Harvest America CUES BLOG

cooking

  • 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

  • CARPE DIEM, COOKS

    Seize the day! Ah…” when opportunity knocks, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket, in basketball or hockey you’ll miss every shot you don’t take, if you aren’t going all the way, why go at all,”… Continue reading

  • THE 21 KITCHEN RULES FOR EVERY CHEF TO FOLLOW

    Nearly nine years ago, during the first twelve months of Harvest America Cues blog, one of my articles went viral attracting almost 40,000 views in one day. The article struck a nerve with its focus on A Cook’s Kitchen Laws.… Continue reading

  • THIS IS YOUR MOMENT

    I try not to focus on the negative – there is so much in life that is positive and that is where we should concentrate our efforts. Even Frank Zappa, the brilliant, oftentimes extravagant and a bit unhinged musician, said… Continue reading

  • MEASUREMENT BY MISE EN PLACE

    You can assess the quality of an operation and the effectiveness of a chef to lead a team within the first minutes of walking into a kitchen. It can be done without tasting food or even seeing a single plate… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – BE A ROLE MODEL

    Finding your purpose, making a difference, and creating your legacy are underlying goals that every chef seems to hold close. How important is this and in the big scheme of things, does it really matter? We invest so much time… Continue reading

  • “SHELTER ME, I WILL SHELTER YOU”

    So many times, throughout my life in the kitchen, I would watch in wonder at the patchwork of honest, fragile, determined, sociopathic, caring, hardworking, sensitive, brutal misfits (I mean that in the best way) people who tie on an apron… Continue reading

  • STEPPING INTO PROFESSIONALISM

    There are kitchens and there are kitchens. Painting the environment that surrounds cooking with the same brush is unfair and quite inaccurate; yet many do. Those operations that resemble the caldrons of hell filled with arrogance, bullying, unprofessional behavior, and… Continue reading

  • SUMMER IS PURE TORTURE FOR COOKS

    Since we were able to walk – summer has represented a time of freedom, fun, blue skies, dipping our feet in the ocean or a neighbor’s pool, and great music to sooth the soul. Well, if your career path focused… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIP WITH INGREDIENTS

    Is our profession becoming a victim of circumstances? There is a deeper price to pay when looming issues like the labor shortage, rising costs of operation, an eroding passion for careers in the kitchen, and diminishing profits haunt our everyday… Continue reading

  • YOUNG COOKS – CREATE YOUR FUTURE

    How eager are you to reach that position of chef? Are you hungry enough to do what you need to do, to build a plan and stick with it? Are you serious about cooking, creating, coaching a team, and contributing… Continue reading

  • THE LINE COOK’S DANCE

    I vividly remember being 10 years old, standing outside a diner window in downtown Buffalo, New York with my mother as I stared in amazement of the short order cook in full display. I only recall snippets of experiences from… Continue reading

  • WHAT WOULD ESCOFFIER SAY

    It’s been 89 years since Escoffier stood in front of a range for the last time, yet his presence is still felt by professional cooks and chefs. One could claim, and rightfully so, that he had the greatest influence on… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE CRAFT

    I was listening to a person the other day who was involved in the restaurant business. He was making a point about how we (those of us who work or have worked in kitchens) need to embrace more technology and… Continue reading

  • ACCOMPLISHED COOK – WHEN COMPETENCE ECLIPSES A LACK OF CONFIDENCE

    Most of us have been there at some point. You know the feeling and you shake your head thinking back to those moments. You thought you were good, a solid line cook or prep cook, a couple years of experience… Continue reading

  • MY HEART ACHES

    I’m angry and my heart aches for the seven World Central Kitchen volunteers who were killed in Gaza. Of course, we all feel for the thousands who have been killed in this war and the dozens of other conflicts that… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – REMEMBER, REFLECT, RELISH, AND SHARE

    There was a time, maybe not too long ago, when you knew very little about food and cooking. There was an initial moment, maybe as a young guest in a restaurant, or possibly as a “first job” dishwasher, when the… Continue reading

  • COOKS – CLAIM YOUR OWN PATH TO SUCCESS

    If you’re a chef from my generation then you likely have concerns over the changing landscape in the kitchen. I hear, nearly every day, “things are not what they use to be.” Chefs lament over a time when cooking was… Continue reading

  • COOKS GETTING TO CONFIDENCE

    Confidence is vividly apparent with musicians, athletes, actors, carpenters, and other trades, and certainly with cooks and chefs. It’s that point in time when they are comfortable working side by side with their peers and mentors. Confidence is a wonderful… Continue reading

  • WHEN THE KITCHEN AND FOOTBALL COLLIDE

    It’s January in the Northeast – a time when the demands of the kitchen and the excitement of football converge. It’s the lull after the holidays in restaurants and the beginning of the NFL playoffs. As the chef of a… Continue reading

  • ANOTHER YEAR – A CHEF’S NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

    I know, I know – New Year’s Resolutions seem to be a waste of time. We all make them and rarely stick to the plan. But lack of execution should never get in the way of planning, dreaming, and setting… Continue reading

  • TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND AS A COOK

    If you are a cook who is happy working just for a paycheck – more power to you, but you can probably save some time and not read this article.  If, however you have the sense that cooking is more… Continue reading

  • WHY CULINARY PROGRAMS FAIL

    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… Continue reading

  • A COOK’S SENSUAL OVERLOAD – TOUCH, TEXTURE, CHEW

    We are tactile beings – the feel and texture of things that we encounter is very personal and very important to our life experience.  Such is the case with the food that we consume.  As is stated by the Institute… Continue reading

  • COOK FOR ME

    I have seen the following quote from Anthony Bourdain many times before, but today it really resonated. It is a statement so simple, yet so profound; so foundational, yet so deep and meaningful; so intriguing and so beautiful. This statement… Continue reading

  • WHY I LOVE TO CALL MYSELF A COOK

    I haven’t walked through those professional kitchen doors for quite some time now – my tenure as a chef ended a few years back. Even though I am not clocked in – I still cook every day and still reflect… Continue reading

  • COOKING FOR THE RUSH

    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… Continue reading

  • COOKING MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFE SKILL

    As members of an advanced society we stress over many things – to most the skills necessary to survive, thrive, and contribute to society rank above all else – some might even say that learning how to make a difference… Continue reading

  • MAKE NO APOLOGIES FOR BEING A CULINARY TRADITIONALIST

    It seems that too often, in conversations with those younger cooks who have some level of serious interest in a kitchen career, that food talk is all about experimentation. I have lost track of the number of culinary students who… Continue reading

  • COOKING THROUGH THE SENSES – THE CHEF’S UNIQUE SKILL

    We are familiar with the human senses and likely understand that they are all connected as individuals try to distinguish flavor and the experience of eating. As cooks we know that there are many more opportunities for people to distinguish… Continue reading