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WHY CULINARY PROGRAMS FAIL

15 Monday Mar 2021

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There has never been a more important time for culinary schools than right now.  Sure, I know how much the restaurant/foodservice industry is suffering and how many operations are shutting their doors as a result of avoiding decades of challenges brought to a head by the pandemic, but believe me when I say that this will change.  Everything will change for the better if we (the food industry and the culinary schools that provide the talent) change as a collective group.

 Just as the restaurant industry evolves, so too must the industry of education.  When this change does not occur then the strong shall survive and the weak shall perish.  There are ample examples of culinary school failure over the past ten years with the lion’s share since 2016.  If you understand that one way to avoid failure is to know why others wave the white flag, then a course might be set to do just the opposite: succeed.

So here are my 20 observations pertaining to why culinary schools fail:

  1. ENROLLMENT DEPENDENCE/ENROLLMENT DECLINE

All culinary schools are businesses as well as altruistic institutions for the betterment of mankind.  This means that the top line drives the bottom line (more students equals the ability to continue providing their products and services).  When enrollment declines then colleges must make decisions to trim services, increase class sizes, eliminate content, reduce investment in supplies, or shut their doors.  Programs need to either find ways to stabilize enrollment or come up with some other source of funding to support their efforts.  When schools seek to solve the challenge by lowering standards to attract a broader base of incoming students then the entire system begins to crumble.

  • LACK OF COHESIVE MISSION

What is the program’s purpose?  What are they trying to accomplish and what are the standards that they insist living by?  How will they measure their success as aligned with these standards or objectives?  If this is not clear then the organization is left without direction – a surefire way to fail.

  • LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE BUSINESSES THEY SERVE

Do you really connect with restaurants, hotels, resorts, food manufacturers, retail, food research and development and other groups to make sure that your program is in line with their needs?  If not, how will you be able to create a clear career path for your graduates?  The businesses that will hire your students need to be vested in your effort – this is how success is defined.

  • STUBORN ADHERENCE TO THE WAY IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN DONE

When program administrators and faculty believe that they have all of the answers, when they design a culinary program to match the way that they learned or the way that everyone else delivers a culinary education – then those stakeholders are missing out on the natural evolution of the craft and the people who are inclined to seek a place in the system.  What the industry needs today is different than a few years ago and the young people entering the trade are different in the way they learn and what their priorities might be.

  • POORLY DEFINED BRAND

Who are you?  How do potential students, businesses, the community, current students, faculty members, and program alumni perceive your program?  Perceptions become reality and how you support these perceptions defines your brand.  Make sure that it is clear and positive.

  • LACK OF REALISM

Is what you are teaching real?  If you teach in a live restaurant environment on your campus is it operated with five times as many cooks in training as would be possible in a real restaurant?  If so, what are students learning about cost effectiveness, efficiency, speed, and effective menu execution?  How will they be able to function when faced with that first job?  If your teaching kitchens are filled with every cool piece of kitchen equipment on the market how will graduates function in a real kitchen when there are not limitless supplies of combi-ovens, sheet pans, Robot Coupes, Vitamix blenders, and sous vide circulators?  Until students realize that the one kitchen Robot Coupe must be shared by the entire crew – they will never learn how to communicate and work as a team.

  • LACK OF AWARENESS ON THE PART OF FACULTY

A chef instructor’s learning curve does not end when they accept the job.  Yes, even faculty members need to continue to engage in the learning process.  Volunteer for a stage at a great local restaurant, take an occasional sabbatical to re-enter the industry, attend conferences and workshops, take a class on a new method of preparation, and belong to professional organizations.  You can’t teach what you don’t know.

  • NOT ABLE TO TEACH A SENSE OF URGENCY

One thing that I hear constantly from chefs who are asked about their opinions of culinary school graduates is that young cooks do not understand “sense of urgency”.  They must be able to multi-task and complete work at the highest level of quality with speed and dexterity.  When there are 100 reservations on the books – you don’t have the luxury of spending three hours to turn six-dozen potatoes.  No matter what – you need to be ready!

  • LACK OF REPETITION

How do you get better at any task in the kitchen: knife skills, making stocks, filleting fish, trimming beef tenders, shocking oysters, or peeling shrimp?  The answer is simple:  you invest the time in doing the task over, and over, and over again.  When a program spends two days on teaching classic sauces – the student will never become competent at making any of them.  When a stock is something that you do in week number four of Foundations of Cooking, then you will never be confident and competent at making stocks.  Exposure is nice – repetition is how we really learn.

  1. UNWILLING TO REALLY STRESS THE FOUNDATIONS

The foundations are only relevant if they become habits.  A recipe that takes two pages of dialogue to explain how to braise a veal shank does not make a cook a master of braising.  When we stress methods and practice them constantly then they become habits and all that a recipe need do is direct the cook to “braise”.  Everything else is imbedded in a cook’s subconscious.

  1. INABILITY TO TEACH STUDENTS TO THINK

What drive chefs crazy are the foolish questions that abound when cooks are not taught to think things through.  Give a young cook a list of six tasks to perform in a shift and watch to see how many will prioritize those tasks by the amount of effort required and the time involved in their completion.  Ask a student to follow a recipe and watch to see how well they think through the organization of their workstation to accomplish the task.  Think before you act – this is what builds confidence and ability.

  1. INABILITY TO TEACH STUDENTS TO PROBLEM SOLVE

What happens when an emulsion breaks?  How can it be fixed?  What can be done if a particular ingredient fails to arrive in time – can it be replaced with something else?  How will you act if one of your fellow cooks fails to show up to work – do you just ignore his scheduled work or do you accommodate that into your production?  Your sauté pans are sticking – do you wait for someone to walk you through the process of polishing those pans, do you ask the chef to solve the problem for you, or do you take the initiative to make it work?

  1. LACK OF DISCIPLINE

What are the most primal expectations that a chef has of any cook?  Most would say: show up, be prepared, listen, work well with others, work fast and efficiently, and work to the standards of excellence that are established for the business.  These are disciplines that rank very high on an employers list, yet do we adequately emphasize them in our programs?

  1. INABILITY TO TEACH TEAMWORK

Our students will more often than not – seek to earn the best grades for their individual work.  When we set the stage for students to strive for that grade we oftentimes lose sight of the fact that individual effort on the job will always pale in comparison to the team effort.  It is much more difficult to learn to depend on others and support them than it is to put forth the best individual effort.  Cooking is a team sport!

  1. LACK OF COST CONSCIOUSNESS

Restaurants are businesses that operate on profit measured in pennies.  Every product that a student handles in class should carry a price tag.  What are the raw costs of the materials, what is the production costs associated with seasoning, oils, flour for dredging, etc.  What would it cost, from a labor perspective, to produce that dish and what selling price would need to be attached to maintain a reasonable profit?  Aside from taste and appearance – this is what we should be teaching.

  1. A POORLY DEFINED OVERALL EXPERIENCE

Are you building in experiences that complement the learning curve?  When you talk about the beautiful raw materials that a cook is able to use in restaurants – the meaning of that becomes much more vivid if it is accompanied by a visit to a farm, dockside fishing vessel, cattle ranch, or cheese making facility.  This is an essential part of learning in schools that have “success” as part of their vocabulary.

  1. NOT COMMITTED TO THE LONG HAUL

Schools that put a timeline on an education are missing the chance to embellish their brand and help support a graduate through the stages of his or her career.  Developing and presenting ways of enhancing their degree through continuing education, on-line resources, short training videos, and other communication pieces such as blogs and a resource center that students might contact once they graduate is a great way to become a partner in student success.

  1. LACK OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY

Developing internships and externships that are measureable, training chefs how to continue a student’s education while on a work program, inviting chefs and restaurateurs to visit the campus, speak with students, work alongside them in classes, or present a demo will build partner relationships that are bonding. 

  1. INABILITY TO EXPLAIN VALUE

When a guest leaves a restaurant and is most concerned with how much the meal cost – then the restaurant has failed to demonstrate value.  When a student graduates from a culinary program and spends years complaining about the cost of his or her education – then the school has failed to demonstrate value.  Know what it is that you uniquely offer to justify the investment of money and time.

  • NOT PREPARED TO BE A COMPLETE RESOURCE FOR INDUSTRY

Finally, schools will have a difficult time succeeding if they do not find ways to support the needs of the businesses that hire graduates.  This might mean simply serving as an information resource, offering refresher courses for their employees, or even providing consulting services that will help food businesses survive the ups and downs of serving the public.

Those schools that “get it” will find that the years ahead will be very bright and students, employers, and alumni will want to connect with them and become a part of their success.

PLAN BETTER –TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericacues.com  BLOG

CAFÉ Talks Podcast

https://cafemeetingplace.com/cafe-podcasts

A CHEF’S MANIFESTO – 2021

25 Thursday Feb 2021

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An exercise that I have found to be really helpful is to occasionally state/re-state what you believe in as a chef.  Every now and then this can serve as a “checks and balance” activity to keep you on the right path and assess where and why you might have strayed from those “stakes in the ground” that are important to your core.  This is also a great comparative process to use when seeking a new career opportunity – a chance to note if taking a different position aligns with your beliefs or if it causes you to compromise.  I would encourage you to think about this and take the time to write down your beliefs as a “manifesto” and then use it as a guide moving forward.

Here is my manifesto as a chef.  Full disclosure – I have drifted from these beliefs at times and have generally regretted doing so. 

[]         RESPECT:

All people are different – they bring their own set of baggage to work and to life.  They may not agree with you or you may not agree with them but they deserve to be treated with respect as human beings.  You can disagree, even disagree strongly, but they deserve the opportunity to look you in the eye and know that you do not feel superior because of that disagreement. 

Respect for the place where you work, those who own and operate the business and the physical property for which you are responsible is paramount.  Just as is the case with the first paragraph – even though you may not agree with the actions of the business or those in charge – you should always respect that you work for them.  You can disagree, take a stand, make your point, continue to have a unique opinion, but in the end – it is their business.  If this violates your manifesto of beliefs and cannot be altered then look for another place to work – do not slip from your commitment to respect.

[]         COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE:

Anything worth doing is worth doing well; in fact it is worth doing at a level that lives up to your potential.  Whether the task is washing pots, cutting vegetables, or setting up the most intricate plate presentation – that commitment to excellence should prevail.  Writing a memo?  Do it with excellence in mind.  Preparing a menu?  Excellence is the standard that you must follow.  If you are taking inventory on a Sunday night – approach it as if it is the most important task imaginable.

Excellence should never be a goal for which you strive – excellence is a habit that is impossible to break.

[]         FAIRNESS:

There will always be decisions that you will need to make as a chef; decisions that impact people (as most decisions will) – decisions that will not sit well with some.  Such is life and as hard as those decisions might be – just make sure that those who are impacted are treated fairly and justly. 

If you are in a position to reward performance – make sure you are fair in how you decide to reward.  If you need to punish for actions taken, make sure that you are equitable in your approach so that it is not perceived that you play favorites.  In general, people can accept your decisions, but they cannot accept them if they are done with bias.

[]         EMPATHY:

Remember, everyone has baggage that they carry with him or her to work.  The old adage: “When you come to work – leave your personal problems at home” is simply not feasible.  As the chef you are charged with helping your employees give a good days work for a good days pay, but to do that effectively you must understand the environmental factors that impact this work.  This does not mean that you should expect anything less that good work, but you should always try to understand what might be getting in the way. 

On occasion you may need to make adjustments so that an employee can work through their challenges (schedule adjustment, change assignments, send them home, offer advice, refer them to someone who might help, etc.).  Employees that know that you care are always more determined to try their best and less willing to disappoint you or their co-workers.

[]         TRUST:

Trust is something that goes both ways.  If you expect your employees and co-workers to trust you and the decisions that you make then it is imperative that you trust them first.  If employees are properly trained to perform a task then you need to trust them to do it.  Some refer to this as delegation, but behind delegation of duties must lay a willingness to trust.  Trust that is given leads to trust that is gained.

The irony of trust is that it is rarely given without experience and it is quickly lost when violated even once.  Be consistent with your approach towards people and situations so that others can predict and depend on how you will act.

[]         TRANSPARENCY:

When you hide things from employees and/or co-workers then trust will quickly erode.  Obviously, there are some things that are beyond the purview of others, but make it clear when that is the case.  In fact, wherever possible try to share more than people would expect.  You will be surprised at how much they appreciate it.

If you have a need to better control costs then begin by sharing figures and challenges with your staff.  Let them know about sales, food cost, labor cost, changes in vendor prices, increases in utilities, mortgage or lease arrangements, and how profitable or unprofitable the restaurant is.  What will often be surprising is that your staff members will have great ideas on how to save money and increase sales.  Bring them into the fold and they will rise to the occasion and feel ownership for the challenges as much as you do.

[]         LISTEN:

Sometimes it is far more important to listen than to talk.  As the saying goes – the best leaders listen more and talk less.  Don’t pre-judge a situation until you have heard all sides.  Don’t approach a challenge with a predetermined conclusion or action without inquiring into all of the factors involved.

Give your employees a forum for expressing their opinions, observations, and ideas.  This can be regularly scheduled staff meetings, 10 minute post shift wrap-up sessions, or an open door policy where they feel comfortable approaching you one-on-one.  Even if you don’t act or even agree – the fact that you were willing to listen is a big step in the right direction.

[]         STAY TRUE TO THE FOUNDATIONS:

You started out as a cook and did so because you focused on learning the right approach toward cooking.  The right way to hold a knife and cut vegetables, the right way to fabricate meats and fish, the right way to organize the kitchen and a work station, the right way to apply basic cooking methods, the right way to prepare a stock or a soup, the right way to purchase and control the quality of ingredients, etc.  Don’t ever lose sight of this in favor of short cuts that might interfere with quality or a consistent end result.  “If you don’t have the time to do it right the first time, when will you find the time to do it over?”

[]         QUALITY and VALUE:

These two factors are inseparable.  Quality is what built your reputation and quality is what will help to keep it.  Quality quickly becomes the expectation of all involved and reputation is built on it.  When quality is sacrificed then value is diminished and reputations with suffer.

Always remember that the reputation of the restaurant and the reputation of those who work there (including yourself) are based on everyone’s reliance on quality and value.  Once lost, a good reputation is hard to recover.

[]         THINK FIRST – THEN ACT:

There is a major difference between action and reaction.  The factor that gets in the way of good decisions is the emotion that you allow in.  Reaction is poisoned by fear, anger, hate, revenge, and misunderstanding.  Take a moment, breathe deep, and ask why did something happen that requires action, who was responsible, what is an appropriate action, and how should it be implemented and relayed to others.  It is that brief moment of reflection that will make all the difference in how successful you action is.

[]         PLANNING TO ELIMINATE MISTAKES:

Mistakes, more often than not, are avoidable if you take the time to plan.  Murphy’s Law is always applicable:  “If something can go wrong, it probably will”.  Your role as a chef is to think ahead, to run through scenarios that might occur, to take the time to organize thoughts and build a strategy, and then to implement all of that in an effort to eliminate the need to deal with challenges or minimize the impact of those challenges. 

Ironically, there are rarely decisions made that do not impact others.  Reaction without planning will uncover numerous other challenges that you failed to think through.  Take the time to plan.

[]         OWN IT:

Everyone makes mistakes – this is inevitable.  In fact, many people believe that the best overall decisions come from lessons learned from failure.  Failure weighs heavy on those who realize their mistakes, but even heavier on those who fail to take responsibility.  Co-workers, employees, and even customers will forgive your mistakes if you admit them and then work like hell to make sure the same mistakes are not made in the future.  You screwed up – so what!  Own it, ask for help, and learn how to recover.

[]         IF YOU ARE NOT SERVING THE GUEST DIRECTLY THEN SERVE THOSE WHO ARE:

As a chef your plate is always full.  You can’t be everywhere thus you must rely on others to step up and “do their job”.  Ultimately, it is the guest who must walk away satisfied, and hopefully impressed.  You can’t order, organize, plan, cook the food, plate the dishes, and deliver everything to a waiting guest – so one of your primary tasks must be to properly train and provide the necessary tools for others in your organization to attend to the details and bring about customer satisfaction.  “What do you need, what can I do, and where can I be to best support you” goes a long way toward achieving those goals.

[]         KEEP IT ORGANIZED:

Mise en place goes way beyond your personal work area.  As a chef it is imperative that you set the tone by creating an organized kitchen – everything has a place and everything is in its place” is a theme that sets the stage for success.

[]         LOOK THE PART, ACT THE PART:

Finally, a chef must always stand out as the example for others.  A clean pressed uniform, an organized office, a person who carries himself or herself as a consummate professional, a person who acts in a manner that is beyond reproach, a person who is consistent in how situations are handled, and a person who makes sure that everyone is treated fairly and respectfully is a model for others to emulate.  Be that person.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com  BLOG

CAFÉ Talks Podcast

https://cafemeetingplace.com/cafe-podcasts

THE KITCHEN MAGIC OF CHEF PHIL LEARNED

12 Tuesday Jan 2021

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Our industry recently lost a giant of the professional kitchen.  Chef Phil Learned stood tall in the kitchen of The Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, NH.  In its day, the Balsams was one of the finest destination resorts in the country – a place of elegant relaxation, beautiful surroundings, and most notably – exceptional food.  This place tucked away in the hills of the northeast represented the epitome of culinary arts in their American Plan dining room.  A stay at the Balsams included all meals – each one representative of the dining style that had a long history of classic representation.

The kitchen of the Balsams was expansive and structured in the manner of Escoffier.  A separate pastry shop with Patissier and Boulanger, a Garde Manger department where elaborate platters of charcuterie, cheeses, fruit and crudité were built to complete elaborate buffet presentations; a butcher shop that broke down primal and sub primal cuts of meat and filleted the fresh fish that came from Portland, Gloucester and Boston; simmering stocks and reducing sauces from the prep kitchen; and of course a hot line that was built for speed and volume with quality always front and center. 

The menu changed every night within a cycle with a full array of appetizer, salad, entrée and dessert choices for an audience that was likely staying at the hotel for a week or more at a time (many of the patrons were second or third generation Balsam’s guests) since a stay at the “Notch” was a family right of passage.  Each line cook during service had one dish to prepare completely.  Guests would make their selection, servers would drop off a plate cover to a cook’s station, and then the final preparation and plating would begin.  Counts were tallied throughout the night and the chef/expeditor would keep everyone apprised as to how many guests had been served and how many registered guests remained.  Service was swift and efficient as the 300-400 patrons were acknowledged at each meal.

What was most impressive to me was the work leading up to service.  From purchasing to plating there was a commitment to communication and doing your job well.  Professionalism was expected from the starched chef uniforms that were maintained by the on-site laundry, the cleaning regiment that everyone participated in, the adherence to classical techniques, and the respect that was shown everyone who became part of the team.

Prior to the beginning of service each cook had to prepare two sample plating’s of his or her respective dish.  One was set for the department chefs to evaluate before service, making any last minute adjustments to the flavor profile and presentation; and the other would grace the show table in the dining room.  This way, every guest who entered the dining room was able to see every menu item as they made their menu decision.

Those last few moments before the dining room doors were opened saw every member of the service staff around the show table as chefs went over the preparation, ingredients, and flavors of each dish.  It was important for service staff to know the menu and be that seasoned resource for guest questions.  This ritual was so important to the Balsam’s Experience.

At the core of the kitchen team were highly professional, accomplished chefs and a cadre of enthusiastic apprentices.  The Balsams was one of the premier formal cook’s apprenticeship sites in the country.  Supported by the American Culinary Federation, this highly structured 6,000-hour program was the passion of Phil Learned.  He was always an ambassador for passing it forward – for making sure that what he had learned throughout his career, was given with enthusiasm to any who were committed and enthusiastic recipients. 

Over the years a significant number of young cooks got their start in the Balsam’s kitchen as an ACF Apprentice.  A number of those individuals went on to hold the top position in restaurant, hotel, resort, and club kitchens as well as those who went on to become entrepreneurs.  It was easy to recognize a Balsam’s cook in their spotless, starched chef coats and professional decorum.  “Yes Chef” was the typical response to any directive that was made in Chef Learned’s kitchen.  After two tours in the military (WWII with the Marines and Korea as a member of the Army) Chef Phil worked his way up to his first chef position at the Balsam’s in 1966.  He served as Executive Chef (the first chef to be certified at that level in the State of New Hampshire) until 1977 when he became the Director of Food Services where he stayed until 2005.

Since many of the employees at the resort were apprentices or interns from other schools – a significant portion of staff members lived on property during their season.  This led to a sense of team and loads of positive camaraderie.  Chef Learned, cognizant of the importance of professionalism and team dynamics always made sure that staff meals were of the highest quality and a priority of the kitchen.  He also instilled a commitment to the basics of cooking.  Stocks were made as they were intended, knife skills were to be exact, sauces were defined by their history, caramelization in cooking was paramount, the right pan for the right task, and mise en place ruled the day.

Chef Phil will be missed, but his legacy will live on – a legacy of giving back, of teaching the next generation, of insisting on standards of excellence, setting the stage in kitchens for professional conduct, and customer service above all else.  I feel fortunate to have known Chef Learned and to call him a friend.  Working with many of his exceptional leadership team:  Charles Carroll, Steve James, Will Beriau, Torill Carroll, Steve Learned, Jennifer Beach, and John Carroll – I built a new level of commitment to my own work as did every young cook who passed through those kitchen doors.

Rest in Peace Chef!

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericacues.com  BLOG

CAFÉ Talks Podcast

https://cafetalks.libsyn.com/

THE 2021 CHEF SKILL SET

08 Friday Jan 2021

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It is always safe to say: “things change”.  Change is an inevitable part of life and as we all know if we fail to recognize that and adapt – we can become obsolete.  Throughout history there are countless examples of those who ignore or seem paralyzed by the need to change as their industries or specific job descriptions evolve.  This is reality, a reality that is quite predictable although the pace of change is now much more rapid than in the past.  Think about the technology sector as a prime example.

Sometimes the change curve can be mapped out allowing ample time to gear up with new skills, new products, new methods of production, and a laser focused marketing strategy, while on occasion, something environmental takes place that forces a more immediate response.  Such is the case in 2021. 

We all knew that the restaurant industry was in need of a structural overhaul, we (those of us affiliated with the business) were well aware of the cogs in the chain, and the years of rust that had accumulated on systems and organization, but it took the pandemic of 2020/21 to shout out: THE TIME IS NOW!

So here is the good news:  there will be ample opportunities in 2021 and beyond for chefs, cooks, managers, and service staff who recognize the immediacy of the challenge and the new skill set that will be required of successful players and leaders in the field.  Let’s take the position of chef as a prime example – here is a list of skills and aptitudes that will set todays and tomorrows chef apart from those who are in a state of change paralysis:

[]         EFFICIENCY

Doing more with less will be the name of the game.  The labor-intensive environments that have been typical in kitchens are nearly impossible to maintain.  Chefs who are able to develop systems of production that work with fewer people will find a gold star on their resume.

