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A CHEF’S THOUGHTS ON IMMIGRATION AND DIVERSITY

24 Monday Oct 2016

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Painted in Waterlogue

Every day that I walked into a kitchen, from the time I was a 15-year old dishwasher with working papers, I saw something that made me feel special. It was the sense of camaraderie, the feeling that we were all in this together. I knew that most every day would be an opportunity to learn something new. Beyond the expected evolution of skills that come from time, repetition, and execution of the designated menu, there was always an opportunity to learn something unique from the diverse group of teammates that made up the restaurant. It might be the right way to make pierogi from Amanda who grew up in Poland, how to roll gnocchi from Dominick who came to the U.S. in 1973 from Firenze, Italy, the blending of more than 30 ingredients in the process of perfecting a true mole from Juan – a Mexican native, or that secret dry rub for brisket from Lloyd who grew in in Southern Georgia and immigrated from Cuba a decade before. Every day was a chance to learn more about food and the culture that impacted on how it was prepared.

“If you’re looking for a line cook who’s professional in his work habits, responsible with your food, dependable, a guy with a sense of humor, reasonably good character, and a repertoire of French and Italian standards, and who can drill out 250 meals without going mental or cutting corners too egregiously, chances are you’ll go to Carlos, your grill man” and ask him for a recommendation. And Carlos will have a cousin or a brother for you.”

-Anthony Bourdain

A Cook’s Tour

The most fascinating and rewarding aspects of spending a career in the kitchen is that I have had the opportunity to work with African Americans, Ethiopians, Venezuelans, Peruvians, Mexicans, Haitians, Ecuadorans, Cubans, Bulgarians, Russians, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Rastafarians, Creoles, French, Brits, Irish, Germans, Swiss, Italians, Greeks, Turks, Spaniards, Romanians, Austrians, Norwegians, Swedes, Fins, Saudis and Eastern Indians, Pakistani’s and Nepalese, Canadians, Japanese, Chinese, Australians, New Zealanders, Koreans, Dutch, Gays, Straights, Tall and Small, Republicans, Democrats, Liberals, Conservatives, Independents, Male, Female, Aged Veteran Cooks, and Newbies fresh out of school, College Grads, High School Dropouts, Alcoholics and Recovering Alcoholics, Consistently Nice People and Raging Assholes, Wealthy and Poor, incredibly hard workers and lazy time wasters, and anyone who falls into another “category”. The reality is that, at least in the restaurant, we are all the same in many respects. We all have a job to do and collectively that job can result in dynamic teamwork and happy customers.

Angry bias – I don’t get it, I don’t support it, and I don’t have any patience for it. Everybody is unique, important, good at different levels, anxious to be respected for who they are, and valuable to the team. Show them respect and they will walk a million miles for you. The old adage of treat people the way you would like to be treated rings true ALWAYS. I love the kitchen for this – I have learned to always try to see the person inside, the one who has many of the same feelings and desires that I have, the one who when the restaurants doors open is standing beside me ready to perform.

It is very disturbing to think that what has always made our country great in the eyes of everyone else is this commitment to acceptance, the foundation of bringing people into the fold and providing opportunities for anyone who is willing to work hard – may be changing. If the world begins to no longer view America as the country willing to wrap its arms around diversity, then what are we left with?

“Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

-Emma Lazarus

* This is what is written on the Statue of Liberty – the symbol of our great country to the rest of the world. This is how we must continue to be viewed as the leader of the free world.

Yes, there are many people who come to our country illegally and we must figure out the right way to get this under control, but we should also consider why they are choosing to come here. We have been the land of opportunity, the place of refuge for those in need, the protector of those who relish freedom. I know that in the restaurant and hotel business (agriculture as well) we would be hard put to provide the services that Americans demand without this diverse workforce, yes – even those who are not here illegally. Are these people here to steal opportunities from those of us who were fortunate enough to be born in the U.S. or are they excited to become a part of what we are known for in the world. In many cases, these immigrants are excited to take on necessary jobs that many American’s are no longer willing to do. Just ask any restaurateur or hotelier and they will tell you the same thing.

