squab or pheasant. For dessert there would be an array of petit fours. As well there would be a delectable chocolate mouse and a beautiful cheese course. We would all be drinking to match the food we were eating but I would make sure to include a bottle of the best scotch I have ever had (Oceana in New York) , a Macallan from 1975. I also had a great blended scotch there which was quite rare but have never found it again. There would also be Veuve Clicquot flowing as would a Petrus ‘ 46 and believe it or not a cheap but great wine Cadidato (widely available at the LCBO).

That is my answer today, tomorrow some of it would be completely different, but for now, I think it stands.

What about you? What would your last meal be? Who would be there? Who would make it? What music would there be? Where would it be? Fun question.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

My Last Supper (file under Interesting Question)

2009-03-31T11:13:00.003-04:00

One of the nice things of having a little time to myself before starting at The Club is that I can catch up on posts and projects that I have been meaning to do for a while.

Melanie Dunea created a marvelous book called “My Last Supper.” In it she asks some of the most famous Chefs in the world what their last supper would be. In the introduction Anthony Bourdain says;

“If cooking professionally is about control – about manipulating the people, the ingredients and the strange, physical forces of the kitchen universe to do one’s bidding always anticipating always preparing, always dominating one’s environment – then eating well is about submission. About letting go.”

I’ve read this quote over and over again. I’ve thought about it quite extensively since I first read it because I agree with the sentiment completely. I think that cooking is about control of chaos or rather order from chaos. Whereas eating is about submitting to the dish, the person that made it and the environment that surrounds you.

One of the things that shocked me most about the book was the number of Chefs that said that they would prepare their own meal. Moreover, in most of the cases, the meals were something that you would not suspect, while in some, it was exactly what you would expect. So then, how exactly would these Chefs let go and submit.

The questions that were asked were; what would you want for your last supper? Where would you want to have it? Who would you want to be there? Who would you have prepare it for you? What kind of music accompaniment would you have? Along with their answers are beautiful pictures which also say something elemental about the Chef.

Each of these questions and ultimately their answers reveal an intimate portrait of the Chefs that answered them. Some of my favorite responses are as follows;

Daniel Boulud would have his last meal in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles with his dinner guests being Apicius, Bacchus, Careme, Escoffier, Bocuse and Ducasse with Ducasse as the Chef.

Ferran Adria, the worlds number one Chef from El Bulli would eat his meal in Tokyo, at Kiccho and have Escoffier cook it.

Eric Ripert would have a simple meal of toasted bread, olive oil, truffles, rock salt and pepper. And naturally he would prepare it himself.

Masa Takayama would have blowfish on a boat with Mozart playing live while they sipped on Bowmore Scotch over glacier ice.

Dan Barber; would eat his pig Boris; “If I’m going so is Boris.” Barber would cook the meal himself; “I’d have one finally chance to get it right.”

Thomas Keller would have Osetera caviar, Otoro, a quesadilla, roast chicken and Brie with truffles.

Gordon Ramsay would have a classic roast with Yorkshire pudding and red wine gravy naturally preparing it himself.

Nobu interestingly enough would have Kenny G while eating Sushi prepared by his Sous Chef.

Mario Batali, ever the great eater would have an Italian feast of eight or ten courses including seafood, pasta and vegetables.

Jacques Pepin would have an eclectic, relaxed and informal meal of Brittany butter, Oysters, Iberico ham, eggs and roast squab.

Lydia Shire would make herself a 14 to 16 ounce Sirloin with fried parsnips ended by a Carlos Fuente Cigar (a woman after my own heart).

Raymond Blanc would have something humble and simple prepared by Bocuse.

Charlie Trotter would have many courses, raw, tiny and delicate seafoods. Miles Davis would play with Bob Dylan while Dostoevsky, Hemingway, Bukowski, Miller, Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson along with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. His Chef Matthias Merges would prepare it.

Jean – Georges Vongerichten would have a Royal Banquet such as they have at the Grand Palace in Bangkok prepared by the Royal Chef.

