Harvest America CUES BLOG

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  • COFFEE, THE REAL MAGICAL BEAN

      “I don’t know where my ideas come from. I will admit, however, that one key ingredient is caffeine. I get a couple cups of coffee into me and weird things just start to happen.” ― Gary Larson Isn’t that the… Continue reading

  • CAN CHEFS GET OLD AND STAY RELEVANT?

      I have often caught myself saying that cooking in a professional kitchen is a young persons game. Having left the kitchen for education and then returned at the age of 55, it was obvious to me that certain jobs… Continue reading

    CAN CHEFS GET OLD AND STAY RELEVANT?

  • THE WORLD THROUGH A CHEF’S EYES

    We all have different ways to view the world around us. Chefs tend to work more than many other people and have difficulty decompressing when they do get a chance to have some personal time. The complexity of their position… Continue reading

    THE WORLD THROUGH A CHEF’S EYES

  • DO YOU COOK TO LIVE OR LIVE TO COOK?

    My son, a technical education teacher once said, “There are two types of workers in the world; those who shower before work and those who shower after.” I thought this was quite profound and a way to categorize the type… Continue reading

  • TO BE A COOK – AN HONORABLE PROFESSION

    Walking down the street in my hometown back in the late-1960’s; an old acquaintance stopped me to say hello; “So, what are you doing with yourself?” My response, “I’m a cook in a restaurant.” Uncomfortable pause: “Oh, so what are… Continue reading

    TO BE A COOK – AN HONORABLE PROFESSION

  • KITCHENS ARE THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING COMMON SENSE

    It’s likely everyone is familiar with the statement by Voltaire, “Common sense is not so common.” From our personal experiences I know that you, like me, have found this to be true. People are not born with common sense; they… Continue reading

  • DOES MUSIC BELONG IN THE KITCHEN?

    It was inevitable. As cooks and chefs grew into the role of artist so too did they join the ranks of talented expressionists who use a multitude of mediums. If the chef is truly an artist, then it would make… Continue reading

  • RENT, LEASE, OR BUY – THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RESTAURANT LOCATION

    Was it Ellsworth Statler who, a generation ago proclaimed, “The three most important elements of success are location, location, location,” or was it the British real estate tycoon named Lord Harold Samuel who died in 1987? In either case, those… Continue reading

  • LINE COOKS ARE THE ENGINE THAT DRIVE A RESTAURANT

    Originally posted on Harvest America CUES BLOG: It takes many years for a good cook to become a great cook, to become a chef. There is an enormous amount of experience that leads to the ability to lead a kitchen,… Continue reading

  • CHEF’S – BE ACTIVE WITH ALL PARTS OF THE DINING EXPERIENCE

    It would be accurate to state that there is more to do in operating a restaurant kitchen than most any chef can effectively deal with. Writing menus, testing recipes, ordering product, connecting with farmers and vendors, hiring, training and evaluating… Continue reading

  • RESTAURANT STAFF MEAL – THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKING BREAD

    There are very few, if any other businesses that view a staff meal as not just a benefit, but rather a necessity. Labor laws do not mandate that a restaurant provide a meal for its staff, only that time for… Continue reading

  • RESTAURANT FRIENDS ARE UNIQUE

    Allow me to begin with a generalization: most restaurant cooks are introverts, viewed as different, sometimes odd and often times lacking in self-confidence. Now you might disagree from your experiences in the kitchen, but it is my theory that “the… Continue reading

  • LET THE GAMES BEGIN – A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CHEF – Part Three

    As the first tickets started to arrive from the dining room – Jake gave some fleeting thought to the time. It was 5:30, he had already been here for nearly 11 hours and the night had just begun. What was… Continue reading

  • MID-DAY IN THE CHEF’S LIFE – Part Two

    Chef Jake moved beyond the fresh (or lack there of) fish issue and adjusted his mind-set to the other tasks at hand. It was too late to return to the sales meeting – he would catch up with the department… Continue reading

