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
Showing posts with label Aldous Huxley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aldous Huxley. Show all posts
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Functions, Parties, Events (file under always an adventure)
So when I joined Reservation I was completely unaware of some of the things that go on in a kitchen of that size. Of course when I started I was beyond green. I had only passion, drive, a great work ethic and a desire to be the best that I could. Since starting I have learned so much and I am grateful for every day that I am there. One of the things that has struck me is the preparations that are made for functions, events and parties. There is always something going on and as we go into the summer season I have become aware of the fact that we may have days where we have ten functions of all different sizes. So far we have been busy but not nearly as busy as I know we will be by the time I get back from Mexico in a couple of weeks.
At Reservation we can do functions for as few as ten people and as many as we can fit in the establishment. The largest event we have done since I have been there was for around two hundred but I’ve gotten the feeling that in the summer that number can multiply by two or three.
In terms of functions the first thing that happens when L and I get into to work is to look at the function sheets. A function sheet is filled with all the pertinent data that we need to structure our day to prepare. It has the event name, the person throwing it, the date of the event, the revision date for any revisions that have been made, the starting and ending times, the number of people expected, the location as well as the menu broken down into canapés and dinner offerings.
We have quite a few canapé options at Reservation. Some of these include crab cakes, shrimp lollipops, fish and chips, quiche, vol au vent, carpacchio, Bruschetta, spring rolls, duck crepes, Vietnamese rolls and butter chicken stay just to name a few. As you can imagine some of these are fairly easy to prepare and assemble. Others not so much. L and I are capable of preparing these fairly quickly and when it comes time to plate them we can go from zero to one hundred in a minute flat. The cold canapés take a little bit longer to plate as they are a little more labour intensive. The hot canapés merely require to be fired and plated and we can send out five dozen in a matter of minutes.
Dinner options are always to the client specification but usually entail a soup or a salad, an entrée and a dessert. But some menus are more intensive and have a soup, salad, appetizer, entrée and dessert. L and I have developed a system where he and I can do a party for up to forty five people on our own without assistance from any one else who happens to be around. We can plate those forty five in approximately three minutes from start to finish for each course and have them at the table within four. Over forty five it becomes quite difficult to manage and we have to use the line method.
A note on the plating line. Obviously the plates start at the far left of the line. Starch is laid down first. The plate then moves to the right where it gets its vegetables. Next are protein, then sauce, garnish and a wipe. In this manner we can send out a party for one hundred approximately the same time as if it is just L and I doing it. I do expect that as the summer approaches we will be doing parties like this even faster and that so far I am just on my learning curve. As well either Executive Chef, Head Chef or Chef J will expedite the line result. So lets for instance say that we have a table of nine. The Chef will call out the order which we acknowledge. We get all the plates down for that table which he then expedites through the servers. All the while we are working on the next table so that there is a steady stream to the guests. It really is one of the most beautiful ballets I have ever seen. Six or seven people plating in a very tight space. All the while making exceptions to the plates. Some want rare, medium rare, well done, some have nut allergies or preferences. It is remarkable to see but even more remarkable to be a part of it. While at the same time the front of house servers are streaming out with plates that we have done in less than a minute for a table.
For example we recently had two parties going at the same time. One was a wedding which had 68 guests and the other a wedding “celebration” for 56. We had to try and juggle the canapés in such a way that the parties that were overlapping would have a staggered service. One party had twenty dozen canapés while the other had fifteen (I think, I’m going from memory not my notes). Even though they both entered their respective venues at the same time we were able to get the canapés out for the second party first so that we could start concentrating on dinner. Even though we timed our stagger perfectly the second party delayed sitting down but we had enough cushion built in that we were able to work it.
For the wedding celebration that we started to plate first we had orders for 26 soup, 26 salad, 26 chicken, 26 salmon and two vegan meals. For the wedding at the other venue we had to add an extra course. For that one we had 68 soup, 68 gnocchi, 30 salmon and 38 beef as well as one vegan meal. And as I’ve come to learn this dance is one that needs to be choreographed perfectly, especially as we approach the summer “busy season.”
Also communication is key. It is imperative that the left hand know what the right hand is doing and if there is a problem it needs to be vocalized and dealt with. That type of clarity and quick response is something that I thrive on. I love the rush, the excitement and the result.
I pay attention to every aspect of what we are doing. I recall the first time I was on a line I was as slow as molasses. Now I’m better but there is always room for improvement. I pay attention to what everyone is doing; I pay attention to the Chefs and even the servers as I feel that all of this will serve me in my goals.
Aldous Huxley once said; “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” How true it is.
Dream big and inspired.
