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BUFFALO – MY KIND OF FOOD TOWN

15 Tuesday Aug 2017

I am reposting this article I wrote in 2013 – it still seems appropriate for all who have a passion for the Queen City. This is the Buffalo I remember.

Harvest America Ventures

Yes, in case you have not guessed, I am originally from Buffalo. After you get all of the stinging quips out of your system let me tell you what Buffalo is really like. It is true that the press has not always been kind to the Queen City and it almost feels like Buffalo has enjoyed being the punching bag for the media. In reality, Buffalo is a very special city with tremendous history, unfaltering pride, and yes – even a healthy food scene.

OK, so the Bills never won a Superbowl and the Sabres have only gotten so far, but don’t ever try and tell a Buffalonian that these teams are not worthy. We have the right, as people from the city, to critique our teams, but other’s do not. We will defend them till the end of time (there, I got that out of my system).

Let’s talk…

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DOES MUSIC BELONG IN THE KITCHEN?

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

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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 sense that he or she would be and should be inspired by those who write, draw, paint, sculpt, sing and play musical instruments. I have long viewed cooks as frustrated artists who are in search of a vehicle of expression that also pays the bills. When thought of in this regard, cooking is the ultimate art form. Where other forms of artistic expression may appeal to one or two human senses, cooking appeals to all of them.

Writers, poets, sculptures, musicians and painters draw their inspiration from life and from things that stimulate their sensory perception. To deny them access to these stimuli would be to deny their art. It would thus be easy to apply the same rules to kitchens and cooks. To deny cooks access to sensory stimuli would be to deny their ability to create for the plate.

Many chefs, (I was one for many years) are opposed to music in the kitchen. There are legitimate reasons for this stance: music could be considered a distraction, musical tastes will differ in a kitchen causing potential friction among team members, and music will limit the necessary verbal communication that must take place in a kitchen throughout the day. All of this is very true, however, there are benefits.

Music has an emotional, spiritual, physiological and psychological effect on people; in this case, cooks. The temperament of a kitchen is critical to success and when people are happy, they produce happy food. Controlling the type, volume and sequence of music can be used to reinforce all of those positive emotional and physical feelings.

Calm, soothing music in the morning can be used to set a positive tone for the day as the kitchen comes to life. Fast paced music that reflects on good times can be used to keep an effective pace during prep when the sheer volume of work needs a healthy push. At service time, the music must be replaced with the cadence of the kitchen. Focus on orders, the expeditor, the chatter from the service staff, sizzle from a sauté pan and clink of china on the pass are the only sounds that have a place during this critical time. Finally, at clean up a good dose of musical energy will help to inspire the team to get through the final phase.

Does music actually inspire cooks to create? There have actually been numerous studies to try and prove or disprove this theory.

“Both Schellenberg and Levitin agree that music will have different effects on your brain and behavior depending on how it makes you feel. Want to be alert and focused? Try an upbeat song that puts you in a good mood, whether it’s Mozart or Miley. Want to step away from a problem and relax in order to find a solution? Play anything you like — and don’t dismiss those sad songs you like to mope around to.

“When we hear sad music, it allows us to empathize with the composer and the musician and makes us feel connected to them,” said Levitin. This empathy, he said, can allow individuals to glean creative insights they wouldn’t otherwise have.”
Here’s Proof Music Can Do More Than Just Make You Feel Good

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/music-creative_n_5511501.html

There are mixed feelings on the part of chefs. Eric Ripert does not allow music in his kitchen at Le Bernadin. His rationale would be hard to argue with and the end result is a restaurant that most aspiring chefs would kill to work at. Rated as one of America’s few Michilen starred restaurants and one of the finest in the world, pushing him on this issue would seem to be fruitless.

http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/listen-to-music-in-kitchen

Others find that music is an essential part of restaurant life and critical to building team spirit and high levels of productivity. Many of these chefs are aspiring musicians as well. Dean Fearing from the Mansion at Turtle Creek is one of the country’s most admired culinary figures who also plays a mean guitar in bands comprised of fellow chefs. Steve Schimoler, owner/operator/chef at Crop Bistro in Cleveland is also an accomplished drummer whose band “Cream of the Crop” performs around Cleveland and at the restaurant carrying the same name.

http://www.thisiscleveland.com/restaurants/cleveland-chefs/steve-schimoler/

Although the media and Food Network would have us believe that chefs are the new rock stars, it is really the influence that music has on their everyday hard work in the kitchen that is most important. So, back to the original question: does music have a place in the kitchen? This is really up to the operator to determine. We do know that music is important to people and can, in many cases, positively impact on morale, creativity and production. If a chef can control the sequence of music throughout the day and appease the team with music that universally inspires, then this may be an issue for even the older stalwarts like me to reconsider.

If I were to embrace music in a kitchen that I was responsible for, here is a possible music playlist that I could accept and use to inspire:

5 a.m – 7 a.m. – BREAKFAST SHIFT
A mix of Switched on Bach, Bela Fleck, Yo Yo Ma, Pat Methany and Early Pink Floyd.

7 a.m. – 1 p.m. – PREP SHIFT & DELIVERIES
A eclectic mix of music from the 60’s and 70’s including Little Feat, Allman Brothers, British Invasion Groups, California Groups like Quicksilver, Jefferson Airplane, and Grateful Dead as well as a touch of Hendrix and British Blues. Of course I couldn’t forget the Gipsy Kings, Los Lonely Boys and Bob Marley.