  • A CHEF’S DAY IN THE LIFE – Part One

    “Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged the comb across my head. Made my way downstairs and drank a cup and looking up I noticed I was late.” We all remember these lines from the Beatles storyline in: “A Day… Continue reading

  • WE SHOULD ALL HELP TO PROTECT ARTISAN FOOD PROCESSES

    I really do try to avoid getting tangled up in bureaucratic or politically influenced issues since they are so difficult to change. However, when food integrity, quality and traditions are involved, my patience starts to wear thin. Traditions are so… Continue reading

  • THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING THINGS WELL

    Originally posted on Harvest America CUES BLOG: Years ago, a friend offered a statement, maybe even a mantra that has echoed within me ever since. It is one of those over-riding beacons of light that sets a course for how… Continue reading

  • THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING THINGS WELL

    Years ago, a friend offered a statement, maybe even a mantra that has echoed within me ever since. It is one of those over-riding beacons of light that sets a course for how you live and how the world views… Continue reading

  • WANTED: SUCCESSFUL RESTAURANT OPERATOR

    Here it is – the formula for a successful restaurant – almost a guarantee. There still are many people, for some strange reason, who continue to dust off their entrepreneurial suit and turn to restaurant ownership as a way to… Continue reading

  • RE-WRITING THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE KITCHEN

    What are commandments as they relate to anything and everything in life? We are all familiar with the stone tablets that Moses carried down from Mount Sinai that has, for all intents and purposes set the tone for what it… Continue reading

  • THINGS THAT EVERY CULINARY SCHOOL GRADUATE MUST REMEMBER

    This is the time of the year when culinary schools pass out diplomas and send their graduates out into the world of professional cooking. These young culinarians are eager, full of energy and loaded with ambitious ideas about who they… Continue reading

  • LINE COOKS ARE THE ENGINE THAT DRIVE A RESTAURANT

    It takes many years for a good cook to become a great cook, to become a chef. There is an enormous amount of experience that leads to the ability to lead a kitchen, to create a vision and set the… Continue reading

  • WHY DO PEOPLE OWN RESTAURANTS

    Having worked in the restaurant field for more than four decades, I have often wondered why it is that people take the leap into restaurant ownership. There are numerous documented reasons why this is not a good idea, yet thousands… Continue reading

  • SO GOD MADE A CHEF

    A Most Noble Profession © Copyright 2014 This article was written in recognition of the wonderful piece that was done by Paul Harvey paying homage to American farmers. This version is a tribute to chefs and cooks who care for… Continue reading

  • FOOD IS THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

    Originally posted on Harvest America CUES BLOG: Once you brush away all of the superficial things that we accumulate in life and begin to prioritize those that are important it is remarkable to see that everyone shares the same list.… Continue reading

  • FOOD IS THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

    Once you brush away all of the superficial things that we accumulate in life and begin to prioritize those that are important it is remarkable to see that everyone shares the same list. It all boils down to family, faith,… Continue reading

  • COOKS IN THE WEEDS – GASPING FOR AIR

    There are times in a restaurant kitchen when things go terribly wrong. Every cook, every chef faces those moments that can only be described as desperate and out of control. There is so much truth to the theory of Murphy’s… Continue reading

  • TYLER SCOTT: A YOUNG CHEF MARKS A PATH TO EXCELLENCE

    New York City has been called the center of the universe. For chefs and restaurateurs it is the mecca for the best talent to be found and a place for aspiring professionals to earn their chops, refine their talent and… Continue reading

  • Realistic Expectations for Culinary School Graduates

    Originally posted on Harvest America CUES BLOG: This is an article that I posted two years ago regarding the expectations that young graduates of culinary education oftentimes have when first entering a professional kitchen. I felt that it fit well… Continue reading

  • IN THE KITCHEN – HIRE PASSION, TEACH DISCIPLINE

    Chefs seem to always lament about the difficult task of finding the right staff to fulfill the mission of their kitchen. “Where can I find good cooks who will show up to work prepared, who have a strong foundational knowledge… Continue reading