We need better control, we need to screen effectively to keep out those who have harm in their hearts, but at the same time we should not lose sight of our role as the leader of the free world. I hope that our politicians can look at the whole picture, learn to appreciate the value that immigrants bring to our country, and remain compassionate as was the design of our forefathers (also immigrants), and continue to raise the flag of freedom for every other country to admire and respect.

Working in a kitchen has spoiled me – I look forward to working with people from every background so that I can learn to be a better person.

This is an issue in the election, an important issue, and one that should be taken on not with anger but with understanding. Please don’t walk away from your privilege to vote on November 8th – vote for the person(s) who you believe personify what has made us the greatest nation on earth and a beacon of hope for those who feel that they have none otherwise. If we lose this we become no better than anyone else.

This is not a partisan pitch for any particular candidate. Immigration and diversity are big issues that will play out over the next four years and as such should call for everyone’s study and attention. I know that I am going to vote from my heart with an understanding of how America has been viewed and how I hope it is viewed for generations to come.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

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THE EVOLUTION OF A COOK

23 Wednesday Mar 2016

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“It has taken nearly 15 years, but here I am – Executive Chef of a busy, quality restaurant in the middle of downtown Manhattan. Not too shabby, but maybe I could take a few moments to reflect back on what it took to reach this goal.” This is a reflection that many chefs have at that point in their career when it seems like all of the hard work has finally paid off. This is a frequent reflection, yet too many have failed to learn what their new role should be now that they have arrived.

We all had to start somewhere. It may have been in the dishpit (probably the springboard for most of us), maybe it was as a commis to the prep cook, or maybe it was that first kitchen job after graduating from culinary school. Now that you have a place in the kitchen – what’s next? Let’s take a look at what it is like at three different levels in your development, how you should approach each level in your career, and along the way sink your teeth into the lessons to be learned.

LEVEL ONE:   The Apprentice Cook

A word to the wise – at this point let’s assume that you don’t know anything, even if you think that you do. This applies to the individual who is holding a knife for the first time, an intern from a culinary school, a graduate from a culinary school, or a new recruit to this kitchen with a few years under your belt. You will need to acclimate to a new environment and prove yourself over the next few weeks or months. Here are some basic recommendations:

  • LISTEN – Pay close attention to what the chef asks for, what his or her standards are, and the expectations of each task that you perform. Listen to the sounds of the kitchen, the cadence of activity, the level of tension in the air, and that sense of urgency that typically heightens, as dinner hour looms closer and closer.
  • ACCEPT – You haven’t been here long enough to question or offer suggestions. In these early days it is important to accept the tasks that you are assigned, the schedule that you are given, the speed with which you are expected to perform, and sometimes even the disdain for the quality of your workmanship.
  • WATCH AND LEARN – The beauty of this level is that you will never have a better opportunity to absorb what is going on, to question with your eyes, to take notes, and to learn how everyone else who is more seasoned than you, approaches his or her job. The learning curve here should be very steep.
  • APPRECIATE – Show that you are grateful for the opportunity to learn something new each day. Take a few seconds to thank people who show you the way and demonstrate how grateful you are by burning these lessons into your subconscious and applying these new methods to your own work patterns.
  • BE HUMBLE – No matter what you know, what you think you know, how you were taught to do things at that last restaurant or in culinary school – put it out of your mind. What you don’t know is how it is done in this restaurant and how this chef wants each task performed. There will be time in the future for your input, ideas, and brilliant display of skill – just not yet.
  • RESPECT – You are fortunate to be here – this is, after all, someone else’s kitchen, pride and joy, and reason for existence. Show respect from day one for the space, the equipment, the people, the history of the operation, the menu, the signature dishes, the flavor profile that reflects on the chef’s reputation, the ingredients and their source, and the customer who spends money so that everyone in our new work home can receive a paycheck.
  • BE COST CONSCIOUS – You may not know this yet, but it is very difficult for restaurants to make a profit. Every piece of food that you waste or handle inappropriately will quickly eat away at the restaurants profit. Demonstrate right from the beginning that you are aware and care. Don’t waste, and make sure that you rotate, date, and handle all food in the fashion that the chef dictates.
  • COMMIT – Be there! Give 100% every hour of every day that you are on the job. Read about food on your day off and bring in a few questions for the chef so that he or she knows that you are taking this career seriously. Work extra shifts when needed and request opportunities to work extra when something new and interesting is taking place. If there is an opportunity to learn – you will want to be there.
  • BE PATIENT – This level will not last forever as long as you stay committed and demonstrate your serious approach towards cooking and working together with your team. That next opportunity will come when you are ready. Prep cooks become line cooks, become sous chefs and chef de cuisine, and eventually, when your skill set is balanced you just might become the chef in this or another property. The day will come – be patient.

