Harvest America CUES BLOG

restaurants

  • COOKS & CHEFS PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, & MENTAL HEALTH

    I watched a show last night for the second time: Boiling Point. There have been many movies and shows that depict life in the kitchen but few that struck me with as much of a reality punch as this one.… Continue reading

  • GIVING THANKS

    Taking the time to be grateful is so refreshing. We live in an information overload society where fear of missing something leaves us attached to our phones and televisions seeking the latest catastrophe, political misstep, impending sense of doom, or… Continue reading

  • ONE DISH AT A TIME

    Approaching the design of a menu should be a complicated process because it defines the restaurant and the chef. Every other aspect of the restaurant operation will, or at least should, stem from the proper design of the menu and… Continue reading

  • BE EXCELLENT

    I have been thinking a lot about the word excellence, what it means, how it applies to each of us, and the impact that it has on everything. It is unfair and limiting to believe that excellence indirectly aligns with… Continue reading

  • CARPE DIEM, COOKS

    Seize the day! Ah…” when opportunity knocks, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket, in basketball or hockey you’ll miss every shot you don’t take, if you aren’t going all the way, why go at all,”… Continue reading

  • THE 21 KITCHEN RULES FOR EVERY CHEF TO FOLLOW

    Nearly nine years ago, during the first twelve months of Harvest America Cues blog, one of my articles went viral attracting almost 40,000 views in one day. The article struck a nerve with its focus on A Cook’s Kitchen Laws.… Continue reading

  • ARE INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS PRICING THEMSELVES OUT OF THE MARKET?

    Recent data published by USA Today suggests that the average upper middle-class couple spends around $200 per week on groceries. That’s 21 meals for two people over seven days. From my experience, it is difficult to experience a dinner for… Continue reading

  • “SHELTER ME, I WILL SHELTER YOU”

    So many times, throughout my life in the kitchen, I would watch in wonder at the patchwork of honest, fragile, determined, sociopathic, caring, hardworking, sensitive, brutal misfits (I mean that in the best way) people who tie on an apron… Continue reading

  • THE CHEF’S SECRET INGREDIENT – CONTEXT

    Memorable food, exceptional experiences, a perfect evening…these are the types of reviews that every chef hopes for and every restaurant strives for. Is it possible to set the stage for these reactions? What would it take for guests to rave… Continue reading

  • STEPPING INTO PROFESSIONALISM

    There are kitchens and there are kitchens. Painting the environment that surrounds cooking with the same brush is unfair and quite inaccurate; yet many do. Those operations that resemble the caldrons of hell filled with arrogance, bullying, unprofessional behavior, and… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIP WITH INGREDIENTS

    Is our profession becoming a victim of circumstances? There is a deeper price to pay when looming issues like the labor shortage, rising costs of operation, an eroding passion for careers in the kitchen, and diminishing profits haunt our everyday… 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

  • WHAT WOULD ESCOFFIER SAY

    It’s been 89 years since Escoffier stood in front of a range for the last time, yet his presence is still felt by professional cooks and chefs. One could claim, and rightfully so, that he had the greatest influence on… Continue reading

  • CHEFS – DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE CRAFT

    I was listening to a person the other day who was involved in the restaurant business. He was making a point about how we (those of us who work or have worked in kitchens) need to embrace more technology and… Continue reading

  • EYES WIDE OPEN, EYES WIDE SHUT

    There is a real dichotomy in understanding, a gap in understanding between the employer and employee and how each views the work at hand. I’m sure it’s true in many industries, but let’s just focus on the business of restaurants.… Continue reading

  • CHARGING FOR BREAD -SERIOUSLY?

    A new word has been bantered about over the past few months, a word that ticks off consumers and demonstrates either greed or an inability to understand the public’s perception of “value”. “Shrinkflation” is a descriptor for reducing the size… Continue reading

  • THE KING IS IN THE HOUSE

    Is there any real value to nostalgia? How clear is our memory and how often do we tend to embellish on the positive and diminish the negative? Looking back can provide us with context and content for making future decisions… Continue reading

  • 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

  • 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

  • THE PATH TO EXCELLENCE – SO INSPIRING

    What term or phrase best describes those who are on the path of excellence: unrelenting, finesse, culinary pride, make a dent in the universe, pursuit of perfection, make a difference, total commitment, or focused drive? Some portray the result while… Continue reading

  • THE EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN RESTAURANT

    PART TWO: The Era of the Chef: Ah, now things really changed. The once restaurateur-centric restaurant was about to become chef-centric. Seemingly happening overnight – the chef went from a behind the scenes after-thought to a celebrity. Beginning with a… Continue reading

  • AMERICAN RESTAURANTS – AN INTERESTING EVOLUTION

    PART ONE: An Immigrant Nation Melting Pot: America was the land of opportunity and tens of thousands came to our shores, through Ellis Island, and stood at the gates of New York ready to become American and bring their ethnic… Continue reading

  • TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND AS A COOK

    If you are a cook who is happy working just for a paycheck – more power to you, but you can probably save some time and not read this article.  If, however you have the sense that cooking is more… Continue reading

  • THE GREATEST THREAT TO AMERICAN RESTAURANTS

    The greatest threat is not the labor shortage or supply chain issues, it’s not the pandemic or the price of real estate – yes, all those concerns are troubling and must be dealt with, but they are not what will… Continue reading

  • CHEF’S HAVE PERMISSION TO SUCCEED

    It was 1969 when the acclaimed “super group” – Blind Faith with Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, and Ginger Baker caused a stir with their self-titled album.  Although the group was short lived, they did leave us with an applicable lyric:… Continue reading

  • DON’T SETTLE FOR MEDIOCRITY

    It would be difficult to find a more sinister, demoralizing, harmful, or self-destructive word than mediocre.  Mediocre sucks the lifeblood out of an individual or an organization – it is the dark side of the moon, the harbinger of discomfort… Continue reading

  • THE AMERICAN RESTAURANT 2022 (Post Pandemic)

    Ah…now is the time for everyone to start speculating about what the restaurant business will look like when all of this craziness is over.  Let’s start with what we are fairly comfortable saying:  whatever “normal” is will likely not make… Continue reading

  • ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A TAVERN

    Every year, a significant number of new restaurants open and almost as many close their doors for good.  It is, that spark of “I have a great idea for a restaurant” that drives many people towards the leap into entrepreneurship… 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