[]         STREAMLINED MENU PLANNING

To go along with efficiency – the new chef will need to find ways to develop creative menus that rely on fewer ingredients, are fluid enough to change as the market demands, cost effective, aligned with seasonal ingredients at their peak of quality, and just as exciting for customers and cooks as those expansive models used prior to 2021.

[]         ANALYSIS

Chefs who are able to generate, assess, and use analytical data in their decision-making (menu trends, cost trends, daily labor analysis, market prices, etc.) will have the upper hand when it comes to securing those prime job opportunities.

[]         SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY

Marketing no longer belongs to a department – marketing is every person’s responsibility.  With the increasing relevance of social media as the primary method of getting a restaurants message out – chefs who are social media savvy (astute at using Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, and Twitter) will be at the top of the “hire” list for prominent restaurants.

[]         TEACHING/TRAINING

Of course chefs have always been trainers, but be aware that this will now become a “must schedule” part of their job.  Chef’s who are able to progressively teach cooks and even service staff about the ingredient, preparations, flavor profiles, pairings, and presentations of the food that is designed and produced in the kitchen will be in high demand.  With all of the challenges that culinary schools are also facing in this changing business environment, restaurants cannot depend on graduates as their primary source of trained cooks.

[]         LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT

Assuming that after the pandemic customers will return to a semi-predictable pattern of traveling to your restaurant is a bit naïve.  Chefs who are experienced in multiple ways of connecting customers with their food (catering, food trucks, pop-up restaurants, delivery, take out pick-up, etc.) will find themselves in the winner’s circle.

[]         FLEXIBILITY

My way or the highway may be difficult to maintain as a chef’s method of operation.  Bending to the market, changing in an instant, adopting other people’s ideas, and seeking out new ways of preparing and presenting food will become the new norm.  Can you leave your old habits behind?

[]         SANITATION ADVOCATE

As important as sanitation and food safety is already, look for this to become the most important signature of a chef’s repertoire.  Ultra-clean and safe will be a very important way that a restaurant markets itself and the chef who has the tallest toque.

[]         LABOR LAW SAVVY

If you don’t have a restaurant law course in your background, now is the time to sign up.  In a world where the employee will continue to have an upper hand, owners will want a chef on board who will protect them against litigation, not one who creates litigious situations.

[]         HR ROLE MODEL

How the parent acts is how the child will also act.  The same holds true in a kitchen: how the chef acts will become the standard of operation for everyone else.  Throw out all of the stereotypes of belligerent, egotistical, pan throwing, demeaning chefs – they can no longer exist.  If this is your M.O. then it’s time to retire.

[]         SUPPLY CHAIN NEGOTIATOR

Everything, every service, every price, every vendor relationship is negotiable –especially when it comes to buying local and regional.  Picking up the phone to place an order without talking about those details and negotiating the best option for the restaurant is not acceptable in the new restaurant world.  A negotiation savvy chef will win the day.

[]         IDEATOR/PROBLEM SOLVER

Finally, more than ever before the restaurant will look to the chef for new ideas and solutions to problems.  A 2021 chef must be the go-to person for that next great idea and must have the experience and confidence to find instant resolutions to the plethora of challenges that arise every day in a kitchen and restaurant.

In case you didn’t notice – I failed to mention anything about cooking skills – the act that attracted a person to the kitchen in the first place.  It will always be assumed that the chef in any operation has impeccable cooking skills, understands ingredients, is a master of preparation and presentation, and owns a palate for creating flavors that draws a steady flow of customers through the restaurants doors.

This is quite the package. How does your bag of tricks fit the profile?

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com  BLOG

CAFÉ Talks Podcast

https://cafetalks.libsyn.com/

COOKS: A CALL TO ARMS – DON’T SETTLE!

10 Tuesday Mar 2020

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me

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 the proponents of indifference and it is those who I hope to speak to through this article. The cheerleaders know what is before them and have embraced their calling with all of its opportunity and challenge. The angry cook will tend to remain so and for the most part he or she will point fingers at others and seek out blame for their situation. Of course there are reasons that are out of the individual’s control and challenges in the industry that seem to lack adequate attention from the decision-makers, however, some seem to find comfort in pointing this out and ignoring their role in making a change.

My answer to all, but especially those in the middle who appear to be indifferent and accepting of a lackluster fate, is: DON’T SETTLE! Grab on to opportunity, make your own opportunity, and by all means be part of the solution to challenges rather than accepting of a fate that does not inspire. So – this is a call to arms (not weapons), a moment to stand on a soap box and shout: DON’T SETTLE!

The Beatles in the landmark album: Rubber Soul wrote of the Nowhere Man:

“Doesn’t have a point of view
Knows not where he’s going to
Isn’t he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere man please listen
You don’t know what you’re missing
Nowhere man, the world is at your command”

As a cook the world is at your command. Opportunities are present, but lack meaning if no one grabs and owns them. This is profound and true. No person is held back unless he or she chooses to be held back. This may sound harsh, and there will be those who argue my point with loads of examples of roadblocks that have been laid in their paths, but I stand true to the statement.

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To those who have become complacent in the kitchen, who punch a clock feeling that their primary goal is to get through the day, who have all but given up on moving forward with a career, I say: WAKE UP!

A CALL TO ARMS:

[]         ARM YOURSELF WITH AMBITION:

Elvis Presley once said: “Ambition is a dream with a V-8 engine.” It is drive that carries a person forward with a desire to work through any obstacles that take away his or her passion to reach a goal. This can be positive or negative, but to those who hold ambition as a tool with positive energy – ambition can make all the difference in success. You have to want it – to achieve it.

[]         ARM YOURSELF WITH A STRATEGY:

Ambition without a plan will fizzle out in frustration. What is your goal as a cook – to reach a certain position, to work at a particular restaurant, to make a specific statement with food, to make positive change in an industry, etc.? Define the end goal and build a step-by-step roadmap to reach that goal. Every day that you wake ask yourself: “Is what I am doing today helping me to reach that goal?” Build a plan and work the plan.

[]         ARM YOURSELF WITH VISION:

Reaching the goal is not always sufficient in the hearts and souls of successful people. What are you going to do with the success of reaching that goal? How are you going to leverage your success for personal, community, and even industry betterment?

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[]         ARM YOURSELF WITH SKILLS:

You know right now that to move towards that goal you will need to acquire, and in some cases – master, a new set of skills. Research and define what those skills are and establish a plan that will allow you to build them into your bag of tricks. It may mean volunteering, taking classes, attending workshops, working with other chefs, reading more, experimenting, and certainly lots of practice. Commit to it!

[]         ARM YOURSELF WITH DETERMINATION:

Stay the course. Don’t let small failures and disappointments along the way slow you down and stop your forward motion. YOU CAN GET TO WHERE YOU WANT TO GO – you are in the driver’s seat. If your current work situation makes it too difficult to stay the course – then look for another environment that is more supportive. The food industry today is crying for talented, energetic, committed people – if you have the drive there will be many terrific properties anxious to give you the opportunity.

[]         ARM YOURSELF WITH A NETWORK OF INFLUENCE:

The best opportunities come through those with whom you are associated. Build your network of friends and advocates who know you and trust that your commitment is unwavering. Pick and choose your team of influence with this in mind and be prepared to accept their advice. Be prepared to give back when they ask – receive/give is a win/win.

DON’T SETTLE is the process of never selling yourself short. When you start the day with I CAN, and I WILL instead of I can’t or I won’t, then countless doors will open. You will stumble, and there will be disappointment, but bounce back with two simple words: DON’T SETTLE.

“He’s a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody”

-Beatles

Be a somewhere man, an everywhere man, a man (or woman) who grabs those opportunities and stays the course until they come to fruition. Know this – there are countless opportunities in life and countless opportunities in the food business. Limitations are far too often – self-imposed. Don’t be an advocate for complacency, be an advocate for forward movement and a soldier for the kind of change that will keep those doors open.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

 

 

 

 

 

 

COOKS AND CHEFS – THINK ABOUT THE STORY BEHIND WHAT YOU SEE

04 Wednesday Mar 2020

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Some of you may be too young to know the band – The Moody Blues, but their lyrics always inspired me, especially during challenges that life occasionally brings. One such lyric asked us to view the story in peoples eyes – the truth behind the façade, the experiences, hopes, and dreams that lie behind a stoic or smiling face – to think beyond what seems to be common and sometimes misleading and find the story behind what you see. This applies to direct person-to-person contact as well as indirect contact through the things that they touch and create. When we pause for just a few seconds to try and understand the impact of those stories, then our perspective and our approach may change.

We are very fortunate – once we step away from the difficult nature of kitchen work and the demands that seem too often to be excessive, to work where we work, do what we do, and have the chance to interact with some damn interesting people. When we only see what is immediately in front of us then we can become jaded, pessimistic, and even angry at times. If we are not connected to the stories than our good fortune suddenly appears to be a burden.

It may seem unrealistic in such a high pressure, always changing, never predictable environment like a busy kitchen to say that it is important to pause and look for the story that lies behind everything, yet I am certain that you will find it rewarding, energizing, and helpful while you face todays challenges. It is the story that makes us who we are and it is the story that reflects the value that we bring.

I spend loads of time talking about the environment of the kitchen, and sometimes the plight of those who work in hounds-tooth pants and double-breasted white jackets, but not enough time revealing what might be behind that façade. We all talk about our passion for cooking and for creating interesting and flavorful plates of food, but not enough time about the struggles, hard work, and passion that go into the ingredients that make those dishes possible. Yet, to be a great cook or chef must mean more than dealing with what is simply in front of us – greatness comes from understanding the story in those eyes.

Painted in Waterlogue

What makes a person tick? Why are they the way they are? What brought them to this point or what holds them back?   What moves them and what haunts them? Once you know a person’s story you become part of it and as a result can impact their performance and their future. This is the core of what makes kitchen work so interesting and dynamic. This is what drives people to the profession and keeps them coming back for more.

Here is a sampling of some stories that I have grown to be a part of (names have been changed to protect their privacy):

  • DON THE BANQUET CHEF: On the surface Don seemed to be a wreck – physically unfit, a quiet alcoholic, crusty and void of any type of social decorum. But, he worked 80 hours a week, was always on time, could put together a function for 200 all by himself and could facilitate one for 1,200 like it was just another day at the office. To some chefs he was a person who should be fired, while to others he was an incredible asset. What made Don the person he was? What I learned painted an interesting picture: he had 10 kids (that’s right – 10), his mother-in-law also lived with his family and Don was the sole income earner. Don had the skills to be the chef in a property, but his life pressures, subsequent heavy drinking, and lack of care for his personal wellbeing kept that carrot out of his reach. He was overworked, stressed about home, angry about his career limitations, and unable to pull him out of bottle dependence – what we saw at work was a reflection of his environment. Once you understood his situation it was easy to at least find some empathy to override what was on the surface.

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  • PETE THE DISHWASHER: People tend to stereotype others based on what they see on the surface. In the case of Pete – he was a 45 year old, well-kept career dishwasher. While some might write him off as simply being lazy – I saw something else behind those eyes. Pete was very intelligent – in fact he would spend his break time reading the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Conversations with him were always enlightening when you realized that he had a grasp on the world at large. As it turns out Pete had a bachelor’s degree in business, but simply grew to have a lack of trust in those around him, so he retreated into a job that allowed him to push aside this mistrust and angst about society and just live his life. He was happy.

 

  • TERRY THE OCD LINE COOK: We all know that good line cooks are organized and structured, but Terry was obsessive about mise en place, his station, the steps that he took, and his observation of others who were not as focused. He was an exceptional cook with great taste buds, a passion for exact plate presentations, and a willingness to work those extra shifts and longer hours as long as no one messed with his system. He made some people uncomfortable with his exactness and critique, but they all seemed to admire the quality of his work. On the surface he seemed over the top, but when you understood that he came from a family of doctors and lawyers and his decision to become a cook did not sit too well with the rest of his kin, you began to see a person who was focused on being as precise as a doctor, and looked upon as successful as a lawyer. He was always working to make others proud of his choices. Look into those eyes and you will be intrigued by what you see.

 

  • JUAN THE ON AGAIN, OFF AGAIN CHEF: You have worked with others just like Juan – he had been employed by half the restaurants in town at some point. He always came on strong, oftentimes taking on a sous chef or chef role in a fast paced restaurant, and then would eventually start to falter and then wind up in front of the firing squad. Whenever a restaurant would hire him – others would roll their eyes – knowing what was coming all too soon. Juan had the right skills developed over a few decades of the school of hard knocks, but he never felt part of the pedigree. He came from the hood, was very streetwise, talked the language of the street and acted the part. Whenever he got close to breaking out of his environmental past he would revert back to his comfort zone and turn people off. When you got to know him it was easy to like him, even when he acted out of a scene from West Side Story. Juan wanted more for himself, but he always put on the brakes when he got too close. What Juan needed more than anything else was a mentor to help him over that hump.

 

  • SUE THE SINGLE MOM ENTREPRENEUR: There are far too few women chefs in properties across the country – something that Sue was all too well aware of. She wanted to break down those barriers. She was talented, smart, hard working, and creative yet constantly torn between parenthood and business. She became an entrepreneur and did a good job in this regard but lacked trust in her employees – especially male employees. She compensated by working more and delegating less. She wanted to give it her all and at the same time was stressed about her responsibilities as a single mom. The kitchen would often times experience meltdowns that were directly or indirectly related to her approach towards challenges. Employees would come and go because – on the surface Sue was just plain hard to work for. When you got to really know her you would discover a successful parent who never understood her desire to be a chef/owner and one who consistently criticized her for her style of parenting. She was always faced with this critique and her own self-criticism aligned with that. Once you looked past the façade there was a talented person who needed encouragement and guidance.

 

  • MARIO RETURNS HOME:   If you understand the Peter Principle you know that there is a core belief that even the best employees will eventually be promoted to their position of incompetence. Mario felt the weight of this reality. When I knew him he had been promoted to the position of Executive Chef at a large hotel property. He was still young, but what was most intriguing was that a dozen years prior he was a young line cook at this same hotel. He had moved on in the company to various other positions until the corporate office thought he was ready to take the reins. The challenge was that the employees of this hotel remembered him as a young upstart many years before and had a really hard time viewing him as the boss. He reacted, as a defense mechanism, by taking on the role of a hard nosed chef and insisting that everyone refer to him by title. His old time co-workers resisted by viewing him as a young kid with a big ego and rather than aligning with the new chefs directions, they did whatever they could to make the job even more difficult for him. When you looked into his eyes you would see a chef just trying to find a way to prove himself and avoid the Peter Principle.

 

  • STELLA THE ANGRY SOUS CHEF: Stella was quite a talent. She breezed through culinary school and outshone everyone else in her class. Her first position after graduation quickly bounced her from line cook to sous chef and then kitchen manager. She was organized, obsessive about how she wanted things done, hard working and willing to put in the hours. She demanded the same level of commitment from her coworkers and employees and as a result operated a swinging door for cooks that came and quickly left. She burned out all too soon and took a job at a corporate business account as a sous chef. The hours were better as were the pay and benefits, but the food was not the same. She worked hard to bring the food quality up and pushed her staff to take cooking seriously. Her temper would oftentimes rear up its ugly head as she lashed out at staff usually ending up as a human resource department meeting of the minds. Behind the crusty exterior was a person from a blue-collar family – she was the first to graduate from college, and the first to actually be in charge of a department. She wanted and needed to make her mark and felt that the best way to do so was to be strong and unbending. Although she was highly skilled at her craft, she was never mentored at being a leader. Look into her eyes and you will see a person who needs validation and just doesn’t know how to be the kind of leader that can find support rather than resistance.

Like most of you know from your own operations, these individuals became part of my story once I understood a bit more about theirs. What we see initially is not always the real truth. Taking the time to discover what is behind the façade is the only way to know how to act and react with others, and certainly the best way to learn how to serve as a supportive leader.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

COOKS – THE COMFORT OF HEAT, SWEAT, AND HARD-WORK

28 Tuesday Jan 2020

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Staring at the POS printer, waiting for those orders to start their tap dance building to a crescendo in an hour or so, clicking a pair of tongs by your side, shifting weight from one foot to the other, and beads of sweat beginning to roll down your back and collect under that scull cap that fits just a bit too tight – is this one of those moments when you begin to wonder what in the world you are doing?

Physical work is stressful and gratifying at the same time. Sweat and aching muscles is uncomfortable, yet somehow a sign of work worth doing. Building beautiful, flavorful, aroma filled, satisfying dishes for people every night is a result of this hard work, this sweat, and these aching muscles. These tangible works are also a result of an intelligent approach to a process, constant reference to flavor memory, and a level of mental and physical organization that is parallel to that of an architect, a pilot, or a surgeon – this is work that is far more complex that many give it credit for. There is also the emotional part – putting it all out there for others to critique leaving the cook wondering: “what did they think?” We sweat not just due to the heat, not simply because we are physically all in, but also because cooking is draining intellectually, emotionally, and even spiritually. Being a cook is complicated.

You know that those orders are coming – in just a few minutes that printer will push out that relentless sound of more orders than you think you can handle. This is the most stressful time – let’s get on with it! You remember a couple quotes that stick in your brain:

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”

-Stephen King

Ok, you can understand that for sure. You think that you have some talent as a cook, but you KNOW that you put in the effort and then some. You wonder: “Is there a difference between talent and hard work when you come down to it?” How many successful people do you know who work hard without talent? Maybe their talent is knowing what they don’t know and finding ways to get things done anyway. Anyway – soon enough those orders will fill that space in your brain that is wandering right now. Then there was that other quote:

“It’s not so much whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”

-Grantland Rice

Right….try telling that to the chef or the owner. You are part of a line team – there is no room for failure. If you fail, so will the rest of the team. One mistake can lead to chaos on a busy night. This is not the place or the time to learn from your mistakes – NO MISTAKES, NO MISTAKES! “Damn – let’s get these orders in before I start to over-think everything.”

Maybe, just maybe, this sweat and these aching muscles, maybe the nervous energy that is obvious from my dance of anticipation, maybe all of this is fuel for the job ahead. Stay calm, stay calm. I sure hope that my mise en place is tight enough. Did I mince enough shallots, clarify enough butter, flatten enough chicken breasts, and peel enough shrimp? Let me check those scallops again – did I clean them properly? Where are my backups on vegetables, extra bottles of white wine for deglazing? What is the temp on those sauces in the bain-marie? Let me draw my knives over that wet stone one more time – can’t afford a dull knife. You look to the expeditor and tell him to grab you a few more side towels – can never have too many.

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The sweat is starting to pool up on your back, feet are hurting from inactivity, and hands are cramping up from nerves. Come on with the orders already!   You stack and restack plates, move your pan handles a few degrees to the right, and fold and refold those side towels. You drop your tongs – CRAP! Run over to the pot sink and wash them quick. Grab another pair as a back-up.

You grab another energy drink and kick it back like it was that after shift first beer. You look to your right and look to your left. Acknowledge the rest of the team and share a few fist bumps. It is coming – you can feel it. Then, the sound you were all waiting for – the printer spits out that first early-bird deuce. Both items for the grill – nothing for you – damn. A few seconds later – a four top – all yours. Here we go. You grab four pans and slide them onto burners – make sure the pans are hot first. Two orders of Diver Scallops, a Chicken Piccata, and Tournedoes Rossini mid-rare. An ounce of clarified butter for the chicken (dredge it in flour and give it some great caramelization – keep the pan moving), a touch in the pans for the scallops (sear them on one side and pull away from the heat for finishing later), and a little more heat in the pan for the tournedoes (this item will be done last minute). The expeditor had called the table as an order fire (no appetizers – ready to rock) – but you know that it is best to wait to finish until the server is standing on the other side of the pass. Two minutes is all it will take to finish this four top.

Pull the caramelized chicken breast and put it aside, add sliced mushrooms to the pan and a touch more butter. Caramelize the shrooms and deglaze with white wine, and fresh lemon. Sweat is pouring freely down your back now. Two more orders just came in – a few items from your station that can wait until this four top is gone. The server appears and the expeditor calls out – pick up on that four top. “Yes chef”! Chicken back in the pan – the flour from the dredged chicken blends with the white wine and lemon and the sauce comes together. A few capers and chopped parsley and this dish is ready to go. The scallops return to a fresh hot pan to finish the sear, hit the pan with a touch of wine, salt and pepper and done. While you and the middleman plate up the first three dishes – the tournedoes hit the very hot pan for a sear along with two slices of foie gras. Flip all items quickly – cooking only takes a minute. Deglaze the beef with Madeira and demi-glace and assemble the dish on toast medallions – top with some truffle shavings and off it goes to the pass. Four top complete. Move on to the next order.

You wipe your brow, take a drink of water and start with fresh pans. The orders keep coming. Now the expeditor is in control of your world. He tells you what to start, what to finish, and what to plate. Every few moments you ask for an “all day” (a review of what should be working on your station), and back to it. No time to chat with others – an occasional look or nod is enough of a signal. Plates are flying now – you turn to plate up an item and the dish is there ready with accompaniments. Only one re-fire so far (you hate that, but try to push it out of your mind).

For the next three hours – this is the frantic pace of the line. Those 180 minutes go by in a flash. You stay on top of your station cleanliness and are relieved to see that your mise en place is holding up. A few little finger burns from hot pan-handles, nothing you can’t work through, and one dropped item to replace – not bad. You haven’t screwed up any orders or messed up your teammates thus far. You are now working like a well-oiled machine. Your brain works through processes, your palate is fine tuned, and there is real economy of motion in the steps that you take.

When 9 p.m. rolls around – the board is almost clear. Just a couple deuces to finish up and that inevitable table that arrives 15 minutes before closing, but you breathe out knowing that you made it through another night.

Painted in Waterlogue

By 10:30, it’s all over. You breakdown your station, scrub your area, chill sauces, label and date items, make out your prep list for tomorrow and a friendly note to the morning prep cook. The sous chef points his finger and gives you a “thumbs up”. The mental and emotional stress is over – the physical pains will take a few hours to come to the surface, but you know they are there. Hey, it’s good pain – an honest days work. The heat, sweat, and hard effort feel OK. This is what you do, and this is how it is suppose to feel.

Tomorrow is another day.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

WORK HARD, SWEAT A LOT, AND SMILE WHEN IT IS OVER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

 

 

 

A COOK’S NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

25 Wednesday Dec 2019

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Yep – another year, another moment in time to reflect on where you are and where you might be going. To many people a resolution is a futile attempt at changing poor behavior, lost opportunity, broken promises, and failed attempts at positive change. Making a resolution is often a noble attempt at making corrections, while knowing that there is little chance that you will actually follow through.

The three most perplexing statements in life are: could have, should have – didn’t. Most of us can relate to this assessment of a previous year, an assessment that is depressing and self-limiting when we expect that it might be the norm – just the way it is. What is even worse is when we relegate the responsibility for inaction to others: “I didn’t do that because so and so – held me back, placed limitations on me, didn’t support me, or got in my way, etc. More often than not, the responsibility for inaction is ours alone.

“We don’t grow when we stay inside our comfort zone.”

