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 the past two decades was, on the surface, a return to supporting local growers and…
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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 assess others and stand a much better chance of understanding the type of person they…
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 a dishwasher or fast food worker, or a series of progressive positions once cooking seemed…
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 will apply to everyone and every place as those once enthusiastic patrons give pause to…
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 our heart, to take time to reflect and put aside our anxiety, to pause and…
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 over. As some states begin to entertain loosening restrictions and easing out of “stay at…
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 will, in the process of thinking it through, give every chef and restaurateur a spark…
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 addressing the countless challenges that face independent restaurateurs across the country. She is wrestling with…
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 – it is an all-encompassing challenge of a magnitude that we haven’t felt in this…
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 progress and change and their work provides a window into the state of society and…