1 p.m. – 5 p.m. – CRUNCH TIME PREPARING FOR SERVICE
A bit of hard guitars like Joe Satriani, Stevie Ray, Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, Eric Clapton,Eddie Van Halen, and Jeff Beck (the best guitarist on the planet).

5 p.m. – 11 p.m. – SERVICE
No music, only the pleasant sounds of the the ticket printer, clanging china, service staff chatter and the chef calling out orders.

11 p.m. – close – BREAKDOWN
Line cooks choice. What ever gets them through it. I’ll close the office door.

What would your playlist look like?

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
http://www.harvestamericaventures.com
Restaurant and Culinary School Consulting, Training and Coaching

Follow our blog at: http://www.culinarycuesblog.wordpress.com

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

29 Sunday Jun 2014

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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 in marketing of any type have long proclaimed that location is one of, if not the most important attribute of a successful business or a valuable property.

There is little question that visibility and an already established clientele base sets the stage for success, but it never guarantees it. Restaurants are, in many cases, an enigma when it comes to this rule of thumb. Yes, there are many – in particular, the chain operators, who will not invest in a site that doesn’t fit the formula for a “great” location. This is why you’ll consistently find the major brands clustered together. The research has been done, the volume of traffic is there, the socio-economic demographic is a match, entrances and exits are easy to manage, and the area is properly zoned. If the operator is willing to invest, then this must be the place where they build. But, is this always the formula that works?

An Olive Garden and P.F. Chang’s will always be easy to find. Look for the mall or high traffic access road with plenty of parking and you will likely find these brands as well as every other significant concept that a community can possibly support. To place these restaurants elsewhere would not make economic sense.

Along come private entrepreneurs: chefs with a vision, restaurateurs with a formula for success and in both cases a need to keep occupancy costs (rent, lease, mortgage, utilities, property taxes, etc.) in check. Spending a few minutes with a calculator it is not difficult to determine what the operator can afford to spend on location. “I know I should follow the golden rule and look for the property with established traffic, high visibility, plenty of parking, easy access and other reasons for people to be there, but I can’t afford it.”

Restaurants are magnet operations, especially in today’s world of consumers who are infatuated with food and beverage and creative chefs. These magnets are frequently used when a developer or landlord is seeking to gentrify an area that has fallen into disrepair. Now, this is an area where a restaurateur can afford to build. These gentrification projects may take years or even decades to work, but many do. That terribly seedy area suddenly becomes a cool place to be. The restaurant has started to build a niche trade that will, over time, evolve into a market for unique shops, remodeled high end apartments and condos, more attention from local police departments, landscaping and lighting and an upbeat flow of hip people who have reclaimed the area as their own.

The restaurateur and chef, or chefs over time, have suffered through the tough battle. Building trust, creating an innovative concept, enhancing their image, attracting and retaining an attentive and competent staff, drawing attention from the local press and the food community and now, finally, they are beginning to reap the rewards. A restaurant with a reputation, a chef with a brand, and a supportive group of clients who came initially because of the food critics review, but now return time and time again for the experience. Ah, the restaurant is beginning to make money and everyone is proud.

Meanwhile, the community around the restaurant is starting to come alive and thrive. The shops are busy, taxi drivers are no longer leery of venturing into the area at night, vendors are clamoring for the business that the restaurant has to offer, and everything seems just right.

This story happens time and again in cities across the United States. Large cities and small towns all can point to areas that have experienced a rebirth that began with a restaurant willing to take a chance and unable to afford building in an another area that might have been a sure bet.

To those marketers of the golden rule I ask: “Did the restaurant make the location or did the location make the restaurant?” How many people ever heard of Yountville, California before Thomas Keller took a chance on The French Laundry and eventually Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery and Ad Hoc? Once created, where is the value? Is it the location, the brand that the chef or restaurateur has created, or is it something else? Can the magic simply be replanted somewhere else with the same end results? These are questions that cannot easily be answered.

So, where am I going with this train of thought? When restaurants resurrect an area they have, in my opinion, earned the right to be there and enjoy what they helped bring to fruition. A successful restaurant is much more than simply a place to dine. A successful restaurant is the heartbeat of a neighborhood and this heart cannot simply be transplanted to another part of town with the expectation that it will be accepted. Time and again this is attempted with resulting disappointment or failure.

We have all seen this unfold in our communities. A great restaurant with a solid following decides to move a few blocks away with disastrous results. Years of hard work, patience and a bit of angst have now taken a turn from success to failure.

A recent trend, especially in large metropolitan areas pressing through urban renewal, is landlords and developers raising restaurant rents in gentrified areas; areas that those restaurants helped to rebuild. Rent levels are no longer workable for restaurant operators. Many landmark restaurants are now finding themselves in the market for alternative locations. The question is, can they re-create the magic in a different area. Will their brand carry enough karma to hit the ground running?

This has happened with Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill, the original Aquavit and most recently – Union Square Café. Profit, of course, is a primary measure in business and one could argue that we cannot and should not limit a landlord’s opportunity to improve their bottom line if the market exists for tenants with deeper pockets. But, like the Yountville example, where would these neighborhoods be without the heartbeat that a restaurant creates, and how will the neighborhood, let alone the restaurant survive when one is removed from the other?

To rent or lease is to be always vulnerable to fluctuations in fees. To buy is, in most cases, out of reach for private restaurateurs. There is no real answer to this dilemma. It is, after all, part of the challenge of operating a restaurant and building a brand.

Danny Meyer is a brilliant restaurateur as is Bobby Flay. They will certainly survive and move on, but those epic restaurants may not. Will Mesa Grill work as well in another section of New York? Can Union Square Café separate from Union Square and still maintain the dynamic personality that has been created in its current location for the past few decades?