-Unknown

So, if you choose to set a path for the future, knowing that you are in control – then here are some thoughts:

[]         TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY CAREER

Have a goal, determine what will be needed to achieve that goal, set a course, and work the plan. So, if you know you don’t want to be a line cook all your life and have a desire to be a chef of a property some day: talk with other successful chefs and ask what it takes to get to that point. Should you build your skills by seeking out cooking positions working with certain chefs or restaurants? If this is the case – then send out your resume and ask for an interview. Should you develop your background in some type of culinary program? Then apply to a school and sign up for any scholarships available. Should you enroll in an apprenticeship program? Then do it – you can’t win the lottery unless you buy a ticket. If you really want to reach the goal – then you can. So much of success is attitude and commitment to stay the course. Take the leap!

“If it doesn’t challenge you it won’t change you.”

-Unknown

[]         WORK ON MY PHYSICAL HEALTH

This is probably one of the most frequently defined resolution and one of the first ones to fall by the wayside. Make this goal realistic if it is to stick. Try a one-mile walk every day as a start. Sign up for “myfitnesspal.com” (it’s free) and start tracking your calories towards a weight loss goal. Ride a bike to work, cut back on the after work drinks, take the stairs instead of an elevator, start with 10 sit-ups each morning and add two more at the end of each week. Do something that allows you to have a goal and reach a goal. Small steps work.

[]         WORK ON MY MENTAL HEALTH

Try not to bottle things up inside. Life is stressful – so is working in a kitchen. To some – the kitchen is a safe haven, a place to escape to, an environment where everyone is accepted and where you can push aside all of life’s challenges and focus on the task at hand. When work is over then all of those life challenges rear up their ugly head and they can be overwhelming. Some are able to cope, while others hit a wall. Some of those challenges are ones that can be rectified by seeking physical assistance or identifying a new source of funding, while others are far deeper and more difficult to address by yourself. Share your issues with a family member, friend, welcoming ear of a coworker, or in some cases – professional help. This is a serious societal problem, but one that there are solutions for. Don’t try to deal with it on your own.

[]         ADD A SKILL – SHARE A SKILL

If you fail to commit to improving then you relegate yourself to a stalled career. Adding a skill can be invigorating as well as career enhancing. Align with a coworker who is accomplished with a particular skill and commit to learn, attend a workshop, read a book, watch a YouTube video, stage’ with an expert, and then practice until you get it down. The pride associated with mastering a skill should never be downplayed. Do it for yourself.

[]         LEAVE MEDIOCRITY BEHIND

Take the pledge: “I promise, from this day forward, to strive for excellence in all that I do. To treat the smallest task as if it were the most important, and treat the largest task as if the details were just as important as the volume of work. Excellence is a habit – not a goal.

[]         FOCUS ON TEAM

Life is a team sport and life in the kitchen is an ultimate team sport. Spend more time developing the attributes of team: listening, respecting each others strengths, and helping every member with their weaknesses, jumping in when and wherever needed, offering critique without being critical, applauding others when they exceed expectations, and patting them on the back when they fail – this is what it means to be part of something bigger than yourself, this is what it means to be part of a kitchen team.   Invest the time in this process and it will pay back in benefits.

[]         FIND SOME BALANCE

Commit in the New Year to finding ways to balance your kitchen life with a daily routine that takes into account your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Commit to finding that balance point of spending time with friends and family, clearing your head, exercising, taking part in a hobby, reading, listening to music – something that gives you a chance to take a deep breath, push aside the challenges of the job, and feel good about yourself.

[]         DON’T SETTLE

If you wake up in the morning, look in a mirror and think: “what am I doing”; if you walk through those kitchen doors and feel the drudgery of the “same old, same old”; or if you find little excitement in what you are doing or how you are doing it – then make a change. You know what you are capable of, even if others may not – never feel as if “this is it” and relinquish control of your destiny. You have the ability to step out of your current situation and move to something that inspires, aligns with your capabilities, challenges you, and brings that excitement that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning. Even if it means moving on from the food business – DON’T SETTLE!

[]         SIGN MY WORK

Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Everything that you do carries your signature and is a reflection on your personal brand. No matter how small or large the task – do it as if it were the sole determination of your professional reputation. Peeling onions – make them perfect and do it fast – this is your signature. Filleting fish – do so with care and speed, paying due respect to the fish. Make sure that you work at being the best fish butcher around – this is your signature. Plating up orders on the line – do so as an artist would while presenting a painting – this is your signature. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

[]         STAY PROFESSIONAL / BE THE EXAMPLE

Stay above the fray – don’t succumb to the pettiness that sometimes takes place in the workforce. Don’t criticize others behind their back, don’t allow your work habits to stray from being exceptional, never demean others, always be on time, make sure that you look the part of a professional cook and earn the respect of others in the process. Be the example for others to follow.

[]         STAY TRUE TO THOSE STAKES IN THE GROUND

If there are parts of being a cook and a caretaker of Nature’s ingredients that are important to you, then don’t set them aside when it is convenient or inconvenient. If they are important then they are part of your character – this is how you want to be perceived and how you are perceived. Stay true.

[]         LIFE’S TOO SHORT TO BE NEGATIVE

It may seem easy to drift from viewing your cup as half full and begin to look at life as if it were more difficult than it is. Remember it takes far more facial muscles to frown than it does to smile. In the big scheme of things it is always much more gratifying to find the positive in a situation than to relegate your attitude to being negative.

[]         CHECK THESE RESOLUTIONS EVERY DAY

“Is what I’m doing right now bringing me any closer to achieving my goals.”

Happy New Year!

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

 

A CHEF’S LIFE – IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

05 Thursday Dec 2019

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In the Blink of an Eye

“Looking forward has no limits

Looking back reels you in

Thinking about what could be

Gives pause to what might have been

Vision is energy for an active mind while

Reflection is food for the soul

In the blink of an eye our vision and

Reflections intersect as

What was takes center stage and

What could be fades away”

Every now and then it is healthy, and yet humbling, to take inventory of what we have done, and where we have been – to dissect those dreams and actions that brought us to where we are, and to relish the opportunities and the challenges that came along the way. What we have done bears witness to who we are today. “What if” will always plague us, especially those individuals who tend to be serial dreamers – those individuals with evolving plans and limitless ideas that need an outlet. We look back to wrestle with those decisions to turn right when we should have turned left, and to lose sleep over opportunities missed. It is healthy to take this inventory and then look in a mirror. We are where we are and we are whom we are because of those decisions – not necessarily fate – WE made the decision to turn left or turn right. Look in a mirror and know that it is what it is because of the decisions that we made.

Some may look in that mirror and say that everything happens for a reason, and that may be true, but it is also important to note that most things happen as a result of our own free will to make decisions along the way. When we take this inventory it is enlightening to think – I am where I am, I am who I am because this is what I chose – take responsibility.

Vision is only significant if we do something with it. Vision must include a plan of action and the knowledge and ability to adjust to things that interrupt that plan. When we relinquish our responsibility for this then we accept that other people and situations are able to over-ride our free will and ability to move in one direction or another.

From a personal perspective, I look back at how my professional vision evolved and how the decisions made in relation to that vision allowed me to stay the course. I might think that a different decision would have been better at the time, but it was my choice in the moment to turn left or turn right. I am where I am and I am who I am because I chose one direction over another.

Looking in a mirror while you take inventory will likely result in disappointment or a moment of satisfaction. What a terrible feeling it must be to feel disappointment. This does not infer that regret is not a part of even the most successful professionals, but rather acknowledgement that even the regrettable decisions in our lives resulted in a moment of learning and growth.

What is universal for all who reflect is that vision is finite. There is a moment when the clock ticks much faster, when that limitless vision sees the door of opportunity slowly close. Reflection is a wonderful process when we find satisfaction in who we are and what we have done. Acting on our vision and taking responsibility for our own course and destination will result in that feeling of satisfaction. When we relinquish that responsibility to others and find blame for the results realized from our decisions – then satisfaction is overcome by regret, blame, and anger.

Like so many friends and acquaintances that I relish, I find great satisfaction with my evolving vision and the opportunities that came my way as a result of a decision to turn left or turn right. There were bumps along the way, missed opportunities, and there were definitely decisions that could have been made differently – but in the end, when I take inventory I feel satisfied with the results and know that it was within my control.

I hear from a variety of cooks, chefs, restaurateurs, and service staff members who either reflect with great enthusiasm about their careers, the decisions they made, and where they are as a result or who respond with tremendous dissatisfaction. What seems to be universal is that those who are pleased with where they are and who they have become are individuals who have always taken responsibility for their decisions and know that they can and have taken control of their destiny. Those who are dissatisfied are more inclined to blame others (managers, restaurateurs, chefs, or the industry as a whole) for their dissatisfaction. This is not, in any way shape or form, an attempt to ignore that there are poor managers, arrogant chefs, or uncaring owner/operators – there are plenty. But, the choice to stay in that environment is on the shoulders of the individual. When we work in an industry that is in dire need of skilled, passionate, positive workers – then there will always be opportunities to work elsewhere. It is your choice to turn left or turn right.

In the blink of an eye – we move from a young apprentice or dishwasher to a fifty-year veteran of the food business. We rush through those formative years of relentless prep, working early morning breakfast shifts, plating thousands of banquets from a few dozen to a few thousand covers, countless a ‘la carte nights on the line when you feel like it could all fall apart at any given moment only to rise above the fray and push that last plate of food through the pass. We look back on the hundreds of menus planned, budgets made, orders placed, inventories taken, employees hired, trained and sometimes fired, chef coats ironed, cuts stitched and burns treated, and smiles and laughter with team members when service is done. Here you suddenly are, in the blink of an eye, looking in a mirror and reflecting back on a career – hopefully with pride and a sense of satisfaction.

You know now that you can choose to work in a restaurant where everyone is serious about great cooking and where employees are treated with respect, or you can choose to stay in an operation where none of that is true and you feel that sense of despair. You can choose to bite the bullet and invest in a formal culinary education knowing that debt will haunt you for years to come, but you breadth of knowledge will be enhanced – or you can chastise those who invested the time and took out the loans. You can choose in engage in professional organizations and build your network of like-mined cooks and chefs, or you can give a thumbs down to those organizations because they seem to be out of touch with the average line cook. You can choose to invest in your personal skill development by working with accomplished cooks, and yes – even volunteering to work and learn from others – or you can complain that your employer isn’t doing this for you. You can choose to live in a community where great restaurants and terrific opportunities abound – or you can stay in an area that is comfortable for you, but lacks the challenge of excellence. The choice is yours to make – turn right or turn left. The cooks and chefs who look in a mirror and smile at what they see are the ones who chose to control their circumstances rather than have circumstances control them.

In the blink of an eye – your career will come to a close and you will have an opportunity to reflect, to realize that looking back is as important as looking forward. Take control early on, accept the challenges, work through them, make a decision to turn left or right and stand with your vision – even though you may need to adjust the path along the way.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Take Control of Your Career – TODAY!

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

 

WHEN COOKING BECOMES MORE THAN A JOB

25 Monday Nov 2019

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Typically, it starts off that way – old enough to work, they’re hiring, no experience required – it’s a job. Maybe it’s a local diner as a dishwasher or assistant to a short order cook; maybe it’s a fast food operation as a “sandwich artist” or grill person for that hamburger chain; or maybe it’s a summer snack bar where you learn to walk through all of the steps. At some level, it is great to have a paycheck, but any real connection to food or cooking is something that rarely crosses your mind. What is important is that at the end of the week there is some cash in your pocket, albeit – not very much. There is never enough to be independent, and certainly no vision of a future in the food business, but for now – it serves a purpose.

For a few, at some point that changes. It might be a “moment” of inspiration, while to others it might be a slow and steady process of acclimation, but in time your thought process changes. It could be that incredible home cooked meal from a grand parent or a family dinner at a friends house; it might be that special occasion dinner at the “nice restaurant” in town when a perfectly prepared steak, chop, or seafood dish arrives at your table; or it might be that first “dare to eat” showdown with a friend when you allow that first fresh oyster to slide down your throat and savor that ocean brininess that is hard to describe – but, there is an a-ha moment when you suddenly realize that what you had been doing is not cooking – real cooking is an art, a passion, a life calling. It could be that transition from the lack of any taste 6 x 6 box of tomatoes that are out of season, to your first heirloom tomato, and then eventually picking a tomato off the vine that was sun sweetened in the month of July – taking a bite and realizing what a gift a tomato can be – but, again, there is a moment.

I say: “If you don’t know how to cook, I’m sure you have at least one friend who knows how to cook. Well, call that friend and say, ‘Can I come next time and can I bring some food and can I come an hour or two hours ahead and watch you and help you?”

– Jacques Pepin

When enlightenment happens, a person who thought he or she was a cook knows that there is so much more to the craft. That – “I wanna be a cook” individual takes a deep breath and makes the commitment to seek knowledge, to experience the lifestyle, to build the skills that are necessary to truly carry the title. There may or may not be a desire to become a chef at this point -today it is all about the craft.

Those entry-level positions offer a multitude of advantages and truly serve a need. They provide work for new entrants into the job market, they offer an immediacy that opens the door to everyone, they fulfill a definitive need in the marketplace, and they can provide an important step in building work ethic and a resume. On the other hand, these jobs rarely include the skills and knowledge necessary to be a cook in any way except title.   It is that a-ha moment that sets the stage for cooking to move past being a job.

So how do you know that you have moved past the paycheck and into the realm of a professional cook? Here are some indicators:

Painted in Waterlogue

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE MOVED BEYOND A PAYCHECK WHEN:

  1. You are proud of the uniform that you wear.
  2. When you get excited about that new restaurant cookbook that is being released next month and pre-order it through amazon.
  3. When asked what your most prized possession might be, and you answer: “my chef’s knife”.
  4. When almost all of your friends are also cooks.
  5. When you try to convince your family and friends to tighten up their mise en place.
  6. When you are walking down the street and constantly shout out “behind!”
  7. When you wake up in the middle of the night and break out in a cold sweat thinking about your prep for the day.
  8. When you call in, or stop in to work on your day off to make sure everything is in order.
  9. When your preferred gift list is a link to Extreme Culinary Outfitters. https://extremeculinaryoutfitters.com/
  10. When you get excited about visiting a farm, cattle ranch, commercial fishing boat, or flourmill.
  11. When you own more than three fishing tackle boxes filled with personal culinary tools.
  12. When you know all of the emergency room technicians at your local Urgi-Care because of the number of stitches that you wear with unusual pride.
  13. When you start complaining about people who work normal hours as “part-timers”.
  14. When asked – you can recite the names of the chefs who head the ship of the best restaurants in town.
  15. When you start building that “bucket list” of restaurants around the world where you must dine before you die.
  16. When you appreciate and crave a crusty slice of warm, artisan bread fresh from the oven with a smear of salted butter more than just about anything else.
  17. When you accept that great technique requires discipline and practice.
  18. When you know that dependability above all else, is the trait that is important in the kitchen.
  19. When even when you didn’t agree with the chef you know that: “Yes Chef” is important.
  20. When pride is directly connected to clean plates returning from the dining room.
  21. When you feel that every plate presented in the pass carries your signature.
  22. When letting down your fellow cooks would be the most egregious sin.
  23. When the title of cook, or later on – chef, becomes part of your persona. When your friends introduce you as a cook at such and such restaurant or refer to you as chef, rather than use your name.

When cooks move beyond a paycheck it is due to a shift in attitude, a commitment to self-improvement, a desire to build that palate, a need to truly understand why foods taste a certain way, and how a selected cooking method can elevate that taste and flavor. Many will never make this transition – they may simply use that job as a means to an end and then move on with a different career track – that’s fine. For those who catch the fever – they will never view what they do in the same manner.

There will be many challenges along the way, and ample opportunity to revert back to the “job” mentality: sub-standard wages, lack of benefits, excessive hours, isolating schedules, physical and mental stress, and occasionally a challenging work environment are all there to move the bar in the wrong direction. But, even the most frustrated cook will still admit that this is what he or she loves, this is what he or she was meant to do, and in many cases – “I can’t imagine doing anything else.” This is when becoming a cook moves well beyond a job.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consultant

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

 

 

 

 

COOKS AND CHEFS- BUILDING YOUR CAREER TAKES EFFORT

26 Thursday Sep 2019

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The best things in life are never easy, and with your career, if you truly want to reach for that rewarding chef position or chef/owner opportunity then it is essential that you set your goals, chart a course of action, stay true to the end game, and know that it will take time and considerable effort to get there. There really are no shortcuts if you want to do it right. There is far too much to learn, far too much to know, and far too many mistakes to make along the way for you to approach your career in any other way.

[]         BECOMING A GREAT COOK IS A LIFELONG PURSUIT

Understanding the foundations of cooking is the price of admission. Every other style of cooking and every tradition behind ethnic interpretation is based on understanding steps and methods. However, there are so many nuances that define how a group of people define “their” cooking that requires ingredient knowledge, variations in process, taste and flavor, and the essentials of presentation that any serious cook can invest decades attempting to master just one definitive cuisine. Great chefs go beyond being general practitioners – great chefs are true believers and authentic replicators of numerous iterations of a style of cooking. This takes more time than any of us have.

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[]         APPRECIATION OF DIFFERENT CULTURES – A GATEWAY TO GREAT    COOKING

Behind the skills associated with a particular cuisine, great chefs invest the time to understand the people, the history, the geographic and political challenges faced by a population, the traditions and socio-economic barriers that loom over a people, and the flavor sensitivity that defines how cooking in a certain area evolved. All of these factors combine to result in food prepared, as it should. This is why a recipe is of little value without the soul behind its use.

[]         UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE

Career chefs are seasoned psychologists who access their appreciation of various cultures, their empathy with firmness, and their ability to listen and process what others have to offer, as part of their being. These appreciations and skills are what truly separate a cook from a chef. A chef must be a leader and a leader must have followers. When a chef strives to understand people then followership is a natural byproduct.

[]         BUSINESS ACUMEN IS YOUR SPECIAL SKILL

In the end, it is a chefs ability to operate a business, manage the processes, control costs, drive sales and build a business brand, inspire others to pay attention to the details, strive for consistency, and act in accordance with those analytics that point to patterns of success or failure, that set the stage for long-term success. This does not come easily – it takes time to develop “business eyes”.

[]         BELIEVE THAT COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE ESSENTIAL

When a person sets a course for career success, he or she quickly comes to realize that the ability to effectively communicate through writing, public speaking, use of technology, and even proper use of body language will set the stage for strong, positive relationships between the position of chef and all stakeholders who come in contact with the person holding that position.

angry chef

[]         THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCES

This statement goes beyond the singular “experience” as it refers to time in a position – this points to engagement in unique experiences (good and not so good) that build resilience, problem-solving ability, perspective, and control over reactionary responses that build a strong leader, an effective chef. The best decisions come from action based on reflection of how a challenge unfolded in the past, how another individual responded to a similar challenge in the past, and the knowledge of how action impacts on other aspects of the business and the lives of those involved.

[]         BE A STUDENT, BECOME A TEACHER

The number of birthdays that a chef has certainly sets the stage for success, but what is more important is how the chef spent the time behind those birthdays. When a cook is open to learning, open to critique, open to observation and listening, and open to admitting what he or she doesn’t yet know, then a clear path towards career growth becomes evident. Once in the position of chef, it then becomes essential that the person gives back and helps others through that process of learning.

[]         BECOME A SERVICE PIONEER

When various chefs are observed and assessed on their ability to adequately fill the shoes of the position, it is clear that the ability to understand what it means to serve is at the core of success. Chefs must understand that service means to not just provide what people need and want, it infers that the chef understands what people will want before they even ask. Service requires constant observation and evaluation that will help with understanding and anticipation. Meeting expectations in a service centric economy is only the beginning – great chefs are focused on exceeding expectations of service to both external stakeholders (guests) and internal stakeholders (employees, owners, vendors, etc.).

changin

[]         WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

If you are serious about building a career that is rich and influential then a cook must grab onto opportunities along the way that will help to build the skills, aptitudes and experiences that lead to success. Work for those who can teach, work in operations that build a resume, travel to new locations that allow you to connect with people of various cultures, take positions that you are ready for but will push your abilities to their limit, and take on a process of learning that fills in the gaps along the way.

[]         KNOW WHAT SUCCESS MEANS TO YOU

Finally, know that success is something that is unique to the individual. To some, success refers to a title, a company, the breadth of responsibility that falls on their shoulders, salary, the chance to build personal brand, ownership, or networking with a certain group of like professionals; while to others it connects to living in a particular area, or gaining a feeling of self-worth that connects to a well-defined philosophy or belief structure. Whatever works for you should be based on how you define “success”. Know what it is, create a roadmap, be patient, and invest in the process of getting there.

As yourself every day:

“Is what I’m doing right now, bringing me any closer to achieving my goals?”

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericaventures.com

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

 

 

CHEF OWNERSHIP – SCENARIO #2

01 Monday Jul 2019

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This is the second of three chef/ownership scenarios drawn from the initial article on that “OWNERSHIP THING”.

Sabrina’s Scones and Crust:

Sabrina has worked in various pastry shops throughout the Pacific Northwest and has built a strong reputation for her creativity and exemplary work ethic. Wherever she works, business improves due to the magic touch that she carries into the bakeshop. A graduate of the French Pastry School in New York, Sabrina hit the ground running and has shown passion for her craft ever since she received her degree. She has worked on the west coast for the past seven years and is now ready to go off on her own.

Through investments from family and friends, Sabrina is ready to open the doors to “Sabrina’s Scones and Crust” in the downtown Pearl District of Portland, Oregon. Just a few steps from an Anthropology Store, the Performing Art Center, numerous restaurants and office buildings, Sabrina is confident that her business will flourish.

The bakeshop is moderate in size with seating for 24 and extensive counter and display space for her baked goods. The focus will be scones, muffins, and artisan breads with the desire to stay dedicated to retail sales. She is concerned about the high cost of rent in this trendy section of town, but is optimistic that business volume will take care of the higher than normal rent. The current space will lease for $8,000 per month – triple net (meaning that she is responsible for any building repairs). She is ready to open with a staff of three other bakers, and ample counter and service staff.

Since there is a Pete’s Coffee store in the next block, Sabrina decided to stay away from espresso drinks and just offer a standard, limited selection of brewed coffee and tea as a complement to the baked goods at “Scones and Crusts”. She estimates that check averages will run between $6-7 with the current menu offered.

Excitement built over the two months prior to opening and when the big day finally arrived she was pleased to see a waiting line outside the door at 6:30 a.m. – their opening time. The quality of the products spoke for themselves and word-of-mouth advertising brought longer lines of enthusiastic customers that didn’t slow down at all over the first few months of business. An article in the Portland newspaper offered rave reviews for the scones and bread – stating that this was the best bakeshop in the Portland area.

bread

Sabrina and her crew were working around the clock and after three months she had yet to take a full day off. Sabrina was exhausted and had not had a chance to take a breath and assess just how well the business was doing. When she finally had a chance to meet with her accountant, the news was shocking. Sabrina had already tapped into her line of credit with a local bank even with the extraordinary number of customers who continued to walk through the door of “Scones and Crusts”. She took the next day off to try and determine what was going on. Back in school she remembered a business professor stating that “the top line drives the bottom line” and as she sifted through sales and expenses it became clear that the cost of operating the business far exceeded the actual sales that the bakery was generating. Her check average was too low and her fixed expenses were way too high. After three months in business her rent was screaming in at 13% of sales where it should stay under 6% for the business to remain viable. The check average was steady, and higher than she originally anticipated, but at $8.50 it was still too low to compensate for rent.

