Ahh…the quote we all remember from Charles Dicken’s – A Tale of Two Cities. We may not remember too much from the rest of the story, but we do remember that line. It is, as our English Literature teacher would… Continue reading

Part Two – The Parable Continues So, here it is – Jack’s first day at the Main Street Grill. He brought his assignment to the chef before suiting up for work. “Chef, I completed your assignment and met with the… Continue reading

(PART ONE) I want to pass on a very important lesson – a lesson that begins the day you walk into that first kitchen job. As soon as you step foot in the kitchen a magical door opens. It is… Continue reading

Some who work in kitchens can distance themselves from the overwhelming responsibility of the cook or chef, but to others it is a heavy weight to carry. There are masters to serve, people who depend on the work of the… Continue reading

As Summer begins to close its doors and a much cooler Fall and Winter are around the corner – professional cooks and chefs begin to breathe a sigh of relief. What some who are not involved in kitchen life may… Continue reading

This may seem like a strange topic for a blog focused on the restaurant industry and the world of food but hear me out. Well, the pandemic is over, wait – no, the pandemic is not over – oh, the… Continue reading

For the past six months I have been committed to an exercise regimen thanks to my Apple Watch. Closing the rings of movement, exercise, and standing has been a goal since I first strapped on the watch, a goal that… Continue reading

The media is in love with the drama, as confessions of abused cooks find ample press time, and despondent cooks who leave the business trash talk their previous employers. It’s all so overdone and not true of the majority. After… Continue reading

The very thing that makes a complex kitchen environment work is the same thing that drives non-culinary folks away from professional chefs. Everything has a place, and everything is in its place, is a mantra that becomes an obsession with… Continue reading

An addiction leads to a different way of thinking, or sometimes, not thinking at all. Those who have an out-of-control dependence find it difficult to act rationally, to make clear decisions, to think about their own wellbeing or that of… Continue reading

A few years back, I posted an article about the UNWRITTEN RULES of the kitchen. It was an attempt to outline those universal guidelines for success in a kitchen, those attributes, and expectations of anyone who ties on an apron.… Continue reading

A young cook once said to me: “Why are you so caught up in this ingredient, it’s just a tomato.” I was dumbfounded, it was hard to form the words that should be easy to say so instead, I just… Continue reading

Most people don’t get it. Most restaurant owners, managers, family members of cooks, friends of cooks and chefs, those in other professions, service staff, and restaurant patrons, don’t get it. Deep inside that crusty exterior, behind the veil of authority,… Continue reading

A few days ago, I decided to hang up my chef’s toque. After 55 years working and teaching in kitchens, it was time to step aside. This did not mean I would no longer be working on something food related,… Continue reading

These are the most significant words of advice I ever received. I have carried this mantra with me for more than fifty-years, a roadmap to not just success but a model that allows hard working people to sleep at night.… Continue reading

Too often we fail to take a breath and really think about what we are doing as cooks. Some outside the profession may ask: “what’s it like to work in a kitchen and cook for a living?” When was the… Continue reading

The single greatest attribute of a chef is confidence. “I can do this” are the words that rally the team, that instill calm, that pull people together, and attract supporters. This is what draws the very best employees to a… Continue reading

Keep it simple – do it well The word “simple” is so misunderstood. We understand “easy” to mean without much physical, mental, or emotional effort, but “simple” is hard to define because simple in a kitchen can be quite challenging… Continue reading

I find it interesting that in every profession some people are all in and others are barely connected, but room is there for both to co-exist. Recently, a friend and colleague spoke to an audience stating that no one ever… Continue reading

Think about this typical story.  Shawn was 17 years old, an average student in school, no real direction, wanted to have fun, make a difference, do something important, and college was far from his thinking. Last summer he had a… Continue reading

I would hazard a guess that the word “work” is one of the most used in conversation. Like other four-letter words, it can be used as a noun, a verb, adjective, and adverb and just as easily in a negative… Continue reading

If you’re reading this article, it’s because you have suffered from the ill effects of stress on the job. You know what I’m talking about – the knot in your stomach, dry throat, beads of forehead sweat even without the… Continue reading

I’ve been reading an interesting book of advice from dozens of prominent chefs: “Chef Wise” from Phaidon Books. This is a compendium of quips that are based on experience; snippets of advice that we can all benefit from. It really… Continue reading

TECHNOLOGY AND RESTAURANT CULTURE Learning to live with technology and stay in control is essential. We need to embrace the good and understand the bad and the ugly. This is not easy since the access to and use of technology… Continue reading

Part One: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY It is an underlying question for the ages: “Is technology good or bad?” The answer is a resounding “yes” to both. So, the question we should be asking is: “Are we… Continue reading

It doesn’t make any difference what you choose to do or whom you choose to do it for – “good” is only a tease. Good is a “C” grade in life, an acknowledgement that you tried, but not hard enough.… Continue reading

Those who are serious about holding the chef title some day; the ones who are “in it, to win it”, are always wondering what’s the best path to take. Is it culinary school, working in well-known restaurants, finding an established… Continue reading