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
Showing posts with label Alice Waters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alice Waters. Show all posts
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Creative Process (file under Food Adventures)
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
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
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Urban Farming Cont… (file under Sorry needed some rest…)
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
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
Monday, March 23, 2009
Alice Waters’ Edible Garden influence at White House (file under FINALLY)
You’ll recall that I was watching 60 minutes last week when I saw Alice Waters speaking about a garden possibly being unearthed at the White House. For those of you that did not see it check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tPSmMR4ZUg&feature=related at least until 60 Minutes asks for it to be taken down.
The interview is great because it covers so many aspects of Alice Waters’ philosophy of food. Right near the end she talks about her efforts to get a working garden placed on the grounds of the White House. I was so amazingly happy when I heard this because there were massive symbolic implications to it.
Low and behold on Friday as I’m watching ABC news I hear the announcement that the First Lady was breaking round on a garden. I found the AP story on youetube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSOe4stu2fQ .
I am so excited by this. I wonder if this will catch on at official residences around the world. Be pretty cool if it did.
At any rate just wanted to update you.
Alice once said; "Always explore your garden and go to the market before you decide what cook."
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
The interview is great because it covers so many aspects of Alice Waters’ philosophy of food. Right near the end she talks about her efforts to get a working garden placed on the grounds of the White House. I was so amazingly happy when I heard this because there were massive symbolic implications to it.
Low and behold on Friday as I’m watching ABC news I hear the announcement that the First Lady was breaking round on a garden. I found the AP story on youetube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSOe4stu2fQ .
I am so excited by this. I wonder if this will catch on at official residences around the world. Be pretty cool if it did.
At any rate just wanted to update you.
Alice once said; "Always explore your garden and go to the market before you decide what cook."
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Alice Waters on 60 Minutes (file under Everyone has got a dream)
I just finished watching Alice Waters on 60 Minutes. And what can I say that I haven’t already said. At first I was unsure about the interview because it seemed that CBS and 60 Minutes were trying to diminish her impact on the way that food is viewed in the United States.
It covered the precocious Waters development into the marvelous dreamer that she is today, was then and always will be. It touched on her push in the Slow Food movement and the resultant Slow Food Expo 2008 which took place outside of San Francisco’s City Hall as well as the Edible School Yard Program. Both of which I have written about here before. One point which she made loud and clear and that I also have written about here is that the food we are eating is at worst killing us and at best making us sick, all in the name of profit.
What struck me was the timing of the interview. In fact, Leslie Stahl outright said, that organic is expensive and that in these times it may not be possible for America to wake up, so to speak, to the organic, slow food, REVOLUTION that she helped to form in the United States. The reason I found this interesting is that the other day I read an article which regaled McDonald’s with praise for turning a 14% larger profit in the last quarter. For me, this was a telling statistic, and a very sad one.
In the current economic reality, jobs are being lost in the United States, so too are homes and the fabric of society is being tested. Yet, in this reality, while other companies are slashing jobs and finding ways to bolster their bottomline, McDonald’s is, on the other hand, reaping the profits of misery. At least that is the way that I see it.
You see, the economic reality is forcing people (though Americans have rarely needed a reason to eat fast food) to choose the easiest method for food intake. That method naturally being fast food.
I am guilty of eating McDonald’s every now and again. But since I have become acquainted fully with the organic and slow food movements I find myself eating it less and less. Now nothing more than a momentary guilty pleasure.
I loved the interview with Waters. I thought it was on the whole balanced and represented a much grander exposure for Waters. The one part I was especially fond of was when she was asked about the White House having an edible landscape. A garden. She spoke of the symbolism involved with installing such a feature. And I couldn’t agree more. Change you can believe in. If you know what I mean.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
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
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Alice Waters, Alice Waters, Alice Waters (File under There’s no Place Like Home)
I admire and respect Alice Waters beyond what words could possibly say. She is, as I have mentioned here before, the mother of California Cuisine and started with nothing more than the desire to cook good food responsibly.
Many of the twenty five or so books that I have read in the past week include Alice Waters as the writer of the Foreword, Preface or Introduction. By my count it is no less than twelve that I read this week.
As I have mentioned here before Alice Waters started Chez Panisse in California. She started as a novice with nothing more than the desire to make great food with great ingredients. Some of the highlights of her words follow here.
In “Fresh” by Janet Fletcher Alice says; “ To my way of thinking, the proliferation of farmers’ markets is the single most and heartening development in this country in my lifetime… Farmers’ Markets bring us the greatest variety of the freshest, tastiest, and most beautiful food there is, food that is neither wastefully packaged, cosmetically waxed, nor irradiated.”
