Harvest America CUES BLOG

Desperation leads to ineffective decision making.  This is always, always, always the case.  Decisions based on panic are like the amateur carpenter who keeps making the wrong cut on a length of board until there is nothing left.  It seems… Continue reading

This is one of those reflective moments – we all have them – a time to think back rather than forward and simply wonder how the future will compare and who will hold the keys to progress.  I was reading… Continue reading

Sitting is the chef’s office, or what some might refer to as a storage room with a desk, it is always enlightening to look out on the kitchen and watch the motions of those who have found a home in… Continue reading

Kitchens are great equalizers – it is the place where individual talent and exceptional intellect can be less important that dependability, organization, focus, and teamwork.  The kitchen is a place where those who are successful come to the realization that… Continue reading

To make a difference – this is something that many of us seek and so few of us think that we accomplish.  At some level we all make a difference, even if only in one person’s life, one situation, one… Continue reading

Most of us tend to gravitate to what we can control.  We have an innate desire to do what we’re good at and avoid what we are not.  It is the fact of control that differentiates comfort from a lack… Continue reading

I have been following the current Rolling Stones Tour without Charlie Watts for the first time in 59 years.  He was, like so many drummers, far more important to the band than many would have thought.  He wasn’t flamboyant, didn’t… Continue reading

It’s time to accept where we are, listen and understand where we might be going, put aside our frustrations and begin to establish a working strategy that is based on what is inevitable.  Yes, I’m talking about what it will… Continue reading

At this time, when it seems so easy to complain, to point fingers, to question, and sometimes even to bail on a career in the kitchen – I offer these insights for a professional cook:  I am a cook, hear… Continue reading

Twenty years ago, yes twenty years, our lives changed forever.  When those terrorists without a soul, with evil and hate in their hearts chose to attack innocent people who were just going about their lives and sent a message to… Continue reading

It has been around for centuries, oftentimes held high as a somewhat mystical crop, a tuber that fed the poor, protected against the scourge of scurvy, became a type of currency, and amazed everyone for its variety.  The potato is… Continue reading

Late summer and early fall are very exciting times for chefs.  Summer heat is winding down, the colors of autumn are beginning to highlight trees and plants, and gardens are presenting kitchens with some of the most dynamic fruits and… Continue reading

The goal of every restaurant and every chef is to create memorable experiences for the guest.  Somewhere in our internal job description is a desire, and even a need to build an environment of WOW!  Wow visuals on the plate… Continue reading

Identifying problems has never been a challenge in the restaurant industry – there are many.  Making the effort to solve those problems is another story.  We have a problem right now that seems to be universal and there is no… Continue reading

I just finished listening to the latest album from David Crosby – I loved it from the first verse.  Crosby, even at his ripe old age, is a master of lyrical compositions and tonal interpretations of feelings that accompany such… Continue reading

Yes, I get it.  It has all been about survival for restaurants over the past 16 months and survival has not been easy.  Now, providing we don’t ignore the still looming dangers of Covid and the challenges of convincing 40%… Continue reading

Let’s face it – we are prisoners of our own emotional package.  Some of these emotions are visible and some are not; some are more pronounced in certain individuals, and some are barely noticeable in others, but the fact remains… Continue reading

Look around – they’re slowly, but surely coming back.  You know – the individuals who found their mission as a cook – they have been tucked away since March of 2020 waiting for an opportunity to open that knife roll… Continue reading

Well, I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures.  If there is stability in the restaurant business – I’m not quite sure where it is.  With a real need to try and make-up for a lost year and an overnight… Continue reading

By now, everyone is aware that there are enormous challenges with the supply chain – brought on by the pandemic and post pandemic rush to return to normal.  It is another perfect storm of realities that seem to have brought… Continue reading

Maybe this is simply way out there and not of interest to anyone but me, but here it goes.  Where do we fit in the big scheme of things?  Seriously – have you ever given thought to this question?  Look… Continue reading

Over the past few decades, I have been asked to design a number of kitchens for restaurants and banquet spaces – a task that I thoroughly enjoy.  Owners and operators will typically shake their heads at initial designs holding their… Continue reading

I spend a considerable amount of time writing about how important it is to be a cook and a chef and my observations of those who fit those titles.  It is important to me and to millions of others around… Continue reading

Anthony Bourdain once inferred that cooking is one of the most personal things you can do for another human being.  This statement allowed me to think deeply about the significance of this process that we do day in and day… Continue reading

Words are powerful, stories even more so.  They can make us aware, lift us up, change our minds, give us hope, shock us into a new way of thinking, give us pause, inspire us, right the ship, record our memories,… Continue reading

Success doesn’t happen on its own – you make it happen.  Yes, as a cook you may wonder when great things will come your way and the answer is – probably never.  You need to seek out the opportunities and… Continue reading

Nowadays a question I am often asked is: “Why is it so difficult to understand cooks and chefs?”  The answer, quite simply, is – you can’t understand a cook unless you are or have been one.  That may seem like… Continue reading

Being a chef is a tough job, no matter where a person hangs his or her apron.  The physical, mental, and emotional challenges are significant, and the dedication and passion required are as pronounced as one might find in any… Continue reading

I find it so interesting that the concept of “line cook” is an immersion in contradiction.  When I look a bit deeper into the persona of individuals who choose this career path, I am a bit confused.  The typical person… Continue reading

Most of us will remember those opening lines to Charles Dickens: Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it… Continue reading