So yesterday was my first day on the grill at The Club. It was exciting and a great cold start to the season. Cold meaning that I was not overly busy, busy, but not overly so. I had some time to figure out how I was going to set the station, drawing a station map and figuring out my organization for the station.
One of the biggest differences between the grill at The Club and that of Reservation is that it is truly a self contained outdoor kitchen. Reservation’s was really just a BBQ, a fridge and a freezer. At The Club the grill is in a shack that measures about five and a half feet wide by about fourteen feet long. It faces the lake and all the gorgeous boats that are in the water already. Within that space I have a 9 foot grill. TWO SINKS! I mention this in bold because at Reservation there was no sink, I would have to run inside or use a hand washing station. Two fridges, one a nine foot and one smaller cube. I also have a freezer. Two hot lamps, a pass, a printer for orders and two, TWO induction burners. And this is where it gets really interesting, there is a HOOD! For those of you who don’t know what a hood is it is the device which sucks the fumes and exhaust out of the area. Very handy when you are working forty feet from the lake. It truly is a stand alone outside kitchen.
So the menu that Executive Chef and Sous Chef R came up with this week is the following;
Chicken Souvlaki (all made in house), Tzatziki, Pita Bread and Sautéed Vegetables
Filet of Salmon with Cucumber Salsa and Sautéed Vegetables
Angus Sirloin Steak with Jus and Sautéed Vegetables
Fresh Turkey Burger
Back Ribs with an Apple Chipotle BBQ Sauce and Sautéed Vegetables
New Zealand Lamb Chops with Jus and Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille
Each of those items comes with your choice of sides which include Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Baked Potato, House Salad or Rice.
Oh and I forgot to mention. At Reservation you’ll recall that I had to transport everything approximately one hundred and fifty meters across cobble stone roads to the barbeque. This was extremely annoying and had to be done twice a day. Once to set the station and then after a ridiculously long and hot day back to Reservation. At The Club it is about one hundred and twenty feet from the kitchen to my station. NO COBBLESTONES. It’s like I died and went to Grill heaven. You think I’m kidding? Trust me, I’m not.
Yesterday I did about one hundred orders. In all I prepared approximately two hundred meals. The components of which bring me up to approximately six hundred distinct items that I made yesterday from 5pm until around 9:30 pm. A great first day. Giving me the opportunity to reflect on last years experience, what this years experience is going to be and how I am going to become even better at what I do.
I think that my theme song for the Grill this year is going to be Van Morrison’s; Jackie Wilson Said. If you haven’t heard it lately I think now is a great opportunity to give it a listen because; I’m “going to let it all hang out.”
So with the first menu I have a concrete idea of the type of things that I am going to be doing for the summer menus. I am going to play a lot as I had mentioned before with condiments and sauces and I am also going to try to find interesting ways to expand and broaden peoples culinary experience. It is going to be a lot of fun. A lot of hard work. And extremely rewarding.
That being said I expect to get absolutely pounded today due to the gorgeous weather. And I could not be more thrilled. Its like a culinary drug, a super upper which makes me feel, well, effusive.
Today it is going to be 23 Celsius and partly cloudy. GORGEOUS. And it is kind of funny, those who know me know that I wear a hat each and every day. I have for almost twenty five years and it has caused my once blonde (almost white) hair to go much darker. But as I have rollerbladed home (when working mornings) I have been taking off my hate to get some sun to my hair and shock of shocks, my blonde hair is coming back. Another ancillary benefit. Now working days and being outside I expect that it will become even blonder.
So I hope that you all have as rewarding a day as I am going to. I would also like to send all my love and supportive energy to the love of my life, C, who is in her first New York City Show at Stella Adler. A sign of things to come – I think so.
Albert Camus once said; “In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
Showing posts with label menu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label menu. Show all posts
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
I Got the Joy (file under Adventures in Kitchenland)
Barack Obama once said; “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled.”
Ain’t that the truth? As we all are aware by now I have had numerous jobs which have left me unfulfilled and left wondering what the whole purpose of life is. As I have documented here, my decision to become a Chef and join a professional kitchen had less to do with money and a whole lot to do with defining my life for myself.
Today was my second full shift at The Club and I have to admit that beyond loving it I am ecstatic that I have found my place here.
Beyond the obvious benefits which I have outlined over the past couple of posts there are numerous culinary benefits to being at The Club. The ability to survive is much different that solely focusing your life on a buck. It is necessary to survive in order to dream. So I bear no guilt over my decision to join a stable and nurturing environment.