In “A Celebration of Woman Chefs” Alice says; “There is something that women understand instinctively in a way that men, perhaps do not; that food is primarily about nourishment. Cooking is more than art; It is a daily sacrament in which we act out our commitment to each other, to society, and to the earth.” WHAT A STATEMENT! Think about that for a minute or two and I’m sure that it will bake your noodle just as it did mine. Such a beautiful sentiment, PERFECTLY WORDED. And I’m a man. Moreover she says; “perseverance and unswerving dedication are ultimately rewarded.” Good to know.
One of the woman Chefs I came across in that book is Deborah Hughes. And I must say that I really like her. She co owns the venerable Harvard staple Upstairs at the Pudding. The Pudding for those of you that don’t know was a secret society at Harvard and can boast on its wall the trophy kills of Teddy Roosevelt. She says that schools don’t teach much about; “the relationship between common sense, chemistry and the work ethic, and may be robbing young chefs of their intuition – You can’t be a good cook without intuition – You must learn the fundamental components and techniques but it takes your instincts to create.” WOW!
Another Chef I have always admired is Lidia Bastianich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidia_Bastianich). She says; “Food for me is really the protagonist. I can only transport food or exalt it.” And “The product is 50% or more of what I do. I have to embellish it or bring it out or dress it up a little bit – as simply as I can.” PROFOUND!
I also took the time to read Chez Panisse Café Cookbook, Chez Panisse Vegetables, Chez Panisse Fruit and Chez Panisse Desserts.
In the cookbook she says; "The concept of an open kitchen is a simple one: cooks and diners should interact and cooking smells should fill the room.”
In Vegetables Alice says and I find this very telling and important; “We didn’t know how to manage a kitchen and fill orders for dozens of different dishes at once, so we hit on a format we have stuck with ever since: one menu, no choices, one price.” Also very telling is; “A few principles have emerged… the finest food is produced and grown in ways that are ecologically sound.”
In Fruit she says; “Pay attention to what you’re eating.”
I am going to dedicate a full post to Waters’ Book “The Art of Simple Food.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired? And what’s more, are you working each and every day in pursuit of that dream?
A la prochaine
SDM
Many of the twenty five or so books that I have read in the past week include Alice Waters as the writer of the Foreword, Preface or Introduction. By my count it is no less than twelve that I read this week.
As I have mentioned here before Alice Waters started Chez Panisse in California. She started as a novice with nothing more than the desire to make great food with great ingredients. Some of the highlights of her words follow here.
In “Fresh” by Janet Fletcher Alice says; “ To my way of thinking, the proliferation of farmers’ markets is the single most and heartening development in this country in my lifetime… Farmers’ Markets bring us the greatest variety of the freshest, tastiest, and most beautiful food there is, food that is neither wastefully packaged, cosmetically waxed, nor irradiated.”
In “A Celebration of Woman Chefs” Alice says; “There is something that women understand instinctively in a way that men, perhaps do not; that food is primarily about nourishment. Cooking is more than art; It is a daily sacrament in which we act out our commitment to each other, to society, and to the earth.” WHAT A STATEMENT! Think about that for a minute or two and I’m sure that it will bake your noodle just as it did mine. Such a beautiful sentiment, PERFECTLY WORDED. And I’m a man. Moreover she says; “perseverance and unswerving dedication are ultimately rewarded.” Good to know.
One of the woman Chefs I came across in that book is Deborah Hughes. And I must say that I really like her. She co owns the venerable Harvard staple Upstairs at the Pudding. The Pudding for those of you that don’t know was a secret society at Harvard and can boast on its wall the trophy kills of Teddy Roosevelt. She says that schools don’t teach much about; “the relationship between common sense, chemistry and the work ethic, and may be robbing young chefs of their intuition – You can’t be a good cook without intuition – You must learn the fundamental components and techniques but it takes your instincts to create.” WOW!
Another Chef I have always admired is Lidia Bastianich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidia_Bastianich). She says; “Food for me is really the protagonist. I can only transport food or exalt it.” And “The product is 50% or more of what I do. I have to embellish it or bring it out or dress it up a little bit – as simply as I can.” PROFOUND!
I also took the time to read Chez Panisse Café Cookbook, Chez Panisse Vegetables, Chez Panisse Fruit and Chez Panisse Desserts.
In the cookbook she says; "The concept of an open kitchen is a simple one: cooks and diners should interact and cooking smells should fill the room.”
In Vegetables Alice says and I find this very telling and important; “We didn’t know how to manage a kitchen and fill orders for dozens of different dishes at once, so we hit on a format we have stuck with ever since: one menu, no choices, one price.” Also very telling is; “A few principles have emerged… the finest food is produced and grown in ways that are ecologically sound.”
