cooking
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CHEFS – THE REASONS FOR DOING IT CORRECTLY
Sure, we’ve all heard it before – “cook what the customer wants to buy”. This makes perfect business sense. We can believe that we are strictly provisioners focused on driving sales and creating experiences that simply align with the latest… Continue reading
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CHEFS – HOW COMMITTED ARE YOU?
On a scale of one to ten there are levels of commitment to any career and in some cases, there is a place for individuals at each of those levels. One does, however, get out what they put in. So,… Continue reading
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A COOK’S HOLIDAY
It’s a common question with an anticipated joyful answer: “So what are your plans for the holidays?” To most, the answer involves gathering with family and friends, long tables with more than ample food, kitchens full of wannabe family cooks… Continue reading
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COOKING FROM JOB TO PASSION
It started in an unassuming manner – you needed a job, a local restaurant was hiring, and it just seemed to fit the bill. Maybe you began as a dishwasher or counter person in a quick service operation or an… Continue reading
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CULINARY CONTEXT AND TRADITION
“Wax on, wax off.” Most people over the age of fifty are familiar with this instruction from Mr. Miyagi, the karate master in the seminal movie – the Karate Kid. This discipline helped to prepare the student for the flow… Continue reading
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CHEFS – IT’S DIVERSITY THAT MAKES US INTERESTING
(Llyod the Jamiacan Sous Chef and Frenchie the Butcher (1971) I’m a bit puzzled by those who somehow consider diversity, a problem to be dealt with. I fully understand the need for legal parameters to control entry and citizenship but… Continue reading
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CLICK TWICE BEFORE COOKING
What is that secret ingredient in a special restaurant; you know, the one that everyone clamors to score a reservation at? Who are their vendors? Do they have arrangements with an exclusive fish monger, a farmer who grows exceptional vegetables… Continue reading
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PROMISES MADE; PROMISES KEPT
Harvest America Cues Blog is back! I hope you enjoy this first article after a two-month respite. As a cook or chef, what is your promise to yourself? This may seem like a strange question unworthy of investing time, but… Continue reading
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THE RETURN OF HARVEST AMERICA CUES BLOG
Yes, it’s back! After a two-month respite and a chance to assess how Harvest Cues can be of service to those who choose to read the articles offered, my blog will return in August 2025. The look will be different… Continue reading
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THE RETURN OF HARVEST AMERICA CUES BLOG
Yes, it’s back! After a two-month respite and a chance to assess how Harvest Cues can be of service to those who choose to read the articles offered, my blog will return in August 2025. The look will be different… Continue reading
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TO COOKS, CHEFS, AND ALL WHO ARE ENGAGED IN THE BUSINESS OF FOOD
You are the salt of the earth! I started Harvest America Cues Blog in 2013 at the encouragement of Chef Curtiss Hemm. The blog was meant to parallel the start-up of Harvest America Ventures Consulting. At the age of 63… Continue reading
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TIRED OF THE NEGATIVITY
It’s the proverbial glass half full or half empty scenario. How you approach life is typically evident in everything you do from caring for your health, to relationships, to your work, and even your purpose. Do you seek sunshine or… Continue reading
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CHEFS – TRUST THE PROCESS
As in the case with many professions, there is a process, sometimes built around tradition and often, proven effective over time. This process is methodically built on results and, as such, is acknowledged by those professions as being effective. The… Continue reading
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CHEF – WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY?
I just finished watching the latest beautiful episodes of Chef’s Table – Legends. As always, they are remarkably well-done featuring stories about Jamie Oliver, Jose Andres, Alice Waters, and Thomas Keller. Although the food photography and storyline about each chef’s… Continue reading
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IT’S THE KITCHEN PEOPLE I MISS
Looking back on five decades of kitchen life, what provides the greatest memories, and a feeling of fulfillment are the people I met and those with whom I had the pleasure to work alongside. There is a kitchen culture that… Continue reading
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KITCHEN LIFE & CAREER
So much to learn, so little time. Where do you begin, what’s the best way to learn? What should you do, where should you turn? If you are serious about a kitchen career and have the focus to map out… Continue reading
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GREAT QUOTES FOR CHEFS TO LIVE BY
Inspiration comes in many forms. It may be from the actions of others, their successes, or even their failures; it may come from the visual arts, or music, science or medicine, or even from the beauty of nature. But few… Continue reading
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OUR GIVING NATURE
“Let’s put it all on the table.” This, a phrase commonly used to represent being totally honest and transparent is to some – a last resort, while to others a method of operation that inspires people to action. Quite often,… Continue reading
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BEING CHEF ANDRE SOLTNER
This morning, I found myself deep in thought about a lifetime in the kitchen, the people with whom I have worked, and those who I simply had the pleasure to meet. I was wrestling with what we contribute during our… Continue reading
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CHEFS STARTING FRESH IN 2025
No, this is not a list of New Year’s Resolutions since we all know how effective they are. This is a self-assessment of the job of chef, what we have learned in 2024, and how we can apply that “knowledge… Continue reading
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THE WAY IT WAS, IS, AND COULD BE
It seems like a lifetime ago, oh wait…it was a lifetime ago, that I stepped into my first professional kitchen. It was 1970 and the Statler Hilton kitchen in Buffalo, New York seemed like a complex, hard to wrap my… Continue reading
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SO, GOD MADE A CHEF
Adaption by: Paul Sorgule This article was written in recognition of the wonderful piece that was done by Paul Harvey paying homage to American farmers. This version is a tribute to chefs and cooks who care for the crops and… Continue reading
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THE IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED IN THE KITCHEN
Maybe I tend to quote Bourdain too much, but he comes from a real place. Unlike some who may speak of kitchen and restaurant life, he was there and learned about life while standing in front of a range cranked… Continue reading
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THANKS TO MILLIE, THE BREAKFAST COOK
We all have someone to thank – that person who started this whole obsession with being in the kitchen, the one who lit the fire and pushed us forward when we may have seemed a bit directionless. Sure, there were… Continue reading
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COOKS & CHEFS PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, & MENTAL HEALTH
I watched a show last night for the second time: Boiling Point. There have been many movies and shows that depict life in the kitchen but few that struck me with as much of a reality punch as this one.… Continue reading
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GIVING THANKS
Taking the time to be grateful is so refreshing. We live in an information overload society where fear of missing something leaves us attached to our phones and televisions seeking the latest catastrophe, political misstep, impending sense of doom, or… Continue reading
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KITCHEN FOOD FOR THE SOUL
I came across an old quote from Phylicia Rashad (for those my age – the lead actress in the series “Fame” from many years back) that gave me another opportunity to think about the cooks that I know and have… Continue reading
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A CHEF’S MOMENT
It was one of those rare moments at the end of service, nothing pressing on your desk, menus were done, inventories posted, schedules made, and another service in the hopper. This was a moment of peace and relative quiet. The… Continue reading
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CHEF – SHOULD YOUR BELIEFS COUNT?
It is an important question that some of us wrestle with while others may simply shrug their shoulders. We are in the business of service and in service to the business. To your employer, the financial success of the business… Continue reading
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