Martin Picard (a great Canadian Chef) would have a multi course feast which would start with a kilogram of Caviar, butter and vodka. 2 one hundred gram truffles, one black and one white. It would be served in a forest with Bach as played by Glenn Gould. LOVED THIS ANSWER!

Ducasse would eat on Mars. He currently prepares special celebratory meals for the European Space Agency for astronauts on board the International Space Station.

Guy Savoy’s exact response was as follows;

“Dear Madam,

I thank you for your note and am touched by your admiration. Nevertheless, I have a phobic rapport with death and because of this, will never discuss my last meal. This returns me to my life’s philosophy: I talk about openings not closings.

Receive, dear Madam, my best wishes.”

As I said earlier the responses to these questions reveals quite a bit about these Chefs.

What would your last meal be? Who would be there? What would be playing? Where would it be?

I plan on answering these questions in the next blog post.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Open the door (file under Ever the Optimist)

2009-03-30T13:13:00.001-04:00

The great Greek orator and statesmen Demosthenes (whom I was once referred to as ) once said; “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.”

I could not agree more.

Last week I wrote about the occasion of the Executive Chef at what I will call The Club and I meeting. It was a great meet and greet which enabled us both to determine whether or not there was an opportunity for me at The Club and sure enough on Friday last, while speaking with Executive Chef, I was asked if I would like to come aboard.

Would I? An opportunity to join a great kitchen. To have steady, stable and regular work. No more of this splits stuff barely making forty hours a week. With benefits. Naturally it was a no brainer for me after consulting with a few people in my life.

Naturally, when I awoke on Saturday morning I sat in front of the computer and wrote my resignation letter. I thanked Chef for the opportunity to work with him. When I handed in my letter, rather than having him read it, I let him know that it was my letter of resignation and I think he had to know it was coming. Without Reservation was about to start slowing down for the summer and it would be impossible for me to survive on the hours I would be getting.

It was a great opportunity to work at Without Reservation. It gave me many lessons which I have internalized and will take with me for the rest of my life. I have come to realize more about myself and my dream as a result of my time there. Not to mention that I gained extremely valuable line experience in a busy downtown restaurant which gave me a great starting point from which to grow into a great line cook.

I now find myself in the enviable position that I have a week to transition before starting the next chapter in my dream saga. It is going to give me the time to put keystroke to paper on some ideas that I have had but had little opportunity to work on.

I am excited for this opportunity. To continue to grow on this path that I started only a year and a half ago.

Winston Churchill once wrote; “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

I just want to remind everyone that I am now answering any and all cooking/kitchen related questions at www.askachefintrianing.blogspot.com . You can email questions to me at askachefintraining@gmail.com.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Ask a Chef in Training (file under New Question)

2009-03-30T11:21:00.000-04:00

Hello all. I apologize for my inability to write for the last little while. Lots going on and there are only 24 hours in a day. Though I wish I could figure out a way to have more, just not reality, not yet anyway.

I’ve had three questions at www.askachefintrianing.blogspot.com and I’ve done my best to answer them well. If you have any questions please send me an email at askachefintraining@gmail.com, I will do my best to answer them swiftly and appropriately, to the best of my abilities.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Another Opportunity (file under heading Chef’s advice)

2009-03-25T17:08:00.001-04:00

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

L’s Anniversary Dinner UPDATE

2009-03-23T17:33:00.000-04:00

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

Alice Waters’ Edible Garden influence at White House (file under FINALLY)

2009-03-23T17:22:00.001-04:00

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

For Every Door that Closes (file under Opportunity)

2009-03-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

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

My First Question at http://www.askachefintraining.blogspot.com

2009-03-22T10:33:00.000-04:00

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

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

2009-03-20T16:31:00.001-04:00

“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)

2009-03-18T19:39:00.002-04:00

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!)

2009-03-18T19:14:00.001-04:00

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)

2009-03-17T18:38:00.002-04:00

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)

2009-03-16T16:30:00.000-04:00

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)

2009-03-15T20:01:00.001-04:00

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)

2009-03-15T12:05:00.001-04:00

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)

2009-03-15T11:43:00.000-04:00

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