A la prochaine
SDM
At Reservation we can do functions for as few as ten people and as many as we can fit in the establishment. The largest event we have done since I have been there was for around two hundred but I’ve gotten the feeling that in the summer that number can multiply by two or three.
In terms of functions the first thing that happens when L and I get into to work is to look at the function sheets. A function sheet is filled with all the pertinent data that we need to structure our day to prepare. It has the event name, the person throwing it, the date of the event, the revision date for any revisions that have been made, the starting and ending times, the number of people expected, the location as well as the menu broken down into canapés and dinner offerings.
We have quite a few canapé options at Reservation. Some of these include crab cakes, shrimp lollipops, fish and chips, quiche, vol au vent, carpacchio, Bruschetta, spring rolls, duck crepes, Vietnamese rolls and butter chicken stay just to name a few. As you can imagine some of these are fairly easy to prepare and assemble. Others not so much. L and I are capable of preparing these fairly quickly and when it comes time to plate them we can go from zero to one hundred in a minute flat. The cold canapés take a little bit longer to plate as they are a little more labour intensive. The hot canapés merely require to be fired and plated and we can send out five dozen in a matter of minutes.
Dinner options are always to the client specification but usually entail a soup or a salad, an entrée and a dessert. But some menus are more intensive and have a soup, salad, appetizer, entrée and dessert. L and I have developed a system where he and I can do a party for up to forty five people on our own without assistance from any one else who happens to be around. We can plate those forty five in approximately three minutes from start to finish for each course and have them at the table within four. Over forty five it becomes quite difficult to manage and we have to use the line method.
A note on the plating line. Obviously the plates start at the far left of the line. Starch is laid down first. The plate then moves to the right where it gets its vegetables. Next are protein, then sauce, garnish and a wipe. In this manner we can send out a party for one hundred approximately the same time as if it is just L and I doing it. I do expect that as the summer approaches we will be doing parties like this even faster and that so far I am just on my learning curve. As well either Executive Chef, Head Chef or Chef J will expedite the line result. So lets for instance say that we have a table of nine. The Chef will call out the order which we acknowledge. We get all the plates down for that table which he then expedites through the servers. All the while we are working on the next table so that there is a steady stream to the guests. It really is one of the most beautiful ballets I have ever seen. Six or seven people plating in a very tight space. All the while making exceptions to the plates. Some want rare, medium rare, well done, some have nut allergies or preferences. It is remarkable to see but even more remarkable to be a part of it. While at the same time the front of house servers are streaming out with plates that we have done in less than a minute for a table.
For example we recently had two parties going at the same time. One was a wedding which had 68 guests and the other a wedding “celebration” for 56. We had to try and juggle the canapés in such a way that the parties that were overlapping would have a staggered service. One party had twenty dozen canapés while the other had fifteen (I think, I’m going from memory not my notes). Even though they both entered their respective venues at the same time we were able to get the canapés out for the second party first so that we could start concentrating on dinner. Even though we timed our stagger perfectly the second party delayed sitting down but we had enough cushion built in that we were able to work it.
For the wedding celebration that we started to plate first we had orders for 26 soup, 26 salad, 26 chicken, 26 salmon and two vegan meals. For the wedding at the other venue we had to add an extra course. For that one we had 68 soup, 68 gnocchi, 30 salmon and 38 beef as well as one vegan meal. And as I’ve come to learn this dance is one that needs to be choreographed perfectly, especially as we approach the summer “busy season.”
Also communication is key. It is imperative that the left hand know what the right hand is doing and if there is a problem it needs to be vocalized and dealt with. That type of clarity and quick response is something that I thrive on. I love the rush, the excitement and the result.
I pay attention to every aspect of what we are doing. I recall the first time I was on a line I was as slow as molasses. Now I’m better but there is always room for improvement. I pay attention to what everyone is doing; I pay attention to the Chefs and even the servers as I feel that all of this will serve me in my goals.
Aldous Huxley once said; “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” How true it is.
Dream big and inspired.
A la prochaine
SDM
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Brunch
I arrived this morning at 8:45 at Reservation. Drained and tired I did as I now have ingrained in my head. I started to do the stock and demi but then was tasked to help set up for brunch.
We had to move tables, chaffing dishes, the waffle maker, some heating elements, get the waffle batter ready, bring out the already cracked eggs (which I forgot to mention yesterday. I cracked 16 dozen eggs). We had to move the salads, salmon, shrimp, assorted pastries, etc. Then Head Chef comes in and says that I am going to be out in the Front of House serving the waffles, beef and peameal bacon. I was nervous, excited and ready.
For approximately four hours I was serving. Standing there watching as all manner of people came up to eat their $23 or 5 or whatever it is brunch. One of the first tables had some people that I knew and I asked Chef how I deal with it when they come up. The basic idea was affable but not lengthy conversation. No problem.
