Kitchen Diaries

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2011-11-17T16:26:00.001-08:00

Candy Cane Stripes Christmas

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June 2, 2011

2011-06-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

Hello friends. Today was a great day in the kitchen. Let me explain great. Its always great to wake up and create, but when the stars align and there is that underlying buzz between you and your staff, when you are all on the same page; rockn'n is not just the tune you have playing on the radio.

We laughed all day long, no one was offended; it was just us against the customer, and we were winning! Even Chef was in on it, and lately he has been one step from falling over the edge. As a side note, Chef is perfect example of why I don't want to be where he is drowning. See post about why I'm only a Sous Chef.

I don't know about you, but I love it when there is good music in the kitchen. I worked with one General Manager and he said "shit comes from shit", meaning that if you have distractions in the kitchen, you will produce crap when it comes to your food. This I disagree with because my first love is food and my second love is music. When you put them together its like deglazing a sautee pan with wine, it brings all the good bits off the surface and adds to the dish. You get all the flavor that your ingredients have to offer. So why would the same analagy not apply to your staff? So all you have to do as a manager is find what makes your staff happy so that they can give you all that they have to offer.

June 1, 2011

2011-06-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

Well, first day back from a five day vacation. This time I didn't miss much while I was gone. For you to truely appreciate what I'm talking about, I must first fill you in on what happened the last time I took a couple of days off from work.

I have always been a person that doesn't look before I jump. A person that does now and apologizes later. Most of the time this works out for me, but there is the occasional foot in mouth moment.

We are all familiar with Facebook, right? Well, the last time I was granted a free pass, I had a couple of beers and decided to remind Chef that he was incapable of giving a compliment, as well as, lucky to have me as a Sous Chef. I spoofed a certain credit card commercial... Blah blah, enter dollar ammount, blah blah blah priceless. You know the one. Anyway, I came back to the most grudge holding mother f***er that there ever was and he proceeded to make my life a living hell. After two weeks of misery, I decided to confront him and find out (knowing full well, what I had done) what the hell was up. I was told that my ego needed to be put into check and although I thought it was funny, at the time, he was not amused.

So the moral of the story, kids, is this. Those of us who shine, shine brightly. I've have always known, and can fully back up, just how great I am, but some people will never give you the validation that you so desperately desire. That in itself can be just the validation you are looking for. Once you realize this, you shine even brighter.

Better get a pair of shades Chef, cause my future is so bright.

May 31, 2011

2011-05-31T04:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

I know that it has been a year since I have posted anything, but I am confidant that I will not be a stranger this year.

So now I will bring you up to date on all the things that have been going on in the kitchen over the past year.

Johnny got married back in April of 2010 and recently had a baby with is wife. If you recall, Johnny was the one that needed constant follow-up when it came to his skills, or lack there of, when ever he was on catering. Well because of his attitude and ineptness in the feild of cooking, he is now hanging by a thread and will probably not survive the year.

Space Cadet is now what we call the "Golden Child" and not in a good way. It seems that she can do no wrong in Chef's eyes and this has caused a lot of drama in the kitchen. There is one in every kitchen. I am sure that those of us in the field have seen a few. A breif discription would go something like this-Eaves dropping, butt kisser, shit stirring, drama fueling, back-stabbing, doe-eyed and dumb(but not really) lying snake in the grass.

This is the person you have to watch out for, because no matter how good you are, they want to be you and will do anything to be you. This may sound a bit paranoid, but not everyone advances in their carreer because they are good at what they do, they advance by making others out to be what they are not.

French has found a girlfriend. He says he's not in love, but you can totall tell he is.

Hellen has a bed buddy, more on that later.

Chef and I have not been getting along so well. Some of it is him and some of it is that I don't like him anymore. And by like I mean respect. In the food world, some of us come to idolizing our mentors, but then something happens that opens our eyes and we see them for whom they really are. I liken it to Oz The Great and Terrible. "Pay no attention to that man behind the mirror" syndrom. But that is a Blog for another day.