She sat down with the landlord to try and renegotiate her fixed costs, but he was unwilling to budge. Sabrina began to panic – what could she do? Trying to stay focused on product and service, while her business was failing so early on was almost impossible and her staff began to feel her stress. She had a meeting with her investors and they agreed to defer on any return on investment until the end of year one – this gave her a bit of breathing room, but the bills were still mounting up. She decided to take an aggressive step and add a wholesale segment to her operation in an effort to increase sales. Sabrina met with other restaurant owners in the Pearl District who gladly agreed to begin purchasing their breads and breakfast items from her and even contributed to an investment fund to add some needed equipment to the shop. This would allow Sabrina to step up production.

With a dozen or so additional steady clients in her portfolio, Sabrina was now in the wholesale business. Margins on these items were smaller than in retail, so the need to build volume became critical. Sabrina quickly found herself pulled away from baking and forced to focus on building a client list, delivering product, and hiring more bakers. Restaurants were very happy with the product, but noted that their orders were frequently short since the bakeshop could not keep up with demand.

Painted in Waterlogue

The cycle of angst grew more intense as Sabrina added a second shift of baking to meet the demands of wholesale. In the meantime, her absence from the bakeshop and the retail business were evident as quality began to slip and the lack of her pleasant personality in the operation took its toll. Sabrina began to despair.

As her first year of operation was near, Sabrina worked with her accountant to assess the current status of the business. The bakery’s line of credit was maxed out, she was two months behind in rent, and after a recent “not so stellar” article in the Portland paper stated that the bakery was not the same as it was in the early days of operation – retail business had slowed considerably.

After a depressing meeting with her family and friend investors, and a dark meeting with her accountant, Sabrina made the difficult decision to close her doors just 11 months after opening to rave reviews.   So what went wrong – what are the lessons to learn from this scenario?

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED AND RESOLUTION:

  1. THE VALUE OF A BUSINESS PLAN

Sabrina may have been an excellent baker, but going into business is a totally different animal. Take the time to research and invest all of the time needed to know what you should sell, how much you should charge, what your sales must be to cover costs, what your breakeven point is, whether or not your physical space is right for the concept, the relationship of lease to profit, and your role in the business. It seems apparent that Sabrina did not take care of due diligence.

  1. PAY ATTENTION TO LEASE/RENT ARRANGEMENTS

When the suggested limit for lease/rent to sales is at a 6% limit – then make sure that you are able to meet that goal. Fixed costs are oblivious to your sales – they must be paid whether or not you generate enough income.

  1. KNOW HOW TO ASSESS MENU/CHECK AVERAGE AND THEIR IMPACT ON SUCCESS

In Sabrina’s case, the $8,000 per month rent (if defined as 6% of sales) would require “Scones and Crusts” to generate over $133,000 in monthly sales. At a check average of $8.50, ($133,000/$8.50) “Scones and Crusts” would need to serve 15,647 customers per month. That’s 3,912 per week, or 558 per day. If she had rationally assessed these numbers early on, it would have been clear that this was a goal that would be very difficult to meet.

  1. UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF BUSINESS PERSONALITY

Sabrina was “all in” during her first months of operation. She established a clear connection between herself, her staff, and the customers of “Scones and Crusts”. When the business demands, and wholesale operation pulled her away, then there was a noticeable void. Without filling this void, things began to go sideways.

  1. BUSINESS OWNERS NEED TO STAY AT THE 10,000 FOOT LEVEL

From the beginning, when a person decides to become a business operator, then he or she must realize that their job description changes. Sabrina should have stepped back and changed her focus from the first day of operation – she could no longer afford to be the baker – she had to be the conductor of the orchestra.

  1. CONSISTENCY, QUALITY, VALUE

Business owners must always keep their eye on the defined quality of the product – day in and day out. Any perceived slip in this area, or any realized change in the value statement will push customers away.

  1. INVESTOR RELATIONSHIPS CAN STRAIN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Finally, although not clarified in this fictitious case, Sabrina’s investors were friends and family, and although they likely understood her dilemma – business closure and a loss of their investment or potential return on that investment will strain relationships for some time to come.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

CHEFS CHASING THE OWNERSHIP THING

15 Saturday Jun 2019

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I don’t believe that I know a single professional chef who doesn’t have a deep seeded desire to own a restaurant. Some are more obvious about the desire then others, some hide it pretty well, but underneath the façade of contentment with their current situation – every chef craves the chance to put their name on the front door of a restaurant.

Why is this ownership fixation such a fantasy for so many? Is it simply the American dream of being their own boss, is it a need to have the ultimate creative outlet that reflects their vision, or is it a false sense of confidence that allows a chef to think that he or she has the right formula for success? Maybe it is that sense of danger, the uncertainty of it as a motivational high, or it could just be a gnawing fear that they might wind up nearing the end of a career thinking: “could have, should have – didn’t.”

The majority of restaurant managers and operators come up through the ranks – this is absolutely important since it is such a simple type of business with enormous complexity in execution that can only be understood by those who have been there – done that. Many of those operators were accidental entrepreneurs who either fell in love with the business over a period of time, or spent so much time in operations that it simply became a logical progression. Chefs on the other hand seem to be born with the desire to own and operate. If a survey of culinary school freshmen included a question: “Do you want to own a restaurant some day”, I would dare guess that the overwhelming majority of young “yet to be cooks” would say yes. That desire may be beat out of them over the years, but it only takes a little encouragement, the sight of a perfect location, a few compliments on the quality of their cooking, or a visit to that new instantly successful concept that brings the desire right back to the surface – with a vengeance.

If you have read this far into the article, then I must assume that I have struck a chord and the ideas for the next great restaurant are filling up your head and soul right now. I am coming close to that scary 70-age marker and I still get excited about ideas for my own restaurant. After throwing some cold water in my face I am usually able to wake up out of those crazy dream states.

I know you have heard all of the reasons not to own a restaurant before – but I think that they are worth repeating – this way I might put a temporary damper on those over the top ideas that are floating around in your head right now. I know: a noodle shop would be killer, Native American cuisine is underserved, and Scandinavian food is hot on the world scene right now – so why not open one in Malone, New York? You can’t believe that no one has thought of this sooner – so the market can be all yours. Well let’s just tuck these realities under your arm:

  • There are over 1 million restaurants in the United States right now creating 1.5 million new jobs each year (many of them go unfilled because the labor pool is so tight).
  • The number one reason why restaurants fail is poor location – so unless you know how to assess demographic flow, population variances, and socio-economic realities within a radius from a site – then be cautious about your site selection.
  • The cost of food rarely goes down.
  • Customers are fickle and restaurants can be busy one week and empty the next.
  • Profitability in restaurants is quite low with the average successful restaurant realizing 4-6% profit if they can avoid mistakes.
  • It is unlikely that you will make a profit for at least three years.
  • We deal with highly perishable products with a shelf life measured in a few days – you better make sure that your menu moves well.
  • Turnover rates of employees in American restaurants are extremely high.
  • Rents are one of the next greatest reasons for restaurant failure. If you can’t keep your rent under 6% of sales then you are looking at almost certain failure.
  • Chefs make great marketing images for a restaurant and are responsible for producing the food that will help the operation stand out, but at the same time – most chefs are not the best financial managers, human resource managers, and marketing gurus.
  • Unlike many other businesses, a restaurant is quite an intense master. Chefs who work hard as an employee will work even harder as an owner.
  • Somewhere around 60% of all private restaurants that open today will close in a year, and 80-90% of those that remain will lock their doors by the time they reach year five.
  • The list goes on.

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Did I do a decent job of throwing cold water on your enthusiasm? I hope so. But, after all of that if you still think that your brilliant idea, and vast experience are just right for creating a successful operation then go for it! Find a partner with the management experience to be your balance. Make sure that the partner is bold enough to tell you NO, to counter some of your enthusiasm with business logic, and at the same time your best cheerleader when an idea is well researched. Make sure that you have investors willing to fund your idea, offer feedback and support, but are not interested in micro-managing the business (good luck with that). Find a location that is proven, through research, to be right for the concept, and ripe with ample traffic able and willing to support the restaurant. Create a conservative budget and stick to it. Create a realistic timeline for profitability and make sure you have the resources to weather the storm until you reach the anticipated point of success. And, by all means, make sure that your spouse or significant other fully understands what your commitment will be and is still excited about supporting you through thick and thin. NOW – take the leap.

The next three articles will cover three hypothetical situations where young chefs took the leap. I will walk you through some of the challenges that they would face, some thoughts on how they might approach those challenges, and the way that they can turn lemons into lemonade.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

And if you want to be an owner – THROW IN A HEAVY DOSE OF LUCK

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

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Restaurant Consulting and Training

 

LINE COOKS WHO TAKE THE LEAP

13 Thursday Jun 2019

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At some point, fairly early on, restaurant cooks make a decision to either view what they do as a transitional job while they look for something that they really want to do, or decide that cooking is their life calling and they intend to become exceptional at the craft. This is true for nearly any job/career, but quite apparent in the restaurant world as the phrase– “love it or leave it”, strikes a chord. There are too many legitimate reasons to not choose a career in the kitchen if a person doesn’t “love it”.

So, if a cook does choose to love it, then what are the next steps? What must a now serious cook do to work towards excellence – to become exceptional at the craft? Here are a few pointers that will set the stage:

[]         BE READY

Be ready mentally, physically, and emotionally for a day in the kitchen. Be on time, dressed properly, and geared up from the moment you arrive.

[]         BE HUNGRY

The best cooks thrive on developing new skills, enhancing the ones they have, trying new ingredients and meeting new challenges – head on.

[]         MASTER KNIFE SKILLS

Accuracy and speed must align. Every cook knows how critical those knife skills are. Sharpen knives, and build the muscle memory necessary to use those knives as if they were an extension of a cook’s hand. These are the foundations on which great cooking is built.

[]         BE ORGANIZED – EXTREMELY ORGANIZED

Mise en place wins! If you are organized and prepared with sufficient mise then any challenge can be met.

[]         BE A SPONGE

The best cooks relish information, food knowledge, concepts and procedures, and techniques that others are willing to share.

[]         RESEARCH AND EXPERIENCE

The best cooks dig in and seek out experiences that will enhance their understanding and ability to cook well. Great cooks invest in their professional growth.

[]         DEFINE YOUR BENCHMARKS AND STUDY THEM

Who do you admire, what do you admire, how do those whom you admire do what they do, and how can a cook model his or her own performance as a result?

[]         REPRESENT THE UNIFORM

Great cooks know that the uniform they wear is representative of a proud history, a history that – as Julia Child once said (and I paraphrase): “Every significant change in society has been paralleled by a change in the way we grow, process, or cook food.” Every professional cook represents this history.

[]         WORK ON BEING HEALTHY

Great cooks cannot perform at an optimum level unless they are well rested, healthy, and physically fit. Great cooks take care of themselves.

[]         WORK ON WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW

Great cooks know what they don’t know and seek to find answers and build new skills. Obstacles can become advantages.

[]         BECOME FAST WITHOUT SACRIFICING QUALITY

Speed is essential in a busy restaurant – time is not on your side, yet sacrificing quality for speed is never an option. Great cooks work on both.

[]         BUILD YOUR PALATE

There are so many variables in cooking (maturity of ingredients, method of cooking used, seasonality, type of cooking equipment used, and – the person doing the cooking) that must come under consideration. In the end, a dish must meet certain flavor expectations and a great cook has developed a palate that is sophisticated enough to allow them to make adjustments to end up with the right results. Great cooks work on building their flavor memory and researching how they might compensate for ingredients or environments that might push a dish in the wrong direction.

[]         CREATE YOUR COOKING/PLATING SIGNATURE

Every great cook develops, over time, a style of cooking that, to some degree, can be identified. It may be the way that an ingredient is approached, or the manner with which he or she assembles ingredients on the plate. Even in an operation where process and design are prescribed, a great cook finds a way to sign the plate.

[]         EMBRACE TEAMWORK

Career cooks learn early on that their effectiveness is not a solo act. Great cooks are, first and foremost, a member of a team, and as such they understand how critical it is to communicate effectively, understand each team members strengths and weaknesses, and work to align and support those understandings.

[]         KNOW WHAT THINGS COST

The cook’s position exists because the restaurant functions in a profitable manner. To this end, every cook must become an owner of the operations cost structure. They must learn and appreciate the cost of ingredients and equipment and understand that profitability is not drawn from the onion, but rather from the onion peel. Everything has an associated cost and as such – value.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

Restaurant Consulting

BECOMING A GREAT LINE COOK

21 Tuesday May 2019

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Whether you are a product of a formal culinary education or working your way up through the school of hard knocks, it is likely that all roads leading to the position of chef will move through the line cook position. Line cooks are the backbone of the kitchen and the sought after position by all who have a future in the back of the house. Dishwasher to prep cook, breakfast cook to afternoon of evening line – these are the steppingstones, the right of passage, for a serious career cook.

To be an effective line cook, the individual must possess certain attributes and he or she must adhere to certain “rules of play” that make the job much more fluid and goal focused.

To those who are fresh off the culinary school treadmill or hard knocks folks moving from that prep position to the glory of the line – here are a few attributes and tips that will make your transition much easier.

ATTRIBUTES:

  1. BE ALL IN:

If cooking is just a job, then your food will be more fuel than an expression of skill, tradition, and art. When you are all in then it becomes obvious that cooking is your chosen career – an extension of who you are.

  1. BE DEPENDABLE:

The most significant attribute of a professional is dependability. Start with this and you will set the stage for a lasting career. Be on time, be ready to work, be trusted to complete a task as required, in the amount of time required, and always be that team member that others can look to for support.

  1. BE PASSIONATE:

To be passionate about cooking requires that you are always interested in the why and how and are focused on constant improvement. You take pride in the presentation and flavor of the food that you are responsible for and would never place a dish in the pass that failed to meet those standards.

  1. BE AWARE:

Cooks need to be aware of what is taking place around them, what environmental factors might impact on their ability to perform, and how they might problem solve to minimize any negative impact caused by those factors.

  1. BE PART OF “WE”, NOT “ME”:

Solid line cooks are team players. They understand that cooking is a team sport and everything depends on the synchronized efforts of the group.

  1. BE ORGANIZED:

Organization is the heart of a successful kitchen – from the placement of mise en place to the stacking of plates and folding of side towels – every great line cook is an efficient machine.

LINE COOK TIPS:

  1. SHORT CUTS DON’T WORK:

Sure, some will point to tricks that they may have learned that speed up a process – saving time and energy, but short cuts that circumvent the time tested way that food is prepared will more often than not result in an inferior finished product. Never sacrifice quality for speed; yet at the same time always look for ways to be efficient without moving away from a process that yields the best product.

  1. KNOW THE METHODS:

Great cooking is all about understanding methods, not necessarily recipes. Recipes have their place, but do not factor in the variables that can pull a cook away from the goal of excellent finished dishes.

  1. PRACTICE TECHNIQUES:

Technique is an essential partner to methods. Techniques are where a cook can become more efficient, leading to greater speed and quantity. Knife skills and understanding how to use the tools available so that everything becomes second nature – this is efficiency.

  1. HEAT YOUR PANS FIRST:

Caramelization is essential in bringing out the flavor in certain dishes. Caramelization also requires that a product move freely in a pan, taking advantage of the best properties of heat. When the pan is hot enough first and technique is fully understood, then an ingredient will move freely in the pan without sticking.

  1. SLICE DON’T SAW:

When slicing through meat, poultry, fish, or vegetables – there is a technique that takes advantage of the knife-edge – offering a clean, even cut. Slice forward using the full length of the knife and then draw back in the same fashion. A dull knife, or improper technique will leave layers of saw marks and ruin the presentation of the food.

  1. KEEP AN EDGE ON YOUR KNIVES:

A cook’s knives must be sharp – bring an edge to the blade on a wet stone at the beginning of every shift and keep your steel close at hand throughout the shift to bring back that edge when needed. A dull knife at a line cook’s station is inexcusable.

  1. LONG SLEEVES SAVE LOADS OF PAIN:

I get it – the kitchen is hot and the tendency is to minimize clothing in an effort to ward off some of that heat. But, the kitchen is a dangerous place with super hot pans, cherry red flat tops, leaping flames from the char-grill, spitting oil from pans, and sharp knives working furiously through the demands of service. The reason for long sleeves on a chef’s coat, heavy cotton, long pants, aprons, and head brims on a chef’s toque is to protect the cook from burns and cuts.

  1. SALT AFTER COOKING:

Salt is certainly a common flavor enhancer and as such a well-respected seasoning in every kitchen – but salt on foods during cooking can also tend to draw moisture from the ingredient. Salt is oftentimes better used at the end of cooking to accent rather than penetrate.

Painted in Waterlogue

  1. YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE SEASONING, BUT YOU CAN’T TAKE IT AWAY:

Herbs and spices, especially those that impart heat, are best when added towards the end of cooking. Some spices, such as all versions of pepper, increase in potency the longer they cook with a dish. To this end, if too much is added early in the cooking process it becomes very difficult to counteract the negative impact of a spice improperly used.

  1. HOT FOOD HOT, COLD FOOD COLD:

The first rules of thumb in the kitchen always apply. Hot food should be maintained as such and cold food likewise. Hot food should be placed on hot plates and cold food on cold plates. Even down to coffee served in a warmed cup and salads served with a chilled fork.

  1. THE STEAK DOESN’T WAIT FOR THE SERVER:

The quality of cooked food will deteriorate quickly. The pass on the line is properly named since the food should quickly pass from the cook to the server. Every second that a dish sits in the pass results in a loss of product character. Timing on the kitchen line is as essential as the process of cooking.

  1. TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET:

Every part of your body is impacted by the care of your feet. Proper shoes with support, white socks, floor mats, and frequent movement all result in healthier feet. When the feet are not cared for then there is an impact on legs, knees, back, and even headache pain. Never underestimate the importance of foot care over those 10-12 hour shifts.

  1. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HANDS:

The most important tools that you have in your kit are the ten fingers at the end of your arms. Wash them frequently, cover them when appropriate, use care when handling blades, use towels when handling hot pans, and use hand lotion at the end of a shift. Protect your most valuable kitchen tools.

  1. STAY ALERT:

One second is all it takes for something to go terribly wrong in the kitchen. Hot liquids, flames, sharp tools, heavy pots and pans, slippery floors, splattering oil, or a rushed employee moving around the corner without warning – so much can go wrong – stay alert!

  1. HYDRATE AND FUEL UP:

It is not uncommon for a line cook to lose a pound or more of water weight on a kitchen shift. Dehydration can be very dangerous – resulting in heat stroke. Cooks need to drink lots of liquids during a shift to rehydrate and maintain an even body temperature. At the same time – your body needs fuel to maintain peak efficiency, build muscle, and stay focused. A staff meal – preferably with an opportunity to sit down and properly digest it, is critical to a line cooks performance.

  1. NEVER RUN OUT OF MISE EN PLACE:

Enough said.

  1. DRY TOWEL, WET TOWEL:

Both are important – the dry towel for handling hot pans and stove tops and wet towels (from a bucket with sanitation solution) for cleaning. Never mix the two.

  1. CLEAN AS YOU GO – EVEN WHEN IT’S CRAZY BUSY:

A functional station is one that remains organized and clean – the opposite results in chaos.

  1. KNOW WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP:

Every line cook, on occasion, winds up “in the weeds”. Know when you are headed down that path and turn to a teammate for help before it gets out of hand.

  1. KNOW THE MENU – REALLY KNOW IT:

Know the ingredients, their flavor profile, know the methods of cooking used, understand the appearance desired, and know why a dish was designed a certain way. The more you know, the better the dish.

  1. EACH PLATE DESERVES YOUR ATTENTION:

All cooks have favorite dishes, but in a restaurant every dish must be treated as if it is your favorite.

  1. IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME – WHEN WILL YOU FIND THE TIME TO DO IT OVER:

Time always gets in the way and far too often we look for short cuts to adapt to time constraints. In the end if it is not done correctly at first then the time constraints associated with a re-fire are compounded. Do it right the first time – this is the best approach.

There are probably dozens of other tips for success that every seasoned line cook can come up with, but this is a good start. Being a line cook is a challenging, focused, skilled, and extremely important job in the kitchen – make sure you are prepared to do it justice.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

APPRECIATE YOUR LINE COOKS

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

Restaurant Consulting

 

 

 

A LINE COOK’S VIEW OF SUMMER MONTHS

11 Saturday May 2019

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It’s pushing 10 a.m. when an evening line cook finally rolls out of bed. The July sun is starting to really show its ability to bear down with penetrating heat and the humidity is bringing those first beads of sweat to the cook’s forehead. Ah…the start of another summer day. The primary role of the morning shower is to cool off and by the time a cook pulls up on both hounds tooth pant legs that sweat has already returned.

The walk to work is filled with angst about the job ahead, mise en place yet to be built, the unknown number of reservations for tonight’s service, and most importantly the heat and humidity of the kitchen.

As much as every cook would enjoy the ability to take part in what summer means to so many others, to the cook it is all about pale skin that rarely sees the sun as a vehicle for those deep bronze or brown tans. Too much sun for may cooks means the lobster red color of a burn. Walking into the kitchen is like moving from the frying pan to the oven. The curtain of heat hits every cook as an awakening for even more intensity to come.

One would think that water would be the most important beverage in the kitchen, but to a line cook it is likely to be hot coffee. Coffee seems to equalize the personal inner and outer heat that is so prevalent in the kitchen for the duration of the 12- hour shift ahead.

Soon the cook is into a rhythm. Knives cut through everything in their way, and the staccato of chopping and dicing sounds on cutting boards become the beat of the kitchen as the team pulls together their mise.   By now the flat top, chargrill and ovens are fired up to max and add rawness to the temperature in the stainless steel jungle. Once the dish machine kicks into play there will be the added intensity of humidity that soaks through uniforms, drips from the rim of kitchen hats and blurs the cooks eyes. Even the cook’s socks are wet from sweat.

The day is young and the looming anticipation of a busy night is starting to creep into everyone’s psyche. “Which station will be the most painful tonight? Who will feel the weight of an impossible number of orders? Will every cook be ready physically, mentally, and emotionally? The heat is ever-present and makes it ever more difficult to stay on task and put aside the lack of comfort. The kitchen could be a steel plant at this point – physical work in front of blast furnaces – pretty much the same as a kitchen – this is the closest thing to Dante’s Inferno that you will ever find.