I wish them well and although my visits to New York are few and far between, I will miss them as I remember. The communities that they helped to build will not be the same.

Take a moment to view this article offering more details on the dilemma that is faced by Danny Meyer and Union Square Café.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
http://www.harvestamericaventures.com
Restaurant Consulting, Training and Coaching

Follow our blog: http://www.culinarycuesblog.wordpress.com

*PICTURE TAKEN BY: Kristin Parker – Kristin Parker Photography
https://www.facebook.com/KristinParkerPhotography

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LINE COOKS ARE THE ENGINE THAT DRIVE A RESTAURANT

26 Thursday Jun 2014

This is a previously posted article, but one that I feel is important. What many people (restaurant guests) do not realize is that although the chef may be the visionary and the designer of the food experience in your favorite restaurant, it is the line cook who actually prepares your meal. I am, and will always be a champion of the line cook – the life blood of a kitchen. I hope that you will SHARE this article with your network.

Harvest America Ventures

LINE COOKS ARE THE ENGINE THAT DRIVE A RESTAURANT

It takes many years for a good cook to become a great cook, to become a chef. There is an enormous amount of experience that leads to the ability to lead a kitchen, to create a vision and set the tone for consistently excellent performance. Aside from a strong understanding of foundational cooking technique, the chef must have accumulated an understanding of purchasing, menu planning, human resource management, inventory management, cost control, artistic presentations of food, sanitation and safety, public relations, wine, as well as communication and brand building. Yes, this position is a culmination of a lifetime of skill and aptitude development, however, chefs must never lose sight of the role that line cooks play in the daily successful operation of a kitchen.

Line cooks are the lifeblood of any professional kitchen operation. It is, after all, the line cook who has the responsibility to prepare, develop flavors and…

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

24 Tuesday Jun 2014

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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 staff, maintaining standards of sanitation and safety, monitoring production and filling in wherever needed equates to more hours than there are in a day. Yet, if the chef is not in tune with and very knowledgeable about wine, beer, distilled beverages, service, marketing, cost control and image building then their job is incomplete. The food is absolutely important, but it is only one part of the formula for a great meal.

In this article I will only touch on one of those components: wine. There are three ways to view a wine list in your restaurant: the menu drives the complementary wines you want to sell, the wine drives the type of menu you want to offer, or, the wine list is independent without real thought given to how it fits. Obviously, the first two options would be preferred, providing there are certain menu list parameters that are always considered.

The chef must be actively involved in the selection of wines that will add interest and depth to the menu being developed. To be able to do this, the chef needs a breadth of knowledge, a competent palate and the resources necessary to make an intelligent decision with wine purchases. This cannot be a front of the house decision alone, the wine footprint for your restaurant helps to build your restaurant signature and as such is part of the culinary focus.

The chef needs to understand the source for wines (country, region, vineyard, grape and terroir) just as he or she must know the source of ingredients used in building the food menu. The quality of the grape, climate, make up of the soil, and topography are just as important, if not more, than the expertise of the wine maker.

Just as a cook is trained to taste – season – taste, so too must a chef learn to sip, swish and drink wine with the foods that it will most likely accompany. It is the chef’s palate that drives a menu even after consideration for guest preferences. Each restaurant chef must know the wine list at a similar level to the food menu. What are the characteristics of a cabernet sauvignon vs. a merlot or zinfandel. When is a French Chardonnay preferred over one from Northern California. Why are Pinot Noirs from Oregon recognized as comparable to those from France and wines made from the same grape in other parts of the United States not so lucky? What makes a particular vintage so spectacular and another so-so? When are tannins a good thing and when are they not?

A chef’s food palate may take decades to fully develop, so it may take some time to build a similar palate for wine, but professionals cannot defer on this important task. When the guest arrives they are in your hands. The chef can sculpt a guest experience providing his or her breadth of knowledge goes beyond the flavor profile of that braised veal shank.

The chef may never have the scope of wine understanding of a sommelier, but he or she must be able to talk the language and stand up to decisions regarding what will be sold as an appropriate food pairing. Collaborative sessions leading to wine dinners, designation of new wine by the glass candidates and tasting sessions with clients for group events are all integral parts of a chefs job.

A reasonably expansive wine inventory in a restaurant can easily be valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Though some may be inclined to collect wine and speculate on it’s eventual inflated value, most restaurants hope to turn their wine inventory over every six to nine months. This goal requires that the chef and wine manager work together in an effort to find ways to attract enthusiasts and build complementary wine sales. Neither the front nor back of the house will reach their sales goals without collaborative understanding and marketing efforts.

There are certainly great examples of chefs who have taken this task to heart. Thomas Keller, Alice Waters, Mario Batali, Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud have sophisticated wine palates and their wine lists demonstrate this love and understanding. But, this appreciation for, and knowledge of wine should not be limited to the relatively small percentage of high-end restaurants with celebrity names behind the range. When one considers that alcoholic beverages still account for the most profitable items on a restaurant menu it behooves chefs in every full service restaurant to build a repertoire of wine knowledge and create lists that work with food in a complementary way.

Wine consumption has grown steadily over the past few decades as consumers built an appreciation for quality and became more adventurous. Even with this substantial growth, wine consumption in America pales in comparison to Europe (although wine is losing some of its attraction to younger European consumers). This demonstrates a significant opportunity in our country to build on a fresh interest in wine and its ability to balance well with food. Knowledge is power for a chef and wine should be a part of that knowledge base.

For those interested, here are a few examples of great references that can help with developing a solid wine knowledge for chefs.

WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT

WINDOWS ON THE WORLD COMPLETE WINE COURSE

WINE ESSENTIALS

EXPLORING WINE

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
http://www.harvestamericaventures.com
Restaurant and Culinary School Consulting, Training and Coaching

Follow our blog at: http://www.culinarycuesblog.wordpress.com

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RESTAURANT STAFF MEAL – THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKING BREAD

23 Monday Jun 2014

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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 consumption of a meal is provided. Restaurants choose, somewhat due to tradition, to offer this sustenance for employees.

Over many years chefs and management have expressed mixed feelings about the meal and far too often have viewed it as a costly inconvenience. Recently, there has been a commitment on the part of a growing community of restaurants to view the staff meal as a “family” or team building opportunity. This is becoming a vehicle for restaurants to communicate, set the tone for service, inspire and build stronger team relationships. The reference commonly used is the chance to “break bread”.

There is, of course, plenty of history and subliminal meaning behind the “breaking bread” phrase. Much of this history dates back to the early days of Christianity when the church referred to this as a part of fellowship.

“The early Christians came together regularly for common meals, which included the breaking of bread. The reference is to these individuals having everything in common.” http://www.gotquestions.org/breaking-of-bread.html

In a restaurant, that commonality is evident in the purpose of service, the respect for food, the passion for preparation, the respect for process and historical cooking traditions, the enjoyment of food as entertainment, and the responsibility to create customer value. The staff, or family meal, provides everyone the opportunity to reinforce this common bond, refer to the restaurants objectives and enjoy each other’s company before they are immersed in the moments of service. This time, as short as it might be can be the difference between success and failure during a meal period and beyond. The significance of breaking bread should not be overlooked.

What is served, how it is set, in what manner the time for family meal is allotted will be critical and as more and more restaurants grab onto the opportunity the benefits are becoming evident.

If your restaurant views the meal as an opportunity to simply provide a carbohydrate rush that helps to build energy for service, then the larger benefit will never be addressed. If time is not built into the schedule that allows staff members to stop for 20 minutes or so, sit and enjoy a meal together, then the value of “sharing things that people have in common”, will be lost and the real growth of a team will be diminished.

An effective family meal can provide a chef with the opportunity to excite staff members about his or her style of cooking and the uniqueness of what the restaurant offers. A taste of a new wine offered by the sommelier or manager will provide staff members with the opportunity to build their wine knowledge, especially pertaining to how it might complement certain foods. Adequate time for both front and back of the house employees to sit and enjoy the food, converse and learn about each other will be critical in building understanding and keeping everyone focused on what is important. For a period of time everyone in the restaurant can truly feel that they are equal. Everyone begins to see that each person contributes to the success of the operation and each job is critical.

There are ancillary benefits to family meal in those restaurants that wish to use this time as a broader educational event. Looking around the staff table, most restaurant employees will see a diversity of ethnicity, race, and life experiences. There is an opportunity to break down barriers and learn from each other. Maybe that line cook or dishwasher from Central America should have an opportunity to prepare a dish for staff that reflects his or her family traditions. Quite possibly, the waiter who proudly emigrated from France, Italy, Russia or Spain could toast the staff with a wine from his or her homeland and talk about its historical significance. Maybe the chef or sous chef who has worked in a variety of restaurants can bring back a dish from a past operation and demonstrate how his or her personal cuisine evolved from those early beginnings. Every time something new is added to the family mealtime a staff member builds his or her base of knowledge and in turn becomes a stronger employee.

Chefs and managers are and should be educators. Their ability to attract, train and retain a great team is reflective not simply on pay scales, but even more importantly how they can help those employees build their base of knowledge. Knowledge is one of the best retention tools in an industry that is plagued by turnover. Just as great bread and exceptional coffee sends an important message to a guest about the quality of a meal and a restaurants commitment to doing things right, so too does the staff meal and the celebration of team send a message to current and future staff.

“I judge a restaurant by the bread and by the coffee.” –Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster views this through the eyes of the restaurant guest; the analogy does apply in the same fashion through the eyes of the employee.

I applaud the recent movement towards creating a family meal event in restaurants as evidenced by a growing number of excellent books on the topic. If you are interested in viewing your staff meal differently, I would strongly suggest that you take a look at these books and add them to your chef’s library.

STAFF MEALS

OFF THE MENU

COME IN, WE’RE CLOSED

FAMILY TABLE

EATING WITH THE CHEFS

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
http://www.harvestamericaventures.com
Restaurant and Culinary School Consulting, Training and Coaching

Follow our blog at: http://www.culinarycuesblog.wordpress.com

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RESTAURANT FRIENDS ARE UNIQUE

20 Friday Jun 2014

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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 kitchen” is the vehicle that allows the introvert to come out of his or her shell. These unique people are not easy for outsiders to understand, appreciate or connect with; thus cooks friends happen to be other cooks, servers, chefs and ancillary pirates from the kitchen.

It may very well be that the hours that a cook works tend to limit his or her ability to create “non-restaurant” friendships, but my un-scientific theory points to other factors. First, introverts find it difficult to establish common denominators with others and fear a lack of approval from people. Some may put on a front of indifference to other’s opinion, but most really do care what others think. Realizing that this will not come easy for others, the introvert tries to distance him or herself from the pack and may even seek out a bit of shock value in how they look, dress, act out or what they choose to do with their lives.