Oh and before I get to far… the specials that I developed did so well yesterday that they had to make some on the fly. (Note to self; always make sure that you prepare at least enough mise en place for 15 portions) In retrospect I have to admit that I think that the sun dried tomato ravioli with sun dried pesto was not an ideal pairing. A little overkill on the sun dried if you know what I mean. I think it was just the excitement of creating specials first day. I did get positive feed back from Sous Chef R and the club members seemed to enjoy it.
I was beside myself this morning. I could not sleep. I finally was able to close my eyes and get a rest at around 12:30 am. I awoke startled at 2:36 am and found myself considering whether or not to get up and work or try to get myself back to sleep. I opted for sleep as I felt that I should try to be as sharp as possible in the first few weeks. I woke up again at 4:45 am and decided to just get up and do a little research on the Internet.
I climbed into the shower at around 5:10 am and took a long soak after deciding that it was both too windy and cold for me to rollerblade. I will tomorrow though. In the shower, as for the hour before, I was extremely excited to be going to The Club. I look at it less as work or a job and much more as the daily steps toward the actualization of my dream. Did I mention in a stable and nurturing environment? (Rhetorical)
I arrived at The Club at around 6:10 and got changed right away. Played with the time clock for about ten minutes trying to figure out how the hell to punch in. There were instructions over the machine but they were about as useful as Chinese instructions from Ikea being translated by Maori Indian.
Finally, punching in, I went downstairs and started the grand circle of opening. Fryers, Salamander, Ovens, Stove, Grill, Heat Lamps, Hotline on, Cold Line filled with ice. Blanching pots on. Muffins, Sausage and Bacon in the convection. Make sure there is enough on station and then start prep for the day.
Rather than regaling you with the exciting world of prep, which to you is probably anathema, like a trip to the dentist, I will instead write of the things that were awesome.
First and foremost, I got to work on my butchery skills and broke down twenty pork tenderloins. The reason this is exciting to me is because to my view pork is easier to screw up than beef. I found myself playing with various knife positions, cuts and techniques that I have either learned directly or figured out on the fly today. All the while I was having a great conversation with Sous Chef R which was clearly designed to figure out where I was coming from and where I wanted to go to. He, like me, is a voracious reader and as such the conversation was all over the place. Segues that flowed naturally from conversations of musical likes to the Disclosure project. After breaking down the tenderloins I portioned them off and placed them in a deep half pan covering each layer with a towel. I also helped with a lot of other peoples prep today. No different than I normally would but it was clearly noticed and appreciated.
Slowly, I am beginning to remember faces and names. And there are a lot of faces and names to remember. And just like any other kitchen I have been in it is filled with characters, dreamers, misfits and people who just consider it a job. The difference in this kitchen is the way that I interrelated with them. Cautious but friendly. Calculated but calm. And by calculated I am not meaning in some neo- Machiavellian sense.
Sous Chef R asked me directly whether or not I would be interested in… get this… deep breathe… handling the patio. Cue the hairs on the back of my neck raising momentarily. My answer was the best that I could give… I am here to serve in any capacity that serves both the Club and this kitchen well. After that Sous Chef spoke to me about the virtues of the job. The only one of which I didn’t necessarily like was that it is an afternoon/evening job. That was the only drawback in that I felt it might interfere with the other things I am working on.
I argued with myself over the last paragraph for about a minute there. Unsure as to whether or not to include you in the brain farts that I am having in that regard. However, as you can see, I decided, as usual, not to censor myself and share completely.
So what are the pluses in my mind to taking the assignment?
Best ingredients available in the city. Whatever I can dream up they will bring in.
Menu freedom and control (with oversight of course)
Being outside in the summer on beautiful Lake Ontario
Direct interaction with Club Members which I excel at
So with that said; when the conversation comes up directly as to whether or not I would like to do that this summer. I am almost certain that I will say yes. Also in speaking with Sous Chef R, he made it clear that he felt it was ideal for me, as I don’t need to have my hand held or to be coddled. The conversation, to my mind, was a recognition, and not, as was the case at Reservation, that they have no one else to do the job. It is an extremely nice feeling.
From that we segued into various ingredients I might like to work with. Price/Cost structures. Member wants and needs versus realities. It was quite refreshing as I mentioned earlier.
Thus, from all this, do you get the feeling that I finally found a place that I can grow? I DO!
I am excited, thrilled, ecstatic and could use a thesaurus or that big brain of mine to give you twenty more words to describe the euphoric feeling that I have right now, but instead I will say this; I feel that I have joined a place that will allow me to grow, to be nurtured, to nurture and to fulfill greatest dream in life (next to starting a family with my loving, gorgeous, talented, funny, elegant and dreaming fiancé C, that of becoming a great chef. But first, I need to cook (and practice starting a family), A LOT!