Five o’clock hits soft with just a few early bird tickets coming off the printer. This is a good way to build up the energy and adrenaline levels in preparation for the first real push. Sweat is starting to roll down the cooks back, and every line cook’s skin feels like it is alive and able to detect every nuance of pain, heat, and that rush of hot adrenaline that is beginning to course through his or her system. Five-thirty: the pace is starting to pick up, a few more senior citizen deuces and the dining room is now a third full. The board shows a dozen tickets – somewhere around 30 people. This is still child’s play, but even at this pace the sauté station is filled with waiting pans and a significant number of steaks are being marked on the grill. Six fifteen and the first push has begun. The dining room is full and more waiting for the early birds to finish their coffee and open up another ten tables. All hell is about to break loose. Instead of the usual early deuces, the dining room is filling up with four tops and even a large table of ten off to the back. The bar is full with guests waiting for the next push that will happen around 7:45.

Back in the kitchen the heat has been turned up. Every sauté pan is either in use or being washed in ready for the next dish. The grill is filled with steaks and chops and the flames from the broiler are mixing with the fat drippings from meat creating four to six inches flames to leap out at the line cook in search of that last bit of hair on his arms. Some of the line cooks have complemented their skullcaps with bandanas to keep the sweat at bay. Everyone has been passing around the cornstarch to fight off chafe and shirts are now glued to everyone’s torso thanks to the rivers of back sweat that never seem to cease. There are a few hand burns to work through, some splattered hot oil from the deep fryers, and an occasional super hot pan handle that managed to find that part of a cook’s palm that wasn’t quite covered by a dry towel.

The grill guy nicked the top of his index finger with a super sharp Japanese carving knife – no time to worry about the throbbing pain – wash it, slap on some disinfectant, bandage the cut and throw on another latex glove. Maybe a stitch or cauterization is called for, but that can wait until later, or maybe never.

The expeditor is doing what he can to keep the line calm and flowing smoothly. Serving as liaison between front and back of the house – this kitchen expeditor is the peacekeeper, and grand communicator. He watches the eyes of each line cook, seeking out any sign of that “deer in the headlights look” that always precedes a meltdown. Caught early enough, a good expo can talk a cook down and bring him or her back into focus.

7:15: the calm before the storm. Suddenly everything seems all too quiet. Almost all of the tables have been served and thirty people are just finishing their coffee and waiting for credit cards to return. Once they leave, those tables will fill immediately and the push starts all over again. These are the serious diners – the ones with the highest expectations, the greatest demands, and the palates that warrant the full nine yards – appetizers, salads, entrees, dessert and lots of decent wine. There may only be another 30 or 40 guests sitting for this push, but it could result in well over 100 different plates of food. The team is seasoned now – they take this lull in the storm time to replenish depleted mise en place, tidy up stations, hydrate, and catch their breath. They look like a second line on a hockey team waiting for the coach to send them in the game. They bounce on their toes, stretch, bend their knees, click their tongs in anticipation, and wait for the printer to start ticking off another stream of orders. When it hits, it hits hard and everyone takes a breath and kicks it up a notch – this is the last real push for the night – bring it on.

By 9:30 it’s pretty much over. There are a few late night tables, mainly deuces looking for that romantic dinner, but for the most part it’s time to start consolidating and cleaning. It’s time to try and push the adrenaline down and bring your pulse back under 120. By the time it’s over, a typical line cook may have lost a couple pounds in sweat. Don’t worry though, they will add it back on in calories from after work beer, and maybe a greasy burger from Shake Shack or Five Guys.

The sun is down, but the humidity remains. The cool breeze from summer sunsets now tempers that kitchen sweat. Cook’s throw some water on their faces, finish cleaning up, change into street clothes, roll on some deodorant and drag a comb through their thinning hair. Time to unwind with friends – who by the way are the people you work with. Tomorrow is another day, but the night is still young. Cook’s will wake up again with a bit of a hangover, sore muscles, aching feet, those cuts and burns that were never properly attended to, and that skin color that never seems to deepen from the sun. Tomorrow will come quick enough.

The life of a line cook in the summer months: not their favorite season.

Stay cool.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER AND HYDRATE

HARVEST AMERICA VENTURES, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

www.harvestamericaventures.com

 

 

COOKING FOR THE RUSH

07 Sunday Apr 2019

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I remember when I first encountered the jazz influenced improvisational music of Eric Clapton as a member of Cream. Many of my age were in awe of the speed and almost frenzy nature of this adrenaline infused music that started with structure and then blasted away in a hundred different directions. No one really knew where Clapton, Bruce, and Baker were headed with a song (they likely didn’t even know themselves) and we all sensed at times like they were heading to the edge of the cliff. The band was feeling the rush of energy that comes from a level of synchronicity, a baseline of real skill, and the energy created by the audience and the environment in which they played.

Every accomplished young line cook in a restaurant understands this feeling and, for a period of time, thrives on the rush of the push. When those orders are ticking off at lightening speed – when your mind is able to stay ahead of the game and when your hand and body motions are able to keep up – you feel super human. Each plate that carries your signature is an affirmation of your ability as a cook, your speed and agility, your mental acuity, and your control over muscle action. At the end of the shift those endorphins are running wild and you feel super human – you could conquer the world. Of course, the rush begins to fade in a short period of time – especially if you add a few drinks to calm down after punching out.

clapton

Over time – Eric Clapton began to mature, his body aged, his mind was likely not as sharp, and his need for the rush was replaced by that reflective state that allowed him to really think about the music, to reflect on its meaning, to study its history, and to enjoy true understanding that went beyond the rush. His music was different – more nuanced where each note had a purpose and a structure that was apparent. The lyrics became as important as the notes and his guitar work was deliberate and well thought out. He was able to earn a higher level of respect from fellow musicians, and eventually shed his image as an innovator while replacing that with a standard bearer’s suit of armor. In this role he became less of a showman and more a teacher.

Those young cooks who embrace and seek out the rush will eventually mature. Their need to push the envelope in search of those endorphin rushes will, at some point, be replaced with a desire to really understand cooking, to search for flavors that take time to develop, and to research the history of a dish so that real understanding can result in better cooking. They will channel this new knowledge towards a position of maturity where the big picture is far more important than the adrenaline rush. These young cooks will eventually mature into knowledge workers and chefs.

But, in the meantime – it’s all about the rush. So what is it about the rush that is so addictive?

TELL ME HOW DO YOU FEEL? A BAKER’S DOZEN:

[]         KNOWING THAT THE TASK AT HAND IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE

Watch line cooks when they arrive at work. Although many may try to hide the level of anticipation that is gnawing away at them – we all know that it is there. Their eyes dart around the space, they reach for their prep sheet, quickly assess ingredients, jump at setting up their work area with damp towel under a cutting board so that it doesn’t slide, sharpen their knives, tie on an apron, and start the methodical process of chopping, dicing, caramelization, finishing sauces, mincing herbs, clarifying butter, trimming proteins, lining up detailed mise en place, checking pans, folding side towels, and stacking plates to complete their stations. Will they have enough time to complete everything? Will their mise hold up to the rush? Which station will get pounded tonight? Will they be on their game?

[]         MENTAL ACUITY AND THE NEED TO ORGANIZE

Staying sharp, focused, totally committed to the plate, and ready for whatever comes their way – this is foremost in a cook’s mind. They know that the answer will always be organization and that mise en place work that defined their first 2-3 hours on shift. If they are prepped then the world is good – if not, then they are facing a load of uncertainty. When they are ready to play then that positive adrenaline is building up steam.

[]         ANXIETY AND THAT FEELING OF AHHHHHH!

Some may think that anxiety is a negative- but line cooks are able to use it to their advantage. The exhilaration of knowing that you could end up victorious or fall off the cliff is energizing and unnerving at the same time.

[]         THE ENERGY BOOST

If you are a runner, or exercise junkie you know how incredible it is to reach that point in your workout when those chemical endorphins kick in. It’s like punching the accelerator on your car and feeling that turbo jump into action pushing you back against the seat, and the jump of the car as it lurches forward with a new boost of energy. Cook’s feel the same thing at some point during a shift. It might happen close to opening if your mise en place is 98% done and you have to find the energy to tighten everything up, or it might not kick in until the tickets start flying off the POS, but at some point it will be there. Cook’s seek this out – this is what brings them back time and again for those 12-hour shifts.

[]         FEELING THE POSSIBILITY

Every cook thrives on goals. Pushing to hit those goals is a personal competition that is intoxicating. To be 100% ready at opening, to stay keenly organized throughout service, to run the busiest station, to top the number of guests served last night, to run through service without any re-fires – these are all goals that cook’s have on their active wish list every night.

[]         AFFIRMATION OF SKILLS

Cooks are proud of their skill set. They are in the game because they have a proven track record of sharpened abilities. The more they know how to do, the quicker their response, the more they can accomplish without sacrificing quality, the more charged they become about their status on the kitchen team.

[]         HANGING THE PICTURE ON THE REFRIGERATOR

Not too dissimilar to that early student experience of bringing home a classroom accomplishment to the praise and pride shown by parents – the cook inherently loves to present a beautiful plate of food in the pass for peers, servers, and eventually guests to admire. This is the fuel that every great line cook needs.

[]         I’VE GOT THE RYTHYM

If you could step back and simply watch a line of cooks working through a push of orders you would be reminded of the grace of classical music and the syncopation of jazz dance.   This is energy and orchestrated motion.

cooks

[]         HIGH VOLTAGE TEAMWORK

Wow – this is so fluid – line cooks working as a seamless unit where communication is a nod or point of a finger, where chatter is minimal, but non-verbal clues result in a plate of food coming together in such a natural way, where acknowledgements are as simple as “yes chef”. This is super-charged teamwork.

[]         LIVING ON THE EDGE – THE THREAT OF SUDDEN DOOM

Like a daredevil skier positioned on the precipice of a steep vertical drop, every line cook knows that every moment on the line provides an opportunity to cut a perfect run or tumble with skis flying and their body buried in granular face burning snow. As scary as this seems – cooks are rarely risk averse.

[]         BLISS AND PRIDE

Cooks thrive on the pride of well-prepared food, of trouncing a big rush of orders, of making guests happy and of exceeding the chef’s expectations. The feelings associated with this are truly intoxicating.

[]         PHYSICAL STRENGTH FOLLOWED BY PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION

Like a great workout, both extremes are invigorating. That super-human rush of strength to get through a busy night and the total depletion of energy that follows are gratifying experiences.

[]         THE ADDICTION THAT HAUNTS YOU

The irony of all of these roller coaster feelings is that once you experience them they become the drug that brings you back for more. Cooks live for the rush, thrive on the rush, and seek it out time and again.

Know your cooks, understand their needs, feed the adrenaline, but help them to mature as technicians and artists.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

www.harvestamericaventures.com

 

BECOMING A MASTER OF YOUR CRAFT

13 Wednesday Feb 2019

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I just finished watching a YouTube video clip of Jeff Beck and Stanley Clarke performing their incredible music at a jazz festival. I watched the clip four times in a row until I knew that I had to get back to work. These musicians are masters of their craft. There was something truly magical about watching them perform – it wasn’t simply their incredible skill (Jeff Beck, in my mind, has always been the most spectacular guitarist around), it was much deeper than that.

As I watched in awe of the precision and the spontaneity of their performance, I began to think about this term mastery and how there are so many common denominators of those individuals who have reached this pinnacle. I know how fortunate I have been to know and work with chefs and cooks who are true masters of their craft and through these associations I have narrowed down many of those common denominators. Whether you are a musician, painter, writer, sculptor, programmer, plumber, electrician, surgeon, athlete or chef – here is the list of traits that lead to mastery:

[]         WORK ON THE FOUNDATIONS

Every master has enormous respect for the foundations of his or her craft. Musicians must understand scales, tonality, tempo, positioning, musical memory, and how a musical piece is built. Plumbers and Electricians must understand the impact of flow, resistance, and capacity. Surgeons must have a complete memory of the body’s systems, structure of muscles, location of organs, and the inter-relationship of every part of the human system. Chefs must understand and appreciate the methods of cooking, the science behind the application of heat, the nuances of flavors and how they marry together, the impact of ingredient maturity and seasonality on how a dish will look and taste. The foundations are always present and at the heart of mastery.

[]         PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

A person may be born with an aptitude for a certain craft, he or she may be blessed with great taste buds, an ear for music (perfect pitch), a unique sense of rhythm, or the ability to throw a baseball at 90 miles an hour, but even the most naturally talented individuals must practice relentlessly to reach a level of mastery. Practice does make perfect, but true masters are never satisfied with perfect – their practicing pushes them beyond what others would accept as excellent.

[]         PRIDE

Masters are incredibly proud individuals – many times to a fault. Mediocrity is not part of their repertoire and even their best work will always receive a marginal score from their own critique. If they are called upon to perform a task they will totally immerse themselves in a process of producing at a level that will allow them to feel comfortable putting their name to it.

[]         SELF-CRITIQUE

Masters are their own worst critics. What others may say about their work will always be taken to heart, but in all cases the master already knows where there is need for improvement. Watching Jeff Beck perform I became aware that although there was an audience – he was playing for his own benefit and critique. The audience was on the receiving end of a work of music that was being critiqued while a person who was the absolute best at assessing the quality of that work was playing it.

[]         CONNECTIONS

Masters connect with everyone around them without even knowing that it is taking place. They are wired to connect with those they are working with, those who watch or listen, those who enjoy the food prepared by the chef, or the builder who sub-contracts to the electrician or plumber, and peer performers who view them as a benchmark within a trade. These connections bolster the master’s skill and performance.

tony and I

[]         REMAIN HUMBLE

Although there are many examples of those who flaunt their own fame and skill – the real master is above that. The real masters are those who do what they do because they must for their own peace of mind, for the love of what they do, and for the satisfaction of getting better at it every day. True masters are humble when everyone else knows that they could stand on a pedestal and enjoy the praise.

[]         FLUIDITY

When you are a master of your trade you are flexible and possess the ability to express excellence in the moment even when the environment, the ingredients, the tools, or the supporting cast may fall behind the standard that you expect. Masters have the ability to go with the flow and make adjustments as needed, while never slipping into mediocrity. Jeff Beck was playing with Stanley Clarke – one of the most versatile bass players around, and a cast of extraordinary support musicians. He certainly played from the structure of an organized piece of music, but what was most impressive was his ability to move around that piece as he connected and interplayed with others – the music was performed in a unique way and will likely never be played the same again.

Painted in Waterlogue

[]         DEDICATION

Masters of a craft are committed to their field, to their craft, as well as their desired outcomes and are able to push everything else aside while they pursue excellence in every moment.

[]         DISCIPLINE

Master chefs, musicians, craftspeople, or athletes are able to stay on course sometimes even at the expense of everything else around them. Hendrix seemed to always have a guitar in his hands (some say he even slept with his guitar). As free flowing as his music was, he was disciplined to stay connected – always. Tiger Woods was often taunted by his father while practicing so that he would learn to stay in the zone and not let distractions around him take him away from the task at hand. Watch a master chef while cooking and you will see that same total focus on what needs to be done in the moment. This is discipline.

[]         HARD WORK

There is no substitution for hard work. Mastery never comes easy. Talent is far too often wasted on those who are unwilling to put in the effort and time to perfect a skill and take full advantage of the talent they may have been born with.

frank

[]         BE WILLING TO SIGN YOUR WORK

Masters know that in the end they must stand up and face others – put their work out there for the enjoyment and sometimes ridicule of others. When mastery is near then the individual is willing to stand up and let others in to view their interpretation of excellence. They are willing to sign their work. This does not mean that they are satisfied, in fact even after a master puts his or her work out for others to see, it is rare that he or she will feel as if they have produced their best.

In the later years of his life – Picasso was not allowed to walk, unaccompanied, through many museums where his work was on display. He had the frustrating habit of walking up to his paintings with brushes in hand and attempt to adjust what he was suddenly unhappy with in a painting.

[]         OF COURSE – TALENT HELPS

Some may say that talent is the key to mastery. There is no doubt that natural talent is a major key that unlocks the goal of mastery, however, there are ample examples of those who, without the advantage of exceptional talent, have still reached an extraordinary level of excellence by practicing the attributes stated above.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

SET A COURSE FOR MASTERY AND CONNECT WITH OTHERS WHO FEEL THE SAME

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

www.harvestamericaventures.com

**PHOTOS:  Chef Anton Flory – Certified Master Chef and my mentor:  Rest in Peace

Chef Herve Mahe – Chef/Proprietor Bistro de Margot – Burlington, VT

Chef Frank Costantino – Program Director – Monroe College

***JEFF BECK – Guitar master

IN THE KITCHEN – SKILLS ARE THE DRUG, CONFIDENCE IS THE HIGH

03 Sunday Feb 2019

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Many have pointed to the abuse of drugs and alcohol that seems far too commonplace among restaurant employees. It may be part of the culture, possibly a release from the accentuated stress that exists in kitchens, and it may simply be more visible yet just as prevalent in other careers. This does not take away from the reality of use and abuse. What those who point their finger fail to note are the non-chemical drugs that are just as commonplace in kitchens and a source of pride and very positive outcomes.

Some cooks and servers may choose to lean on drugs and alcohol to help them escape, forget, or celebrate, but in reality it is the achievements in life, the process of learning and growing, the chance to work with others, and the act of giving back that provide the greatest adrenaline high. Here are some thoughts on the best ways to feel good about you as a cook.

“One of the greatest pleasures of my life has been that I have never stopped learning about good cooking and good food.”

-Edna Lewis

[]         THE DRUG OF SUPERB SKILLS

Some may view the accumulation of skills as a requirement of the job, and they certainly are correct, but, as a cook builds his or her skill level, so too does that same cook build confidence. Every time that cook adds something new to his or her bag of tricks there is a rush of adrenaline that is a direct result of that confidence. Whether it is a technique, speed, efficiency, or an added flavor profile – the cook is invigorated by competence. This feeling of competence is as intoxicating and addictive as caffeine – after a period of time the cook needs to feel the rush, so they continue to build on what they know and are able to do.

“Skill and confidence is an unconquered army.”

-George Herbert

[]         THE DRUG OF SERVICE

Sure we talk about service as being the core of what we are about and a noble objective, but until a person really feels this they cannot measure the impact that service has on how they feel. True service providers – those who believe what they do helps to improve a person’s life, are invigorated when they are able to do so. Does the service of food help to improve a person’s life? Well – yes it does. When what you do puts a smile on a guests face – then life is improved. When what you do brings a little sunshine to another person’s challenging day – then life is improved. When you dedicate your time and skills to helping a person feel alive and well – then life is truly improved. This feeling of service to others is also addictive. When we give successfully, we are inspired to do more of the same.

[]         THE DRUG OF TEAM

I would dare say that anyone who has been a part of a team knows the feeling of being on the same page, working together for a common goal, accepting each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and doing whatever it takes for each person to be successful. Winning as a team is a real adrenaline rush, losing, as a team can be humbling, but unifying in a different way. Similar to the work of a competitive football, basketball. baseball, soccer, or hockey team – being part of a kitchen crew that functions in unison is so invigorating that it draws cooks back day after day for a grueling battle on the line.

cooks

“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”

– Amy Poehler

[]         THE DRUG OF GIVING BACK

“I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe that the measure of a person’s life is the affect they have on others.”

-Steve Nash

As I have previously pointed out – the act of giving need not involve extensive amounts of time or effort, or monetary donations to help a worthy cause. More often than not – giving back can be as simple as showing another cook how a task is done properly, taking a moment to thank someone else for an effort they made in your behalf, donating a small amount of time to prepare a meal for someone in need, or offering an attentive ear to someone who simply needs a person to listen. There are few things in life that are more rewarding, more invigorating, and more important than giving back.

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”

– Napolean Hill

[]         THE DRUG OF ORGANIZATION

Good cooks are obsessive when it comes to organization. Mise en place isn’t a task; it is a way of life. Cooks understand full well that their success is very much dependent on the ability to organize and plan and when their mise is spot on then a smile comes into play, confidence is riding high, a sense of readiness and accomplishment over-ride the fear of the unknown once the printer starts ticking off orders, and good things do happen as a result. Mise en place is more than this – to cooks it becomes their philosophy, a way of life – how they interact with others and a definition of how the world must be to make them feel right. When they are organized, they are good.

“Everything has a place and everything is in it’s place = confidence and happiness.”

-Me

[]         THE DRUG OF WINNING THE BATTLE

There is no substitute for being part of a winning initiative, of winning the game, the battle, the project, or the goals that are set. When a cook finishes service and finds pride in the number of guests served, the satisfaction of great food from his or her station, a complement from the chef or paying guest, and the knowledge that his or her station was totally on fire (in a good way) then the feeling is physically, mentally, and emotionally charged.

When it comes to the work that we do as cooks and chefs – then much of what Coach Vince Lombardi said during his career holds true:

“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.”

-Vince Lombardi

It is that desire and the effort that accompanies it that makes us all feel proud to cook and willing to do the hard work necessary to accomplish goals. This attitude is our second cup of coffee, our feeling of purpose, and the spark of enjoyment that brings us back tomorrow.

[]         THE DRUG OF REPUTATION AND CHARACTER

It is always important to an individual that his or her reputation is strong among allies and foes. That feeling that we are good people is always more significant than being good at what we do. Others respect us and give a thumbs up to our reputation when we are of strong character and never falter from those stakes in the ground that define the kind of person we want to be and that we are. Above everything else – this is the fruit of our labor.

“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”

-Socrates

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

Restaurant and Culinary School Consulting and Training

*Second Photo:  Part of the team at Quail Valley River Club

LIFE IN THE KITCHEN – WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN

06 Monday Aug 2018

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Quite often I have read posts from individual cooks who express a high level of dissatisfaction with their choice to work in kitchens. In some cases this dissatisfaction leans towards contempt – loads of anger pointed at the job and those who employ cooks in service of the guest. While many of the concerns expressed by these cooks has merit (rate of pay, lack of benefits, commitment of hours, etc.) I feel that much of their distaste is a result of their own doing, or lack there of. Maybe I am just fortunate, but I tend to feel that the first job in a kitchen is just a springboard toward opportunities that you can make on your own. This is a reflective moment of my trip and one that many of my friends have experienced as well. This is food for thought.

A TIMELINE (TRIP) THAT PROVIDED “FORK IN THE ROAD OPPORTUNITIES”:

[]         THAT FIRST JOB:

Like many other chefs – it was that first job at maybe 15 or 16 years of age that set the course of their career. Like many, I was a not so inspired high school student who fell into that first job as a dishwasher. I didn’t know at the time that this would be the start of a lifelong career.

[]         FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT:

I loved that job. Maybe it was because I received a paycheck for the first time, maybe it was being around food all day long, or maybe it was the immersion into the lifestyle of food service workers that made it special. Whatever it was – I thoroughly enjoyed my time diving for pearls.

[]         ROCK AND ROLL OR HOSPITALITY:

At the age of 17, like so many, I was faced with a decision – what was I going to do with my life? My parents saw college in my future – I saw playing drums in a band as my life pursuit. My parents won, so I chose a school that focused on hospitality. Since I loved the dish area and my time assisting the breakfast cook during the daily rush, then maybe I could become a hotel manager some day.