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LEVEL TWO:  The Line Cook

You have paid your dues and earned a stripe on the day that the chef says that you will start shadowing one of the line cooks. A space will be opening up in the schedule and the chef wants to see if you have what it takes. This is the big league – the show. This is where the pirates roam and real cooking takes place. No longer relegated to recipes – now you are expected to “know” how to cook. What do I need to do to adapt?

  • BE READY – Line work is really all about mise en place. Do you have it together? You cannot, ever, run out of prep once those tickets start flying off the printer. Do or die – make sure you are tight and ready to go.
  • ORGANIZE YOUR HEAD – The chef begins to bark out the orders, line cooks need to zero in on everything that is said, categorize those thoughts, prioritize steps, keep track of the state of each dish, focus on seasoning, and be ready, always ready when the call is: “Picking up on table 34!” – Yes chef”.
  • BE FAST – The line is for speed demons. “Where is that shrimp dish? I have a blank space in the pass – get on it!” If you get behind, the night is over.
  • BE CONSISTENT – With all of this chaos there can be no room for crappy food or inconsistent product. Every dish, every time – the same flavor profile, the same look, the same plating. No excuses.
  • KAISEN – (Constant state of improvement). As good as you were at your station last night – make it better tonight. The bar will always be set higher and higher.
  • OWN IT – Your station, your menu items, your plating, your mise en place, your wins and your losses. Others may help to get you out of the weeds, but it is your responsibility – don’t ever point a finger at someone else.

chuck and mickey

LEVEL THREE:           The Chef

You made it. After a year of prep, three years on the line mastering every station, a whirlwind year as roundsman, and the past two at another restaurant as their sous chef, you have arrived. This will be your first gig as the person in charge. This is YOUR kitchen, YOUR crew, YOUR menu, and YOUR reputation to build and maintain. As a sous chef you had the opportunity to work with the chef on the business side of kitchen operation. You took inventories, planned menus, determined food cost, built weekly schedules, ordered food, and sat through your share of manager meetings. Thanks to the chef you feel fairly confident in the ability to succeed. So what did you learn over the past seven years that will allow you to feel the pride in success? As you sit in your office and reflect, this is what you come up with – what goes around comes around. Here are the abilities that will help you to make a difference:

  • LISTEN -Just as you listened as a young prep cook, now as a chef you must take the time to listen to your employees. Don’t just hear the noise            –listen to what they have to offer. This will build trust.
  • ACCEPT – Accept the fact that you don’t know everything. As a prep cook you needed to accept your role and your assignments, now it is your turn as a chef to accept a new role of mentor, teacher, trainer, and problem solver.
  • WATCH AND LEARN – You are the guide on the side, the one who trains but then lets the young cooks fly and find their own level. As a guide you will be amazed at how much you can learn from them.
  • APPRECIATE – Appreciate the opportunity that you have to express yourself through your staff and make a difference in their careers and lives. Appreciate all that you have learned over the past seven years and how much you will continue to learn.
  • BE HUMBLE – Just because you have the office and the title doesn’t make you any better than anyone of your employees. You are able to keep your position and build your brand because of those hard working prep and line cooks, dishwashers, and service staff.
  • BE COST CONSCIOUS – Now the buck stops with you. If you train your staff to care as much about the cost of goods as you do, then the restaurant stands a chance of making a profit. Set the tone.
  • COMMIT – You make the schedule, but the work ethic of others will be a shadow of the effort that you put in every day. To be the chef means that you will always be the hardest working person in the kitchen, the one who has committed him or herself to a life in the kitchen.
  • BE PATIENT – Finally, just as you were told to be patient, knowing that if you stay the course, then that chef job could be yours – so too should you be patient with the next crop of young cooks hoping to fill your shoes in the future. Work with them, teach them. Be their mentor, and push them to reach their potential.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