In Fruit she says; “Pay attention to what you’re eating.”
I am going to dedicate a full post to Waters’ Book “The Art of Simple Food.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired? And what’s more, are you working each and every day in pursuit of that dream?
A la prochaine
SDM
Monday, February 9, 2009
Study, Study, Study (file under Great Weekend to Study)
As I am writing this flurry of posts I am struck by all the books that I read this weekend. Each of which inspired me in a different and important way. I finished “A Return to Cooking” which I have to tell you is a brilliant book whether you are in the industry or not. It touches you on multiple levels and shows what true creativity can come together to produce.
I also cruised through a book called “Culinary Artistry” by Andrew Dorenburg and Karen Page. This book was absolutely amazing and oh the quotes that I pulled from it.
One of my favorites is from Alice Waters; “Being a good cook has to do with having a point of view.” How true is that? I know what my point of view is. I just have yet to figure out how to bring it to fruition.
Culinary Artistry was my starting point for my ideal food pairings and really aided me in so many ways. I do think that anyone who is serious about the culinary world should read this book. It touches on ingredients, techniques, menu development and so much more.
One feature of the book that I really enjoyed was that the writers asked a lot of big name Chefs a question about a Desert Island. Basically the question was; “If you could bring only 10 ingredients with you to a Desert Island what would they be?” Then as a follow up they asked; “And if you were limited to 3 cooking methods what would they be.”
As it stands here is my answer;
1. Garlic
2. Onions
3. Truffle
4. Rabbits (One Male and One Female)
5. Chicken and a Hen
6. Cows
7. Goats
8. Herbs to plant
9. Olive Oil
10. Grapes
1. Grilling
2. Sautéing
3. Braising
I am quite certain that answer will change as time goes on. But as it stands that would be my answer. By the way, for the proteins I chose those ones because they can mate. It would keep me in food forever and as for the grapes… Where does wine come from?
I also read a thoroughly disappointing book and I can’t quite say why. Perhaps because it seemed so obvious to me. It was called; “Working the Plate” and was written by Christopher Styler. Ironic name huh? At any rate I am guessing that due to my experiences at Reservation this book was not really all that helpful.
I read two books on Sauces which I will bring up in another post. One extremely informative and the other written for what I can only call Novices. Which is funny, because I still consider myself a “Veteran Novice.”
I also read “Indulge” by Claire Clark. The next post has to do with that.
So as you can see, I am using as much of time as possible to advance where I want to be. I’m excited to learn new things. If I can’t learn something everyday than I have wasted my day. Do you feel the same?
Anyway, next post is on its way.
Anton Chekhov once wrote; “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
I also cruised through a book called “Culinary Artistry” by Andrew Dorenburg and Karen Page. This book was absolutely amazing and oh the quotes that I pulled from it.
One of my favorites is from Alice Waters; “Being a good cook has to do with having a point of view.” How true is that? I know what my point of view is. I just have yet to figure out how to bring it to fruition.
Culinary Artistry was my starting point for my ideal food pairings and really aided me in so many ways. I do think that anyone who is serious about the culinary world should read this book. It touches on ingredients, techniques, menu development and so much more.
One feature of the book that I really enjoyed was that the writers asked a lot of big name Chefs a question about a Desert Island. Basically the question was; “If you could bring only 10 ingredients with you to a Desert Island what would they be?” Then as a follow up they asked; “And if you were limited to 3 cooking methods what would they be.”
As it stands here is my answer;
1. Garlic
2. Onions
3. Truffle
4. Rabbits (One Male and One Female)
5. Chicken and a Hen
6. Cows
7. Goats
8. Herbs to plant
9. Olive Oil
10. Grapes
1. Grilling
2. Sautéing
3. Braising
I am quite certain that answer will change as time goes on. But as it stands that would be my answer. By the way, for the proteins I chose those ones because they can mate. It would keep me in food forever and as for the grapes… Where does wine come from?
I also read a thoroughly disappointing book and I can’t quite say why. Perhaps because it seemed so obvious to me. It was called; “Working the Plate” and was written by Christopher Styler. Ironic name huh? At any rate I am guessing that due to my experiences at Reservation this book was not really all that helpful.
I read two books on Sauces which I will bring up in another post. One extremely informative and the other written for what I can only call Novices. Which is funny, because I still consider myself a “Veteran Novice.”
I also read “Indulge” by Claire Clark. The next post has to do with that.
So as you can see, I am using as much of time as possible to advance where I want to be. I’m excited to learn new things. If I can’t learn something everyday than I have wasted my day. Do you feel the same?
Anyway, next post is on its way.
