We have all heard the phrase: “You can take the cook out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the cook.” While there is certainly some merit to this statement, the current isolation is pushing the envelope in that regard. Why is it so hard to take the kitchen out of…
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OUR DAILY BREATH: FOOD, SHELTER, CLOTHING, HEALTH, FAMILY, COMMUNICATION, and TRUST
This is where we are today. If we push aside much of the chatter and get down to the necessities in life that are food, shelter, clothing, health, family, communication and trust that rise to the top of the priority list. We tend to look at job and money as the root of concern, and…
OUR DAILY BREATH: CHEFS & OPERATORS – KEEPING YOUR TEAM TOGETHER
This is another time when we can rely on what we know about human nature and what keeps people whole: physically, mentally, and emotionally. I once again turn to the wisdom of Abraham Maslow as a guide through this difficult time, a crisis unparalleled in modern times. Those of us in the restaurant industry are…
OUR DAILY BREATH: A TIME TO BRING BACK TRADITIONS & EMBRACE OPPORTUNITIES
We have lots of time on our hands. Once we learn to take a breath and put the brakes on typically intense lifestyles, always on the go, always more to do than there is time, constantly putting aside interface time with friends and family, and relying on technology for our entertainment – we might just…
RESTAURANT SURVIVAL MOVING FORWARD
We have never seen anything like this. Everyone in the restaurant industry is petrified beyond today – they immediately think about how impossible it might be to dig themselves out of the hole being created. I have communicated with many who are crushed with fear, a sense of loss, and helplessness after telling employees that…
A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. President – I will state up front that I am not one of your supporters and never have been, but as history has demonstrated time and again – during a time of significant crisis our country looks to and stands behind our leader as he or she makes decisions of life and death and…
THINK GLOBALLY – ACT LOCALLY
We find ourselves in very troubling times. A time when we are asked to socially isolate, to work remotely, to trust the words of those who have been untrustworthy in the past, and to simply wait and see. We are naturally skeptical, inherently frightened, and for the most part void of any real plan moving…
CHEFS – THIS VIRUS IS A WAKE-UP CALL
As I find myself glued to the news that attacks everyone’s central nervous system, I am beginning to envision the chaos that the corona virus pandemic is about to inflict on the restaurant business. This is not the aftermath of 9/11, nor is it the same as the market crash in 2008 – this is…
COOKS: A CALL TO ARMS – DON’T SETTLE!
There exists a real dichotomy of enthusiasm towards working in the restaurant business. I realize that this may have always been present at some level, but in today’s kitchens there appears to be a polarization of those who love the business and those who are angry at their state of affairs. In the middle are…
Celebrate Women Chefs
Today and everyday – women are making a difference in the restaurant world. A woman’s place is in the kitchen, but they are not women chefs – they are chefs. The work is not gender based – when you have the skills, when you have the passion, when you make the commitment, and when your…
