Harvest America CUES BLOG

culinary

  • DON’T MESS WITH MY KNIVES!

    Masa Morimoto once said: “Japanese chefs believe our soul goes into our knives once we start using them. You wouldn’t put your soul in a dishwasher.” (or in the hands of another person… WOW! So what is the deal with… Continue reading

  • SHORT ORDER COOKS WERE MY HEROS

    I can still remember that day in my hometown of Buffalo, New York. I was 10 years old and on a shopping trip downtown with my mother as we came upon that restaurant with a full picture window framing in… Continue reading

  • 100 IDEAS A WEEK, IS ONE OF THEM BRILLIANT?

    So here is the dilemma – I can’t turn it off! I can’t stop designing the next great restaurant concept in my head. Is this a problem? A good friend of mine, in a totally different field, suffers from the… Continue reading

  • The Problem with College for Everyone

    As a person who spent 30 years as a teacher and administrator in higher education I have often thought of the dilemma we have created in the U.S. The term “education” is drawn from the Latin root word: “Educo” which… Continue reading

  • Onions – The Most Important Ingredient

    Two things occurred in the same week a few years back when I was the Executive Chef at a four-diamond resort. A server approached me when I was expediting and stated that a guest was allergic to onions and wanted… Continue reading

  • PROFESSIONAL COOKING IS A TEAM SPORT

    The cadence of orders in a busy kitchen seems unrelenting. A staccato clicking from the point of sale printer sends out a drum roll of orders while the expeditor calmly, yet seriously calls out tickets in kitchen lingo to the… Continue reading

  • Every Picture Tells a Story

    Ever since I came across this photo I have not been able to get it out of my mind. The photographer caught what every artist and craftsman gets up in the morning to do: move people. Music, like cooking is… Continue reading

  • “You’re Gonna Like the Way You FEEL, I Guarantee It”

    I can’t remember where I found this jpeg, probably on FaceBook, but it really struck a chord. When I was at the helm of a kitchen my feeling was that every customer wants a dessert and should be given the… Continue reading

  • Escargots – So Much for Eating with your Eyes

    I oftentimes find myself asking “who was the first brave person to eat………(fill in the blank)”. A long-time advocate for insuring that food looks good, I am somewhat perplexed at the exceptions to the rule. Food does have to get… Continue reading

  • SEEKING RESUMES OF TALENTED CHEFS, SOUS CHEFS & RESTAURANT MANAGERS

    As a restaurant consultant I am constantly faced with finding the right team leaders for restaurants and resorts of all types.  Harvest America Ventures is thus looking to build a strong portfolio of passionate, honest, talented chefs, sous chefs and… Continue reading

  • A LETTER TO CULINARY SCHOOL GRADUATES

    First and foremost allow me to congratulate you on accomplishing a significant goal: completing your degree. Know however that this is only the beginning of your culinary education. You have chosen to pursue a career in the greatest industry on… Continue reading

  • A Letter to Culinary School Graduates

    First and foremost, congratulations on completing your formal education and welcome to the best industry in the world. Granted I have a certain amount of bias toward an industry that I have spent my life in, but I do truly… Continue reading

  • RESTAURANTS NEED TO PAINT OUTSIDE THE LINES

    What ever happened to creativity and the fun associated with developing something new, exciting, delicious and trend defining in restaurants. Certainly you could cite those handful of unique restaurants that grace the cover stories in trade magazines, win James Beard… Continue reading