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IN CHALLENGING TIMES DON’T MAKE CLASSIC BUSINESS MISTAKES REMEMBER THE TOP ELEVEN
Difficult times in business can never be addressed with complacency. This is the time to double your efforts rather than allow yourself to get caught up in the malaise. There is always opportunity beyond business survival for those who commit… Continue reading
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DON’T JUST RE-ARRANGE – CHANGE THAT RESTAURANT
Take a breath, hold on and think it through, turn on a dime, change or be changed, now is the time, don’t jump to conclusions, don’t forget what got you to this point, the past is the past – move… Continue reading
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IN BUSINESS – BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER
There are lessons to be learned that are often overlooked. Growth seems to be one of those markers that define a successful business, yet there is ample evidence that growth can be a deterrent to success. How so? What makes… Continue reading
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IT’S ONLY FOOD
You know I have occasionally heard this statement, or at least felt that it was implied: “Don’t get so wrapped up in it – it’s only food.” Well, I am here to state unequivocally that this just isn’t so. Of… Continue reading
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WHAT RESTAURANTS HAVE LEARNED DURING THE PANDEMIC
As restaurants rally to try and meet the requirements of the new protocol for operation – distancing tables, reducing customer volume, enforcing mask wearing, deep sanitizing of surfaces, moving to on-line menus or single use documents, removing anything from table… Continue reading
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WHAT IS THE INTENT OF EDUCATION?
As the country continues to come to grips with the ravages of a pandemic and the trail of chaos and long-term destruction that it leaves behind, we will need to think very clearly about how a country deals with diminishing… Continue reading
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STRENGTH, GRACE, AND DIGNITY
I am in the process of reading Chef Dominique Crenn’s autobiography: Rebel Chef. I have long been a fan of her style and passion for expressive cooking, but it is these three words that solidified, in my mind, how a… Continue reading
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COOK FOR ME
I have seen the following quote from Anthony Bourdain many times before, but today it really resonated. It is a statement so simple, yet so profound; so foundational, yet so deep and meaningful; so intriguing and so beautiful. This statement… Continue reading
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A COOK WITHOUT A KITCHEN
They say we’re back. The kitchen lights are back on, deliveries arrive, the battery of ranges is fired up, and cooks (some of us) are welcomed back. Somehow, it just doesn’t feel right. After four months of idle time –… Continue reading
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THE LINE COOK’S NEW KITCHEN RULES SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE
As cooks start to, or at least hope to, begin settling into kitchen life again, it seems appropriate to reiterate those standard rules of thumb that everyone must abide by. They may be tweaked a bit – after all, a… Continue reading
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GOVERNMENT WHEN WE NEED IT MOST
Take a breath, exhale and sit down. Let’s face reality – the Coronavirus is going to be with us for some time and simply opening back up and expecting that everything will be fine is misguided. We are in this… Continue reading
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KITCHENS CELEBRATE DIFFERENCE
It has always been my experience that kitchens are the great equalizer. Sure, I know that the environment of a kitchen can sometimes be tough and abrasive, it’s hot, humid, noisy, stressful, fast paced, and somewhat unforgiving, but…..all that being… Continue reading
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WHY IS A PARTICULAR CHEF’S FOOD SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANOTHER’S?
Every chef has experienced it and as a result he or she will relate to the content of this article. There are times, possibly many times, when you question your own skill – whether in cooking or presenting food, or… Continue reading
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A BAROMETER OF CHANGE FOR AMERICAN COOKS & DINERS
You can sense it in the air, you can feel it in your bones, and you can hear it in the silence – the energy that had surrounded the career of professional cook is down a few quarts. For nearly… Continue reading
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FUTURE PERFECT – A RESTAURANTS NEXT CHAPTER
OK, so here we are: restaurants are beginning to re-open (maybe prematurely, maybe not) and we are all scared to death. We are fearful of a virus that is still out there, still scoping us out, still waiting to strike… Continue reading
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COOKS – GETTING BACK INTO THE ZONE
Take a deep breath as you walk through those back doors, back into the kitchen that was so familiar, back to a place that you have missed for the past three months. Somehow you are nervous – why is that?… Continue reading
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EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP WHEN IT SEEMS TO BE IN SHORT SUPPLY
I am a concerned spectator at a time when everything seems to be in question and every one of us lives on the edge. We fear, we adjust, we cope, and then there comes a time when our coping mechanism… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: OPENING RESTAURANTS – WHERE’S THE PLAN, STAN?
Let’s assume, for a moment, that we actually are all in this together. Let’s put on our restaurant hat and take responsibility for doing what is right for both the health and wellbeing of our families, staff, and customers, and… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: CHANGE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
There is so much angst and uncertainty among the restaurant community right now. Should we reopen when the green light is given? What precautions need to be in place to protect our staff and customers? How will we survive if… Continue reading
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A LETTER TO CULINARY SCHOOL GRADUATES
First and foremost – congratulations on earning your degree or certificate. This is an accomplishment that over the course of your lifetime will reward you tenfold. Know that the degree or certificate is more than an acknowledgement of the skills… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: PROBLEMS WITH THE CENTRALIZED FOOD SYSTEM
Every day there are lessons to be learned. At this level of crisis there are bound to be ancillary challenges that arise – challenges that were not obvious until the domino theory took hold. The farm to table movement of… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: COOKS ARE SALT OF THE EARTH
There is a world of difference in how we view people whether from the outside looking in or the inside looking out. We walk on dangerous ground when we rely on first impressions or unverified perceptions (outside looking in) to… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: WONDERS OF KITCHEN SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Cooks have a certain swagger that oftentimes hides a sense of pride in skill development from that first day in the kitchen. Maybe it was that entry-level first job at the age of 16 – that part time work as… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: TRUST
What is very clear, as restaurants in certain states sense a desire to lift stay at home restrictions and return to business is that guests will remain leery of any interaction with others in public places. A lack of trust… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH – OUR DAILY BREATHE: A CHEF’S RESOLVE
Breathe in – breathe out. Fill your lungs and then slowly exhale. To breathe is to engage in a process unlike a breath – which is a short moment in time. We breathe to cleanse our soul and to refresh… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: A PHASED IN APPROACH TOWARD RESURRECTING RESTAURANTS
A cautious approach towards opening is the most prudent rule as we begin to see signs of a virus that might be controlled in the future. There are few certainties at this time except an understanding that this is not… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: CHEFS – REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF “WOW”
There is so much to think about, so many decisions to make, and so much angst about what the future holds. Building a well thought out strategy for starting up the restaurant engine after we move forward is paramount and… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: SO WHY DO CHEFS OWN RESTAURANTS?
Yesterday, I read an emotional, well-written, soul-crushing article by Gabrielle Hamilton – chef/owner of Prune Restaurant in New York City. She spoke from the heart of her “all-in” commitment to her restaurant and staff over the past 20 years while… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: HOW CHEFS ADAPT TO A SHUT DOWN A touch of levity (or is it) when we need it
As previously stated – you can take the chef out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the chef. This time of displacement is tough on everyone. We feel the difficulty financially, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: THE COOKING PROFESSION WILL SURVIVE
THIS IS A LONG ONE – BUT IMPORTANT FOR ALL WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT PROFESSIONAL COOKING. Cooking for others is one of the oldest professions in the civilized world. Cooks have been, and will continue to be, a catalyst for… Continue reading
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