restaurants
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HANGING ON TO QUALITY
When did the desire for quality fade away; when did it become an option instead of the standard? We are all born with a desire to please those around us from the time we are able to crawl, walk, talk,… Continue reading
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HEY CHEF – WHO ARE YOU?
What does it really mean to be a chef? Is it strictly a position of authority – a position well-earned through time, trial and error, loads of cooking skills, business savvy, and a brand that helps the operation and the… Continue reading
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START WASHING DISHES – YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU MIGHT END UP
I have always professed that everyone should have a long-term plan regarding his or her career – a plan that would allow an individual to balance every decision with its impact on that career goal. I still am convinced that… Continue reading
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WORDS OF ADVICE FOR EVERY CULINARY COLLEGE GRADUATE
It is May and all across the country students from the more than 1,000 culinary schools will be graduating and starting their careers in the business of food. You have accomplished a great deal, assimilated more information than you thought… Continue reading
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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
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IN THE KITCHEN: EVERYONE’S DIFFERENT – EVERYONE’S THE SAME
This story may not be true – but it could be. “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” -Jimmy Carter Chef Michel looked around his kitchen and… Continue reading
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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
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BEING A CHEF – THE PASSION AND THE COST
Let’s first separate those three types of cooks who stand tall behind a range: Those who consider cooking to be their purpose in life, the career choice that inspires them, and the choice that let’s them jump out of bed… Continue reading
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WE ARE COOKS
I was thinking back to a fantastic lecture that I attended maybe in 1982 or 1983 that was presented by Andre Soltner – one of the true great chefs of my generation. Soltner was, at the time, the chef/owner of… Continue reading
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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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