Harvest America CUES BLOG

line cooks

  • CLICK TWICE BEFORE COOKING

    What is that secret ingredient in a special restaurant; you know, the one that everyone clamors to score a reservation at? Who are their vendors? Do they have arrangements with an exclusive fish monger, a farmer who grows exceptional vegetables… 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

  • THAT FIRST NIGHT ON THE LINE ALL OVER AGAIN

    One thing is for sure – we will be back.  We don’t know exactly when, or what it might look like, but we will be back.  A year has gone by and most cooks have now forgotten what it was… 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

  • OUR DAILY BREATH: TAKING THE KITCHEN OUT OF THE COOK IS PROBLEMATIC

    We have all heard the phrase: “You can take the cook out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the cook.” While there is certainly some merit to this statement, the current isolation is pushing the… Continue reading

  • COOKS – THE COMFORT OF HEAT, SWEAT, AND HARD-WORK

    Staring at the POS printer, waiting for those orders to start their tap dance building to a crescendo in an hour or so, clicking a pair of tongs by your side, shifting weight from one foot to the other, and… Continue reading

  • WHEN A COOK IS TRULY IN THE ZONE

    In the zone is a phrase commonly used to describe a musician, athlete, or even a cook who experiences an “everything going right” situation, and when the person, or persons, involved are totally focused on the task at hand– but,… Continue reading

  • HERDING CATS – THE MAKEUP OF A KITCHEN LINE

    Chemistry is by far, the most important ingredient in building a successful kitchen team. When a chef is able to bring a group of seemingly opposing forces together into a functional, well-orchestrated team then great things happen. This, however, is… Continue reading

  • A COOK’S ANXIETY – A MOMENT IN TIME

    It’s 5:15, 120 degrees in front of the battery of ranges, and sweat is pouring down every cook’s back, dripping off their foreheads. This is moment in time, like the starting line for an important race, when adrenaline is pulsing… Continue reading

  • LINE COOKS ARE THE STUDIO MUSICIANS OF THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS

    When we listen to a catchy song by Steely Dan we think of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen – the founding members of this iconic group. Yet, Bernard Purdie probably played that laid-back rhythm that defines their songs on drums.… Continue reading

  • BODY, MIND AND SOUL – COOKS ARE IN IT TO WIN IT

    It was 1959 when the late great Miles Davis released “Kind of Blue” one of the great jazz albums of all time. Over his creative career – many of the most accomplished musicians of a generation got their start or… Continue reading

  • WALK A MILE IN A RESTAURANT WORKER’S SHOES – PART ONE

    Sure – every person’s job can be challenging at times and the good, the bad, and the ugly is a fair way to describe nearly every career choice, but looking in from the outside rarely gives and outsider a realistic… Continue reading

  • A LINE COOK’S VIEW OF SUMMER MONTHS

    It’s pushing 10 a.m. when an evening line cook finally rolls out of bed. The July sun is starting to really show its ability to bear down with penetrating heat and the humidity is bringing those first beads of sweat… Continue reading

  • WHEN LINE COOKS ARE IN THE ZONE

    On November 16, 1962 Wilt Chamberlain – center for the Warriors, scored 73 points against the New York Knicks and 78 points in 1961 against the Lakers. But, it was the Warriors game against the Knicks earlier in 1962 that… Continue reading

  • THE LINE COOK COUNTERCULTURE

    From that first job as a dishwasher in 1966 when I was 16 years old – I knew I was part of something interesting. Who knows what struck a chord – it might have been the pace, the banter between… Continue reading

  • DAY ONE IN THE KITCHEN – WHAT TO EXPECT

    Starting a new job is always un-nerving – even more so in a kitchen where production is expected, even on day one. Whether you are totally green and walking into a kitchen environment for the first time, transitioning from culinary… Continue reading

  • CHEFS PLANTING SEEDS – THE RETURN OF TRAINING ON THE JOB

    Here we are – seven or eight years into a steady economic recovery in the U.S. leading to the admirable statistic of a 3.9% unemployment rate (granted this is not qualified with regard to those who have stopped looking or… Continue reading

  • THAT’S HOW COOKS ROLL IN THE KITCHEN

    Many have written about the make-up of line cooks– what makes them tick? What is evident is that the best cooks are complicated characters, yet fairly easy to generalize. Having worked with a wide array of individuals filling the ranks… Continue reading

  • LINE COOKS GOING THE DISTANCE

    Jake woke up with a pounding headache. It was only 7 a.m. and he was already sweating from the July humidity or maybe it was from those last two shots of tequila just a few hours ago. As was the… Continue reading

  • OWNERS/OPERATORS – VALUING COOKS AND CHEFS

    It is certainly true that those who work in the kitchen are not the only reason why a restaurant may be successful, but it is certain that if the back-of-the-house team is not competent, is unable to function as a… Continue reading

  • QUOTES TO LIVE BY FOR LINE COOKS

    Well-crafted thoughts and words are, at least to me, fuel for the soul, energy for the body, and thought provoking for the mind. I often find that certain quotes from people who have attained a level of success in life… Continue reading

  • MacGyver SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR LINE COOKS

    Many of us remember the original MacGyver series in the 80’s where Angus MacGyver, a rogue scientist who worked for a fictitious government agency, used his uncanny problem solving skills to get him out of some pretty hairy situations. Sometimes… Continue reading

  • THE LINE COOK’S ADRENALINE RUSH

    What is it about working the line in a busy restaurant that is so attractive to cooks? Why, with all of the challenges that a career in the kitchen brings are people, especially those who are younger, willing to set… Continue reading

  • WHEN LINE COOKS CONNECT WITH THE FOOD

    It’s the chef’s cuisine after all – right? The role of the cook is to prepare what the chef tells him or her to prepare in the manner prescribed, because that’s what the cook is paid to do – right?… Continue reading

  • LINE COOKS – TOUGH AS NAILS – USED AND ABUSED, DRIVEN AND CONTENTIOUS

    We are who we are or – are we defined by what we do and the environment that we function in? Look into a person’s eyes and you can determine quite a bit. A cook’s eyes are focused, tired, often… Continue reading

  • WHAT DRIVES A LINE COOK CRAZY

    Recently, I pointed to the things that drive a chef crazy, but line cooks share a list of actions or lack thereof that push their buttons as well. Some of these actions are real and correctable while others are simply… Continue reading

  • Attention Line Cooks: Be Solid, Give it Your All

    This is my first commissioned article for San Pellegrino’s blog – finedininglovers.com.  I am honored to have this opportunity to share topics with their international base of followers and bring to light some of the challenges and opportunities that face… Continue reading

  • ROCK SOLID – A COOK’S PROFILE

    A chef posts job openings for a restaurant kitchen “Looking for line cooks – dependable, experienced, strong work ethic”. These three descriptors summarize what most chefs are looking for. The resume is simply an elaboration on the critical traits of… Continue reading

  • WHAT LINE COOKS BELIEVE – FACTS AND ALTERNATIVE FACTS

    At the core of every person is a foundation of beliefs. Some of those beliefs are based on facts and experience while others are somewhat hollow beliefs that are loosely based on perceptions rather than a deeper understanding. Perceptions left… Continue reading

  • A COOK IN THE WEEDS

    What does it feel like to be part of that downward spiral situation on the line referred to as being in the weeds? This is different, a far cry, from just being buried in orders on a busy night. This… Continue reading