Introverts go against the grain and will confuse others. More often than not, these same people are incredibly creative and have the ability to step outside normal thinking processes and actually solve problems that others find insurmountable. One of my all-time favorite quotes is from Apple Computer as they tried to distance themselves from the pack of other tech companies:

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Like cooks and other restaurant people, those introverts in the computer industry need their special environment to shine and show potential. Apple, MicroSoft, HP, Samsung, Google and Amazon are havens for technology introverts who are changing the world.

In the right environment, introverts morph into different people; ones with a common goal, but more importantly ones who can be themselves, accept others and have others accept them. They become truly transparent in their approach to others.

From my experience, restaurant employees become, in many respects, perfect friends. They may never be that “best friend” that we all hope to find, but real friends none-the-less. Think about that person who worked next to you on a restaurant line and reflect on the attributes that you share with them:
1. You will spend more time with your cook friends than with anyone else, maybe even more time than you spend with your spouse or significant other.
2. Your cook friends will see you at your real best and worst. Feelings and actions are rarely hidden in a kitchen.
3. Your cook friends will learn to anticipate your reactions long before they happen. Spending so much time together reveals advance signals of anger, emotion, frustration and the ugly meltdown.
4. Your cook friends, through close proximity will know what music you like and hate, what your opinions are regarding politics, what sports you enjoy and despise.
5. Your cook friends will freely tell you about past employers and what they thought of them.
6. You will share common passions about food and beverage with your cook friends. They will know what you like to eat and drink and could easily prescribe a meal for you depending on your mood.
7. You will learn to respect your cook friends tools and possessions and in-turn they will respect yours.
8. You may joke and prod your cook friends, sometimes with tasteless references, yet when they are in need of support or assistance, you are there for them – always.
9. Your cook friends will make fun of you, but never allow someone out of your restaurant family to take a similar shot.
10. You will, after a period of time, know exactly how your cook friend will function on the line. Your communication on a busy night might simply be a nod – enough to trigger the right action or response.
11. Your cook friends will welcome you into their network of other friends. “A friend of Jake is a friend of mine.”
12. When your kitchen team is in full sync it is just like the Three Musketeers – all for one and one for all. As Howard Schultz, CEO for Starbucks once said: “Success is best when shared.” Cooks share the glory of a well-executed service and share in the dismay over a night that did not go well.
13. Your fellow cooks are completely honest with each other, example: “Your sauce sucks.” Or “You aren’t really going to serve that – are you?” Sometimes the response is positive and when it is you can trust that they mean it: “That dish will rock their world.”
14. Your cook friends become your family away from your family. “True friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent, it is almost equal to family.” – Don Corleone from The Godfather.
15. Cook friends never let you fail without joining the fight.
16. Even the classic friction that may exist between cooks and servers during the heat of battle is quickly forgotten at the end of the shift when they clink glasses and share a laugh.
17. Cooks may appear to be pirates to those on the outside, and many do swagger like they are ready to board your ship and raise the skull and crossbones flag, but will slip into a comfort zone once they put on their cooks whites and sharpen their knives. This is their place. The kitchen is where they are only judged based on their work performance and ability to accept each other.

Trust me, I have worked in enough kitchens to realize that they are not always as idyllic as I portray, but many are. These are the kitchens, the restaurants that have life, produce exceptional food, service the customer with pride and change how people think about food and beverage.

“Friends may come and friends may go, but you should know that I’ve got your back. It’s automatic so never hesitate to call.” – Brandy

Your cook friends will ALWAYS have your back.

Anthony Bourdain stated once (and this is a paraphrase) that if he were in trouble his first reaction would be to call his sous chef before his spouse.

Restaurant people have a unique friend relationship. A bond of commonality that is unique to the food industry; one that out of necessity creates a connection that would be hard to replicate anywhere else.

Friend a cook – you won’t be sorry.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
http://www.harvestamericaventures.com

Follow our blog at: http://www.culinarycuesblog.wordpress.com

*The picture in this article is the restaurant team at the Mirror Lake Inn 2007 Food and Wine Festival. Lake Placid, New York.

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

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

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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 most interesting was the energy surge that happened each day when service began. Everyone was ready to rock and Jake felt like this was just the beginning of his shift.

The first orders are sometimes the most challenging since the line team is trying to get a firm footing while they make mental checks of their mise en place. Running out of prep at this point is not acceptable and would cause panic on the line. Everyone knows that you can handle almost anything as long as your prep is tight.

For those who have never worked the line in a busy restaurant it is hard to fully explain. The amount of information that each station needs to process is mind numbing. Timing is, of course critical, but the real key to a successful night lies in the hands of the maitre’d. Managing the door is so critical to the pace, mental health and demeanor of cooks and servers and the person who runs the door controls everyone’s ability to function effectively. If the dining room fills up too fast then service staff cannot pay adequate attention to guests, cannot engage in upselling and will inevitably force mistakes. If the front of the house becomes unraveled, the kitchen could be next. No matter how talented, organized and efficient the line cooks are – if the rail fills too quickly with orders then systems become stressed resulting in delayed plating and lots of re-fires.

In cases where things start to unravel, it is the chef who must take control. Jake usually expedites on a busy night. In this role he can keep the line cooks focused, pace the orders, check every plate before it leaves the kitchen, and most importantly- be the liaison between the front and back of the house.

Tonight, as always, Jake has set-up his station on the other side of the “pass” with side towels for wiping plates, garnishes and master copies of all POS orders. He will be the only voice that the cooks will listen to on a busy night. No distractions – focus.

