Harvest America CUES BLOG

cooks

  • THE APOCALYPSE FOR RESTAURANTS IS NEAR

    It is the end of October 2020 and we are all focused on the National Election in just a few days.  We certainly should be zeroing on this event that will likely change the course of history and determine what… Continue reading

  • COOKS AND CHEFS – WE ALL CRAVE DISCIPLINE

    Let’s not confuse freedom with a desire to do whatever we want without a system of order or respect for the discipline of structure.  We can both be free and still respect the need for that discipline that comes from… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – WHAT DOES YOUR MENU REPRESENT?

    Consider this – the menu is the most important component of a successful restaurant and once designed it can, and should, impact every other aspect of the business.  These aspects include: décor, skill level of staff, style of service, pricing,… Continue reading

  • THE COOK’S INTELLECT

    Anyone who has tied on an apron in a professional kitchen understands the physical nature of the work.  We know about the aching muscles, the throbbing feet, the faltering knees, and the heat – did I mention the heat?  But… Continue reading

  • THE FUTURE OF THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS

    Numerous people have asked me, over the past few months, what I think about the future of restaurants in America.  Of course, this is a question without scientific studies to back up an answer – this is pure speculation.  However,… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – YOUR EMPLOYEES JUST MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWERS

    We all know the challenges facing restaurants right now – there is little benefit in reiterating the problems.  The question is: “What’s the answer?”  Of course the pandemic is the cause and the effects are either a direct result of… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – FINE TUNE THOSE SENSES

    The kitchen sensual army There are many things that differentiate cooks and chefs, but none more important to the customer experience and the reputation of the restaurant than mastery of the senses.  Whether a fine-dining experience or your local taqueria… Continue reading

  • THE BREAKFAST COOK – TOUGH, DEPENDABLE, ORGANIZED, AND FAST

    There are cooks and there are cooks – each has his or her list of responsibilities, required skills, and bag of tricks.  Just because you are listed on a schedule as a cook does not necessarily mean that you are… Continue reading

  • A CHEF’S 2020 LAMENT

      They say that hindsight is 2020 – that being so, there is plenty for us to reflect on and determine how we might have done things differently.  The fact is, we can’t go back, but we can look forward. … Continue reading

  • SUCCESSFUL CHEFS – WHAT CAREER KILLERS TO AVOID

    Rest assured, at some point restaurants will rise up again, clubs and hotels will measure success based on occupancy and food service activity, and the position of “chef” will be center stage in driving sales and measuring profitability. The opportunities… Continue reading

  • IT’S ONLY FOOD

    You know I have occasionally heard this statement, or at least felt that it was implied: “Don’t get so wrapped up in it – it’s only food.” Well, I am here to state unequivocally that this just isn’t so. Of… Continue reading

  • WHAT RESTAURANTS HAVE LEARNED DURING THE PANDEMIC

    As restaurants rally to try and meet the requirements of the new protocol for operation – distancing tables, reducing customer volume, enforcing mask wearing, deep sanitizing of surfaces, moving to on-line menus or single use documents, removing anything from table… Continue reading

  • STRENGTH, GRACE, AND DIGNITY

    I am in the process of reading Chef Dominique Crenn’s autobiography: Rebel Chef. I have long been a fan of her style and passion for expressive cooking, but it is these three words that solidified, in my mind, how a… 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

  • THE LINE COOK’S NEW KITCHEN RULES SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

    As cooks start to, or at least hope to, begin settling into kitchen life again, it seems appropriate to reiterate those standard rules of thumb that everyone must abide by. They may be tweaked a bit – after all, a… Continue reading

  • KITCHENS CELEBRATE DIFFERENCE

    It has always been my experience that kitchens are the great equalizer. Sure, I know that the environment of a kitchen can sometimes be tough and abrasive, it’s hot, humid, noisy, stressful, fast paced, and somewhat unforgiving, but…..all that being… Continue reading

  • WHY IS A PARTICULAR CHEF’S FOOD SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANOTHER’S?

    Every chef has experienced it and as a result he or she will relate to the content of this article. There are times, possibly many times, when you question your own skill – whether in cooking or presenting food, or… Continue reading

  • A BAROMETER OF CHANGE FOR AMERICAN COOKS & DINERS

    You can sense it in the air, you can feel it in your bones, and you can hear it in the silence – the energy that had surrounded the career of professional cook is down a few quarts. For nearly… Continue reading

  • FUTURE PERFECT – A RESTAURANTS NEXT CHAPTER

    OK, so here we are: restaurants are beginning to re-open (maybe prematurely, maybe not) and we are all scared to death. We are fearful of a virus that is still out there, still scoping us out, still waiting to strike… Continue reading

  • COOKS – GETTING BACK INTO THE ZONE

    Take a deep breath as you walk through those back doors, back into the kitchen that was so familiar, back to a place that you have missed for the past three months. Somehow you are nervous – why is that?… Continue reading

  • EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP WHEN IT SEEMS TO BE IN SHORT SUPPLY

    I am a concerned spectator at a time when everything seems to be in question and every one of us lives on the edge. We fear, we adjust, we cope, and then there comes a time when our coping mechanism… Continue reading

  • OUR DAILY BREATH: CHANGE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

    There is so much angst and uncertainty among the restaurant community right now. Should we reopen when the green light is given? What precautions need to be in place to protect our staff and customers? How will we survive if… Continue reading

  • A LETTER TO CULINARY SCHOOL GRADUATES

    First and foremost – congratulations on earning your degree or certificate. This is an accomplishment that over the course of your lifetime will reward you tenfold. Know that the degree or certificate is more than an acknowledgement of the skills… Continue reading

  • OUR DAILY BREATH: PROBLEMS WITH THE CENTRALIZED FOOD SYSTEM

    Every day there are lessons to be learned. At this level of crisis there are bound to be ancillary challenges that arise – challenges that were not obvious until the domino theory took hold. The farm to table movement of… Continue reading

  • OUR DAILY BREATH:  COOKS ARE SALT OF THE EARTH

    There is a world of difference in how we view people whether from the outside looking in or the inside looking out. We walk on dangerous ground when we rely on first impressions or unverified perceptions (outside looking in) to… Continue reading

  • OUR DAILY BREATH: WONDERS OF KITCHEN SKILL DEVELOPMENT

    Cooks have a certain swagger that oftentimes hides a sense of pride in skill development from that first day in the kitchen. Maybe it was that entry-level first job at the age of 16 – that part time work as… Continue reading

  • OUR DAILY BREATH: TRUST

    What is very clear, as restaurants in certain states sense a desire to lift stay at home restrictions and return to business is that guests will remain leery of any interaction with others in public places. A lack of trust… Continue reading

  • OUR DAILY BREATH: A PHASED IN APPROACH TOWARD RESURRECTING RESTAURANTS

    A cautious approach towards opening is the most prudent rule as we begin to see signs of a virus that might be controlled in the future. There are few certainties at this time except an understanding that this is not… Continue reading

  • OUR DAILY BREATH: CHEFS – REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF “WOW”

    There is so much to think about, so many decisions to make, and so much angst about what the future holds. Building a well thought out strategy for starting up the restaurant engine after we move forward is paramount and… Continue reading

  • OUR DAILY BREATH: SO WHY DO CHEFS OWN RESTAURANTS?

    Yesterday, I read an emotional, well-written, soul-crushing article by Gabrielle Hamilton – chef/owner of Prune Restaurant in New York City. She spoke from the heart of her “all-in” commitment to her restaurant and staff over the past 20 years while… Continue reading