Latest Posts
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A CHEF’S MOMENT
It was one of those rare moments at the end of service, nothing pressing on your desk, menus were done, inventories posted, schedules made, and another service in the hopper. This was a moment of peace and relative quiet. The… Continue reading
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BE EXCELLENT
I have been thinking a lot about the word excellence, what it means, how it applies to each of us, and the impact that it has on everything. It is unfair and limiting to believe that excellence indirectly aligns with… Continue reading
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CHEF – SHOULD YOUR BELIEFS COUNT?
It is an important question that some of us wrestle with while others may simply shrug their shoulders. We are in the business of service and in service to the business. To your employer, the financial success of the business… Continue reading
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CARPE DIEM, COOKS
Seize the day! Ah…” when opportunity knocks, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket, in basketball or hockey you’ll miss every shot you don’t take, if you aren’t going all the way, why go at all,”… Continue reading
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THE 21 KITCHEN RULES FOR EVERY CHEF TO FOLLOW
Nearly nine years ago, during the first twelve months of Harvest America Cues blog, one of my articles went viral attracting almost 40,000 views in one day. The article struck a nerve with its focus on A Cook’s Kitchen Laws.… Continue reading
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ARE INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS PRICING THEMSELVES OUT OF THE MARKET?
Recent data published by USA Today suggests that the average upper middle-class couple spends around $200 per week on groceries. That’s 21 meals for two people over seven days. From my experience, it is difficult to experience a dinner for… Continue reading
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COOKS – TRUST IN THE PROCESS
Do you know what it’s like to see a car barreling down on you with reckless abandon? Maybe the driver is distracted with a cell phone, engaged in a discussion with a passenger, or simply spacing out – but regardless… Continue reading
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RESTAURANTS – DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF LAST IMPRESSIONS
It’s the fourth quarter, your team has played a great game so far, there’s 13 seconds left on the clock and you’re ahead by three. The game is in your hands, so everyone lets their guard down a bit at… Continue reading
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THE TOURIST TOWN RESTAURANT
So, you’re the chef or a cook at a hot spot tourism destination restaurant. You know, the type of place that is crazy busy for five -six months a year, people line up out the door, vendors try to find… Continue reading
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DEFINE, TEACH, AND LIVE YOUR RESTAURANT’S MISSION
Ahh…the mission statement. Every marketer insists that a company have a clear mission statement that is designed to give direction to a company and clearly articulate to the customer and employee, what the company stands for. Like so many strategic… Continue reading
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PROUDLY SIGN THAT PLATE
This is a plea to those who work tirelessly in restaurant kitchens, the chefs who are paid to lead those operations, and the owners who depend on raving fans and some semblance of profitability. Please, please, look at what you… Continue reading
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IT’S YOUR MOVE
I have been thinking about the meaning of competition since the Olympics came to a close. Depending on the context, competition can be friendly and engaging, or brutal and combative. It can be something that inspires and pulls people together… Continue reading
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THE JOY OF COOKING
It often starts in the home – that interest in food and cooking. It may have been a mother, grandmother, or aunt, maybe a father or grandfather; it could have been a particular event or maybe a specific signature dish… Continue reading
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PLAYING WITH FIRE
It is fire that defines what cooking is all about; fire that draws young cooks to the kitchen; fire that inspires chefs to create; fire that fuels the adrenaline in kitchens, and fire that is there for every cook to… Continue reading
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THIS IS YOUR MOMENT
I try not to focus on the negative – there is so much in life that is positive and that is where we should concentrate our efforts. Even Frank Zappa, the brilliant, oftentimes extravagant and a bit unhinged musician, said… Continue reading
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COOK WHO YOU ARE
Like so many other art forms: painting, photography, music, or writing – cooking is an expression of who you are. In all art we express what we feel, how we think, and what we have experienced. Traditions, ethnicity, deep seated… Continue reading
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MEASUREMENT BY MISE EN PLACE
You can assess the quality of an operation and the effectiveness of a chef to lead a team within the first minutes of walking into a kitchen. It can be done without tasting food or even seeing a single plate… Continue reading
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JUST DON’T KNOW OR JUST DON’T CARE
It’s a disease that seems to creep into the mainstream; a disease that can be kept in check if there is a desire to do so; a disease, in other words, within our ability to thwart. This disease is highly… Continue reading
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CHEFS – BE A ROLE MODEL
Finding your purpose, making a difference, and creating your legacy are underlying goals that every chef seems to hold close. How important is this and in the big scheme of things, does it really matter? We invest so much time… Continue reading
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“SHELTER ME, I WILL SHELTER YOU”
So many times, throughout my life in the kitchen, I would watch in wonder at the patchwork of honest, fragile, determined, sociopathic, caring, hardworking, sensitive, brutal misfits (I mean that in the best way) people who tie on an apron… Continue reading
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THE CHEF’S SECRET INGREDIENT – CONTEXT
Memorable food, exceptional experiences, a perfect evening…these are the types of reviews that every chef hopes for and every restaurant strives for. Is it possible to set the stage for these reactions? What would it take for guests to rave… Continue reading
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STEPPING INTO PROFESSIONALISM
There are kitchens and there are kitchens. Painting the environment that surrounds cooking with the same brush is unfair and quite inaccurate; yet many do. Those operations that resemble the caldrons of hell filled with arrogance, bullying, unprofessional behavior, and… Continue reading
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SUMMER IS PURE TORTURE FOR COOKS
Since we were able to walk – summer has represented a time of freedom, fun, blue skies, dipping our feet in the ocean or a neighbor’s pool, and great music to sooth the soul. Well, if your career path focused… Continue reading
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ODE TO A CULINARY GRADUATE
To every graduate of a culinary program – the world is now your oyster. You are in control so don’t waste the opportunity to be someone special, to make a difference, to find happiness and fulfillment, and build a future… Continue reading
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CHEFS – MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIP WITH INGREDIENTS
Is our profession becoming a victim of circumstances? There is a deeper price to pay when looming issues like the labor shortage, rising costs of operation, an eroding passion for careers in the kitchen, and diminishing profits haunt our everyday… Continue reading
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YOUNG COOKS – CREATE YOUR FUTURE
How eager are you to reach that position of chef? Are you hungry enough to do what you need to do, to build a plan and stick with it? Are you serious about cooking, creating, coaching a team, and contributing… Continue reading
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THE LINE COOK’S DANCE
I vividly remember being 10 years old, standing outside a diner window in downtown Buffalo, New York with my mother as I stared in amazement of the short order cook in full display. I only recall snippets of experiences from… Continue reading
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THE CRAFT OF COOKING
Talent is a word that inspires some and scares away many more. The word artist falls into the same category. In both cases there is an assumption that you either have it or you don’t, that talent and artistic ability… Continue reading
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WHAT WOULD ESCOFFIER SAY
It’s been 89 years since Escoffier stood in front of a range for the last time, yet his presence is still felt by professional cooks and chefs. One could claim, and rightfully so, that he had the greatest influence on… Continue reading
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THE BREAD BAKER’S LIFE
It’s 2 a.m. and you’re wide awake knowing that in sixty more minutes your workday begins. It’s been this way, your routine, for more than a dozen years now. The sun won’t even break the horizon for a few more… Continue reading
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