Harvest America CUES BLOG

chefs

  • WORKING IN KITCHENS DURING THE 60’S AND 70’S – PART III

    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… Continue reading

  • 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… Continue reading

  • 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?… Continue reading

  • 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.… Continue reading

  • 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… Continue reading

  • 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… Continue reading

  • 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… Continue reading

  • 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… Continue reading

  • 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… Continue reading

  • 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… Continue reading

  • IS THE RESTAURANT BUBBLE ABOUT TO BURST?

    It could be very easy to state that the restaurant industry has never been stronger, never more robust, and never more promising. There are, according to the National Restaurant Association, more than 1 million freestanding restaurants in the U.S., generating… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – 22 MORE SUREFIRE WAYS TO FAIL AT YOUR JOB

    What makes a chef successful at his or her job? It certainly takes many years for an accomplished cook to rise to the position of chef, but what should they have learned along the way? Just as with restaurant owners… Continue reading

  • LINE COOKS – TOUGH AS NAILS – USED AND ABUSED, DRIVEN AND CONTENTIOUS

    We are who we are or – are we defined by what we do and the environment that we function in? Look into a person’s eyes and you can determine quite a bit. A cook’s eyes are focused, tired, often… Continue reading

  • COOKS WITH DRAGONS IN THEIR CLOSET

    Make no mistake, the most enjoyable part of working in a kitchen will always be the interesting people who man that station or cutting board next to you. Of course we have a passion for the food – this is,… Continue reading

  • WHY COOKS APPRENTICESHIP MAY BE THE ANSWER

    What goes around does come around. For the past forty years the restaurant industry has relinquished its responsibility for serious training to culinary schools across the country. From the days of Careme, Pointe, and Escoffier till the early 1960’s the… Continue reading

  • CHEFS HAVE BEEN ALCHEMISTS FOR GENERATIONS

    With all of the more recent attention paid to the science of cooking, I find it important to note that chefs and cooks have been unwitting practitioners of food science since the first stove was created. Take a look at… Continue reading

  • WHAT DRIVES A LINE COOK CRAZY

    Recently, I pointed to the things that drive a chef crazy, but line cooks share a list of actions or lack thereof that push their buttons as well. Some of these actions are real and correctable while others are simply… Continue reading

  • A LINE COOK’S MANIFESTO

    What we believe is drawn from our life experiences, our history, our family and friends, our heritage, and what we do during our time on earth. That may sound a bit too philosophical, but it is based on reality. To… Continue reading

  • Attention Line Cooks: Be Solid, Give it Your All

    This is my first commissioned article for San Pellegrino’s blog – finedininglovers.com.  I am honored to have this opportunity to share topics with their international base of followers and bring to light some of the challenges and opportunities that face… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – TWELVE SUREFIRE WAYS TO LOSE GOOD EMPLOYEES

    A common complaint from chefs and restaurateurs is that they can’t hang on to employees. The blame game always includes pointing a finger at those who leave claiming that they are ungrateful, lazy, uncommitted to their field, or just incompetent… Continue reading

  • ROCK SOLID – A COOK’S PROFILE

    A chef posts job openings for a restaurant kitchen “Looking for line cooks – dependable, experienced, strong work ethic”. These three descriptors summarize what most chefs are looking for. The resume is simply an elaboration on the critical traits of… Continue reading

  • ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM – A CHEF’S LAMENT

    (So You Want to Own a Restaurant – PART II) Deep in every chef’s heart is/was a desire to open and own a restaurant. I think that I can say this unequivocally even though many chefs may choose to deny… Continue reading

  • WHAT LINE COOKS BELIEVE – FACTS AND ALTERNATIVE FACTS

    At the core of every person is a foundation of beliefs. Some of those beliefs are based on facts and experience while others are somewhat hollow beliefs that are loosely based on perceptions rather than a deeper understanding. Perceptions left… Continue reading

  • HAVE YOUNGER COOKS LOST THAT HUNGER TO LEARN?

    It is a question that is far more complex than it seems on the surface, yet it is a question that has been posed to me many times. Each generation seems to question the next generations’ commitment and in doing… Continue reading

  • IMAGINE IF CHEFS WERE IN CHARGE

    Now that we know that experience in government is not a pre-requisite for high level positions in the U.S., I started to wonder what it might be like if chefs were in charge of Congress and the White House. Hey… Continue reading

  • IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT RESTAURANTS

    How many people have ever stopped to contemplate the importance of restaurants to society, to a community, the local and national economy, and to their own personal lives? Beyond the obvious provision of meals for a hungry public, restaurants are… Continue reading

  • A COOK IN THE WEEDS

    What does it feel like to be part of that downward spiral situation on the line referred to as being in the weeds? This is different, a far cry, from just being buried in orders on a busy night. This… Continue reading

  • THE WELL-SEASONED COOK

    What is it about food that stops people in their tracks? What single characteristic about the food that we consume is literally addictive? What is the most important part of the formula for a successful restaurant that attracts return customers… Continue reading

  • SO – YOU WANT TO OWN A RESTAURANT

    The life of a restaurateur: “Work all day in preparation to work all night.” -Gabrielle Hamilton – Prune Restaurant Every chefs dream is to own a restaurant – this is, after all, everything that a chef works for. Being in… Continue reading

  • HEY CHEF – IT’S ALL ABOUT VALUE

    I spend the majority of time with this blog talking about the kitchen environment, the great people who work in restaurants, the unique characteristics of serious cooks, and the challenges that these individuals face, but quite possibly not enough time… Continue reading