[]         CAN I LIVE UP TO THE CREDENTIAL?

Leaving college after two years I found myself interviewing for an assistant managers job at a Holiday Inn dining room. The manager was brutal during a three- hour interview as he pointed out everything that I didn’t know. In the end he did me a tremendous favor when he suggested I go back into the kitchen, learn whatever I could, and then gradually work my way back into a management opportunity.

[]         BACK TO BASICS IN A REAL KITCHEN:

I fell into a position as formal apprentice in the kitchens of the Buffalo Statler Hilton Hotel. This was a real kitchen with a talented and experienced Executive Chef and the classic brigade of chefs and cooks that was established a generation before by Escoffier (or so I learned later on). I rotated through every position from butcher to banquets, garde manger to pastry, and saucier to line work. It was a two-year whirlwind of immersion in a busy 1,200 hotel with hundreds of events every week and two active restaurants. I started to actually learn how to cook and build my confidence. My connection with a diverse team would become invaluable in the future.

[]         COOKING IS EASY, MANAGING OTHERS – NOT SO MUCH:

As much as I enjoyed and learned in that kitchen, I felt still compelled to move towards a management position. I knew very little about managing operations or managing people. Through a friend I heard of a position as assistant manager in a cafeteria operation. I jumped ship at the Hilton and traded in my chef whites for a jacket and tie. A different type of operation, a significantly different level of commitment to cooking, a union shop, and comfortable cooks without much desire to improve was a real wake-up call. Learning how to interact and try to help others self-motivate was a real education. I struggled and was successful to some degree and failed miserably with other tasks. In the end, I became better at what I did because I took the leap.

[]         IT’S A BUSINESS:

What I did learn was that operating a kitchen is more than producing great food and demonstrating your skill at logistics management – operating a successful kitchen is a business endeavor. I learned about inventories, and recipe costing; I picked up the ability to determine selling prices that work and I discovered the realities of profit and loss. Everything that I did learn through this experience would be essential throughout the rest of my career.

[]         ESCAPE:

All said – as much as I learned, I was totally stressed by the level of resistance to change, the lack of commitment to solid cooking, the 9-5 mentality that I was not accustomed to, and the back-biting environment that came from a lack of team. I had to go back to my happy place – the kitchen. I worked in fine dining restaurants as a line cook, traveled with my wife to Canada to run a kitchen at a experimental school for wayward kids, and finally found myself in the Adirondacks as a chef for a destination resort. It was refreshing and draining at the same time, but it helped me to regain my footing and focus on the importance of food. Yes, it was an escape, but more importantly it was an opportunity to return to my stakes in the ground.

[]         SURE I CAN TEACH:

The toll of the kitchen, like many cooks point out today, is measured in missed family opportunities, excessive hours, physical and emotionally demanding work, and little opportunity for a pat on the back. I was fairly good at what I did and when I felt as if my skills fell short, I simply put in more hours. Something needed to change. I stepped into an opportunity to take on a position as instructor at a hotel management college with a desire to start up a culinary arts degree in the future. This decision would take me through the next 26 years as teacher, department chair, and eventually dean. As comfortable as I was as a cook and chef, I was now very comfortable as a teacher and administrator. I moved from dishwasher to Program Dean – quite a leap.

[]         DEDICATION TO LEARNING ABOUT FOOD:

One of the first things that I understood about teaching culinary arts is that I knew very little about culinary arts. Sure – I worked in busy kitchens, I paid my dues on the line, I prepped for thousands of banquet meals, and I was adept at making stock in 50 gallon kettles and a version of Bordelaise for 1,200, but I really didn’t have a clue about food, how ingredients were grown, why certain cooking processes were done a specific way, what happens during the cooking process, how to develop a palate, or the intricacies of effective plate presentation. In other words – I could cook, but I didn’t have the answers to teach. So, I set out to discover, study, research, shadow, find mentors, participate, and learn. The teaching job gave me an opportunity to become a better chef, and a much more effective teacher/trainer.

[]         COMPETITION AND TEAM:

Hey – why not. As I learned more about food I became enthralled with pushing myself in competitions. I entered show after show and grew with each experience. I even made it to the Culinary Olympics as part of the New England Culinary Olympic Team and we won more gold medals than any team since. Along the way I discovered the importance of team, not just teamwork. I became friends with some of the most talented people around and built my personal brand on the skills and aptitudes that were a result. I was beginning to really understand food and the importance of what chefs do.

[]         DOZENS OF NEW FRIENDS – OPENING THE DOOR TO A LARGER INDUSTRY:

These new friends opened many doors through the competition network, the ACF, The World Association of Chefs, the Research Chefs Association, Slow Food USA and the Center for Advancement of Foodservice Education. My personal network was becoming substantial. Friends are there to help friends.

[]         MASTER CHEF OR MASTER’S DEGREE:

At one point I was trying to decide whether to team up and take a year to study for the ACF Master Chef exam or take two years and work on a Master’s Degree. In the end I decided on the Master’s Degree that seemed most appropriate in my current career in education. Besides, I felt that my odds of completing an advanced degree were far greater than my chance of passing the grueling Master Chef exam. In 2001 I was recognized as the ACF National Culinary Educator of the Year.

[]         THE INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE:

I began to develop programs for students to experience a semester abroad. With incredible international partnerships we created those experiences that allowed students to work in Michelin star restaurants, work the vendage in prominent vineyards, and immerse in the culture of central Burgundy. I traveled to France, Monaco, Germany, Austria, England, Norway and Italy in an effort to grow my network and learn about other cultures. Such an incredible education.

[]         BACK IN THE SADDLE – PROMISES KEPT:

In 2005 I had a falling out with the administration of a college after 26 years and decided to return to industry. It had been some time and I naturally felt a bit out of touch. Could I still get it done as a chef? I promised the owner that we would earn a fourth diamond for food within two years and we made that mark in 2 years and 4 days. Promise delivered. I felt refreshed and reconnected to the industry that I had been teaching students about for decades.

[]         JAMES BEARD HOUSE:

My greatest memory was being invited to represent my employer and cook at the James Beard House in New York City. Such history, such a tremendous honor.

[]         EDUCATION AGAIN – A DIFFERENT ROLE:

After four years and “mission accomplished” I accepted an opportunity to return to education as the vice president of a school totally dedicated to culinary arts. Now as a senior administrator my new responsibilities included contracts, strategic planning, facilities planning, faculty assessment, curriculum revisions, and accreditation. This was a far cry from cooking, although I took as many opportunities as possible to work alongside the chefs in our kitchens.

[]         BRANCHING OFF ON MY OWN:

After four years back in education I decided it was time to try a hand at entrepreneurship. In 2012 I started a company dedicated to restaurant and culinary school consulting and training. I have presently worked with nearly 40 different businesses through this firm. During this time I wrote two novels and started an industry blog that has attracted almost 1.5 million views.

[]         WHAT’S NEXT?

We all have stories, we all have a love/hate relationship with the field, we all feel a lifelong connection to something bigger than us, something that takes control of us and pulls us in directions that we could never have predicted. I started at the age of 15 as a dishwasher, I sweat on the line of many restaurants, struggled with my own inadequacies, pushed myself to become better, and never thought twice about jumping into something new. What’s your story? Take the time to talk with at least one of those young cooks who fail, at this point, to see the opportunities before them. Challenges are either roadblocks, or steppingstones – help them to see what they might be able to accomplish. You never know.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

www.harvestamericaventures.com

 

 

 

THAT KITCHEN SENSE OF URGENCY

26 Thursday Jul 2018

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There are some things in life that can’t be taught. Only the experience of impending doom can push a person to dig deep and find solutions that they never thought were possible, discover skills that were never present before the challenge occurred, and either sink or swim under the pressure of creating order out of chaos.

The curve ball destroys the best plans of even the most seasoned batter. The problem is that this pitch lacks the one thing that allows people to feel at ease: predictability. The curve ball however can become predictable after experiencing how the pitch will break at a certain point in its trajectory. This repeated experience would allow the batter to anticipate where the ball will be even though its path looks uncertain. This analogy fits with the pattern of work that a line cook faces every day. No one can truly teach a cook how to prepare for the unexpected until he or she has dealt with the unexpected numerous times. Experience is the best teacher – certainly applies.

When inviting a new line cook to join the team a seasoned chef will look less at typical credentials and spend more time trying to determine what experiences in a cook’s past have prepared him or her for calm action, for creative problem-solving, for an understanding of the need for a sense of urgency – ALWAYS. The chef knows that only those cooks who have endured crisis after crisis truly know how to be ready for just about anything.

So, for all those young, flashy cooks who think that have it all together and who strut their confidence with a bit too much swagger – know that until you have stood on the edge of uncertainty, until you are one step away from totally losing it on the line, and until you are faced with knowing that you screwed up and need serious help to bail you out, then that swagger is without merit. The best cooks approach every day, every shift with a sense of urgency through preparation, thinking ahead about what might go wrong, and building solutions to problems that may not even exist yet. So what can go wrong and where and how does that sense of urgency come into play? Here is just a taste:

[]         NOT HAVING YOUR MISE TOGETHER

By far, the most frequent problem that arises from that lack of urgency is not having control over your mise. It has been rightfully stated that a line cook can handle nearly anything if his or her mise en place is tight. The best line cooks NEVER run out of prep, NEVER allow their station to become unorganized, and NEVER approach service unless everything is in order right down to how side towels are folded.

[]         RUNNING OUT OF PROPANE

OK, this may sound far-fetched to some, but I know there will be quite a few cooks who will read this and say: “That happened to me!” Cooks and chefs, who are in tune with that sense of urgency, work from a mental checklist that will always include checking the gauge on those propane tanks before service.

[]         THERE IS NO GOOD TIME FOR THE POWER TO GO OUT

We are all familiar with Murphy’s Law that proclaims, “If something can go wrong – it will.” So, what is your plan if the power does go out? Oh, and by the way – if it does go out it WILL happen on the busiest night of the week – probably a weekend or holiday when finding a resolution to the problem is compounded. Do you have a power outage limited menu in the waiting? Is your service ready to move to candlelight for guest tables and focused on making the experience a positive one? Do you have enough china and flatware to get through service without a dishwasher? The restaurants that are prepared will have this protocol lined up and the cooks who have that sense of urgency will drop into this problem-solving mode without losing a step.

[]         IT’S JUST A LITTLE FIRE

A little too much oil dripping into the clean out pan on the char-broiler or flat top, un-noticed fryer oil levels dropping a bit below the heating elements, the pot of butter clarifying on the back of the stove that inadvertently boils over – it does happen, it will happen. If you are tuned in then that little fire is managed without any panic: a box of baking soda close by, a sheet pan to snuff out the oxygen feeding that fryer fire, a small fire extinguisher at the ready by the grill station to stop that drip pan fire from setting off the Ansul system. There is little difference between a sense of urgency and methodical planning.

[]         IT’S A GAME OF CHESS – PLAN AT LEAST THREE OR FOUR MOVES AHEAD

When the kitchen is firing on all cylinders the expeditor is orchestrating the work of line cooks, creating a cadence of activity that could be put to music. That expeditor (best if a cook or chef) is the chessmaster who is pacing orders, looking ahead to the complexity of orders and where there might be a back-up, and communicating effectively with the front of the house manager to assure that potential problems are addressed before there is a melt down and before a misstep impacts on the line. Pre-marking steaks before the crunch, having some pan sauces reduced in advance, blanching extra vegetables, picking garnishes in advance, and double checking every stations mise is a seamless process all designed to minimize chaos.

[]         MAN DOWN – THE SHOW MUST GO ON

We all hope it never happens, but that is just when it does. A line cook becomes ill, a burn or cut disrupts the flow, a grill person overcome from heat, and suddenly you find a station without a player. If you know that this is likely to happen at some point – where is the sense of urgency, the creative planning? Are line cooks cross-trained so that they can slip into a different station? Does everyone know the system of each other’s mise en place? Can the expeditor drop into a station and a lead server take over at calling out orders? Scenario plan for the worst and eliminate panic – this is a rule of thumb in a house with that sense of urgency.

[]         REFIRE THAT ENTIRE EIGHT TOP OF VIP’S

Can the expeditor shuffle orders to make this happen? Is the cook cool enough to go with the flow and re-arrange, borrow from another order, shift his or her concentration? Remember urgency and mental preparation are one and the same.

[]         DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS – SAUTE COOK IS TOAST

The best cooks can see it coming on. Communication with a fellow line cook is a bit strained, the quick pace that is normally present seems to falter, the glazed look of panic begins to creep in, the hands begin to shake a bit, and tongs, pans and plates slip off of counters and on the floor. These are all signs that a fellow cook is starting to lose it. It happens to everyone at times and the best cooks know that this is always a possibility. They watch for the signs, nod to the chef that things are starting to go sideways, pat the line cook on the shoulder and guide him or her to the office with a large glass of water. Now is the time for everyone to step up, share an extra station or shift responsibilities. When this happens the show must still go on.

[]         BURNS, CUTS, AND SWOLLEN ANKLES

Of course, we live with this every day. Business doesn’t stop when we experience minor injuries, but nevertheless they make our work that much more difficult. It is hard to ignore a hand burn when standing over a cherry red flat top or char grill with flames jumping around a steak. It is impossible to ignore that annoying little finger cut that throbs with every movement. Yes, you washed it out, dabbed it with antiseptic, covered it with a bandage and finger cot, but damn it hurts. Maybe it needs a stitch or two, but it is really hard to leave your co-workers in the middle of a rush. “I’ll tough it out until the end of service and then go to the ER.” That sense of urgency must always include acts of caution and smart work. When there is a lack of urgency and planning then accidents are more likely to occur: cause and effect, cause and effect.

When chefs are asked what they look for in cooks – the typical response includes: dependability, working clean, the ability to work as a team, solid knife skills, speed, and understanding the importance of urgency. If you have it – then you are able to fit into any kitchen environment, learn their system, and adapt to their style of cooking.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

Restaurant Consulting and Training

 

HEY CHEF – WHO ARE YOU?

23 Saturday Jun 2018

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What does it really mean to be a chef? Is it strictly a position of authority – a position well-earned through time, trial and error, loads of cooking skills, business savvy, and a brand that helps the operation and the person? Or, are there other responsibilities and opportunities that come with the turf?

It was John Mann, the author of numerous inspirational/motivational books who stated:

“Your true worth (and a definition of success) is determined by how much more you give than you take in payment.”

-John Mann from the “Go-Givers”

Do we have an obligation to give back when we have realized a level of success? Is this determination to be humble and thankful through giving something viewed as a requirement of success and of the position? Of course we can choose to focus on ourselves, the job at hand, the need to attain what we can to support our own personal needs – this is our right to do so. But, our opportunities typically take place not just through our own effort, but through others who have chosen the path of giving. Isn’t it payback time?

Pete Townsend of the band the Who posed the question in their 1978 album: Who Are You:

“Oh, tell me who are you?
I really wanna know
Oh, I really wanna know”

-Pete Townsend

Of course, the context of the rest of this song is a step away from the focus of the article, but still I began to wonder how I might answer this question – how YOU might answer it. I am (was) a chef, I produced great food, I ran a successful restaurant, I moved to the pinnacle of my profession and earned the title of Executive Chef, I operated a restaurant of great renown, etc. All important and noble accomplishments, but is this how we want to be remembered? In the end, is this a statement of your(my) value and contribution to making the world a better place?

John Mann talks about how the road to success should always be measured in terms of giving, rather than getting. He states further in his book that:

“Giving is not a strategy (for success), it is a way of life.”

-John Mann

I’m sure we all remember someone in our life who told us that “Tis far better to give than receive”. We all relish the feeling that we have when giving a well thought out gift to another. The knowing that someone’s existence in that moment has been enhanced, even if for a short period of time, because we chose to give and express real thought for their value to others and to the meaning that they have in your life is hard to describe. Doing something to help others simply because we are able to do so is tremendously rewarding.

The road to becoming a chef can most times be arduous, time-consuming, full of patience, and riddled with curves and roadblock. Once you reach that position there should always be time spent looking back at who or what helped you navigate those curves and overcome the obstacles. Helping to straighten out those roads for others is an opportunity and an obligation that we should always consider taking on. This defines the type of person you are and the type of chef you have become. Here are a few examples of exceptional chefs and how they have chosen to give more than they expect in return, simply because they are able to do so and feel that it is an obligation that they should fulfill:

[]         JOSE ANDRES

Winner of the James Beard Humanitarian Award, Chef Andres, a very successful restaurateur organized and directed an effort to help Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. He and his team served more free meals to those impacted by the storm than did the Red Cross. He is also an ambassador for immigrant workers who are, in many cases, the backbone of the restaurant industry.

World Central Kitchen

https://www.worldcentralkitchen.org/

[]        CHARLES CARROLL

Chef of River Oaks Country Club, past president of the World Association of Chefs, Olympic chef – many times over, and accomplished author – two of Chef Carroll’s most significant accomplishments are organizing Operation Hot that fed and entertained our troops in Afghanistan and his ongoing commitment to teach, train and lead his cooks to become chefs in their own right.

Operation Hot

http://chefcharlescarroll.com/dt_gallery/operation-hot/

[]         DAN BARBER

Chef Barber’s connection to giving is through his sustainable approach towards improving the integrity of America’s food supply and bringing attention to the amount of food waste in our country – food that could easily help to feed the poor and hungry.

Thinking About Food Waste

www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/waste-not-want-not-eat-up

[]         ALICE WATERS

Alice Water is certainly a household name, a person who has trained a cadre of chefs to be conscious advocates for the Farm to Table movement that began in her kitchens at Chez Panisse in Berkley. Since then she has remained an advocate for getting closer to where our food is grown and has worked to bring gardening and farm to cafeteria efforts into our public school system across the country.

New School Food Study

www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2010/09/berkeleys-new-school-food-study-a-victory-for-alice-waters/63465/

[]         BARBARA LYNCH

The Barbara Lynch Foundation is “dedicated to helping Boston’s communities create healthy and inspired futures for its youth by providing leadership and support to build life skills, improve access to nutritious foods, and empower families.”

The Barbara Lynch Foundation

www.foodthinkers.com/the-barbara-lynch-foundation/

[]         STACEY WOHL

Stacey, not necessarily a chef, made a personal life challenge a larger effort at helping others. His “Cause Café” has brought awareness to Autism and focuses on hiring, training, and supporting workers who find themselves somewhere on the Spectrum of Autism.

Cause Cafe

www.causecafe.net/about-us/

[]         CHRISTINA TOSI

The pastry chef/co-owner of Momufuku Milk in collaboration with “Hot Bread Kitchen” is intent on working to create jobs for immigrants in New York kitchens.

Hot Bread Kitchen

https://hotbreadkitchen.org/

[]         RICK BAYLESS

Chef Rick, the most celebrated chef of authentic Mexican food in North America has been on a campaign for years to promote small sustainable farms. His “Frontera Farmer Foundation” makes grants available to farmers.

Frontera Farm Foundation

http://www.rickbayless.com/foundation/

[]         COUNTLESS CHEFS as MENTORS, TEACHERS, ADVOCATES

Many chefs without the national reputation or funds may find it difficult to give back in such bold manners, but still are advocates for giving through teaching and training of interns and apprentices who need guidance with their careers. Teaching the next generation of chefs and restaurateurs is by far one of the most rewarding things that a chef can do.

Look in a mirror – Who Are You? Now that you have reached that pinnacle of your career – think about how you want to be remembered and find a way to give back like so many others; it will pay you back ten fold for the effort.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

Restaurant Consulting and Training

 

 

**”The Go-Giver” – by: John David Mann

www.amazon.com/dp/1591848288?aaxitk=tr5xqIdPizxKws3LSZz1UQ&pd_rd_i=1591848288&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3930100107420870094&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=The+Go-Giver&hsa_cr_id=5373983190601

 

 

 

BEING A CHEF – THE PASSION AND THE COST

28 Wednesday Mar 2018

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Let’s first separate those three types of cooks who stand tall behind a range:

  • Those who consider cooking to be their purpose in life, the career choice that inspires them, and the choice that let’s them jump out of bed in the morning to face the opportunities that cooking will provide today
  • Those who view what they do as a job that supports a meager lifestyle, brings them to an environment of transparent, hard-working, and fun people and a job that will be available as long as they want it
  • Those who feel trapped in a job that is physically and emotionally difficult, never pays enough, offers little if any benefits, and pains them to continue to call it a career

Regardless of the level of commitment and associated joy – each of these types of individuals makes substantial sacrifices to keep those aprons tied. Years ago I completed a somewhat unscientific study of why people stay and why they leave – what drives certain cooks and chefs away and what magnet inspires them to continue to accept the bad with the good. The results of the study (involved around 200 current and former cooks) surprised me. As it turned out there was a definitive acceptance of the “cost of doing business” if one factor was in place – if it was not, then the desire to “flee” became more pronounced.

So what is the “price to pay” for chefs and cooks aspiring to that position? The challenges are many, but so too are the challenges to many other careers. It does seem, however, that chefs feel the weight of more than their fair share of complex burdens. It has been said many times before and we all know the drill, but once again let’s look at the weight of the position:

[]         THE PRESSURE OF TIMING:

Everything in a kitchen is measured in the immediate: the need for a custom menu –NOW, the need to prepare exceptional food for dining room guests within minutes of their arrival, the need to fix challenging financial numbers, the need to replace team members and train them TODAY, etc. Every day is a pressure cooker when it comes to time.

[]         THE CHALLENGES IN KEEPING A TEAM:

Considering the environment, the work conditions, the unpredictable hours, the modest pay and a lack of benefits – it is almost impossible for a chef to build and keep a unified team in place for more than a few months. Team members come and go; yet the expectation is that product and service will remain constant.

[]         THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF THE WORK:

Cooking at a professional level is a very physical job. Standing on your feet, little opportunity for breaks, excessive heat, loads of lifting, and of course the burns, cuts and sore feet and backs that go along with the physical environment is an every day challenge.

[]         THE SHORT LIFE OF INGREDIENTS:

With profit measured in pennies it is difficult to imagine how challenging it is to manage ingredients with a shelf life measured in a few days. Any loss due to waste or spoilage chips away at those meager profit percentages. This reality faces the chef every minute of every day.

[]         THE TIGHT ROPE NATURE OF SMALL PROFIT MARGINS:

Sales fluctuate in most restaurants and labor cost is hard to manage with these ebbs and flows in business volume. Combine this with that cost of perishable ingredient challenge and you have profit or loss staring a chef in the face each morning when he or she opens the office door.

[]         THE FICKLE NATURE OF GUESTS:

If menus were stationary and always predictable then the job of the chef might be a bit monotonous, but it would certainly be comfortable. Guest tastes change, product availability changes, quality varies, and cost of ingredients is as variable as the weather. All of this combines to create a highly fickle environment for building consistency and reliability in terms of planning.