Anton Chekhov once wrote; “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Great Chefs (and what they mean to me)
Over the course of this past year. 10 months really. I have spent as much time as humanly possible reading. I have tried to absorb as much as humanly possible and have many notebooks and this blog as evidence of that fact.
I have read Escoffier, Girardet, the Roux Brothers, Bourdain, Marco Pierre White, Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, Michael Ruhlman and so many more. I have read MFK Fisher with delight and marveled at the ingenuity required to consider how to properly cook a wolf. But what has all this reading meant for my development?
Each time I pick up a book I read it with a sense of urgency equal to that of a student who knows that his teacher is about to die. With that urgency I have riffled through the various, wits, wisdoms and insights of the greats to both aid my journey and to illuminate my path. From each I have taken something significant and different.
But ultimately the question comes down to this; what makes a great chef great? I think that everyone in his or her chosen field asks this question. What makes a pitcher so capable of throwing? An artist so capable of capturing a moment in time? A writer, so on and so forth.
So I ask then; what does make a great chef great? I have asked this question before in the blog. How does Gordon Ramsay become Gordon Ramsay? Or Marco Pierre White? I think that in this age of instant gratification everyone buys into the belief that these people can achieve success, well, instantly. As such there is a over stylized and glamourized concept that people have with regard to them. But not me.
I have worked in the restaurant industry now for over ten months. Ten long, grueling, demanding and glorious months. I have learned more being in the restaurant than any book (or culinary school) could ever impart. And yet I am left with the question; what separates the wheat from the chaff? And ultimately I think what makes people in any given field great is; Drive, Passion, Talent, Desire and Dedication.
What makes Gordon Ramsay Gordon Ramsay is that he has worked tirelessly, everyday to BE Gordon Ramsay. The same is true of all the greats. I hope one day to be looked at not by the world at large, but by my customers, as a great chef. As a harbinger of culinary greatness that culminates in a wonderful experience, gastronomical and otherwise, that they can take with them for the rest of their lives.
The more I read, the more I come to understand, that the field that I have chosen is one that eats people alive. I come to see that I did not choose the field at all but rather that it chose me. And while today I am but an infant in the industry learning how to crawl and soon to walk, I am aware that you can’t really pick to be a great chef, YOU HAVE TO BECOME ONE. On a path that is clear but winding. That path is what has made all these Chefs great.
George Bernard Shaw once wrote; “Forget about likes and dislikes. They are of no consequence. Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness but it is greatness.” Think about that for a minute.
Are you dreaming big and inspired? WHY NOT?
A la prochaine
SDM
I have read Escoffier, Girardet, the Roux Brothers, Bourdain, Marco Pierre White, Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, Michael Ruhlman and so many more. I have read MFK Fisher with delight and marveled at the ingenuity required to consider how to properly cook a wolf. But what has all this reading meant for my development?
Each time I pick up a book I read it with a sense of urgency equal to that of a student who knows that his teacher is about to die. With that urgency I have riffled through the various, wits, wisdoms and insights of the greats to both aid my journey and to illuminate my path. From each I have taken something significant and different.
But ultimately the question comes down to this; what makes a great chef great? I think that everyone in his or her chosen field asks this question. What makes a pitcher so capable of throwing? An artist so capable of capturing a moment in time? A writer, so on and so forth.
So I ask then; what does make a great chef great? I have asked this question before in the blog. How does Gordon Ramsay become Gordon Ramsay? Or Marco Pierre White? I think that in this age of instant gratification everyone buys into the belief that these people can achieve success, well, instantly. As such there is a over stylized and glamourized concept that people have with regard to them. But not me.
I have worked in the restaurant industry now for over ten months. Ten long, grueling, demanding and glorious months. I have learned more being in the restaurant than any book (or culinary school) could ever impart. And yet I am left with the question; what separates the wheat from the chaff? And ultimately I think what makes people in any given field great is; Drive, Passion, Talent, Desire and Dedication.
What makes Gordon Ramsay Gordon Ramsay is that he has worked tirelessly, everyday to BE Gordon Ramsay. The same is true of all the greats. I hope one day to be looked at not by the world at large, but by my customers, as a great chef. As a harbinger of culinary greatness that culminates in a wonderful experience, gastronomical and otherwise, that they can take with them for the rest of their lives.
The more I read, the more I come to understand, that the field that I have chosen is one that eats people alive. I come to see that I did not choose the field at all but rather that it chose me. And while today I am but an infant in the industry learning how to crawl and soon to walk, I am aware that you can’t really pick to be a great chef, YOU HAVE TO BECOME ONE. On a path that is clear but winding. That path is what has made all these Chefs great.
George Bernard Shaw once wrote; “Forget about likes and dislikes. They are of no consequence. Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness but it is greatness.” Think about that for a minute.
