There has rarely been a better time for a book like this. I don’t normally use my blog to talk about books that you really should read. My focus is to pay respect to cooks and chefs, restaurateurs and servers, culinary students and instructors, and all who have made the choice to spend time in…
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BUFFALO – MY KIND OF FOOD TOWN
I am reposting this article I wrote in 2013 – it still seems appropriate for all who have a passion for the Queen City. This is the Buffalo I remember.
Yes, in case you have not guessed, I am originally from Buffalo. After you get all of the stinging quips out of your system let me tell you what Buffalo is really like. It is true that the press has not always been kind to the Queen City and it almost feels like Buffalo has enjoyed being the punching bag for the media. In reality, Buffalo is a very special city with tremendous history, unfaltering pride, and yes – even a healthy food scene.
OK, so the Bills never won a Superbowl and the Sabres have only gotten so far, but don’t ever try and tell a Buffalonian that these teams are not worthy. We have the right, as people from the city, to critique our teams, but other’s do not. We will defend them till the end of time (there, I got that out of my system).
Let’s talk…
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COOKS FINDING THEIR PURPOSE
When all is said and done, when we push aside the challenges that face us as career cooks, when you take the time to brush aside those things that can be pointed to as “negative”, there is a common bond that allows serious cooks to smile and acknowledge that this work is their destiny. Maybe…
IS THE RESTAURANT BUBBLE ABOUT TO BURST?
It could be very easy to state that the restaurant industry has never been stronger, never more robust, and never more promising. There are, according to the National Restaurant Association, more than 1 million freestanding restaurants in the U.S., generating $800 billion in collective sales and serving a population that now spends nearly 50% of…
CHEFS – 22 MORE SUREFIRE WAYS TO FAIL AT YOUR JOB
What makes a chef successful at his or her job? It certainly takes many years for an accomplished cook to rise to the position of chef, but what should they have learned along the way? Just as with restaurant owners there are many factors that lead to success, but just as many, if not more,…
LINE COOKS – TOUGH AS NAILS – USED AND ABUSED, DRIVEN AND CONTENTIOUS
We are who we are or – are we defined by what we do and the environment that we function in? Look into a person’s eyes and you can determine quite a bit. A cook’s eyes are focused, tired, often bloodshot, determined, aware of what is happening on the periphery, wanting, questioning, confident and a…
COOKS WITH DRAGONS IN THEIR CLOSET
Make no mistake, the most enjoyable part of working in a kitchen will always be the interesting people who man that station or cutting board next to you. Of course we have a passion for the food – this is, after all, the common denominator, the point of conversation, the pride of the work, and…
WHY COOKS APPRENTICESHIP MAY BE THE ANSWER
What goes around does come around. For the past forty years the restaurant industry has relinquished its responsibility for serious training to culinary schools across the country. From the days of Careme, Pointe, and Escoffier till the early 1960’s the restaurant industry took full responsibility for training and developing the next wave of professional cooks…
CHEFS HAVE BEEN ALCHEMISTS FOR GENERATIONS
With all of the more recent attention paid to the science of cooking, I find it important to note that chefs and cooks have been unwitting practitioners of food science since the first stove was created. Take a look at my most recent article for San Pellegrino’s finedininglovers blog and let me know what you…
A COOK DEEP IN THOUGHT
If you are a restaurant cook – how often have you paused to think: “Why am I doing this”? Every cook understands that there is a balance of good, bad, and ugly with most careers, but at times it does seem like the cook’s job leans a lot more towards the bad and ugly. So,…