[]         SUCCESS DEPENDS ON LAST NIGHTS SALES:

Since profitability is unpredictable and shallow, most restaurants rely heavily on cash flow for survival (the money is coming in faster than it is going out). When last nights sales failed to meet budget then the chef struggles with knowing whether or not vendors can be paid on time, equipment can be repaired, china can be replaced, or even if payroll will be met. This is a significant burden.

and most significantly:

[]         THE TOLL THAT THE CAREER TAKES ON FAMILY AND FRIENDS:

This is the biggest sacrifice – we all know the drill: you will work extraordinary hours, you will work nights and weekends, you will work holidays and you will certainly miss many of those special family events that other professions would deem essential. This sacrifice alone makes a case for providing a taste of entrepreneurship.

All of this factored in – what was it that those 200 study participants agreed on as the reason to accept this and keep their level of passion high enough? The answer was simple, and nearly universal: (and I paraphrase) “As a chef, I want to have the responsibility and authority to treat the position as if I were an owner and when the business succeeds financially, I want to enjoy those benefits.” In other words – chefs are willing to accept a lot, they are willing to invest incredibly hours and deal with the physical, mental, and emotional stress that comes with the turf as long as they can feel entrepreneurial. Chefs believe that they should be treated as partners who put in the sweat equity in exchange for their ownership authority and financial gain.

If owners want a chef who is “all in”, and a chef who thinks first and foremost about the restaurant and the team who supports his or her efforts, then doesn’t it make sense to view this person as a partner? How this occurs need not even be formalized legally – the chef, at least initially, only wants the ability to impact on decisions and receive as much as he or she gives. Doesn’t these seem fair and reasonable? When this latitude is not present then the owner should realize that good chefs would come and go. This is a fact. The other fact is that a chef cannot effectively do the job well without a total commitment to the business.

Every quality chef that I know has a desire and an inherent need to be an entrepreneur. Every quality chef I know realizes what it takes to be successful in the position and goes into the kitchen with eyes wide open. Every quality chef I know will tell you that the hours; the physical, mental, and emotional toll, and the passion for food and service are the price of admission. In return they expect to feel as if they have the ability to take ownership in some fashion. If you want to keep a quality chef then this fact needs consideration.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

www.harvestamericaventures.com

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN STORIES OF THE KITCHEN AND A PICTURE OF WHAT IT TAKES? Here are two books that should be part of your library:

THE EVENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING:

By: Chef Paul Sorgule

www.amazon.com/Event-That-Changed-Everything-Relationships/dp/1491755105/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522239750&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Event+that+Changed+Everything

THE RECIPE:

By: Chef Charles Carroll

www.amazon.com/Recipe-Story-Loss-Ingredients-Greatness/dp/0998862606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1522239798&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Recipe

A LINE COOK’S LEGAL VICES

19 Friday Jan 2018

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The dictionary may define a “vice” as a bad habit or fault, but sometimes those habits cause less harm than the definition may imply and far more joy than one might assume. We all have a vice or two, some are related to our personal lives and occasionally they are connected to what we do for a living, but in the case of the cook these vices tend to connect almost entirely with that career in the kitchen. Here are some of the “legal” ones that make a cook’s life complete and sometimes deplete their checkbook.

[]         GREAT BREAD

The smell, texture, and flavor of quality bread especially right from the oven with a generous spoon full of salty butter, is maybe one of the most anticipated and revered experiences in a kitchen. The anticipation of the experience is nearly as important to a cook as actually consuming that first slice.

[]         CHEESE OF ALL KINDS

Once a cook has been exposed to quality cheese then he or she is spoiled for life. The transition from Kraft singles to that first quality Brie or Epoisses from France, Goat’s Cheese from Vermont Creamery, Bleu from Jasper Hill, Manchego from Spain, or perfectly aged Romano from Italy is dramatic and eye opening. Cheese becomes one of a cook’s most expensive habits.

[]         BUTTER

It may have been Julia Child who said if you don’t want to use too much butter you can always substitute heavy cream, but to a cook it is butter that defines great flavor. I even know a serious cook who had a tattoo of a pound of butter emblazoned on his bicep.

[]         GOOD WINE

Life is too short to drink cheap wine. A cook has an opportunity and almost a responsibility to learn as much about good wine as possible. The only real way to a good wine education is to drink it and cooks will often view this as a mission in life.

[]         THAT SPECIAL BEER

Just as drinking good wine is essential to a cook’s education – transitioning from PBR or Bud to craft beers is enlightening and incredibly gratifying to a person who is serious about food. Cooks can easily become obsessed with testing the waters and finding that beer experience that is as complex and gratifying as any wine experience.

[]         CHARCUTERIE

Cooks love fermented products: bread, cheese, wine, beer and charcuterie all fall into this category. Watch how contemporary cooks have rediscovered the art of charcuterie from fresh sausages to deeply cured hams, salami, pates, terrines, and galantines. A perfect meal to a serious cook is great bread, intense cheese, salty charcuterie, a few cornichons, and a great glass of wine or beer.

[]         SHORT LIVED RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES

It is probably due to the strange work hours that cooks keep and the intensity of the environment where they practice their trade, but cooks (male and female) seem to easily fall into the challenges of relationships at work. Although the best intentions are there, these relationships rarely turn out well.

[]         THE ADRENALINE RUSH OF A BUSY NIGHT

Cooks are totally addicted to the high stress intensity of a busy night, especially that push around peak times when everything seems to be totally on edge and impossible. For whatever reasons this high adrenaline, blood pressure driven experience brings cooks back every day looking for more.

[]         PASTA AND PIZZA

Some of most common comfort foods for a cook on the job are pasta and pizza. It may be the need for high energy carbs, the universally gratifying flavors, or the ease with which these items can be consumed standing up while still working at a station – in any case this is a cook’s go to menu.

[]         BEAUTIFUL KNIVES

Cooks might have a tough time paying their rent, filling their home refrigerators, or finding a few dollars for gas, but they will always scrape together enough cash to buy that $250 Shun knife that they always wanted to add to their arsenal of a dozen or so “must have” tools. They care for these knives with obsessive behavior and totally freak out if anyone even touches one of their blades.

[]         A TATTOO THAT SHOWS HE OR SHE IS A SERIOUS COOK

Yes, this seems to be a time when tattoos are no longer the exception, but the rule. It is becoming harder and harder to find a person under the age of 40 that doesn’t have some type of body art. A cook may be one of the few types of individuals who insist on adding numerous details that pay homage to knives, food, animal anatomy, or cooking terminology. Some might see this as compulsive where others view it as dedication and membership to a club of unique professionals.

[]         COMFORTABLE SHOES

Next to a cook’s knives his or her shoes are oftentimes the next essential investment. Every cook knows that the right shoes can make work a whole lot more enjoyable and the wrong shoes will quickly result in foot, back, and leg pain, headaches, and miserable attitude.

[]         RAMEN AND PHO

When a cook is off of work then there is a transition from the quick comfort of pasta and pizza to something that stimulates all of the senses – Ramen and Pho are the most important meals of choice – full flavored, spicy, fun, varied in texture, and spiritually enlightening – a bowl of noodles is inspiring.

[]         MUSIC THAT FEEDS THE RUSH

Music is important to everyone, but to a cook music is also essential to work patterns. Laid back music to wake up to, intense and fast paced music during prep, and light and soothing music during the adrenaline push of the rush are all critical. Some chefs don’t allow music of any type in the kitchen, but if managed correctly music can set the right tempo to different parts of the workday.

[]         SALT

“Needs salt” is one of the most common responses to tastings that happen constantly in the kitchen. Salt seems to serve as the answer to flavors that have not been fully developed and as a result can quickly become a fault in cooking. Salt does help to bring flavors to the surface, but can also overpower and take away from the flavors that are there waiting to come forward. Many cooks have a salt addiction.

[]         OYSTERS

OK, one of the most vivid food epiphanies that almost every cook has is that first, fresh from the ocean oyster with the wonderful, briny liquor that is hidden under it’s shell. Once experienced this wonder food then a cook is hooked. It might be partly because there is always a struggle to get to the meat and working for your meal is always stimulating, but most would agree it is the unique flavor and texture that wins the day.

[]         FOIE GRAS AS LONG AS SOMEONE ELSE IS PAYING FOR IT

Not every cook has a chance to work with duck liver, but once they have seared a slab of foie gras in a hot pan, and served it with the right accutrements then the experience becomes imbedded in his or her brain forever. Any chance that a cook has to consume foie gras that the chef or restaurant pays for is taken with a veracity of passion.

[]         COFFEE

Cooks drink lots of coffee, strong coffee, good and bad coffee – sometimes black or sometimes with way too much sugar and cream, when they can as espresso and with lots of zeal as cappuccino with a bit of art work on top. Coffee is essential to a cook – one of the food groups that they can’t survive without.

[]         ANY SENTENCE WITH A FOUR-LETTER WORD

As a noun, verb, adverb, or adjective – four letter words seem to spring eternal in the kitchen. As much as chefs may try to temper it – for some reasons it has been accepted as a universal language for cooks. Most become immune after a while and don’t even realize that they are using them with excess until they are out in public and talk with reckless kitchen abandon to the surprise of others.

[]         CRUSTY HANDS

It may seem strange to talk about rough and blistered hands as a vice, but those cook’s claws are a visual representation of how hard they work. Just as beat up hands are a badge of honor to tradespeople, construction workers and farmers, so too are they symbols of a cook.

[]         HEAT AND FIRE

Finally, every cook is obsessed with standing over a cherry red range burner, the melt your skin off 750 degrees of a wood fired oven, or the 4 – inch flames from a char-broiler that are essential to searing a perfect steak or chop. Cooks sweat – that’s what they do.

This is a sampling of a kitchen warriors vices – most of them are enjoyable.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

Restaurant Consulting and Training

IS THE KITCHEN A COOK’S “SAFE PLACE”?

16 Tuesday Jan 2018

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Look around the kitchen and pause to really assess what you see. The lifeblood of the kitchen is not found in stainless steel, contemporary equipment, or even the ingredients that fill cooler and storeroom shelves. The lifeblood of the kitchen is the people who stand tall in their hounds tooth pants and double-breasted white jackets. Now look more closely at those people and begin to see who they are, what their connection to the kitchen might be, and why they just seem to “fit”.

What I truly love about the kitchen, and what many other “lifers” will tell you is that these people are special. They might also be surprised to find out that the person that they know in the kitchen is a totally different person outside of that environment. There is a comfort level, a sense of purpose, and a camaraderie that exists around a battery of ranges that moves way beyond whatever a person’s life is on the outside. This kitchen to many is a safe place, a place where they no longer feel that they have to be that other person, but rather can breathe free, be expressive, demonstrate a skill that has been developed over time, smile, high-five and fist bump, and know that they are part of a team of like-minded individuals with a common goal.

Think about it for a moment. We have all been around big, rough and tumble cooks with scars and tattoos that tell a story of a hard life, delicately place a fresh herb on a plate of beautiful food, wipe the rim and smile as it is placed in the pass. We have all been around that cook who is shy and lacking in social skills interact as a confident, self-assured person when in their station on the line. We have all been around that cook who is typically stoic and antagonistic tear up when the chef tastes his or her food and nods in appreciation of something that is truly delicious. Why the change in character – the metamorphosis when a person is faced with heat, sweat, incredibly hard work, and the threat of cuts and burns around every corner? Is the kitchen a “Safe Place”, and what does that mean to so many cooks?

Here are some thoughts:

[]         ACCEPTANCE

A cook who takes his or her job seriously is on equal ground in the kitchen. No one cares about a person’s past, how he or she acts or is perceived out of work; what their views, beliefs, color, ethnicity, or lifestyle might be – if they put forth the effort they are simply accepted as an equal.

[]         OPPORTUNITY

There is always a chance to be great in the kitchen. A cook may have developed a skill that demonstrates loads of potential, potential that may have never been recognized in other settings – but in the kitchen cooks can shine if they so choose. The opportunity is here.

[]         THE SENSES

What an opportunity the kitchen provides – a chance to appeal to all of the human senses with everything a cook prepares. Every cook is a potential artist with an ability that no other artist has – the chance to appeal to a person’s sense of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Incredible!

[]         APPRECIATION

Outside of the kitchen there may be very little appreciation for a cook’s potential or the work that he or she is capable of doing, but in the kitchen there is ample room for a nod from a fellow cook, a high-five from someone else on the line, a thumbs up from the chef, and a clean plate coming back from the dining room. Appreciation is something that everyone craves and where it happens becomes that safe place, a place of comfort for the individual.

[]         BROTHERHOOD AND SISTERHOOD

We are all in this together, this place of hard work, sweat and toil, danger and opportunity, stress and the joy of success – this is the kitchen – a place where we are all in this as a team and as a result are bound in a manner that is only experienced by those with a common goal in mind. The team is family.

[]         WE MADE IT THROUGH

At the end of every shift there is an opportunity to feel as if the battle was won. We made it through the push, the time when it seemed as if we might be on the precipice of falling apart, yet we pulled it together and put out some incredible food. Every end of shift provides this opportunity to celebrate, to feel a sense of accomplishment.

[]         THE COMMON CHALLENGE/MISSION POSSIBLE

When those first tickets start flying off the printer the team kicks into action. There is a silent recognition that everyone is ready and focused on his or her role. Everyone knows that it is the sum of the parts that makes the service work, they know that their common mission goes way beyond getting through it, the challenge is to do that with grace, passion, and a commitment to preparing excellent looking and tasting food. It is really mission possible – not impossible.

[]         CREATIVITY INSPIRES

Even a crusty pirate who sees the world as an unfriendly place responds well to the opportunity to create and make something that others appreciate. People are inherently tactile individuals who love to make things that are sensually stimulating. The kitchen provides this every day.

[]         MISFITS UNITE

I have always been amazed at meeting cooks that I have worked with off the job and out in the real world. I sometimes scratch my head and think, “Is this the same person that I worked with?” Whatever the inclination of a cook, however they want to act or be perceived outside of the kitchen, once they put on the apron they are transformed into a person of talent, skill, and passion for excellent work. The kitchen is their safe place.

I always remember those times when my children would be on vacation with my wife and I, in a different place, far from their normal friends and associates and how different, free, and happy they were to just be themselves. That is exactly what the kitchen provides – a place for people to be their true selves.

[]         JUDGEMENT ASIDE

The over-riding sense of comfort in a kitchen comes from these facts alone: there is only one important assessment in the kitchen – “Are you ready to put your best effort into this task, are you prepped for the shift, are you committed to making food the way it should be, and are you ready to support your teammates?” If the answer is “yes” then everything else is unimportant and not worthy of another person’s concern.

Is the kitchen your safe place?

PLAN BETTER –TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

www.harvestamericaventures.com

*PHOTO:  Dream Team in Chef Joe Faria’s kitchen – Vero Beach

THE CHEF’S INTELLECT

28 Thursday Dec 2017

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NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE HUNGRY IN AMERICA

It is certainly true that professional cooks and chefs live in a tactile world. The kitchen is attractive to many as a vehicle for working with your hands – building and creating dishes and presenting them with flair that inspires others. But in reality a chef is a person with a highly developed intellect that feeds this tactile environment.

The silo mentality that believes that white collar and blue collar are separated by physical work vs. mental work is far from the truth. Spend time with a carpenter, plumber, or electrician and marvel at how integrated math and science are with their daily work and this misconception will evaporate quickly. The same is true in the kitchen – the balance of understanding, problem solving, and planning with the physical work of cooking is apparent every day with nearly every task.

A cook’s career path is a process of building physical skills and broadening his or her ability to truly understand and apply intellect to the steps in cooking a perfect dish. Those who have a desire to reach the position of chef must invest the time and effort in developing this intellect. Let’s look at some vivid examples:

[]         UNDERSTANDING AN INGREDIENT AND A DISH

What makes a tomato an incredible fruit? Is it season, soil, temperature, the right balance of water and sun, or is it maybe geography and the attention of the farmer? To become a chef is to know the answers to these questions. What makes the flavor of a braised item so profoundly comforting? Is it the amount of fat in a shank, beef shoulder, or short rib? Is it the process of braising and addressing each step appropriately, or is it the connection that a cook has with this process? Understanding is knowing the answer to these questions and securing this understanding in a cook’s subconscious.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
– Albert Einstein

[]         KNOWING WHY

Following a recipe fails to impart the knowledge necessary to consistently replicate the quality of a properly prepared dish. Recipes are tools, but are not the answer to becoming a great cook or a chef. Why does a cook sear meat as the first step in braising? Why is it important to caramelize proteins and vegetables prior to building the flavors in a stock? Why use a raft in the process of clarifying a consommé and how does it actually work? Why clarify butter before using it as a cooking fat on the line? The list of questions is limitless, yet each is an important part of building a chef’s intellect and ability to understand cooking and master his or her craft.

[]         UNDERSTANDING LEADS TO CONTROL

The beauty of understanding lies in a deeper feeling for a dish and the unique ability to problem solve and adjust in the process of reaching an agreed upon goal. Once a cook understands the flavor intensity of an organic heirloom tomato – picked in the July sun, simply sliced and served with virgin olive oil and sea salt then he or she can begin to determine what can be done with that greenhouse tomato in February to try and replicate some of that tomato experience. It might be a process of oven drying that tomato with olive oil and salt and combining it with complementary ingredients that will never exactly replicate a July heirloom but can create a pleasurable experience for the guest that far exceeds simply using that greenhouse product as delivered.

Knowing what to expect in the end can aid a chef in changing a food experience for the better. Every day in the kitchen a chef is challenged to do just this.

[]         SOLVING PROBLEMS

Beyond cooking itself – problem solving is a skill that is drawn from intellect and experience. A chef who determines an anomaly in food cost will tap into his or her intellect and experience to determine what might be the cause. Was it a mistake in inventory; is it time to adjust selling prices; could there be an issue with theft; or is it time to look at yield and waste in the kitchen. A chef never accepts a problem for what it is – he or she has the ability to identify the cause and make necessary adjustments.

[]         SCENARIO PLANNING

Chefs, through their experiences, are able to tap into their acquired intellect to anticipate problems before they exist, establish preventative measures, and when necessary – quickly tap into that mental database of solutions.

“Entrepreneurs are moving from a world of problem-solving to a world of problem-finding. The very best ones are able to uncover problems people didn’t realize that they had.”

-Dan Pink

[]         DIFFERENTIATING TASTE AND FLAVOR

Taste and flavor are truly intellectual. Our mind tells us what a strawberry tastes like and registers what it should taste like. Experience trains the mind to be the active evaluator of taste and flavor and our taste buds and olfactory senses are the vehicles to deliver this data to the brain. A cook will never know what a veal picatta should taste like until he or she has prepared it properly and built that taste and flavor memory. That perfect tomato flavor is determined through experience. The intellect of taste and flavor is built throughout a cook’s life, recorded in his or her subconscious, and activated through intellect when needed.

“The thing about all my food is that everything is a remembered flavor. Maybe it’s something I had as a child or maybe it’s something I had in Milan, but I want it to taste better than you ever thought.”

– Ina Garten

[]         BEING IN TUNE WITH PEOPLE

In the end, the chef’s primary job must go beyond cooking. The chef, through experience and commitment to building intellect and great communication skills is able to nurture an understanding of what makes his or her team members tick. Knowing what their needs, strengths, weaknesses, passions and goals are will allow the chef to be successful and the restaurant to thrive. Chefs know how to set the stage for self-motivation, when to complement and when to coach, and how to inspire others to reach for common goals. This takes intellect, experience, and a deep appreciation for the individual.

[]         FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Chefs may not need to understand the complexity of accounting, but they must understand how to analyze, compute, and use the information that is provided through solid accounting practices. Chefs will inventory, determine product cost, establish selling prices, manage labor costs, track item popularity and contribution, budget, and prepare the foundations for weekly or monthly profit and loss statements. Cooking is the soul of a kitchen, but solid financial management is the lifeblood.

[]         PLANNING AND ORGANIZING

The most effective chefs, especially in a very busy operation, invest a considerable part of the day planning and organizing the shop. Chefs design menus, determine amounts of product to order, build production schedules, expand recipes, build employee work schedules, establish timing for events, establish future budgets, and define how everything is done within the walls of the kitchen. Effective cooks spend years building this intellectual capital and creating a base of knowledge that will allow them to be effective at these tasks that go way beyond the tactile portion of their job.

[]         MARKETING AND BRAND CREATION

Just like any other business professional – the chef has a role to play in building the brand of the restaurant and getting that message out. In many cases, the chef is the brand and as such must also be the face of the operation and its promotional efforts. To this end, the chef must build the social and intellectual skills necessary to be a positive role model and spokesperson for the operation.

[]         A VISION BASED ON WHAT YOU KNOW AND WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW

In conjunction with owners and other managers, the chef must also acquire the intellectual savvy to be part of the visionary team for the restaurant. It is never acceptable for an operation to remain stagnant – there must be a vision for the future and a strategy to get there. This strategy must include a deep awareness of what the chef doesn’t know and a commitment to build that base of knowledge moving forward.

The primary point is that the role of chef has changed dramatically over the past few decades and the once cooking focused position has evolved into one that requires a new skill set and a highly refined intellect that allows the chef to make the right decisions for the team and the operation. So you want to be a chef? Well, the chef of today is just as concerned with becoming a knowledge worker and an intellectual leader, as he or she is a great food technician.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Training and Consulting

www.harvestamericaventures.com

“Be Something Special – be a Chef.”

 

 

 

 

WHY COOKS HANG OUT WITH COOKS

07 Saturday Oct 2017

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over-the-hill

In the era of social media the term “friend” has been misconstrued. A Facebook friend is likely distant from the true definition that has been an essential part of a full life since the beginning of time. A social media friend is likely only a person who chooses, in the moment, to click on that designation displayed on a person’s page, but comes with little or no real connection between the two. If you think about the components of real friendship each of us would probably narrow down a friend list to those people we could count on both hands.

Friend: “a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another person.”

-Webster’s Dictionary

The key element in this definition is “trust”. Trust is something that doesn’t come easy, it allows us to be exposed and transparent – it makes those people involved in friendship to be vulnerable, yet comfortable at the same time. How many people in your life do you truly trust?

Something unique happens in a kitchen, something that defies the norm while creating an environment that builds bonds of trust and vulnerability. It is this “something” that transitions a group of people into a cohesive team. This is what every chef strives to help create – this is an environment of friendship that leads to success.

So, why is the kitchen environment so unique in this regard (at least from my perspective)? Here are my thoughts:

[]         NO ONE UNDERSTANDS A COOK LIKE ANOTHER COOK

The work, the challenges, the stress, the demand for consistency, the level of commitment that is required, the talent and skill, the fears, the joy of accomplishment, the terror of failure, the heat, burns, cuts, and aching feet culminate in an environment that is very difficult to describe and even more difficult to imagine unless you have been there. There is a bond that exists among those who tie on an apron, a bond that is universal. Cooks feel this connection with every other cook no matter where they work, what type of food they cook, which language they speak, and what part of the world they call home. There is a universal understanding among cooks.

“One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.”

-Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[]         COMMON POINTS OF INTEREST

What pulls individuals together in the bond of friendship is more often than not, some type of common interest. Due to the nature of the work, cooks think and talk about food and life in the kitchen – a lot. This common area of interest is the starting point and the lasting connection that feeds a friendship.