As expected, early orders were a few family tables and a scattered number of deuces. According to the reservation book this is how the first part of the night would progress. Jake called out “Ordering – three filets, two mid-rare and one well done (ugh); one Sole Veronique, two Chicken Saltimbocca and a Creole Shrimp.” Each line cook responded back so that Jake knew the order was received. “Ordering – three gazpacho, one foie gras and a crab cake appetizers.” “Yes chef”. “Order fire (meaning the order can be started and completed a.s.a.p.) – One strip-mid-rare, rack of lamb for two – rare and a Sole Veronique.”

Each of the three station cooks now had work to do. Some items would be started and set aside waiting for Jake’s command, while this last order was to be cooked and plated. The appetizers were well on their way and when Jake inquired the cook said he was four minutes out. Since the waiter should always wait for the order and not the other way around, Jake called for the back wait to be ready. As promised, the apps were placed in the pass and Jake made the final adjustments. “Pick-up on table 22- apps.” Before he could turn around, the back wait was there with a napkin to slide the items on to a tray. “How long on that order-fire?” Both grill and sauté said they could plate whenever the chef wanted. “Let’s rock.” Steaks were passed for another few seconds on the char-grill and topped with maitre’d butter, the Veronique was masked with a mousseline and browned in the salamander – topped with peeled grapes just as it hit the pass. Jake garnished and once again called for a back wait. “Nice looking food – so far.” “Yes chef.”

Everything went this way until around 7:30 – crunch time. According to the reservation book, there were 70 reservations scheduled to arrive between 7:30 and 8:00. This will test both the front and back of the house staff. The first guests were now finishing their desserts and paying their bills when the rush started to accumulate in the bar. Jake took a minute to touch base with the maitre’d to see if the seating could be paced. If not, Jake had made up a tasty amuse bouche (small bite compliments of the chef) to slow things down and even pre-plated sorbet as an intermezzo in the freezer that could buy them some time if they got too backed up. These “free” items always come in handy and never fail to calm tempers and nerves.

Jake turned to his line cooks “Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to get hammered. Have no fear. As long as your mise en place is set, we will make it through. Take a second to wipe down your stations, double check your supplies, drink some water and clear your heads. I will walk you through this so make sure that you stay tuned in to what I say and only what I say. Are we ready?” “Yes chef” was the resounding response. “Here we go.”

The next two hours were a blur. There were moments – the sauté cook became overwhelmed with orders at the 8:30 mark, but Jake simply slowed down the pace and talked him through. Appetizers and Garde Manger were the champions of the night. Their food looked fantastic, there was never a wait for product, there was not a single re-fire and they were even able to help out with other stations. Then at 8:45 the cook who was working grill grabbed her tongs that had been a bit too close to the flame. You could almost hear the searing of flesh as she yelped in pain. “Run it under cold water and grab burn cream from the first aid kit.” Jake pulled his most trusted back wait into the kitchen and told him to cover the expeditor stations (he had done it before) while Jake jumped on the line to fill in for his injured cook.

There were only six tables left to service, so Jake was able to pick up where she left off. Within a few minutes he was in the rhythm of the line and actually having fun. His grill person, being tough like any line cook, returned to her position with a wrapped hand within 20 minutes of a nasty burn. She insisted on finishing her shift. If needed, she could stop in at an UrgiCare on the way home.

When 9:30 rolled around it was all over. There were a handful of deuces left in the dining room, but the majority of guest had been served. The drama in the kitchen was never an issue and guests were totally oblivious. Jake sent his grill cook home early and insisted that they could clean up. “Have that burn looked at tonight.”

He walked into the dining room, as tables from the rush were finishing up. Jake liked to walk the room whenever he could to sense how well the food and service was received. People were laughing, clinking glasses and saluting the chef as he stopped by each table to thank them for coming. The feedback was positive. Another successful night in the restaurant business.

Returning to the kitchen, cooks were already consolidating, washing stovetops, labeling and dating food and making notes for tomorrows prep. Once again Jake marveled at the efficiency and work ethic of his crew. They were on a mission with him, a mission that was important to them. Make people happy through food.

Jake ladled a cup of gazpacho, asked his favorite back wait for a glass of Sancerre and headed toward his office. He turned to his team and said “Great job tonight – thanks.” “Yes chef” was the response.

Jake made a few notes on a legal pad for tomorrow morning, briefly looked at the BEO’s hanging on a clipboard, changed his clothes and headed out the back door at 11:00 -16 hours after he had arrived this morning. This was an early night for the chef. There would be no drinks with his team tonight – Jake needed some rest.

Just another day in the life.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
Restaurant and Culinary School Consulting, Training and Coaching
http://www.harvestamericaventures.com

Follow our blog at: http://www.culinarycuesblog.wordpress.com

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MID-DAY IN THE CHEF’S LIFE – Part Two

16 Monday Jun 2014

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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 head later on. He checked on the work taking place in prep – tasting stocks and observing the fabrication of meats for the next two days. His intern had a bit of a heavy knife when trimming the silver skin off of tenderloins so Jake stopped to demonstrate the proper technique. Waste is a major enemy of food cost in a restaurant and the chef had the relentless responsibility for watching pennies. His demeanor was different than it was a few years back when he would easily lose his temper rather than take the time to assess the situation and work with his staff to correct issues. He learned the hard way that the message is rarely a major problem it is how the message is delivered. A few years back, at another property, an employee reported his anger to the human resource director who then required Jake to go through a series of anger management sessions. Jake was now (for the most part) a different chef – a better manager and leader.

