Harvest America CUES BLOG

food

  • SWING FOR THE FENCES BUT RESPECT THE FUNDAMENTALS

    Look around you and try to dissect those businesses and individuals who are successful at what they do. Chances are, these are the players who refuse to lock themselves into the groove of always playing it safe. Playing conservative may… Continue reading

  • RESTAURANT EYES

    So, here’s the thing – knowing how to operate a restaurant is not difficult – executing the steps is a whole other story. The work is relentless, the unpredictability is insanity, the never-ending attention to detail is mind-numbing, and timing… Continue reading

  • THE PLATE AND THE PASS

    I am the canvas on which the cook paints, the frame that draws the viewers eye to the image drawn. I am the plate – too often disregarded except by those who understand the importance of the canvas and the… Continue reading

  • KITCHEN RESPECT

    Yes, I have been preaching the need for change in restaurants. Changing how we view our concepts, menus, pricing structure, our staff, marketing, and the list goes on has never been more critical. Change, however, does not infer that we… 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

  • DON’T NICKEL AND DIME YOUR GUEST or IMPRESS THEM WITH QUANTITY

    There’s a reactionary movement that I keep seeing in restaurants; a movement that assumes the answer to the restaurant bottom line is to take more and give less or give too much to justify raising prices. Raising prices is inevitable… 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

  • 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

  • CAN THE FAMILY TABLE SOLVE MANY OF THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS?

    Progress is important and as we all know, sometimes progress cannot be stopped – it has an energy and mind of its own. In my lifetime the amount of change described as “progress” has been and continues to be staggering.… Continue reading

  • SOME SAY, “IT’S ONLY FOOD.”

    I remember reading a post from a well-know chef who proclaimed that cooking is not a life or death trade, it is, after all, only food. I am sure that his point was to remove some of the “holier than… Continue reading

  • THINGS THAT EVERY CULINARY SCHOOL GRADUATE MUST REMEMBER

    This is the time of the year when culinary schools pass out diplomas and send their graduates out into the world of professional cooking. These young culinarians are eager, full of energy and loaded with ambitious ideas about who they… Continue reading

  • FOOD IS THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

    Once you brush away all of the superficial things that we accumulate in life and begin to prioritize those that are important it is remarkable to see that everyone shares the same list. It all boils down to family, faith,… Continue reading

  • FOOD ART – LOOK TO NATURE

    There is no question that people eat with their eyes. Chefs are, for the most part, tuned into this reality and oftentimes invest countless hours developing and defining their signature presentations for various dishes. To some it may be creating… Continue reading

  • CURTISS HEMM – A TALENTED CHEF WITH A CAUSE AND A BIG HEART

    We sometimes wait our entire lives for that moment; the epiphany, the light bulb event that signals what our purpose is. As I continue to find new ways to love my involvement in the food business I am always amazed… Continue reading

  • BUFFALO – MY KIND OF FOOD TOWN

    Yes, in case you have not guessed, I am originally from Buffalo. After you get all of the stinging quips out of your system let me tell you what Buffalo is really like. It is true that the press has… Continue reading

  • Chefs and Servers with Different Motivations

    When chefs and service staff are not on the same page the guest experience is confused and disjointed. When I have referenced the importance of team in the kitchen I am concerned that some might think that if that “culinary… 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