The message that I want to pass on to all you foodies today is...don't let it suck you in. We are still in a business that takes talent and ambition to succeed. Remember why you started doing it in the first place and you will shine. If you wake up and dread cooking it is time to get out.

I promise to keep in touch.

Why I'm Only a Sous Chef: June 6, 2010

2010-06-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

People often wonder why I have not gone any further in my career in corporate food service. I'll tell you why, every chef I have ever worked for hates being a corporate chef. The higher you move up the corporate ladder the less cooking you actually get to do. And lets face it, the whole reason why we get into this business is because we love to cook, not do paper work.

Sure I have had all kinds of job descriptions when it comes to my title, such as purchaser, hatchet man, baby-sitter, psychologist, and even administrative assistant. But the one thing that I always get to do is cook. Cooking is what I love and if being a Chef means that I have to give that up, I don't want it.

I never got into this business for the money, or to be famous, not even to have my own restaurant. Lets face it, this business does not pay well, unless you are famous. Fame is relative, they love my and my cooking where I work, and that's good enough for me. And its takes at least 7 years for your restaurant to turn a profit and most don't even make it a year, who has that kind of time or faith?

I'm where I'm at because I still have all the responsibility I want and can handle, I don't have the headaches of a person who is ultimately in charge, though shit does roll down hill, and I make the money I need to live the lifestyle I want.

So my message to you as a reader is to make sure that you are doing what you love because you love it, not because people expect you to go all the way. Go as far as you want if that is what makes you happy. Its only food not rocket science.

Ruling Without Fear :June 3, 2010

2010-06-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary,

Working in a corporate kitchen is a lot like firefighting with no water. You are enabled with all the power to keep the fire at bay, but when it really gets out of control, you can't really do anything but sit back and watch it burn. That is why a lot of corporate chefs try to rule with fear, because ultimately all they can do is scare you into doing your job because they don't want big bad HR to come in and steal their water.

HR, or more commonly known as "Human Resources" is a little department within the corporation that you work for that makes it really hard for any chef to enforce any kind of expectation within the kitchen. As soon as any employee is feeling mistreated or thrown into a hostile work environment, all they have to do is go to HR and the paper trail is more effective than bread crumbs in a forest.

So here is how to get your people to do what you want, the way you want it, when you want it. Step back and take a look at your staff. Everybody is different and therefore your approach to each person will be different. There will be the ones who cry at the drop of a hat, they can't handle criticism. So you must start with a positive and then end with a negative. There will be the kind that you have to nurture and constantly follow up with. You may have to hold their hand but they also might catch on to what you are teaching them and become your next star. Then there are the ones whom will always give you trouble and make kitchen life a living hell if they do not get their way. For these few, there is one in every kitchen, you must be well versed in your corporate policy guide. These kind of employees know it better than you, trust me. I've worked with some that document everything that every other person does, just to be a hassle.

Then there are the ones that are hungry. Unfortunately, they will take the most of your time but in the long run the benefit will be worth it. Sometimes they are fresh out of college, sometimes they just have natural talent. But mostly they just want to learn and part of your ongoing experience is teaching them everything that you know.

June 2, 2010

2010-06-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue TechniquesDear Diary,

Hoping everyone had a great holiday. Much support goes out to our troops. Being in corporate food service, I got a nice three day weekend, and trust me, I celebrated it to its fullest extent.

Everybody always wants to come to our cookouts because we cook for a living so therefore we should have great food at the event. This is true of course because you don't want to be known as someone who cooks for a living and can't live up to that reputation. Even when it comes to BBQs we are invited to. We always bring an excellent side dish or mouth watering dessert.

This weekened we made a wonderful cowboy potato salad, lemon sqaures and a festive fruit topped cheesecake. We also provided the expert skills of grilling Polish sausage, hamburgers dusted with a secret rub and hot dogs for the kids. Grilling out is my favorite part of the season and How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques is the perfect book to help you along the way. I personally own this cook book and love it! It has recipes for marinades as well as rubs for whatever type of meat, including fish, you are grilling. It also takes the time to explain the difference in grilling techniques, smoking and shows you how to do both at home without the use of fancy equipement. I definately recommend this book to the grill master we all have in our lives.

