Harvest America CUES BLOG

restaurants

  • CAN CHEFS GET OLD AND STAY RELEVANT?

      I have often caught myself saying that cooking in a professional kitchen is a young persons game. Having left the kitchen for education and then returned at the age of 55, it was obvious to me that certain jobs… Continue reading

    CAN CHEFS GET OLD AND STAY RELEVANT?

  • DO YOU COOK TO LIVE OR LIVE TO COOK?

    My son, a technical education teacher once said, “There are two types of workers in the world; those who shower before work and those who shower after.” I thought this was quite profound and a way to categorize the type… Continue reading

  • TO BE A COOK – AN HONORABLE PROFESSION

    Walking down the street in my hometown back in the late-1960’s; an old acquaintance stopped me to say hello; “So, what are you doing with yourself?” My response, “I’m a cook in a restaurant.” Uncomfortable pause: “Oh, so what are… Continue reading

    TO BE A COOK – AN HONORABLE PROFESSION

  • KITCHENS ARE THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING COMMON SENSE

    It’s likely everyone is familiar with the statement by Voltaire, “Common sense is not so common.” From our personal experiences I know that you, like me, have found this to be true. People are not born with common sense; they… Continue reading

  • DOES MUSIC BELONG IN THE KITCHEN?

    It was inevitable. As cooks and chefs grew into the role of artist so too did they join the ranks of talented expressionists who use a multitude of mediums. If the chef is truly an artist, then it would make… Continue reading

  • RENT, LEASE, OR BUY – THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RESTAURANT LOCATION

    Was it Ellsworth Statler who, a generation ago proclaimed, “The three most important elements of success are location, location, location,” or was it the British real estate tycoon named Lord Harold Samuel who died in 1987? In either case, those… Continue reading

  • CHEF’S – BE ACTIVE WITH ALL PARTS OF THE DINING EXPERIENCE

    It would be accurate to state that there is more to do in operating a restaurant kitchen than most any chef can effectively deal with. Writing menus, testing recipes, ordering product, connecting with farmers and vendors, hiring, training and evaluating… Continue reading

  • RESTAURANT STAFF MEAL – THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKING BREAD

    There are very few, if any other businesses that view a staff meal as not just a benefit, but rather a necessity. Labor laws do not mandate that a restaurant provide a meal for its staff, only that time for… Continue reading

  • RESTAURANT FRIENDS ARE UNIQUE

    Allow me to begin with a generalization: most restaurant cooks are introverts, viewed as different, sometimes odd and often times lacking in self-confidence. Now you might disagree from your experiences in the kitchen, but it is my theory that “the… Continue reading

  • LET THE GAMES BEGIN – A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CHEF – Part Three

    As the first tickets started to arrive from the dining room – Jake gave some fleeting thought to the time. It was 5:30, he had already been here for nearly 11 hours and the night had just begun. What was… Continue reading

  • MID-DAY IN THE CHEF’S LIFE – Part Two

    Chef Jake moved beyond the fresh (or lack there of) fish issue and adjusted his mind-set to the other tasks at hand. It was too late to return to the sales meeting – he would catch up with the department… Continue reading

  • A CHEF’S DAY IN THE LIFE – Part One

    “Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged the comb across my head. Made my way downstairs and drank a cup and looking up I noticed I was late.” We all remember these lines from the Beatles storyline in: “A Day… Continue reading

  • THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING THINGS WELL

    Years ago, a friend offered a statement, maybe even a mantra that has echoed within me ever since. It is one of those over-riding beacons of light that sets a course for how you live and how the world views… Continue reading

  • WANTED: SUCCESSFUL RESTAURANT OPERATOR

    Here it is – the formula for a successful restaurant – almost a guarantee. There still are many people, for some strange reason, who continue to dust off their entrepreneurial suit and turn to restaurant ownership as a way to… 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

  • WHY DO PEOPLE OWN RESTAURANTS

    Having worked in the restaurant field for more than four decades, I have often wondered why it is that people take the leap into restaurant ownership. There are numerous documented reasons why this is not a good idea, yet thousands… Continue reading

  • SO GOD MADE A CHEF

    A Most Noble Profession © Copyright 2014 This article was written in recognition of the wonderful piece that was done by Paul Harvey paying homage to American farmers. This version is a tribute to chefs and cooks who care for… 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

  • COOKS IN THE WEEDS – GASPING FOR AIR

    There are times in a restaurant kitchen when things go terribly wrong. Every cook, every chef faces those moments that can only be described as desperate and out of control. There is so much truth to the theory of Murphy’s… Continue reading

  • IN THE KITCHEN – HIRE PASSION, TEACH DISCIPLINE

    Chefs seem to always lament about the difficult task of finding the right staff to fulfill the mission of their kitchen. “Where can I find good cooks who will show up to work prepared, who have a strong foundational knowledge… Continue reading

  • AH…..BREAD AND BREAD BAKERS

    “The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.” – M.F.K. Fischer If line cooks are the heart of a kitchen then bread bakers must certainly be… 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

  • LIFE LESSONS FROM A LINE COOK

    I may be a showing a bit of bias, but I do believe that there are many lessons that anyone can learn from observing the daily activities and mindset of a typical restaurant line cook. These seasoned disciples of the… Continue reading

  • THE SOCIETAL IMPORTANCE OF COOKS AND COOKING

    I believe it was Julia Child who pointed out that every significant change in society has always been accompanied by a change in how we grow, select, distribute, prepare, serve and consume food. Whether food drove societal change or if… Continue reading

  • ARE LINE COOKS REALLY REBELS WITHOUT A CAUSE?

    Many people reflect back on the 1950’s as a unique time in American history when the concept of the role of youth was being seriously questioned. James Dean personified the challenges of a younger generation in the cult classic 1955… Continue reading

  • SORRY – THE CHEF CAN’T MOTIVATE YOU

    “The chef really needs to motivate me today”. How often have you heard this type of interplay in the kitchen? People have a tendency to relegate their performance, attitude, and outlook on their job to someone else. A restaurant employee… Continue reading

  • JIRO ONO– THIS CHEF DEFINES PASSION AND COMMITMENT

    I just finished watching an incredible documentary movie for the second time: Jiro – Dreams of Sushi is a story not to be missed by serious cooks, chefs, restaurateurs, artists, musicians, teachers and all who are seeking a calling in… Continue reading

  • THE FOUNDATIONS OF COOKING WILL ALWAYS SERVE YOU WELL

    There is no question that dining is a sensual experience. A perfect meal will always address the full gamut of senses as it is prepared and presented: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Chefs who focus on just a few… Continue reading

  • A CHEF’S FEET – THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR BODY

    Ten hours each day, six days per week (or more), 48-50 weeks per year, 40 years of a career in the kitchen. Each professional cook or chef will likely spend at least 120,000 hours on his or her feet during… Continue reading

  • CHEF’S NEED TO SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

    In 1996, Richard Carlson wrote a very successful book on stress relief entitled: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. His approach was to de-emphasize those tasks and issues in our lives that drive us crazy and are, from his perspective, not… Continue reading