Are you dreaming big and inspired? WHY NOT?
A la prochaine
SDM
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Alice Waters, The Mother of an American Culinary Awakening (file under incredible role model)
Alice Waters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Waters ) is one of those people that makes you wonder how a visionary becomes a visionary. Yet while pondering how one becomes a visionary Alice revealed to me the qualities that I aspire to when it comes to my restaurant. Her culinary love affair began with a trip to Europe in her formative years. From that trip Alice’s love affair with food was charged with the force of ten atomic explosions and the birth of California Cuisine was the result. Cause and effect in its most delicious form. Alice’s Chez Panisse (http://www.chezpanisse.com/ ) is arguably the most important and influential restaurant in the United States and the result of her vision and approach is felt, seen, smelled and tasted in countless well appointed restaurant dining rooms and homes alike.
Reading Thomas McNamee’s “Alice Waters and Chez Panisse” I found myself thrilled. Enthralled really. By the clarity of her vision and the prowess of her execution. In the foreword R. W. Apple, Jr states; “Before Chez Panisse, even the grandest American restaurants relied on imported, often canned or frozen products; today, the Waters credo – fresh, local seasonal, and where possible organic ingredients – is followed by hundreds of farmers’ markets, thousands of restaurants, and millions of home cooks.” In the very next paragraph he tells the tale of Alice showing up at Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons for a meeting of the greatest chefs in the world with nothing more than a few Meyer lemons and proceeded to shock and awe the collected wisdom of the assembled chefs. I immediately admired her chutzpah. That took balls. Big balls. And she has them in spades.
McNamee’s tale takes us through the various stages of both Alice and Chez Panisse’s development. From the first moment that it opened its doors to the many successes and failures it has had over the years. If you can even call them failures. To my mind, Alice’s credo, her desire to make food that tasted like food, looked like food, smelled like food doomed Panisse to the status of non money making venture. BUT, and this is a big but, Alice KNEW, intrinsically, that if she stuck to her credo, money (the last of her concerns) would eventually follow. It is as I have always said, follow your passion and the rest will fall into place.
The success of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse is the story of dedication, truthfulness and integrity. It is the result of a vision maintained in spite of challenges and obstacles. It is also the story of a confluence of events and people at just the right time to make the right impact to reshape the culinary world. Of course I don’t need to explain to anyone here what Berkeley was like in the early 70’s but it should be obvious that it was the heartland of an American revival of sorts. It was a collection of hippies and student protestors. It was an assortment of societal “misfits” that had a purpose and a dream. And in that spirit Alice was able to attract like a tractor beam the right people to make her vision reality and Chez Panisse a success.
Alice’s spirit was the driver and Chez Panisse became the magnet to attract greatness. From those that designed special menus. To purveyors. To cooks with no experience. Chefs with massive experiences. Front of House staff. Everything in the universe conspired to make it a success. But also Alice’s unrelenting maintaining her original vision. NO MATTER THE COST! The result of that vision saw Alice develop lifelong relationships with a veritable who’s who of the United States but more importantly with children through her Chez Panisse Foundation (http://www.chezpanissefoundation.org/ ).
Rather than me blithering on about Alice, I think I would prefer to have you understand her from the way that she cooks;
“I usually stand at my kitchen table. I may pull a bunch of thyme from my pocket and lay it on the table; then I wander about the kitchen gathering up all the wonderfully fresh ingredients I can find. I look at each foodstuff carefully, examining it with a critical eye and concentrating in such a way that I begin to make associations… Sometimes I wander through the garden looking for something appealing, absorbing the bouquet of the earth and the scent of the fresh herbs. Sometimes I butterfly my way through cookbooks, quickly flipping the pages and absorbing a myriad of ideas about a particular food or concept.”
I think that this quote best characterizes Alice. What she does and how she does it. And as I said before it gives me something to aspire to. Alice was not taught how to cook. She cooked. Alice the mother of an American food revolution believes that slow food is good food and that it takes time.
I could go on for much longer about how important Alice is to the North American culinary esthetic but I think I would prefer to have you discover for yourself. I will however leave you with this quote from Alice;
“I’m completely dedicating this decade to public education…There are small things like writing a book and whatnot, but my immediate big hope is that we will have rolled out an organic lunch program in all seventeen schools in Berkeley. And that we will have integrated curriculums of the grammar schools and the middle schools and the high schools with the lunch program, and that ten thousand kids will be eating lunch as part of the academic day. And that we will be supporting any number of farmers and ranches and dairies that are within a couple hours of the school district. And that we will have documented everything that has gone on. And that children will have actually changed their eating habits, and that we will have stemmed the tide of obesity in Berkeley. That we will have our first graduates out, and it will be so compelling and so delicious that the state of California will be contemplating a statewide program, and that they will be ready to take over the funding of the Berkeley program. For Slow Food, my hope is that in ten years it will really be a vibrant force for change in every country in the world.”