May 30,2010

2010-05-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,
My favorite cook book that I have never had the time to read, but always wanted learn is The French Laundry Cookbook. Beautiful pictures and recipes, some seem intimidating. The one thing that I have learned throughout my carreer is that cooking is relative. Just because those pictures and recipes seem scary doesn't mean that they are. The cool thing about cooking is that it allows you to be creative, even when you mess something up, usually it is fixable, and cooking lets you stand back and go "Look at what I made!".

In the beginning, it might not always taste good or even look good, but experience will come. Knowledge will build and soon you will look at those pictures and those recipes and think to yourself, "hey self, all I have to do is sautee this to release that flavor, finish with this sauce to tie it together, and garnish with this to make it a menu cover.

Cooking is like anything else, the more you know about the tools (ingredients) that you are working with, the easier it is to manipulate them into what you want your outcome to be. Take Rachael Ray for instance. Her Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book: Her Biggest Ever Collection of All-New 30-Minute Meals Plus Kosher Meals, Meals for One, Veggie Dinners, Holiday Favorites, and Much More! is a great cook book for making anything out of whatever you have lying around. Thats why I like her. Never calls herself a Chef, because she's not, but she can cook. And that my friends is why we get into this in the first place, to cook.

And as a side note, take a close look at those who call themselves "Chef". There are all kinds of accreddited programs out there that will certify you, and you might have your name on your jacket, but the guy in the back doing it because he loves it is more a chef than they guy who does it for money.

May 29, 2010

2010-05-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Dairy,

I know today is Saturday, but didn't have the time to blog about Friday. Fridays' in my line of work are pretty hectic. You think it would be the easiest day, considering that we don't work weekends, but on the contrary, they are one of the most stressful. Coming in a close second to Mondays. Usually the only thing that gets you through is knowing that you have the next two days off, and Friday usually means drinks at some point after work. If you are not drinking with co-workers, discussing the week's highlight reel, you are drinking with friends or spouses; letting of steam.

We are the lucking ones in corporate food service. Sweet gig, usually Monday-Friday, no nights, no weekends, and pretty decent pay and bennies. When ever I need a new J.A. Henckels Twin Cuisine 8-Inch Chef's Knife, I get the Chef to order me one through a catalog. For most of us it is the ultimate gig when restaurant life becomes too stressful, or when children are born and we need a more structured work schedule. We still get to cook but we've become more responsible.

Anyway, back to why Fridays suck. Much ordering is needed to be done to make sure that we have in house what is on the menu for Monday. Prepping what can be done with our J.A. Henckels Twin Cuisine 8-Inch Chef's Knife. Most of the time the Chef has the forethought to have what we need for Monday, in house on Friday so that we can prep ahead. Sometimes this is not the case, which makes Monday an even bigger headache. But I'll give him credit, he has been getting better about that.

As far as Friday's menu, I made:
Chicken Rothchild with Sauteed Zucchini and Red Onion
Baked Walleye with an Orange Citrus Sauce
Roasted Redskin Potatoes with Garlic and Dill
Steamed Baby Carrots- swimming in butter and salt and pepper

P.S. The J.A. Henckels Twin Cuisine 8-Inch Chef's Knife link is for you Mom. I do pay attention when you speak and look what I learned.

May 27, 2010

2010-05-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

I knew we had a important breakfast going out at 7:00am this morning, so it was no surprise that Chef asked me to hold Johnny's hand and help him get it out as soon as I walked in the door today. Though I was expecting it, it still irked me a little that I have to hold this guys hand through every caterin, big or small, whenever he is on that station.