The chef returned to his office to begin building a series of menus for scheduled special events. He knew that the sales office would be breathing down his neck and wanted to get ahead of the game. Two farm-to-table menus, an Italian Tuscan Table, a summer bar-b-que and a wild game menu were coming together when the dining room supervisor knocked on his office door. Apparently the luncheon for 12 in the boardroom had grown. When the group arrived there were actually 26 people (the organizer neglected to give the restaurant an update in advance). The front-of-the-house was moving the event to another room, offering a wine spritzer on the patio while Jake scrambled to help Lester roll from a group of 12 to 26. This was not a huge issue, but it did take the chef away from his original task at hand. There is never time to point fingers – the guest is right and needs to be accommodated. Within 20 minutes Lester and the chef had it under control and the group barely knew that there was a problem. One of the chef’s primary tasks is to solve problems – big and small. Experience as a chef allows for quick resolution to issues that might paralyze an inexperienced crew.

Back to the menus, Jake needed another 45 minutes to wrap up his ideas and send the draft menus to the sales office. It was now 1:30 and the evening crew would be arriving soon. The phone in a chef’s office rings relentlessly, but when it chimes close to a shift change it often means that someone is calling out. Jake picked up the phone and listened as the dishwasher told him that he was too sick to come in tonight. Good, bad or indifferent, in restaurants people need to be really sick if they call out. When a member of the team is absent it impacts on everyone else. In particular, a dishwasher void can bring a restaurant to its knees. Once again Jake bit his tongue and did not say what he was thinking on the phone, but instead simply said OK, thanks for calling. The chef immediately got on the phone to try and contact any dishwasher who was scheduled to be off and after three tries managed to convince James to fill in in exchange for an extra Saturday off in the future. He couldn’t be in until 6:00, which meant that everyone would need to wash his or her own pots and dishes until then. The crew would not be happy, but it is what it is.

At 2:00 the evening crew began to arrive. Jake was finishing up the menus and was able to email them to the Sales Office by 2:15. The chef grabbed a cup of coffee and walked the kitchen to touch base with each line cook as they arrived. The morning prep crew was nearly done with their work – all meat had been fabricated; vegetable prep was done; shrimp peeled and deveined; dressings made for Garde Manger; pommes frites were cut and in water; shallots, garlic and onions prepped for the line and the stocks were an hour away from completion. Jake’s prep crew was busy cleaning and sanitizing tables so that the evening crew had space to complete their mise en place. The crew was obviously not happy about the dishwasher situation, but simply responded “yes chef” when Jake told them about washing their own.

Over the next three hours there would be lots of chopping, dicing, julienne work on a mandoline, clarification of butter, finishing of sauces (monte beurre), blanching and shocking of vegetables as well as preparation of pans, grills and station organization. The kitchen was humming. This was one of Jake’s favorite times during the day. Every kitchen appears to be a balance of great efficiency and utter chaos. The clock is never kind to cooks during these three hours before service, but some how it always seems to get done.

At 4:45 Jake’s routine is to check each station with the assigned cook, taste all of their sauces, check temperatures, quiz each person on their crisis planning, spot check plates for cleanliness, review the assembly of nightly features and make sure that the team is mentally prepared. At 5:00 Jake and his evening sous chef take part in pre-meal while the staff enjoys a tasty, rushed staff meal. They review nightly features, discuss the issue with the Red Snapper and how to broach the topic with guests, suggest complementary wines with certain dishes, answer any questions that the front-of-the-house may have and set the tone for the evening.

The kitchen staff usually grabs a smoke or just a breath of air for the next few minutes while Chef Jake and the dining room manager walk the restaurant to check on table top details, cleanliness, as well as review reservations and any VIP guests. By 5:30, they are ready to open the doors.

Line cooks are now in place; confidant, side towels are folded in preparation and everyone responds: “yes chef” when Jake asks “are we ready”. Dirty dishes and pots are piled high despite everyone’s effort to stay on top of things, but the dishwasher will arrive soon to tackle the job. Jake knows that the sight of dozens of pots and a drop off table full of plates will set the dishwasher off in a bad mood so he instructs the grill cook to prepare a steak for this important employee as soon as he arrives – a good investment in morale.

Everyone takes a breath and then the POS printer begins to tick off the first orders of the night. Here we go.

**Stay tuned for the final installment of “A Chef’s Day in the Life” on Thursday.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
http://www.harvestamericaventures.com

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A CHEF’S DAY IN THE LIFE – Part One

14 Saturday Jun 2014

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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 in the Life”. They are lines that most anyone can relate to for they represent the beginning of our time yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Each of us move in a different direction as our story unfolds, but one thing is clear: we may anticipate that the day will be predictable, yet in our hearts we know that this will likely not be the case. The day of a chef begins just as it does for everyone else – the major difference is the structure, demands and enormous number of unpredictable events that follow. So here is a chefs’: “Day in the Life”.

It is 5 a.m. when the alarm clock cuts through a restless nights sleep. Jake fights the initial urge to grab the clock and fling it against the bedroom wall, but he simply doesn’t have the energy after all. Last night’s service at the restaurant didn’t end until midnight and the standard couple drinks afterwards with his team ended at 1:30 when he finally touched down on his still unmade bed. As he recalled this sequence of events he realized that his clock was still screaming out as a reminder. He reached over and hit the 15-minute snooze button. The shower could wait a few more minutes.

Jake lay in bed with crusty eyes as he now waited for the 15-minute reminder to sound off. Finally, he gave up, shut off the alarm, stumbled to the kitchen and plugged a Peet’s Coffee pod into his Keurig.

Black coffee and 10 minutes of CNN later he was in the shower washing off the smell of fish, onions and garlic from the night before while clearing that crust from his eyes and cobwebs from his foggy brain. Jake had already begun to think through the day ahead that would begin a little after 7 a.m.