This is why Alice Waters should be a household name. Vision. Passion. Execution and Deliciousness.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Reading Thomas McNamee’s “Alice Waters and Chez Panisse” I found myself thrilled. Enthralled really. By the clarity of her vision and the prowess of her execution. In the foreword R. W. Apple, Jr states; “Before Chez Panisse, even the grandest American restaurants relied on imported, often canned or frozen products; today, the Waters credo – fresh, local seasonal, and where possible organic ingredients – is followed by hundreds of farmers’ markets, thousands of restaurants, and millions of home cooks.” In the very next paragraph he tells the tale of Alice showing up at Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons for a meeting of the greatest chefs in the world with nothing more than a few Meyer lemons and proceeded to shock and awe the collected wisdom of the assembled chefs. I immediately admired her chutzpah. That took balls. Big balls. And she has them in spades.
McNamee’s tale takes us through the various stages of both Alice and Chez Panisse’s development. From the first moment that it opened its doors to the many successes and failures it has had over the years. If you can even call them failures. To my mind, Alice’s credo, her desire to make food that tasted like food, looked like food, smelled like food doomed Panisse to the status of non money making venture. BUT, and this is a big but, Alice KNEW, intrinsically, that if she stuck to her credo, money (the last of her concerns) would eventually follow. It is as I have always said, follow your passion and the rest will fall into place.
The success of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse is the story of dedication, truthfulness and integrity. It is the result of a vision maintained in spite of challenges and obstacles. It is also the story of a confluence of events and people at just the right time to make the right impact to reshape the culinary world. Of course I don’t need to explain to anyone here what Berkeley was like in the early 70’s but it should be obvious that it was the heartland of an American revival of sorts. It was a collection of hippies and student protestors. It was an assortment of societal “misfits” that had a purpose and a dream. And in that spirit Alice was able to attract like a tractor beam the right people to make her vision reality and Chez Panisse a success.
Alice’s spirit was the driver and Chez Panisse became the magnet to attract greatness. From those that designed special menus. To purveyors. To cooks with no experience. Chefs with massive experiences. Front of House staff. Everything in the universe conspired to make it a success. But also Alice’s unrelenting maintaining her original vision. NO MATTER THE COST! The result of that vision saw Alice develop lifelong relationships with a veritable who’s who of the United States but more importantly with children through her Chez Panisse Foundation (http://www.chezpanissefoundation.org/ ).
Rather than me blithering on about Alice, I think I would prefer to have you understand her from the way that she cooks;
“I usually stand at my kitchen table. I may pull a bunch of thyme from my pocket and lay it on the table; then I wander about the kitchen gathering up all the wonderfully fresh ingredients I can find. I look at each foodstuff carefully, examining it with a critical eye and concentrating in such a way that I begin to make associations… Sometimes I wander through the garden looking for something appealing, absorbing the bouquet of the earth and the scent of the fresh herbs. Sometimes I butterfly my way through cookbooks, quickly flipping the pages and absorbing a myriad of ideas about a particular food or concept.”
I think that this quote best characterizes Alice. What she does and how she does it. And as I said before it gives me something to aspire to. Alice was not taught how to cook. She cooked. Alice the mother of an American food revolution believes that slow food is good food and that it takes time.
I could go on for much longer about how important Alice is to the North American culinary esthetic but I think I would prefer to have you discover for yourself. I will however leave you with this quote from Alice;
“I’m completely dedicating this decade to public education…There are small things like writing a book and whatnot, but my immediate big hope is that we will have rolled out an organic lunch program in all seventeen schools in Berkeley. And that we will have integrated curriculums of the grammar schools and the middle schools and the high schools with the lunch program, and that ten thousand kids will be eating lunch as part of the academic day. And that we will be supporting any number of farmers and ranches and dairies that are within a couple hours of the school district. And that we will have documented everything that has gone on. And that children will have actually changed their eating habits, and that we will have stemmed the tide of obesity in Berkeley. That we will have our first graduates out, and it will be so compelling and so delicious that the state of California will be contemplating a statewide program, and that they will be ready to take over the funding of the Berkeley program. For Slow Food, my hope is that in ten years it will really be a vibrant force for change in every country in the world.”
This is why Alice Waters should be a household name. Vision. Passion. Execution and Deliciousness.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Books I’m reading (file under more detail coming my day off)
Thomas McNamee’s brilliant “Alice Waters and Chez Panisse”. For those of you who don’t know Alice Waters is a true marvel. Widely considered the mother of California Cuisine and one of the greatest Chefs to every live. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who loves food. I plan to write more about Alice and Chez Panisse on my next day off because her approach to food and her philosophy are not far from my own.