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BEING A LINE COOK SPOILS YOU FOR OTHER JOBS

03 Monday Aug 2015

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Painted in Waterlogue

Whatever the reason, some find themselves working behind the range – a place that is unique to most any other. “Why am I here” may be a question that line cooks ask themselves on occasion, but for the most part, it is a role that a few unique individuals tend to enjoy. Now, from the outside looking in – the position may seem to have a bit of glamour, but to those who stand at attention with a pair of tongs in hand, beads of sweat dripping from their brow, arm welts from burns, cuts from razor sharp knives, and feet throbbing with the burden of far too many hours standing upright, this is one hell of a difficult job. Yet, we do it, and for some macabre reason we seem to actually enjoy it.

Why would anyone willingly choose to endure the demands of a job that puts them in front of blazing heat, stress from the demands of timing, the mental pressure of trying to keep multiple preparations organized simultaneously, and the emotional requirement to put your work in the public eye every day?

The transition that happens from the moment a line cook arrives at work (usually early to make sure his or her mise en place is ready) till the point when those first orders start to click in and the expeditor begins to bark out the timing, is amazing. That first step into the kitchen may include a mix of dread, anxiousness, uncertainty, and even a taste of fear (how busy will we be, how will I be able to get all of my mise en place together, will every team member show up today, what is the chef’s mood) to a driven sense of purpose and focus. Those last minutes before service, the cook feels the same anxiety that a football player experiences prior to the first snap, or the skier senses just before the gun fires at the start of a race. Adrenaline is running freely now as all of these players share the same level of angst. Once those orders begin their steady flow, the cook gets into a rhythm – a pace that can turn from dread to near elation when things go right.

Keep in mind that this is the routine every day, shift after shift, week after week without change. Every day the line cook is preparing to jump off that cliff, hoping that he or she has packed the parachute properly and it opens as planned before impact.

The other aspect to this job that separate cooks from others is that along with the pace, the demands, the uncertainty, and the preparation, comes the art. Yes, line cooks are incredibly hard workers, but they are also artists who have an opportunity each and every day to paint on the plate. Knowing how to select the right seasonings and cooking methods would be similar to a painter being able to pick the perfect combination of paint colors and brush for the optimum effect. Line cooks need to understand their tools as well as a musician can sense his or her instrument. It is the line cooks responsibility to ensure that every plate enjoys the proper flavor profile and visually represents the plate design that was meticulously created by the chef. This “art” is an acquired skill of expression that separates true line cooks from assemblers. The combination of assembly demands and the need for the art to remain would be similar to asking a painter to create beautiful works under the constraint of “in the moment” timing, or a musician to compose a masterful song every day. Skill and art flow through the fingers of every proficient line cook.

So, how does this job spoil cooks for any other type of work? Here are a few reasons:

[]         Adrenaline

This is the short-term answer. Cooks love the rush of working on the line. It is hard to replicate this in many other careers except maybe professional sports.

[]         Non-Traditional Work Hours

Cooks get use to working long hours, evenings, weekends, and holidays. We reach a point where we don’t really understand people who work predictable, 9-5 jobs with weekends and holidays off.   Although it sounds nice, cooks have a difficult time transitioning to those predicable schedules.

[]         Every Day is Different

Although the menu may not change, and the prep list looks the same – every day in the kitchen brings unique challenges and opportunities. Cooks thrive on the unpredictable.

[]         Tactile Work Inspires Cooks

Almost every cook I know is a tactile learner. They thrive on being able to make something, look at their work and see the tangible results of their effort. This is the old American dream of being able to make something great.

[]         Instant Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions

There are few jobs that provide the instant feedback that comes from cooking. Return customers, empty plates returning to the kitchen, a nod and a smile from the chef after tasting a cooks work – there is little doubt how well or poorly a cook has performed every day.

