Rammys

So I went to the Rammy's  for the first time Sunday night. It was a very interesting experience. It's the Grammys of the restaurant industry. Aside from the long lines for drinks and food it was cool. winning an award or better yet being recognized by your peers is a good thing. great band  very entertaining night.

Grilled watermelon and feta salad


So today I have had a new food experience. Tried grilled watermelon today. It was deliscious. Odd though that I never have thought of grilling it before considering how much I love watermelon. The experience just reminds me what I love about food and cooking. It is amazing how the simplest things can be amazing. Man I love food

Foodies How I Hate You

I think it's great that those who eat out have become more educated about the foods they eat and how they get from farm to table and all the processes in between. This knowledge has helped change the landscape of the food industry from farming, shipping, storing and a million other aspects. This is great, it helps improve and provokes the industry to grow and take a more proactive look at itself and how it impacts it's environment and community. That Being said there is something inherently aggravating a know it all customer. First most don't know it all, they know part of it or none of it. What you read in an article makes  you more informed but not an expert. For one there are a million versions of every dish in existence so to tell someone this is not the proper way to make something is asinine. Yes there is a traditional way to make every dish, but if everyone made every dish the traditional way there would be no need for the millions of restaurants. Second guessing the kitchen staff wins you no points and actually can work against you when you want the chef to go out of their way for you. Usually the phrase not able to do it comes to mind. Also just because you just came back from said destination on vacation does not mean the staff wants to hear about how they did this dish this way  or it tasted that way.Good for you. Eat it and enjoy it  or order something else. The people who are working hard to serve you and cook for you don't care about how the indigenous people of wakka newi made what ever it is you are eating. Their only concern is the food you are eating at this very moment.
Now on to those who have no clue but think they do. Stop it, this is not  high school. Trying to make yourself look intelligent with sporadic bits of food knowledge that you have sewn together to form our self inflated culinary knowledge does not make you smart. It makes you a smart ass. We all know you have no clue because usually you can barely pronounce half the things you are talking about or you basically repeat the same things over and over just in a different way. So let me repeat stop it. You are not endearing yourself to anyone. Stop It.

Is That Even An Option??

Why on earth do people feel that they can go to a restaurant and just make up their own menu. Worse yet at the busiest time of the night. If you want to create you own menu go to a buffet then you can have whatever your heart desires. Also don't cop an attitude when your request is denied. I know you like to think your the only one in the restaurant, but your not so don't whine and be a baby.
Also the phrase "but I make it that way at home" is not acceptable. If you want it how you make it at home then stay at home, otherwise try it the way we make it, you'd be surprised you might actually like it. The reason you can easily make it at home is because you are not cooking for a hundred other people at the same time.So no we can not accomodate your request for whatever it is that you make at home. So stop asking and sounding confused by the rejection. If you want things made like you make them hire a chef to do them at your home. If that's out of the question enjoy the selections the restaurant offers. You went out to eat for a reason. So you can eat things you don't eat at home.

It's late
I know it's been a few days since mothers day. I hope all you mothers out there enjoyed yourself and I hope alm you industry folks made it out unscathed or at least with a few minor cuts and bruises. I go to thinking afterwards about how specific person holidays always seem to be the most difficult. It's usually the person the holiday is not celebrating that causes the most trouble and grief. Why is that. From the grown kids who don't treat their parents right the rest of the year and figure they can make it up on this lone day. To the siblings husbands and wives who for what ever reason expect that when you and a hundred million other people all have the same idea to do the same thing on the same day that there won't possibly be a few problems. Can't we all just get along?

And The Search is On

In this climate of job loss and a labor pool that for all intents and purposes isn't that full of cooking talent you would think that restaurants would be more proactive with how they treat their employees. Now don't get me wrong there are plenty of companies that are all about taking care of their employees. i work for one at this moment but I also hear the horror stories from friends and collegues about the many places that aren't. Now I know there are a lot of places tightening their perverbial belts because of the economy. But if that means your employees are asked to take pay cuts, not given raises or bonuses. Or my favorite restucturing bonuses so it is no possible way to make bonus, and yet you are adding a new room to your beach house or buying a new boat or any other extravagance that you can purchase, you deserve what ever befalls you. in a time when it is most important to hold onto great staff it amazes me the way people still treat their employees. Even worse is that if you talk to most of them they'll tell you their employees come first. What they really mean is when it's convient. The shame is people will generally do a lot of things to help save a business they love if they are cared about are being treated fairly.
Everyone knows where the money goes whether you believe it or not . or at least they believe they do which is just the same. Yes I know that is their business their money and whatever else, but longgevity and quality comes from the people who work for and with you. Treating them with dignity and fairly only gets you better caring employees. one other thing if you are interested or have filled the position let it be known. Peoples time is precious especially when job hunting. Everyone is on the clock.

Die Recook Die

So why do cooks hate recooks so much?
Restaurant cooking is based on rhythm and timing. It's something you have to see to truly appreciate it. When a recook is introduced into this situation it changes the rhythm or even stops it all together. I have seen a kitchen grind to a halt because of recooks. They Affect the kitchen differently depending on when they are sent back. In the slow period of service it's more like a minor speed bump. During the rush a recook can be a brick wall depending on the difficulty of the dish. At the end of the night it's like a detour that takes you hours out of your way.
There are also different degrees of recooks.
Kitchen error is always a high priority to get right. no cook worth his salt wants to have any dish come back for a recook. We pride ourselves on putting out delicious dishes consistently so a recook is like punishment for not getting it right. Too many will put you in the chefs dog house.
Server error is when a server rings a dish wrong whether it's the wrong item all together or they forget to modify the order to the guest specifications. Too many of these lands you in the chefs dog house and usually a lot of cursing. Let me tell you even the most even keel chef will go ballistic with too many recooks.
Finally there is customer error whether it's from not reading the menu or not understanding what you are ordering. All these tend to illicit one reaction . Idiot.
There is one exception for the customer. if they genuinely don't like something it is our job to make their experience great. We still hate them, but not as much.
Now saying all of this there is one important fact to understand. If it's wrong send it back no matter the reason. We would rather fix the problem and you leave happy and return than leave and never come back. Unless your an asshole and then we could care less. there is one other important note about recooks. When the server or manager ask what it is you don't like about your dish be as descriptive as possible. The more we know the easier it is to fix the problem.