The chef’s major comfort at this point was that the phone had not rung yet. This meant that Lester and Marie had both made it in for the breakfast shift. Jake hated those rare days when he had to cover for an absent breakfast cook.

Jake tipped back another cup of coffee, popped 3 Ibuprofen, grabbed his iPhone and headed out the door. The chef’s apartment was only 15 blocks from the restaurant so he usually enjoyed walking (his only exercise) to clear his head and loosen his stiff muscles. At 6:55 he walked through the back receiving door and into the kitchen – his domain, a home away from home.

As usual his first task was to change into a crisp, clean chef’s jacket and apron, grab his clipboard and legal pad, another cup of coffee, look in the mirror (damn, he forgot to shave this morning) and touch base with his early team. The smell of bacon, onions and home fries filled the kitchen. This aroma never got old – it was the smell of a kitchen coming to life. Jake said good morning to Lester and Marie, grabbed a piece of bacon and started his morning walk through. Lester called out: “chef- do you want some breakfast?” “Sure” came Jake’s reply as Lester gently flipped two eggs over easy and set the plate with bacon, home fries, a grilled tomato and his signature fresh fruit garnish. Jake stopped for a cursory 10-minute breakfast at the end of the line, mopped up the egg yolk with a fresh biscuit from Marie’s bakeshop and quickly returned to the task at hand. “Thanks for breakfast” was always a comment from the chef that was well received by these two dependable cooks.

The chef pulled down the BEO (Banquet and Event Order) clipboards for the next few days to review production and any last minute orders that might need to be placed: Three coffee breaks with pastries today, a small luncheon for 12 in the boardroom, a picnic lunch in the courtyard for a business group of 35 and a wedding rehearsal dinner tonight for 25. A relatively light function day giving everyone plenty of time to concentrate on prep for a’ la carte this evening and maybe allow Jake a chance to catch up on some paperwork.

Jake moved on to his daily visual inventory of coolers and storerooms to ensure that product was properly rotated, labeled and dated and assess what shape standard prep was in. Prep cooks would be arriving at 8 and Jake wanted to have their day mapped out. They would need to prep both a chicken and veal stock, fabricate tenders and strip loins for the next two days, fillet 100 pounds of snapper scheduled to arrive from Florida this morning, peel asparagus, concasse tomatoes, cut pommes frites, wash all of the greens for garde manger, chop a case of parsley and the list went on and on. It would be a very busy day for his single prep cook and culinary school intern.

After making notes on production he reviewed orders scheduled to arrive and made a few notes regarding some last minute items that his vendors and local farmers would need to forage for him. His iPhone buzzed with a reminder about the Sales Office meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. This would still give him plenty of time to review with the prep staff and contact vendors on those last minute orders. Jake had a few minutes before the prep staff arrived so he pulled his knives from the office, removed that beautiful Sabatier 10 inch French knife from it’s holster and drew the blade down the surface of a wet stone to bring back the edge. He washed the knife (his pride and joy) and started cutting vegetables for a stock mirepoix. Carrots, onions and celery were easy prey for this razor sharp blade as Jake flew through the cutting process in a few minutes. The veal bones were already in the oven and he pulled them out, placed them in a stockpot and used the pans and drippings to caramelize the mirepoix. He was just deglazing the vegetables with an inexpensive Cabernet when his two prep cooks walked in, ready to work. Jake left the remainder of the stock preparation in their hands and quickly reviewed their prep sheet for the day.

Jake had total trust in this small crew and was quite impressed with the intern that he brought on for the season. This was a young girl who was totally passionate about cooking, had great knife skills, understood process and always did things exactly as Jake had requested. He felt that she would go very far and had every intention of moving her to the line within the next few weeks.

Jake checked in with Marie about the pastries for the scheduled coffee breaks and made sure that Lester was set with breakfast and the details for the picnic lunch. The chef was now off to his Sales Office meeting (chef’s hate meetings because they have so many immediate tasks on their plate and meetings always seem to be an un-necessary distraction). The meeting focused on a review of current banquets and events and details about activities on the books for next week. Jake would need to plan a half-dozen different menus for parties coming up and, of course, the Sales Office needed them ASAP. Fifteen minutes into the meeting a call came into Jake from the kitchen; it was his young intern. “Sorry to bother you chef, but the seafood order just arrived and I think you need to come down and check it out”. Jake excused himself and returned to his kitchen, he knew that he was not going to be happy.

In the kitchen Jake found that his 100 pounds of Red Snapper had arrived from Florida, flown overnight. The fish had cloudy eyes and the gill sacks had been removed (a trick some vendors use to disguise the age of the fish). The fish was still OK by most standards, but not by Jake’s. The chef prided himself in always sourcing the best quality; freshest ingredients and he had no intention of ever shifting from that standard. Jake gritted his teeth wrestling with the desire to bang his fists on the table and release a tirade of expletives on the phone with his vendor, but he knew that this typical reaction was no longer acceptable in a politically correct world and his tone would set the mood in his kitchen. Instead he called the purveyor, lodged his complaint, said he would discard the fish and that his bill should be adjusted and that if he experienced this again he would stop buying from them and find another source. The Snapper would come off the menu for tonight and he would need to find a substitute.

It was only 9:30 a.m., another 12 hours to go and his day was already taking a turn for the worse.

{Follow part two of Jake the Chef – A Day in the Life, coming next week).

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
http://www.harvestamericaventures.com

FOLLOW OUR BLOG AT: http://www.culinarycuesblog.wordpress.com

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