I also just picked up MFK Fisher’s “How to Cook a Wolf.” Fisher is one of the best food writers to ever live and only three pages in I can understand why she is regarded that way. She captured my mind with the following line; “Now, when the hideous necessity of the war machine takes steel and cotton and humanity, our own private personal secret mechanism must be stronger, for selfish comfort as well as for the good of the ideals we believe we believe in.” I look forward to writing more on my day off with regard to MFK Fisher and her dalliances in GREATNESS.
Finally, due to be “shut down” or “shot down” early as the case were I also just bought Anthony Bourdain’s “The Nasty Bits.”
I will regal you all with more on these and so many other topics as soon as my time allows. Monday I think but who knows in this topsy turvy world of becoming a great cook.
I will leave you with another thought from Fisher; “It seems plain to us that many things are wrong in the present ones that can be, must be, changed. Our texture of belief has great holes in it. Our pattern lacks pieces.”
Dream Big, inspired and hold fast to what you know is true within your own self. For only you know the power of that truth and what it represents not just to you but also to the world at large.
A la prochaine
SDM
I also just picked up MFK Fisher’s “How to Cook a Wolf.” Fisher is one of the best food writers to ever live and only three pages in I can understand why she is regarded that way. She captured my mind with the following line; “Now, when the hideous necessity of the war machine takes steel and cotton and humanity, our own private personal secret mechanism must be stronger, for selfish comfort as well as for the good of the ideals we believe we believe in.” I look forward to writing more on my day off with regard to MFK Fisher and her dalliances in GREATNESS.
Finally, due to be “shut down” or “shot down” early as the case were I also just bought Anthony Bourdain’s “The Nasty Bits.”
I will regal you all with more on these and so many other topics as soon as my time allows. Monday I think but who knows in this topsy turvy world of becoming a great cook.
I will leave you with another thought from Fisher; “It seems plain to us that many things are wrong in the present ones that can be, must be, changed. Our texture of belief has great holes in it. Our pattern lacks pieces.”
Dream Big, inspired and hold fast to what you know is true within your own self. For only you know the power of that truth and what it represents not just to you but also to the world at large.
A la prochaine
SDM
Too Smoked Salmon, Shitty Buzz and It Ain’t Pretty (file under what is a cooks hellish day for a million please Alex)
This morning I got up early to dot the I’s and cross the t’s on the research I was doing for Executive Chef. Moreover I was only too eager to help the love of my life get the car to the mechanic so that we could get Delia (that is the cars name) running at optimal levels.
I have been reading Thomas McNamee’s brilliant “Alice Waters and Chez Panisse” religiously since buying it when I have had time (but more on this next post) and found myself in awe on the streetcar. I was in great spirits and feeling generally as I do every morning. Grateful to be alive. To know and cherish love. To have a career path that provides meaning, joy and hope to my life. As such I walked into work with a smile on my face and readied to go about my day. But not before quickly finishing the chapter I was reading and having a coffee and a cigarette.
As I walked back in Head Chef was there and was ready to start assigning jobs for the day. I noticed up on the board that he asked me to deal with the jus and as such started dealing with it before being told directly. As I started working on straining the demi Head Chef asked D, L and I who did the tea smoked pacific salmon the night before to which I quickly answered that I did. Without missing a beat he looked back at the white board and said; “Back to the remi.”
Of course I had answered with all the exuberance of a newbie. Thinking of course that perhaps I had done something right. I could not have been further from right if I had gone right, made another right and found myself on right street. I WAS WRONG and soon I was going to find out HOW wrong.
As I got the jus on and started to prep the things that I saw on my list Head Chef casually threw a vac packed bag with the two pieces of Salmon that I had smoked in it. Immediately I grabbed a knife and opened it knowing that obviously there was something horribly wrong with it. He asked as I sucked back a bite to which I responded that it was over smoked. He looked in that way that only people expecting more can, hanging on waiting for more and then helping to elicit the response that he wanted. It was over peppered, over cooked and over smoked AND COMPLETELY UNPALATABLE. I concurred sheepishly. Having never been shown how to properly make the dish I asked what I could do that would be better to do in the future. He looked right at me and said; “Well you won’t be cooking Salmon again.” It took everything I had not to cry. Not only did I feel his disappointment but my own and the sting really sucked.
I brooded. And when I say brooded I don’t think that I spoke very much to anyone all day. I was stung. My pride was hurt. But what’s more I felt as if I had not only let him down but myself. Did I mention that it stung… A LOT!
