There was a time when the restaurant owner/operator was the center of the hospitality universe. When a guest thought about a particular restaurant – the connection was with the person who shook their hand upon arrival, made sure that their meal was perfect, orchestrated the service experience, and always remembered something about each and every…
Author: culinarycuesblog
WHEN LINE COOKS ARE IN THE ZONE
On November 16, 1962 Wilt Chamberlain – center for the Warriors, scored 73 points against the New York Knicks and 78 points in 1961 against the Lakers. But, it was the Warriors game against the Knicks earlier in 1962 that stands out above all others. Chamberlain scored 100 individual points cementing a win – he…
RESTAURANTS ARE A MICROCOSM OF ISSUES FACING THE COUNTRY TODAY
This article is inspired by a story related to the youngest freshman U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio – Cortez. Putting aside your individual political bent – she comes to the House of Representatives from a history of positions working in the restaurant business – so she automatically has street cred in my book. From her vantage…
THE COOK NEXT TO ME
I thought I would chime in with all of the recent talk about immigrant workers in the U.S. One of the most significant reasons why I have always loved working in the restaurant business is the diversity of people with whom I have had the opportunity to stand next to at the range. The is…
THE LINE COOK COUNTERCULTURE
From that first job as a dishwasher in 1966 when I was 16 years old – I knew I was part of something interesting. Who knows what struck a chord – it might have been the pace, the banter between employees, the time spent helping out the breakfast cook during a rush, or even the…
A LETTER TO CULINARY STUDENTS
My professional life has been spent in kitchens and in culinary classrooms; connected to cooks, chefs, bakers, restaurateurs, product development professionals, servers, bartenders, and dishwashers. I have invested 50 years in service of the product and the farmer, the fisherman and the cattle rancher, and the cheese maker, bread baker, winemaker and coffee roaster. These…
THE IMPORTANCE OF WORK – THE VALUE OF A DOLLAR
There are a handful of lessons in life that shine true for everyone, that stand tall as ultimately important for our existence, and that set people on a course of completeness that is so essential. One of those lessons is the significance of work – regardless of what that work might be. Work is important…
IN RESTAURANTS – IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SMALL STUFF
Running and working in a restaurant is challenging, but it’s not really that hard. Let me explain: Having invested a full career in the kitchen, in restaurants, and in culinary education, I know, first hand, how challenging it is to work in that environment and how physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing it can be. But,…
A RIGHT OF PASSAGE
This article, as has been the case a few times over the past five years, is a departure from my typical focus on the people of the food business. Each of us owns a personal portfolio of those “rights of passage”, the events, people, or times that defined who we are, how we view life,…
THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN COOKING AND MUSIC ARE UNDENIABLE
The two things in life that we have an instant connection with are food and music. In both cases we learn, through our associations and connection to knowledge, that we are more inclined toward certain foods and certain styles of music, but that initial desire to enjoy eating and listening is apparent from the moment…