Oscar Wilde once said; “I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Ain’t that the truth? As we all are aware by now I have had numerous jobs which have left me unfulfilled and left wondering what the whole purpose of life is. As I have documented here, my decision to become a Chef and join a professional kitchen had less to do with money and a whole lot to do with defining my life for myself.
Today was my second full shift at The Club and I have to admit that beyond loving it I am ecstatic that I have found my place here.
Beyond the obvious benefits which I have outlined over the past couple of posts there are numerous culinary benefits to being at The Club. The ability to survive is much different that solely focusing your life on a buck. It is necessary to survive in order to dream. So I bear no guilt over my decision to join a stable and nurturing environment.
Oh and before I get to far… the specials that I developed did so well yesterday that they had to make some on the fly. (Note to self; always make sure that you prepare at least enough mise en place for 15 portions) In retrospect I have to admit that I think that the sun dried tomato ravioli with sun dried pesto was not an ideal pairing. A little overkill on the sun dried if you know what I mean. I think it was just the excitement of creating specials first day. I did get positive feed back from Sous Chef R and the club members seemed to enjoy it.
I was beside myself this morning. I could not sleep. I finally was able to close my eyes and get a rest at around 12:30 am. I awoke startled at 2:36 am and found myself considering whether or not to get up and work or try to get myself back to sleep. I opted for sleep as I felt that I should try to be as sharp as possible in the first few weeks. I woke up again at 4:45 am and decided to just get up and do a little research on the Internet.
I climbed into the shower at around 5:10 am and took a long soak after deciding that it was both too windy and cold for me to rollerblade. I will tomorrow though. In the shower, as for the hour before, I was extremely excited to be going to The Club. I look at it less as work or a job and much more as the daily steps toward the actualization of my dream. Did I mention in a stable and nurturing environment? (Rhetorical)
I arrived at The Club at around 6:10 and got changed right away. Played with the time clock for about ten minutes trying to figure out how the hell to punch in. There were instructions over the machine but they were about as useful as Chinese instructions from Ikea being translated by Maori Indian.
Finally, punching in, I went downstairs and started the grand circle of opening. Fryers, Salamander, Ovens, Stove, Grill, Heat Lamps, Hotline on, Cold Line filled with ice. Blanching pots on. Muffins, Sausage and Bacon in the convection. Make sure there is enough on station and then start prep for the day.
Rather than regaling you with the exciting world of prep, which to you is probably anathema, like a trip to the dentist, I will instead write of the things that were awesome.
First and foremost, I got to work on my butchery skills and broke down twenty pork tenderloins. The reason this is exciting to me is because to my view pork is easier to screw up than beef. I found myself playing with various knife positions, cuts and techniques that I have either learned directly or figured out on the fly today. All the while I was having a great conversation with Sous Chef R which was clearly designed to figure out where I was coming from and where I wanted to go to. He, like me, is a voracious reader and as such the conversation was all over the place. Segues that flowed naturally from conversations of musical likes to the Disclosure project. After breaking down the tenderloins I portioned them off and placed them in a deep half pan covering each layer with a towel. I also helped with a lot of other peoples prep today. No different than I normally would but it was clearly noticed and appreciated.
Slowly, I am beginning to remember faces and names. And there are a lot of faces and names to remember. And just like any other kitchen I have been in it is filled with characters, dreamers, misfits and people who just consider it a job. The difference in this kitchen is the way that I interrelated with them. Cautious but friendly. Calculated but calm. And by calculated I am not meaning in some neo- Machiavellian sense.
Sous Chef R asked me directly whether or not I would be interested in… get this… deep breathe… handling the patio. Cue the hairs on the back of my neck raising momentarily. My answer was the best that I could give… I am here to serve in any capacity that serves both the Club and this kitchen well. After that Sous Chef spoke to me about the virtues of the job. The only one of which I didn’t necessarily like was that it is an afternoon/evening job. That was the only drawback in that I felt it might interfere with the other things I am working on.
I argued with myself over the last paragraph for about a minute there. Unsure as to whether or not to include you in the brain farts that I am having in that regard. However, as you can see, I decided, as usual, not to censor myself and share completely.
So what are the pluses in my mind to taking the assignment?
Best ingredients available in the city. Whatever I can dream up they will bring in.
Menu freedom and control (with oversight of course)
Being outside in the summer on beautiful Lake Ontario
Direct interaction with Club Members which I excel at
So with that said; when the conversation comes up directly as to whether or not I would like to do that this summer. I am almost certain that I will say yes. Also in speaking with Sous Chef R, he made it clear that he felt it was ideal for me, as I don’t need to have my hand held or to be coddled. The conversation, to my mind, was a recognition, and not, as was the case at Reservation, that they have no one else to do the job. It is an extremely nice feeling.
