restaurants
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TO THOSE WHO COOK FOR A LIVING – WHEN IS IT EVER OK TO BE MEDIOCRE?
I just don’t get it. Those with whom I have worked and enjoyed countless kitchen adventures have lived by the mantra: “Anything worth doing is worth doing well”. This is a philosophy that has lived at the core of success… Continue reading
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BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS FOR THE AMERICAN RESTAURANT
How did we (the restaurant industry) get to where we are today? With over 1 million freestanding restaurants in the U.S. and comfortable as the number two employer in the country (only surpassed by the government) the restaurant industry has… Continue reading
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WHAT CHEFS CAN LEARN FROM BUSINESS DISRUPTORS
Some of us look back with fondness at those individuals who inspired us and became our role models. Often, those same people were held at that level of esteem because their beliefs and work were somehow parallel to our own.… Continue reading
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REAL KITCHEN HEROS
There is never any shortage of rhetoric regarding the chefs who are destined to be admired and emulated. They are oftentimes the chefs who are pushing the envelope with technique, amassing an empire of restaurant concepts, winning awards, or pioneering… Continue reading
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BANTER, INNUENDO, BULLYING, AND A CULTURE OF KITCHEN HARASSMENT
Quite a title isn’t it? Maybe what is coming to the surface today in every facet of our society makes it easier to talk about this or maybe it is a topic that is one that we may want to… Continue reading
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MARVELING AT KITCHEN CRAFTSPERSONS
Even after nearly five decades of work in and around kitchens and kitchen staff – I continue to be impressed by the skills and the passion of the craftspeople who come to work each day and execute a set of… Continue reading
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RESTAURANTS – PAY ATTENTION TO FIRST AND LAST IMPRESSIONS
We all tend to focus on the main characters in a movie, a book, or play – the central plot and those individuals who seem to be the lead in a story. This is, I suppose, how we have all… Continue reading
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WHAT WORKING IN RESTAURANTS TAUGHT ME
I have often reflected on the lessons learned and the lessons taught in kitchens. When I look back at almost five decades of involvement in the food business I do so with great respect for the environment and the people… Continue reading
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THE HOLIDAYS ARE ANOTHER LESSON FOR RESTAURANT COOKS
What we do is different than the norm. There are other jobs and career choices that live with this same reality, but this difference is simply accepted until we arrive at those holidays that involve family and family memories. This… Continue reading
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SOVANA BISTRO – CREATING AN ICONIC NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT
The American Dream remains the opportunity to own a business, be your own boss, and bring an idea to fruition. For generations, this is what has made our country a destination for young people with a passion, a concept, and… Continue reading
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A NEW RESTAURANT – OPENING NIGHT
The chef is having a hard time getting to sleep. There are hundreds of details swirling through Tom’s head, far too many to push aside and try to catch a few zzzzz’s. Tomorrow is opening night, the christening of a… Continue reading
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THE SLOW, PAINFUL DEATH OF A RESTAURANT
The other day I witnessed, once again, one of the most gut wrenching events that may go un-noticed to others. I watched as a restaurant closed its doors for the last time, the “for lease” sign take the place of… Continue reading
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A CHEF’S WISH LIST FOR CHRISTMAS
Well, it’s Black Friday – some unfortunately believe that this is a national holiday in America. For those in the restaurant business this is a day to recover from Thanksgiving service when we serve hundreds of guests who chose not… Continue reading
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THE OFTEN FORGOTTEN WORKHORSE OF THE KITCHEN
Put aside all of the excitement and glamor of working in a fine dining restaurant, the “art on the plate” image, the unusual ingredients and groundbreaking new techniques, and of course the image of sophisticated food and simply ask yourself… Continue reading
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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
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A CHEF’S ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS – #4 THIS IS AN EGG
One of my favorite movies is the 1954 original version of Sabrina staring Audrey Hepburn. In the context of the story she winds up in Paris at the renowned Cordon Bleu cooking school. Trying to learn to become a more… Continue reading
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A CHEF’S EIGHT ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS – #ONE – BUTTER
Every cuisine has it’s own list of critical ingredients – ingredients that give a unique character to the dishes that define that genre. However, every kitchen that I know, every chef with whom I have worked, every person who has… Continue reading
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CHEFS – HOW STABLE ARE WE – REALLY?
If you are a chef I know that you have experienced it many times – people around you who shake their heads and wonder what’s wrong with you. They are astonished at the hours you work, the physical and mental… Continue reading
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A ROADMAP TO SUCCESS FOR COOKS AND CHEFS
Although some my choose to turn down an unknown road to see where it leads – most of us would prefer to predetermine a destination and plug in our GPS. There are those who would state that the best way… Continue reading
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COOKS – LEARNING HOW TO FIT IN
There is a definitive culture in a professional kitchen – a culture that requires certain attributes of members. Membership is not automatic – far from it. It is this culture that attracts many to the profession – it is this… Continue reading
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I REMEMBER – A CHEF’S REFLECTIONS ON TIME
It was 1964 when Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones sang: “Time is on my side, yes it is.” I wonder now if there is any truth to that statement. When you are 14 years old, as I was, time… Continue reading
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I LOVE BEING A CHEF BUT I’M MAD AS HELL
From that first moment when I held a spatula in my hand at the age of 15 and was shown how to flip a pancake and how the flick of my wrist could coax an egg to gently change sides… Continue reading
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IS THE RESTAURANT BUBBLE ABOUT TO BURST?
It could be very easy to state that the restaurant industry has never been stronger, never more robust, and never more promising. There are, according to the National Restaurant Association, more than 1 million freestanding restaurants in the U.S., generating… Continue reading
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CHEFS – 22 MORE SUREFIRE WAYS TO FAIL AT YOUR JOB
What makes a chef successful at his or her job? It certainly takes many years for an accomplished cook to rise to the position of chef, but what should they have learned along the way? Just as with restaurant owners… Continue reading
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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
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COOKS WITH DRAGONS IN THEIR CLOSET
Make no mistake, the most enjoyable part of working in a kitchen will always be the interesting people who man that station or cutting board next to you. Of course we have a passion for the food – this is,… Continue reading
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WHY COOKS APPRENTICESHIP MAY BE THE ANSWER
What goes around does come around. For the past forty years the restaurant industry has relinquished its responsibility for serious training to culinary schools across the country. From the days of Careme, Pointe, and Escoffier till the early 1960’s the… Continue reading
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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
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THE WINE EXPERIENCE /THE WINE CULTURE – A CHEF’S PERSPECTIVE
Is it possible that an area like the North Fork of Long Island could become the next serious wine region of the country? What differentiates the Napa Valley, Paso Robles and Sonoma County of California from the Willamette Valley of… Continue reading
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