[]         Team Dependence

Cooking is a team sport and as such provides an opportunity for cooks to learn how to function well in this environment. All for one and one for all is the rule in kitchens.

“The kitchen really is the castle itself. This is where we spend our happiest moments and where we find the joy of being a family.”

Mario Batali

[]         The Chance to be Creative

Every cook, every day, appeals to all of the human senses. In the mediums of taste, touch, smell, sight and sound, cooks have ample opportunities to hone their skills, refine their art, and demonstrate their creative side.

[]         The Physical Nature of the Work

Those in the trades will often site how gratifying it is to finish a day’s work physically tired. This demonstrates that they have accomplished something. Kitchen work is very physical and at the end of a shift a cook’s body tells the story. Aches and pains demonstrate just how hard a line cook works every day.

[]         Cooks Love the Chaos

If you walk into any kitchen from 30 minutes before service until the last plate goes out, you would immediately sense that this is an environment that personifies organized chaos. At some points it appears to flow as if it were an orchestral piece being directed by the chef conductor, and at the next moment it appears like a runaway train destined to disengage from the track at any moment. Cooks love this ebb and flow.

“I accept chaos. I’m just not sure it accepts me.”

Bob Dylan

[]         Work That Matters

Although cooks may not always think of their work in this manner, what they do matters to the customer. A cook provides sustenance, excitement, entertainment and reward. A great meal might very well be the most important part of a restaurant guest’s day.

[]         Transparent Work Environments

Kitchens are certainly not void of politics and some level of friction among players, but in most cases those who work in a kitchen tell it like it is. You know where you stand with your peers and that can be very refreshing.

Find another career that can offer all of the above and you might be able to convince a great line cook to jump ship and try something new. Without attention to all of these needs (yes, after working in kitchens for a while these items become needs), a cook will quickly begin to doubt a decision to leave and dream of returning to the kitchen with all of its challenges and opportunities.

“I lived my whole life in the kitchen. Not only that, but it’s the passion, it’s the love for cooking and food. It’s dictated my entire life – every aspect of it.”

Grant Achatz

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericaventures.com

SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH THE KITCHEN LENS

11 Saturday Oct 2014

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pre meal huddle

One of the worst mistakes anyone can make each day is to turn on the news. If there were good news in the world, you would be hard put to notice through the media. If there were a rise in depression in this country, I would have to point at least one finger at 24-hour news. If they believe that constant disclosure is healthy, I am at a loss to agree. Racial tension, political polarization, more wars than you can count, terrorist threats that would keep anyone up at night, Ebola, unemployment, sexual harassment, a sub-par educational system, product recalls, police shootings, forest fires, earthquakes, global warming, GMO’s, eColi, obesity, diabetes, cancer, missing airplanes and weapons of mass destruction – holy crap, is the world falling apart, or what? Is it really this bad? Is the media simply hyping situations to fill in 24 hours of programming, or is there a plan to keep the entire population on edge? Is it even possible to get a good night sleep anymore without waking at 3 a.m. with cold sweats?

Where can we go to get away from all of this high wire tension? Try working in a kitchen. What is so fantastic about working in a kitchen is that the focus has been, is, and always will be your assigned tasks. There is no time for wandering focus in the kitchen, in fact, when you work in a kitchen, your mind is 100% connected to the task at hand. The rest of the world and its problems will have to wait. Through the lens of the kitchen, there is no room for anything but total dedication to the product, the process and the plate.

As much as we all (those working with food) promote the intensity and difficulty of the job, it is, to most of us, therapeutic. Keep me away from the world problems – real or hyped, I need to tighten up my mise en place. My world as a cook is focused on the edge of the knife, the precise cut of vegetables, the cost conscious trim of steaks and flawless fillet of fish, the spot on flavor of sauces and perfect al dente blanching of vegetables. This is the world of the cook, this is home, this is time well spent, and this is our escape from the anxiety associated with media doom and gloom.