[]         COMMON FRUSTRATIONS

As much as cooks (most of them anyway) enjoy the work of cooking, there are common frustrations that pull at their commitment. The hours, the unpredictability of scheduling, the physical and mental work, the emotional nature of presenting their work for critique, and the inevitable stress of working under extreme conditions is another point of common interest. When cooks are not talking about food and cooking in a positive vein, they are complaining about those frustrations that they all share. This is something that friends do.

[]         NO ONE ELSE WILL HAVE THE PATIENCE TO BE YOUR FRIEND

Let’s face it – if you are not in the restaurant business it is way too hard to be friends with a cook. They work obscene hours, they can never plan ahead, they think that they work harder than anyone else (might be true), they accentuate their conversations with more expletives than you thought were possible, and they have no patience for people who work at a “normal” job.   Only cooks accept this from other cooks.

[]         WELCOME TO THE CLUB

It is hard to appreciate this unless you are a card-carrying member, but there is a club for cooks and chefs – a club without formal membership, without financial dues, without meetings and without any form of structure. This “club” is reserved for anyone who works in the kitchen – all are welcome. This club only requires a nod and a smile to another cook – this acknowledgement states that you know what they are going through and as such can enjoy a bond through experience. Although not every member will be your friend – the potential is there.

[]         SKILLS BIND

Just like in the trades, music, art, writing, and theater – cooks respect the skills that every other cook exhibits. They know what it takes to acquire and master these skills and feel a connection with those who dedicate themselves to gaining proficiency. At the same time – cooks have little patience for those who wear the uniform and fail to dedicate themselves to gaining the proper skills to perform at a high level.

[]         TRUST IS A FACTOR

Back to that “trust” factor: cooks who work together must develop a high level of trust in each other’s skills and commitment to excellence. When this trust is present then a few things happen: goals are achieved, the operation runs efficiently, and friendships are made.

“Learning to trust is one of life’s most difficult tasks.”

-Isaac Watts

[]         THE NON-TRADITIONAL HOURS ARE A CATALYST

I am sure that other professions where non-traditional hours are a factor develop a bond that is a direct result of that form of isolation. When your shift begins in the morning and doesn’t end until midnight or later then you connect with those who share in this challenge. When you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, then there is a bond that is made out of necessity. Who else are you going to be friends with?

[]         WE SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE

The language of the kitchen is developed out of necessity. We use acronyms, abbreviations, words that can’t be found in the dictionary, and a staccato delivery of these driven by the need for simplicity and effect. We use four letter words as nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives as a way of accentuating the emotion behind a communication and a release from the stress of the moment. Watch a cook attempt to mingle with a crowd of non-cooks and carry on a conversation – those around will look on with confusion and sometimes embarrassment. Only cooks will nod with approval and understanding when another cook has the stage.

[]         THAT FRUSTRATED ARTIST THING

Certainly cooking is an art form and those who prepare food – artists. Every, yes every, serious cook that I have known is an artist at heart – an artist looking for a medium of expression that works for them. Look around at how many cooks you know who play an instrument (maybe not too well), paint, draw, carve, write, or build. Cooking is a unique, tactile craft that serves as a perfect medium for that inner artist. Every day that a cook stands in front of a stove he or she is entering the world of the artist. At the same time, this artist, unlike any other, is able to appeal to every human sense and build an experience that others can enjoy at multiple levels. Knowing this is a bond that brings friendships to the surface.

[]         COOKS ARE NON-JUDGMENTAL

Can you cook, are you dependable, will you have my back, and are you serious about your work? These are the defining characteristics of a team member, a fellow cook, and a friend in the kitchen. If you live up to these parameters then there is trust. Cooks do not care about anything else regarding your lifestyle – your likes and dislikes, your beliefs and your flaws. Cooks tend not to be judgmental.

“A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.”

-Jim Morrison

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

RELISH THE FRIENDSHIPS MADE IN THE KITCHEN

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

www.harvestamericaventures.com

WHAT MAKES A CHEF’S JOB SO CHALLENGING

03 Tuesday Oct 2017

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Eamon

If you cook in a serious way, if you have defined the process of cooking as something that you want to invest in, if you find that the passion of working in a professional kitchen is something that inspires you, then you will have an undeniable desire to become a chef. What many do not understand is that the difference in responsibility and what a chef will face is monumentally different from that of a cook.

“I call all chefs ‘cooks.’ They’re all cooks. That’s what we do – we cook. You’re a chef when you’re running a kitchen.”

-Tom Colicchio

Running a kitchen is a whole different ball game – a game that too often takes a person away from what he or she started in this industry to do – to cook. A chef, when the term is used correctly, is a manager and a leader. This is the person who builds teams, nourishes a restaurant concept, defines the standards, manages the execution of cooking, leads the business forward, and sets the stage for profitability.

Of course the passion for food and the teaching of others does allow the chef to cook, but not at the same level as those who work the line every day. To reach the pinnacle of a cook’s career and become a chef means that a new set of skills, challenges, and opportunities rise to the surface. Here are some of the things that make a chef’s job so much more challenging:

[]         THE CHALLENGE OF THE RIGHT MENU

Every cook that I know dreams of the day when he or she can put their stamp on a menu. “Finally, I will be able to cook what I want to cook and put my mark on the restaurant.” While this is certainly true at some level – the right menu is often times a departure from this ideal and rather becomes the menu that will attract guests and keep them coming back. Sometimes the chef’s vision and the customer’s reality are one in the same – typically this is not the case.

[]         THE NEED TO BE UNIQUE

While the reality of customer preference is always a top consideration the chef still needs to find a niche that defines the restaurant as unique – different enough for people to go out of their way to choose that operation over another. The chef’s signature is crucial to the individual cook and to the restaurants reputation.

[]         THE RESTRAINT OF KEEPING IT SIMPLE

Chefs love to build menus that define who they are and what their team is capable of. Typically, we like to push the operation to see just how robust the menu and individual presentations can be. The reality is that well executed, simple, clean and flavorful preparations and presentations are often the ones that are well received. Complicated doesn’t always mean better so chefs need to show some restraint.

“As I mature as a chef, I no longer aim to pack multiple techniques and ingredients into a single dish. Realizing that restraint is more difficult, I find it often renders incredibly beautiful results.”

-Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison)

[]         THE CHALLENGE OF THE SOURCE OF INGREDIENTS

Chefs know that the success of their menu relies heavily on the quality and consistency of the ingredients available. Chefs are constantly working with vendors, farmers, fishmongers, and sources of quality meat to set the stage for success in the kitchen. There is never enough time to do this, yet the time must be invested.

[]         THE COMPLEXITY OF BUILDING A TEAM

By far one of the most difficult tasks of a chef, and the most important to the restaurants success is identifying, finding, training, and retaining an exceptional crew. The chef knows that how this team gels will determine how well the food is received. To this end, the chef must be an excellent recruiter, a mentor, teacher, trainer, coach, disciplinarian, and role model.

“There’s a bond among a kitchen staff, I think. You spend more time with your chef in the kitchen than you do with your own family.”

– Gordon Ramsay

[]         THE CHALLENGE OF CONSISTENCY

It has been said that even relatively mediocre restaurants can be successful as long as they are consistent, yet inconsistently excellent restaurants are doomed to failure. Chefs must respect the quality of ingredients, build systems to ensure the same approach to handling them, and work with recipes yet train and teach cooks how to adapt to those factors that can push a menu in the wrong direction. Consistency must be the goal.

[]         THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD AND MANAGE

Leadership and management are distinctly different. Chefs must know the difference and be able to offer both. Managers are excellent at guiding the successful completion of tasks to meet predetermined objectives while leaders inspire others to invest their very best in this process and follow the chef in the direction that will define the operation.

“A good chef has to be a manager, a businessman and a great cook. To marry all three together is sometimes difficult.”

-Wolfgang Puck

[]         THE SHADOW OF WASTE

Waste is the enemy of efficiency and the opportunity for waste is present everywhere in a kitchen. The chef must first build a menu designed to fully utilize every ingredient while the cook must be always conscience of the evils of waste. As Chef Marc Meneau from the former 3-star restaurant L’Esperance in France once proclaimed: “You don’t make money from the onion, you make money from the onion peel.”

[]         THE BURDEN OF FOOD COST

Just as cooks are measured on their ability to execute consistent preparations within the timeline expected and do so with the energy of a distance runner and the finesse of a painter – the chef is measured on his or her ability to keep customers happy and coming back and the ability of the restaurant to meet certain specific financial parameters. One of those is food cost that is controlled through waste management, effective purchasing, inventory control, and standards of preparation.

[]         THE CHALLENGE OF PERFECTION

Since every meal that leaves a kitchen carries the invisible signature of the chef, he or she is oftentimes overly focused on details and impatient when these details are not dealt with in the same manner. Perfection is something to strive for, yet something that is impossible to reach. The chef knows if the team strives for perfection at least they will achieve excellence.

“The hardest thing for a chef is to become comfortable with what you do. Not to be too neurotic and worried with what you are doing and how wrong or right you are.”

-Daniel Boulud

[]         THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR FOOD SAFETY

Every chef understands the importance placed on food safety and proper sanitation. The health and wellbeing of the restaurant guest is a moral and ethical responsibility as well as a legal one.

[]         FINDING THE TIME TO TRAIN

Effective training takes planning, research, and time spent on developing the right execution. It is very obvious to all involved when a chef fails to invest the right amount of effort here.

[]         THE CHALLENGE OF PROFIT

No matter how talented the chef and how dedicated the team – if the restaurant fails to earn a reasonable profit then the operation will have a short life. Chefs are always focused on this.

“I don’t have any interest in being a chef without being on the business side of things, or vice versa, because if you don’t make money at the end of the month, you’re going out of business.”

– Tom Douglas

[]         THE FEAR OF CHANGE

Change is one of those factors that everyone talks about and everyone fears at some level. Whether it is change in concept, menu, method, presentation, customer base, staff dynamics, or vision – chefs must learn to accept the reality of change, occasionally invite it in, and manage it effectively. This is NOT easy.

[]         THE CHALLENGE OF TIME

Time is one component of life that is very difficult to manage. There is only so much time and in a kitchen we find that this is challenged constantly. With too much on his or her plate a chef may be faced with the need to compromise – something that chefs abhor. There is always a constant battle between the need for consistently high quality execution and the need for owners to maximize business volume. Many chefs part ways with very successful restaurants because they do not want to compromise what they believe in.

[]         THE KNOWLEDGE THAT NOTHING IS CERTAIN

No matter how organized, how well planned, or how well defined every detail in a kitchen is – there will always be curve balls. Chefs, over time, are able to scenario plan and anticipate the unanticipated. This is where a well-seasoned chef/leader is able to shine.

[]         THE DIFFICULTY IN HAVING A LIFE

Of course, this is the age-old challenge – how does a chef give 100% all of the time and manage to have a life outside of work. This is easy to complain about, but hard to solve. Some are able to do it and should thus become role models in this regard – most chefs have somewhat shallow lives after work as a result.

Every job has its challenges – the chef’s job does seem to be one that is the poster child for complexity.

***PICTURE:  ADAPTED FROM CHEF EAMON LEE’S PHOTO DURING A SCANDANAVIAN TRIP OF A LIFETIME

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and training

www.harvestamericaventures.com

I REMEMBER – A CHEF’S REFLECTIONS ON TIME

01 Friday Sep 2017

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It was 1964 when Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones sang: “Time is on my side, yes it is.” I wonder now if there is any truth to that statement. When you are 14 years old, as I was, time seemed endless – boredom was a choice that some elected to dwell in, while others used their time with reckless abandon. While I have one of those reflective moments I thought that I would retrace some of the things that I remember about people over my time thus far. Maybe, there is something that we can learn from the past that will help us accept and adjust to the future – maybe. Quite possibly it’s the little things that make our time have real value – maybe.

“Time has come today,

Young hearts can go their way

Can’t put it off another day

I don’t care what others say

They say we don’t listen anyway

Time has come today”

-The Chambers Brothers

Does this have any bearing on what cooks and chefs do every day in America’s kitchens? Yes, I think so – bear with me:

  • I remember when young people could feel safe spending the day with friends, riding bikes, playing ball, shooting hoops, just hanging out in their neighborhood. Parents thought nothing of simply saying: “Make sure you’re home for dinner.”
  • I remember when school was a safe zone where aside from the occasional ribbing over what you wore for the day, and the fear of tests, most of us looked forward to meeting up with friends and getting through that math or English class.
  • I remember when people said please and thank you because it was the way they were raised to treat others with respect – even when it was forced.
  • I remember when you automatically held the door open for the person behind you.
  • I remember when watching TV was an occasional treat, not a pacifier for a boring life.
  • I remember when we had some chores to do every day and we did them even reluctantly.
  • I remember having a paper route so that there was some money of my own that I earned.
  • I remember how excited I was to get my early working papers at 15 so that I could jump into that first part-time summer job as a dishwasher.
  • I remember the thrill of flipping my first over-easy egg (without breaking the yolk).
  • I remember when making sure that my chef coat and pants were clean and pressed was a source of pride.
  • I remember my first chef’s knife and how meticulous I was about keeping an edge and polishing the blade on that full carbon steel Sabatier.
  • I remember how easy it was to work with and accept everyone in the kitchen regardless of age, height, gender, nationality, race, or beliefs.
  • I also remember those outside of the kitchen who were resistant to this aura of acceptance.
  • I remember how opening day of baseball season in Buffalo was a day off from school.
  • I remember listening with wonder to my first transistor radio that I saved up for with my paper route money.
  • I remember that family meal was mandatory – a time when everything stopped and the entire family sat around the table to break bread and talk about their day.
  • I remember going out to restaurants as something special reserved for birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and an occasional family gathering.
  • I remember fish fry takeout on Friday’s in Buffalo.
  • I remember working in a classic kitchen brigade at the Statler Hilton Hotel in Buffalo during my apprenticeship.
  • I remember that first day of college without any real direction in life.
  • I remember the years of working in kitchens with incredible people who wore chef whites and aprons with pride.
  • I truly remember the thousands of meals served at a number of restaurants where I worked and can still visualize many of the exact menus and preparations.
  • I will never forget the cooks, chefs, dishwashers, bakers, pastry chefs, managers, and servers with whom I worked in unison trying to exceed the expectations of guests.
  • I remember the competitions, the special events, the pressure of performing, the thrill of success, and the agony of those occasional failures.
  • I remember and treasure the friendships created in kitchens – friendships that go beyond a typical bond found in other professions.
  • I relished the opportunities that came my way as thousands of students’ eager to become cooks and chefs passed through my classrooms. I treasure their success even more than my own.
  • I remember when service was not a dirty word.
  • I remember when as a young cook I was more than willing to invest personal time in developing a new skill in the kitchen. I learned about ice off the clock, show platters after hours without the expectation of pay, or that special recipe that a chef held close to his heart by volunteering to stage’ for a day.
  • I will never forget that first raw oyster, clam on the half shell, snail in garlic butter, seared piece of foie gras, grilled octopus, freshly made sushi, ceviche, meal at a Michelin restaurant, Wagyu steak, beignet in New Orleans, and Maine lobster roll.
  • Finally, I remember all of the travel, the meetings with chefs and feeling the mutual respect that is offered among people of the profession. There are far too many of these experiences to list.

Mostly, I remember the people with whom I have been blessed to spend time with in the kitchen and will continue to do so for hopefully years to come.

“If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day ’til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you”

-Jim Croce

Time is the most precious resource that we have, it is also that resource that cannot be renewed. As cooks and chefs, as members of the human race we should never squander the time before us and should never allow that time to be filled with self-doubt, excessive anger, hate, bias, disrespect, or even worse – boredom. Cooks and chefs are fantastic people with big hearts – our environment is one of acceptance, challenge, and respect. Sometimes this is mandated because of the nature of what we do, but I believe that it is present always under that sometimes-crusty exterior. I believe that each of us is inherently good and caring, but that we sometimes allow our circumstances to hide what is true of most. When we watch how during times of adversity human beings exhibit their true positive self, time and again, then we know that the potential is there. When the world seems to turn on us like in Houston, New Orleans, New York City, Vermont, Northern New York and New Jersey during recent hurricanes and floods, California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon during the ravages of wildfires, and terrorist attacks and the fear of pandemics, we can all relish how fantastic people are and can be when they respect the value of their time and use it for good.

Don’t waste your time – seize every opportunity, give it your best, be kind and sincere, remain honest and of good character, and enjoy the opportunities that come as a result. SAY THANK YOU, OPEN A DOOR FOR SOMEONE, CATCH SOMEONE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT AND PAT THEM ON THEIR BACK, AND ACCEPT PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

I LOVE BEING A CHEF BUT I’M MAD AS HELL

26 Saturday Aug 2017

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chef

From that first moment when I held a spatula in my hand at the age of 15 and was shown how to flip a pancake and how the flick of my wrist could coax an egg to gently change sides in a pan – I knew that the kitchen was a place where I could feel comfortable. Back then it wasn’t “cool” to be a chef, it was just a job that most of the people who surrounded me thought of as a dead end, a place where a young person didn’t want to end up. Since rock musician was already out of reach for me, I resisted the negative thoughts from others and compromised at the end of high school with the road to hotel management.

Two years later, college pedigree on my resume, during my first interview for an assistant manager’s position I was quickly shown that it would be some time before I could wear the nametag of management. I was told to return to the kitchen, learn the ropes and work my way back out to the front of the house in due time. Once back in whites and apron, tongs and spatula in hand, I was committed to stay as close to the range as possible – this was where I belonged. Forty-five years later and I am proud to say that I never strayed too far from the heat, intensity, stress, and shear joy of working in the kitchen – this was my destiny and I have never looked back with regret.

So, I love the food business, and in particular – the restaurant segment. Not everyone can say this, but I can. There have been moments of doubt, but I would always suit up and return knowing that the job was important and every year I was able to get a little bit better than the year before.

Along the way there have been moments of incredible satisfaction, significant accomplishment, laughs, and beaming moments of pride while at the same time there have been those situations and realities that tear at a person’s character, tie his or her stomach in knots, and raise stress levels to the boiling point. Here are some of the many reasons why I love what I do (no regrets) and why today I find myself riddled with fits of anger and disappointment.

chef

  1. I LOVE BEING A CHEF QUITE SIMPLY BECAUSE I HAVE BECOME COMPETENT

 

  1. I LOVE BEING A CHEF BECAUSE I CONTINUE TO BE INTRIGUED BY THE CHARACTER OF THOSE WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THE CRAFT

 

  1. I LOVE BEING A CHEF BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I CAN HELP TO MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY, EVEN WHEN THE ODDS SEEM AGAINST THAT

 

  1. I LOVE BEING A CHEF BECAUSE I AM ABLE TO PAY RESPECT TO INGREDIENTS AND CREATE FOOD THAT IS BEAUTIFUL AND GRATIFYINGLY DELICIOUS

 

  1. I LOVE BEING A CHEF BECAUSE EVERY DAY IN THE KITCHEN IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE A TEAM BRING THE IMPOSSIBLE TO FRUITION

 

  1. I LOVE BEING A CHEF BECAUSE THE JOB IS BUILT ON THE SOLID FOOTING OF THOUSANDS OF DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS WHO PREVIOUSLY GAVE MUCH OF THEIR LIVES TO THE CRAFT

 

  1. I LOVE BEING A CHEF BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I EARNED WHERE I AM WITH MY CAREER

 

  1. I LOVE BEING A CHEF BECAUSE I CAN CONTINUE TO LIVE MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE NOW THAT I AM PARTIALLY RETIRED, THROUGH THE SUCCESS OF THOSE WHOM I HELPED TO TRAIN AND TEACH

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY BECAUSE THOSE COOKS WHO ARE SERIOUS AND TALENTED ARE UNABLE TO MAKE A DECENT LIVING

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY BECAUSE THERE IS FAR TOO MUCH MEDIOCRITY IN THIS BUSINESS THAT DROWNS OUT THE EXCELLENT WORK THAT SERIOUS COOKS DO

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY BECAUSE THE TITLE OF CHEF IS GIVEN OUT TOO FREELY TO THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY HAVE EARNED IT

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY BECAUSE FAR TOO MANY RESTAURATEURS LOOK AT THEIR KITCHEN STAFF IN TERMS OF LABOR DOLLARS RATHER THAN PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PERSONIFY THE VERY BEST SKILLS AND ATTITUDE OF A PROFESSIONAL

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AN ANGRY THAT THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO PURSUE A COLLEGE EDUCATION IN CULINARY ARTS ARE SADDLED WITH ABSURB DEBT THAT CAN NEVER BE PAID

 

  1. I AN FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY THAT TOO MANY CULINARY PROGRAMS ARE MORE INTERESTED IN FILLING CLASSROOM SEATS THAN HELPING A STUDENT DECIDE IF THIS PROFESSION IS RIGHT FOR THEM

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY THAT TOO MANY CULINARY GRADUATES ARE UNWILLING TO PAY THEIR DUES TO REALLY LEARN WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME A CHEF

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY THAT LINE COOKS ARE NEVER GIVEN THE CREDIT THEY DESERVE

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY THAT AMERICA HAS FAILED TO RECOGNIZE SERVICE AS AN HONORABLE PROFESSION

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY WHEN PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRY THINK THAT THE FOOD NETWORK AND SHOWS LIKE HELLS KITCHEN ARE AN ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF WHAT KITCHEN LIFE IS LIKE

 

  1. I AM ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED THAT CHEFS ARE IGNORED WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY, CHEMICAL FREE, GMO FREE, INGREDIENTS FROM FARMERS AND PRODUCERS WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR CRAFT

 

  1. I AM FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY THAT SOME LOOK AT THE LIFESTYLE OF A COOK AS SOMETHING THAT IS IMPOSED ON THEM RATHER THAN A CHOICE THAT THEY MAKE BECAUSE THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DO

If it seems like I am on a tirade of complaining, please know that I express these points out of frustration for the next generation of chefs. I still love what I did and what I do, but my time in the kitchen has passed and I am truly disappointed that I did not leave the business in better shape for this next wave of cooks, chefs, and restaurateurs. I don’t regret for one minute the excessive hours, the heat, the cuts and burns, the time spent trying to help a team pull itself out of the weeds, the incredible experiences of team that still give me goose bumps, the competitions where we spent 60 plus hours straight working in a kitchen together, investing time “off the clock” to learn something that I didn’t know before, traveling to work in other friends kitchens for a good cause fundraiser, or consoling a cook who had a problem with drugs or alcohol while convincing him or her to seek appropriate help, or even bail out a cook who made a mistake and needed a friend to help set him or her on the right course. I do regret that this next generation of cooks and chefs may not have an opportunity to feel the same way that I do or the hundreds of industry friends that I cherish who feel the same as I do.

Just as my friend Fritz Sonnenschmidt refers to himself as “A Happy Cook”, I too consider myself the same and only wish that joy for others. My advice to others beginning their professional life is to find what you love to do and give it your all. “Be something special – be a cook” – the rewards are there.

PLAN BETTER –TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training