Frenchie the Butcher and Lloyd our Jamaican Sous Chef – 1971 During my three years as an apprentice at the Buffalo Statler Hilton Hotel I worked for two different executive chefs and three sous chefs. I had the opportunity to work in the butcher shop with Frenchie and bust out more chickens than I can…
Tag: chefs
WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A LINE COOK IN THE 60’S AND 70’S – PART II
Frenchie – The Statler Hilton butcher – 1970 Don the banquet chef had his full crew in place by 10 a.m. – the work in front of them was daunting. With 12 events scheduled for the day culminating in the evening banquet for 1,200 there would be no time to waste. Fortunately, much of the…
WHEN LINE COOKS CONNECT WITH THE FOOD
It’s the chef’s cuisine after all – right? The role of the cook is to prepare what the chef tells him or her to prepare in the manner prescribed, because that’s what the cook is paid to do – right? Well, this approach omits two very important components of a successful restaurant that serves delicious…
CHEFS AND COOKS – KEEPING IT REAL
I thought that it would be interesting to talk menu for a change. What we relish most is the opportunity to create dishes and cook in a manner that pays justice to the ingredients and the heritage of a dish. The menu is thus the most important part of the restaurant experience for both the…
CHEFS – HOW STABLE ARE WE – REALLY?
If you are a chef I know that you have experienced it many times – people around you who shake their heads and wonder what’s wrong with you. They are astonished at the hours you work, the physical and mental stress of the job, the unpredictable nature of the position that never allows you to…
A ROADMAP TO SUCCESS FOR COOKS AND CHEFS
Although some my choose to turn down an unknown road to see where it leads – most of us would prefer to predetermine a destination and plug in our GPS. There are those who would state that the best way to get ahead is to take a chance on the unknown I tend to be…
COOKS – LEARNING HOW TO FIT IN
There is a definitive culture in a professional kitchen – a culture that requires certain attributes of members. Membership is not automatic – far from it. It is this culture that attracts many to the profession – it is this culture that leads many to know that this is the career for them, a career…
WE CAN NEVER FORGET – A CHEF’S PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON 9/11
Monday is the 16th anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history. This was truly the day that changed the world, impacted each of our lives, and bore witness to the worst and the best of mankind. The attack on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the failed attempt at a direct hit…
COOKING AND ALL THAT JAZZ
I have often compared serious cooking to the free-form interpretations of jazz musicians. Since at the core of jazz you can always find the foundations of a melody there is a baseline of discipline that allows the improvisation of jazz music to mimic the feelings of the musician. So too there is discipline and improvisation…
COOKS FINDING THEIR PURPOSE
When all is said and done, when we push aside the challenges that face us as career cooks, when you take the time to brush aside those things that can be pointed to as “negative”, there is a common bond that allows serious cooks to smile and acknowledge that this work is their destiny. Maybe…