After that was done it was break down brunch. Finish the start of the stock and finish the demi for reducing. There was a dinner party there tonight (only canapés) so I actually got out early. Though I did ask several times whether I should stick around.
I then went to Chapters/Indigo and bought the very expensive but very helpful Larousse Gastronomique. It is an encyclopedia, no, the encyclopedia for the restaurant that I work in and I’m sure all classical kitchens. Had no choice. Want to make sure that I am on top of everything that gets thrown my way.
I feel as if I am a man reborn. As if my life has been charged with professional meaning and purpose. I was miserable for a good part of the last couple of years. Doing things only to survive and barely at that. Today I feel as if I have love at my side, passion at my back and the desire to take both into the next strata.
For all those that I have failed in the last year, I’m truly sorry. I have been an ass. Afraid. Tired. Scarred. Wanting. I have now passed all of these things and discovered that as much as I know about cooking there is so much more to know. I am now free to develop as a cook, a man and a human on this planet.
Tomorrow I am dedicated to studying. There is so much to learn everyday at Reservation and I am an apt pupil. I know that the coming years are going to help me continue to develop and one of the most exciting aspects is that when C and I have children they will be able to look at their father and say that he is hard working. It will help them to see that a work ethic is most important of all no matter what the work is. I hope that our children will see that although the path may not always be straight, that you need to fall every once and a while, the most important thing is to persevere.
Another lessons this week. As I get better with cooking I am also going to become a better writer. I am passionate equally about both and the writing of this journal is helping me to again to do what I use to do everyday. Writing. And it isn’t easy. When I get home I am dead tired. But I know that by developing the routine it will help me become a better person. A better lover. A better everything.
Aldous Huxley once said; “Civilization means food and literature all round. Beefsteaks and fiction magazines for all. First-class proteins for the body, fourth-class love-stories for the spirit.”
I will write tomorrow about the terms that I learned this week and about the week in general some more. All the best and please have an inspired day!
SDM
We had to move tables, chaffing dishes, the waffle maker, some heating elements, get the waffle batter ready, bring out the already cracked eggs (which I forgot to mention yesterday. I cracked 16 dozen eggs). We had to move the salads, salmon, shrimp, assorted pastries, etc. Then Head Chef comes in and says that I am going to be out in the Front of House serving the waffles, beef and peameal bacon. I was nervous, excited and ready.
For approximately four hours I was serving. Standing there watching as all manner of people came up to eat their $23 or 5 or whatever it is brunch. One of the first tables had some people that I knew and I asked Chef how I deal with it when they come up. The basic idea was affable but not lengthy conversation. No problem.
After that was done it was break down brunch. Finish the start of the stock and finish the demi for reducing. There was a dinner party there tonight (only canapés) so I actually got out early. Though I did ask several times whether I should stick around.
I then went to Chapters/Indigo and bought the very expensive but very helpful Larousse Gastronomique. It is an encyclopedia, no, the encyclopedia for the restaurant that I work in and I’m sure all classical kitchens. Had no choice. Want to make sure that I am on top of everything that gets thrown my way.
I feel as if I am a man reborn. As if my life has been charged with professional meaning and purpose. I was miserable for a good part of the last couple of years. Doing things only to survive and barely at that. Today I feel as if I have love at my side, passion at my back and the desire to take both into the next strata.
For all those that I have failed in the last year, I’m truly sorry. I have been an ass. Afraid. Tired. Scarred. Wanting. I have now passed all of these things and discovered that as much as I know about cooking there is so much more to know. I am now free to develop as a cook, a man and a human on this planet.
Tomorrow I am dedicated to studying. There is so much to learn everyday at Reservation and I am an apt pupil. I know that the coming years are going to help me continue to develop and one of the most exciting aspects is that when C and I have children they will be able to look at their father and say that he is hard working. It will help them to see that a work ethic is most important of all no matter what the work is. I hope that our children will see that although the path may not always be straight, that you need to fall every once and a while, the most important thing is to persevere.
Another lessons this week. As I get better with cooking I am also going to become a better writer. I am passionate equally about both and the writing of this journal is helping me to again to do what I use to do everyday. Writing. And it isn’t easy. When I get home I am dead tired. But I know that by developing the routine it will help me become a better person. A better lover. A better everything.
Aldous Huxley once said; “Civilization means food and literature all round. Beefsteaks and fiction magazines for all. First-class proteins for the body, fourth-class love-stories for the spirit.”
I will write tomorrow about the terms that I learned this week and about the week in general some more. All the best and please have an inspired day!
SDM
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