As I went about my duties as assigned all I could think about is what I could have done differently. Asked how to properly do it. Asked for some kind of direction. Anything that I could have done differently I considered as I peeled 50 pounds of potatoes for a dauphinoise. Did I mention it stung?
Later in the day there was an issue with the spring rolls that had been cooked. This has been an ongoing issue as they have been less than stellar quality. Of course, due to who I am and my experience I asked if they were being cooked at 400 f in the fryer. When I went over to ask the person testing what temperature the fryer was at I noticed that it was at 350 f. I then proceeded to turn it up not knowing that Head Chef himself had set the temperature.
I followed one of my colleagues to his station and was having a conversation when Head Chef came over and proceeded to lash me down saying; “You are not a Chef, don’t touch the temperature when you know that I have set it. Now get out of here before…”
Pride swallowed. Ego non existent I walked away with my tail between my legs like an abused puppy. Unintentionally I had incurred the wrath of Chef. I felt awful, as if I had just been kicked in the nuts and then thrown from a moving car.
I finished up what I was doing and asked if there was anything else. Head Chef looked at me and said not much. So I packed up my things and left. Which though feeling like a bundle of smoking turd was all right because I got to catch you my readers up.
That said I am reminded of a great quote from Alfred Adler; “What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning - and some of them many times over - what do you find? That you can swim? Well - life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live!”
Breaststroke here I come.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
I have been reading Thomas McNamee’s brilliant “Alice Waters and Chez Panisse” religiously since buying it when I have had time (but more on this next post) and found myself in awe on the streetcar. I was in great spirits and feeling generally as I do every morning. Grateful to be alive. To know and cherish love. To have a career path that provides meaning, joy and hope to my life. As such I walked into work with a smile on my face and readied to go about my day. But not before quickly finishing the chapter I was reading and having a coffee and a cigarette.
As I walked back in Head Chef was there and was ready to start assigning jobs for the day. I noticed up on the board that he asked me to deal with the jus and as such started dealing with it before being told directly. As I started working on straining the demi Head Chef asked D, L and I who did the tea smoked pacific salmon the night before to which I quickly answered that I did. Without missing a beat he looked back at the white board and said; “Back to the remi.”
Of course I had answered with all the exuberance of a newbie. Thinking of course that perhaps I had done something right. I could not have been further from right if I had gone right, made another right and found myself on right street. I WAS WRONG and soon I was going to find out HOW wrong.
As I got the jus on and started to prep the things that I saw on my list Head Chef casually threw a vac packed bag with the two pieces of Salmon that I had smoked in it. Immediately I grabbed a knife and opened it knowing that obviously there was something horribly wrong with it. He asked as I sucked back a bite to which I responded that it was over smoked. He looked in that way that only people expecting more can, hanging on waiting for more and then helping to elicit the response that he wanted. It was over peppered, over cooked and over smoked AND COMPLETELY UNPALATABLE. I concurred sheepishly. Having never been shown how to properly make the dish I asked what I could do that would be better to do in the future. He looked right at me and said; “Well you won’t be cooking Salmon again.” It took everything I had not to cry. Not only did I feel his disappointment but my own and the sting really sucked.
I brooded. And when I say brooded I don’t think that I spoke very much to anyone all day. I was stung. My pride was hurt. But what’s more I felt as if I had not only let him down but myself. Did I mention that it stung… A LOT!
As I went about my duties as assigned all I could think about is what I could have done differently. Asked how to properly do it. Asked for some kind of direction. Anything that I could have done differently I considered as I peeled 50 pounds of potatoes for a dauphinoise. Did I mention it stung?
Later in the day there was an issue with the spring rolls that had been cooked. This has been an ongoing issue as they have been less than stellar quality. Of course, due to who I am and my experience I asked if they were being cooked at 400 f in the fryer. When I went over to ask the person testing what temperature the fryer was at I noticed that it was at 350 f. I then proceeded to turn it up not knowing that Head Chef himself had set the temperature.
I followed one of my colleagues to his station and was having a conversation when Head Chef came over and proceeded to lash me down saying; “You are not a Chef, don’t touch the temperature when you know that I have set it. Now get out of here before…”
Pride swallowed. Ego non existent I walked away with my tail between my legs like an abused puppy. Unintentionally I had incurred the wrath of Chef. I felt awful, as if I had just been kicked in the nuts and then thrown from a moving car.
I finished up what I was doing and asked if there was anything else. Head Chef looked at me and said not much. So I packed up my things and left. Which though feeling like a bundle of smoking turd was all right because I got to catch you my readers up.
That said I am reminded of a great quote from Alfred Adler; “What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning - and some of them many times over - what do you find? That you can swim? Well - life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live!”
Breaststroke here I come.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
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