See, we rotate stations with the staff. Two weeks on grill, dish, salad bar, and catering. The only ones who do not rotate are the Chef and I. He and I are responsible for the hot line and any hot food that may come up for catering. It irks the staff members that I never have to do dishes, but oh well, I worked long and hard to get where I am, and they are content to be dishwashers from time to time.

Anyway, Johnny did pretty well. At least today he had a sense of urgency; and to his credit, we had a lot of things pop up. He handled them well and didn't cry and moan.

French, however, was another story. He's on dish this week, and becasuse we were so busy today, know one was listening to his cries for attention. I liken him to my four year old. When he is not being paid attention to, he acts out, like any four year old will, until you pay some attention to him. Well the difference is that French is 22 and my son is 4. At one point I had to tell him to leave me alone and do his job or I would end it for him! He proceded to mope and go to his "dark place" and make everyone else 's life misrable until I cheered him up.

I swear, some times being a Sous Chef is like glorified babysitting. I don't get paid enough for that. I have to know how to conect with each person individually. and trust me they all have different needs.

Even the Chef. He needs to feel that he knows all, and is the best thing that ever happened to food. He is pretty talented, worked with some pretty important people, but when it comes to managing his staff, he is lacking. My job is to make sure that his needs are taken care of and that the "kids" are behaving.

If truth be told, women Sous Chefs have all the power in the kichen. Thd "kids" tell us their problems and their frustrations, even their personal problems. We as the "mothers'" of the kitchen listen to them and use that info to get them to do what we need them to do. The "fathers" or Chefs stand in the back ground and are basically there to enforce punishment. When this get to rowdy all I have to do is say "don't make me tell your father, or wait 'till your father gets home".

Anyway, thats just a little insight into how a kitchen really goes down. In my opinion anyway. Not much drama today. Helen was on her usual " I can do it all, you just won't let me kick". She is the classic example of an employee who thinks they are valuable, but is just another shit stirrer. Every kitchen has one; the bitter old women who can't seem to advance, but that is only because she is a bitter old women with a crappy attitude. Actually, she can do it all, she just always seems put out to do so. I keep trying to tell her that she should lead by example but she just has the " I can and have to do it, so you should have to do it too" attitude.

Enough about the staff, the menu we did today for the Board of Directors was pretty stellar.

Crab Stuffed Flounder on a Bed of Black Bean Corn Salsa
Veal Roulade with a Veal Reduction Marsala Sauce
Baby Carrots Roasted in Blood Orange Olive Oil and Topped with Toasted Cumin Seed
Roasted Rosemarry Redskins.
Individual Turtle Mouse Tarts

I'm proud of the work we do. Sometimes its just a pain to get them to do the work.

May 26,2010

2010-05-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

Today was my first day back to the kitchen after a four day long weekend. There was a small amount of anxiety returning; being the Sous Chef, I wondered what I had missed over the weekend and following Monday and Tuesday. Turns out the only thing that I missed was the ritual review of everybodies weekend escapades.

The Chef didn't have much to offer, he is a very secretive person and is conviced that everyone has an agenda. He was happy that his sister had finally left for the weekend. She had been staying with him and his wife to work the local tatoo convention.

The first thing that the Space Cadet told me was "guess what my boyfriend found in his electric bag?" Of course I said "what the hell is an electric bag" and she repylied " the bag he keeps his electrics in". It turns out it was just a missing remote to a tv that she had borrowed from me.

Side bar- Chef over heard our conversation and under his breath asked if he had found a flesh light. We both chuckled at space cadet as the comment went overhead.

French showed me pictures of his latest conquest. Pretty girl but not sure anything really happened because he was passed out. That boy works out too much and has an ego the size of texas. Poster boy for teenage STDs.

For those of you who are interested in what I cooked today, I made cranberry stuffed pork chops. I wasn't feeling it because I was hungover from the night before and developed a killer sinus headache. Never the less they turned out pretty awesome. I made the cranberry stuffing out of english muffins. Not just for breakfast any more and they added a unique texture and taste to the stuffing. I baked them off and topped them with a rosemarry cream sauce witch complimented the sweet stuffing quite well.