From that we segued into various ingredients I might like to work with. Price/Cost structures. Member wants and needs versus realities. It was quite refreshing as I mentioned earlier.
Thus, from all this, do you get the feeling that I finally found a place that I can grow? I DO!
I am excited, thrilled, ecstatic and could use a thesaurus or that big brain of mine to give you twenty more words to describe the euphoric feeling that I have right now, but instead I will say this; I feel that I have joined a place that will allow me to grow, to be nurtured, to nurture and to fulfill greatest dream in life (next to starting a family with my loving, gorgeous, talented, funny, elegant and dreaming fiancé C, that of becoming a great chef. But first, I need to cook (and practice starting a family), A LOT!
Oscar Wilde once said; “I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
L’s Anniversary Dinner (file under Timing is Key)
Recently I have reconnected with a friend from high school. When I left high school, not wanting to be put into a little box (see last post) I kind of made myself scarce and basically disappeared.
Well recently, L and I have been speaking via email and of course facebook. It started when she wrote me an email saying that she read my blog. I was touched of course and responded to her email. She had a specific question that I can’t quite recall right now. At any rate, long story short she asked me a couple of culinary questions because she stated that she was not all that good in the kitchen. I told her that I would be happy to help any time. And then I offered after a few more emails to help her with an anniversary dinner by organizing a menu that was workable for her. And that I would even make it easy for her by making them relatively. But not too easy because I have full faith in her abilities.
So yesterday we bounced thirteen or fourteen emails back and forth until we came up with a menu. I’m fully satisfied that my lover, C, would be delighted to have this meal, so I am SURE that her lover will as well.
This is why I became a cook. To make memories and I think this one is going to be great. So the menu is;
Potato Leek Puree with a Crispy Prosciutto and Parsley Garnish
Then a seared Foie Gras in a red currant and fig glaze
Followed by a sumptuous home made tagliatelle with braised short ribs
And the piece de la resistance Crème Brûlée
I have to tell you I am quite proud of the menu. But what’s more I am proud that I am able to help someone with a very special evening which is sure to be memorable.
The last couple of emails have been filled with the joy of knowing and the anticipation of doing. I LOVE IT! I told L that I am excited for her meal and that I can help her any way she needs if she gets stuck. But I have faith that she will do it perfectly. Love is the key to anything in the kitchen and I can tell that she and her man are very much in love.
What’s more is she has promised me that she will take pictures. I haven’t asked for permission yet but I’m hopeful that she will let me post both their responses to the meal and the pictures.
As I said in the title of the post. Timing is key. Her desire to cook a great meal and my desire to help people has helped me to see that I am doing the right thing and that I need to just keep on keeping on. And thus I will.
Carl Lewis once said; “Life is about timing.” And that seems very true…
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Well recently, L and I have been speaking via email and of course facebook. It started when she wrote me an email saying that she read my blog. I was touched of course and responded to her email. She had a specific question that I can’t quite recall right now. At any rate, long story short she asked me a couple of culinary questions because she stated that she was not all that good in the kitchen. I told her that I would be happy to help any time. And then I offered after a few more emails to help her with an anniversary dinner by organizing a menu that was workable for her. And that I would even make it easy for her by making them relatively. But not too easy because I have full faith in her abilities.
So yesterday we bounced thirteen or fourteen emails back and forth until we came up with a menu. I’m fully satisfied that my lover, C, would be delighted to have this meal, so I am SURE that her lover will as well.
This is why I became a cook. To make memories and I think this one is going to be great. So the menu is;
Potato Leek Puree with a Crispy Prosciutto and Parsley Garnish
Then a seared Foie Gras in a red currant and fig glaze
Followed by a sumptuous home made tagliatelle with braised short ribs
And the piece de la resistance Crème Brûlée
I have to tell you I am quite proud of the menu. But what’s more I am proud that I am able to help someone with a very special evening which is sure to be memorable.
The last couple of emails have been filled with the joy of knowing and the anticipation of doing. I LOVE IT! I told L that I am excited for her meal and that I can help her any way she needs if she gets stuck. But I have faith that she will do it perfectly. Love is the key to anything in the kitchen and I can tell that she and her man are very much in love.
What’s more is she has promised me that she will take pictures. I haven’t asked for permission yet but I’m hopeful that she will let me post both their responses to the meal and the pictures.
As I said in the title of the post. Timing is key. Her desire to cook a great meal and my desire to help people has helped me to see that I am doing the right thing and that I need to just keep on keeping on. And thus I will.
Carl Lewis once said; “Life is about timing.” And that seems very true…
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
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