Truly, this is the reality of the kitchen, which brings me to a theory: what if everyone else took the time to simply appreciate what cooks appreciate. What is hate, but misunderstanding; what is war and conflict, but a lack of communication; what is an unhealthy body but simply a result of poor nutrition and a lack of knowledge or desire to cook with a conscience?

Cooks, for the most part, don’t care about differences, they don’t focus on what the world thinks of them, they don’t enjoy watching others suffer, and never whine when they might even have the right to – they simply cook. This is what we do, and yes, it is therapeutic.

So, what if we took a lesson from professional cooks and tried to solve our problems behind a range and at the dinner table. Cooks know that breaking bread is the great equalizer. Sharing a great meal and maybe a nicely balanced glass of wine or artistically brewed beer puts everyone on an equal playing field. Suddenly, it is all about the food, the history behind a dish, the craft of the cook, and the beauty of nature’s bounty. Great food leads to great conversation and understanding. Working behind a line demands great communication and teamwork. This is our life, a secret that until now has not been shared with the general public.

Maybe we should have world leaders work together in a kitchen, talking about their ethnic food preparations and collectively presenting a meal. Maybe Republicans should cook for Democrats and vice versa. Maybe Christians should sit down to a traditional Muslim meal and learn to eat their differences away. Maybe Muslims should spend some time on an American farm and learn about how the farmer cares for God’s bounty.   Maybe, we should forget about our differences and instead celebrate the uniqueness that is each of us. If food can be a catalyst for understanding, then use it.

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Let’s have a good news network that talks about the great, kind, selfless, passionate, happy and helpful people who are really the majority of the world’s population. Maybe it can begin with cooks. Kitchens and the people who work in them don’t care about how people are different; they care about quality, dedication, passion, hard work and creativity. These are common denominators that bring people together. Actually, what makes people different is what makes a kitchen hum. It is the breadth of culture, ethnicity, and life experiences that helps to create that environment of bonding that makes a great restaurant.

One of the things about working in restaurants that has always made my day, is the diverse makeup of the teams who call the kitchen and dining room their home. I have happily worked with Haitians, Mexicans, French, Germans, Spaniards, Norwegians, Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Ecuadorians, Brits, African Americans, Italians, Irish, Polish, Iranians, Egyptians, and Vietnamese cooks and service staff. These are all some of the finest people I have ever known. In the restaurant we are one, we learn about each others culture and traditions, occasionally get to taste each other’s ethnic foods, break bread, toast the end of a shift with a drink, and get up the next day in service of the guest and respect for the food we get to work with.

This theory of food as a unifying medium may be a bit altruistic, but still worthy of consideration: just some thoughts.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

http://www.harvestamericaventures.com

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DIGGING DEEP: THE LIFE OF A LINE COOK

24 Thursday Oct 2013

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I thought that I would re-post an old series that was presented through Harvest America Cues a few years back.  As I continue to marvel at the focused life of line cooks I was compelled to introduce this story (one that happens every day, in every kitchen across the country) as a tribute to kitchen warriors everywhere.

This is part one of a mini series of posts on the life of a line cook. The intent is to present the reader with a better understanding of the sub-culture that is a professional kitchen, the unique traits of people who make line work, in particular, their calling and to pay homage to those unique and sometimes troubled individuals who make up the kitchen brigade. This is NOT designed to be another “portrayal of the underbelly” of restaurant kitchens, but rather a study into the drivers that make some of my favorite people who they are. Throughout the series I will tell a story using fictitious names and operations to best define the environment and those who work in that environment.

It is noon on a Friday in November and John (Jake as his friends call him) is just waking up. His shift at “Plate Restaurant” doesn’t start for another two hours, but he keeps trying to live up to a commitment that he made in early January. “I need to start taking better care of myself, so I will begin to exercise every day, quit smoking, get a good night’s sleep, cut back on drinking and look for a relationship”. As Jake moved his feet to the floor he immediately reached for a cigarette, stumbled to the kitchen/living room in his two-room apartment and turned on the TV. He turned on his Keurig and inserted a K-cup for his first of many coffee’s for the day. As was the case every morning (or afternoon when he woke up) he gave thanks for the invention of the K-cup. As he smoked and drank his coffee while half watching the news, he pushed the whole exercise concept out of his mind and turned to a mental review of his prep work for the day at “Plate”.

After a long shower and haphazard attempt at shaving, Jake made another cup of coffee and decided he might as well go right to work since he had nothing else to do anyway. Fortunately, the restaurant was only 12 blocks away and he could walk (his only exercise for the day), since he had lost his driver’s license a few months back for a DUI. It really didn’t matter anyway since he couldn’t afford to keep a car in the city on his current salary.

The fresh air helped to clear the cobwebs from his brain, the residual effects of a few too many after work beers from the night before. As he walked he was beginning to form a clearer picture of the work ahead. It was Friday, so tonight would be quite busy. He vaguely remembered checking the reservation book before he left last night and there were already 120 on the books.

Jake’s station was sauté, typically the busiest in the restaurant and the most complex. He knew that he had to be sharp for tonight so even though the walk was just a few minutes long, he stopped at a Starbuck’s for a double espresso on the way. By the time he walked through the doors of “Plate” he was wide-awake, a little buzzed from the espresso, and ready to hit the ground running. Jake was once again grateful that the restaurant, as is the case with most, provided clean, pressed uniforms; he never had to worry much about doing laundry since the majority of his life was spent in cooks whites. He pulled on the hounds tooth cooks pants and crisp cooks coat, tucked his hair under the black skull cap that the restaurant provided, tied on a fresh apron and double-checked the polish on his Birkenstock’s (one of the few luxuries that he allowed himself). As a line cook your feet are by far your most important body parts.

As he walked through the kitchen offering a few fist bumps and high-fives, Jake said good morning to the chef (who had already been there since 7:30 that morning), and went immediately for the coffee machine. Another double espresso and Jake was ready to go. It was now 1:15 and Jake had 3 ½ hours to prepare for tonight’s onslaught of orders (hopefully balanced between stations – but he knew deep down that it would be all him on a Friday night).

Jake was now in his element. The kitchen is where he felt whole again, he had purpose, people depended on him, this is where he met up each day with his only friends, this is where he was meant to be. Slowly the cobwebs from this morning turned to a subtle smile and a sense of focus and contentment. Jake pulled down his mise en place clipboard, dampened a towel to keep his cutting board from sliding, removed his trusted knives from his own tool drawer, drew each blade across a water stone and steel and set out for the cooler. Today was going to be great!

Friday’s are always big fish nights so, as per notations from the chef, he immediately went to the ice bins and pulled out (3) 8-pound Pacific Salmon. Over the years (this was Jake’s 3rd year at Plate and his 8th working in professional kitchens) he had been able to master the process for filleting fish. Young apprentices who would come and go in this kitchen would always marvel at Jake’s speed and accuracy with any round or flat fish. His treasured knives would pass through the fish like butter, leaving only small traces of meat on the bone. If it was white fish like halibut or bass, the bones would be saved for fish fumet, if it were salmon – well they had not figured out any way to use the bones from this oily fish – yet. Within 20 minutes Jake had removed the heads, filleted the three sizeable salmon, tactfully pulled out the pin bones with tweezers and cut them into identical 6-ounce portions. The portioned fillets were neatly organized on silicon paper in hotel pans and returned to their ice caddy’s- ready for the line. Jake followed the same procedure with Red Snapper and Black Cod as well as tonight’s feature of Barramundi. He ended with removing the “boots” from (2) 8 pound tins of U-10 Diver Scallops, scrubbed down and sanitized his table, passed his fish cutting board on to the dishwasher and gently cared for his knives. It was 2:15 and all of his fish work was done.

Now it was time to move on to meats and poultry. The current “Plate” menu would require Jake to trim and portion venison tenders, Wagu beef tenders, Pheasant breasts and pre-braised lamb shanks ready for finishing. Once again, he prepped his table for a new cutting board, cleaned up the edges of his knives and went to work. Time was ticking and the anxiety of being ready for those first tickets was beginning to creep up.

More “Digging Deep” continued later this week.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

http://www.harvestamericaventures.com

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