Spurt

I find things go in spurts in my world. I haven't posted lately because I'm just to damn tired and need the extra down time to recoup or sleep. Once again a full time cook no showed on me. No show, no call. It coincides with training a new bar manager, increased baking duties due to my pastry "chef" quiting and giving a very short notice and my PM sous chef walking out in the middle of his shift a couple weeks ago. This on top of a record breaking week at one restaurant and a busy week at the other. It has been consistent 12 hour days. We are fortunate to have an apartment in the city to use during times like these. Lately we've been "home" only two days a week.

Word is a new restaurant opening in town hired my daytime cook and told him he would have to start immediately or he wouldn't get the job. (knowing he had a full time job) What pisses me off is I took him on as an apprentice and then hired him after his apprenticeship was over.

What goes around comes around. I predict that restaurant will be gone in less than a year. The only thing they have going for them is they are serving Italian food. No one in this town knows what good Italian food is. Not that they will serve any.

I also am preparing for the wine dinner. I will post the menu when I get the chance. I picked up the elk loin yesterday in West Bend and my free range chickens in Allenton. I'm excited about serving Wisconsin, small farm products.

Speaking of which, I will be attending the restaurant-farmer connection conference on Monday. Hooking up small local farmers with chefs. It should prove interesting. I would like to supplement our large organic garden with local products.

Wine

We'll be tasting the wine today that will be served at the wine dinner on the 19th. I'll be making notes and start composing the menu immediately after. I'll do a little research regarding product availability and hopefully have a menu by the end of the weekend. I'll post it on this blog and I'll send out an email to my customer list.

Jammin Update

Last year I said I wouldn't do Jammin for the Arts again. I should have listened to myself. Next year we will just simply donate $$$$$$. It IS a worthy cause.

Very poor turn out and VERY poorly run and organized. Every musician I talked to complained and some said it would be their last. We actually declined to provide a venue this year and planned to just donate a percentage of the night's sales until we saw we were listed on the poster as having music. Rather than look bad (no fault of ours) we jumped through a bunch of hoops to host the musicians in the dining room. We eliminated five tables to do so. All would have been fine if there were people to enjoy the musicians who graciously donated their time. Changes are sorely needed. What a shame.

Foodies

I am often engaged in conversation with "foodies". People who love food, breath food, dream of food, and cook food. I'm a natural sounding post for foodies because they assume that being a chef I must be one also. I've got news for them, I am not. Sure I love food but it's not my hobby. After a 12 hour day of buying, slicing, chopping, sauteing, grilling, lifting, cleaning and wearing food the last thing I want to do is talk about it. Foodies have the advantage of not having to make a living with food. They can piddle about experimenting with new and exotic ingredients or go on great searches for the most unusual restaurants. They'll bend your ear about great recipes, I really don't care about the recipe for chili gravy. I hate recipes. I don't use them and most are flawed. I find recipes are dangerous. Especially in the hands of amateurs. I may not know who has the best cumin and quite frankly I don't care. Now if you can tell me where I can buy good choice PSMOs at a decent price I'll listen. Or about a produce company that's not going to screw me, I'm all ears.

I'm guessing my attitude is similar to a farmer's regarding animals. Just because he raises them and earns his living with them, he doesn't have to be an animal lover. I'd also argue that being an animal lover would be a detriment to his livelihood. Just if I were to spend my whole day in search for some exotic fungus that might be the current craze.

So next time you want to have a nice conversation with me, let's talk about the Packers, or knives, or travel. Anything but food.

A Shallow Pool

Back in the day I never ran into a bad line cook. They simply didn't exist. A line cook, if you don't know are those guys (an occasional girl) that put the food out night after night. They are the backbone of this business. A good line cook is like your sergeant. Invaluable, experienced and will save your ass time and again. If I was a general and wanted to rule the world I would gather up all the best line cooks on earth and lay waste to all who dared to challenge. They epitomise what I think a human being should be. Strong, aware, emotional, smart and quick thinking. A true warrior.

Back then it was pure survival of the fittest. No other business that I'm aware of is more like living in the jungle. You do it or you're done, period. There were so many able workers back then that you didn't waste your time on the weak and feeble. This is a damn tough business that few really are cut out for. It amazes me how many try. It amazes me more how many are still employed. They may still have a job but they will never succeed. They will never fulfill their dream. They just don't have it. Over the past few years I have told more than one young line cook that they will never make it. The shock in there faces an expected response. Tears, if they already knew. I usually will try and soften the blow with "maybe you should try baking?". If you can't cook on the line then be a waiter or a bartender. This is a small club.

Line cooks are broken into three groups in my book. First, a good cook. If you aren't good, you're not employed. Second, a cook with style. Someone you know will do a good job and has made a little bit of a reputation for himself. He's learned a few tricks and can get you out of a jam. Third, the rare, "cook with class". simply put, if you still have style under pressure you got class. That guy who bales you out when you are in the weeds. He just senses it and the next thing you know he's turning your fish, or stocking your station right before you crash and burn. The dude who you love to have next to you. The dude you'll go to war with.

These days good cooks are far and few between. The ones who are out there are most likely Mexican and probably from Oaxaca. They tend to be transient and go where the money is. The white guys are either unreliable, drunks, drug addicts or all of the above.

The recent food network "chef craze" has not done us any favors. Everyone wants to be a chef. The thing is, you can't be a good "chef" without first being a good line cook. They need to learn how to cook, on the line, with your bro, in battle.

Blog Settings.

I'm still tweaking this thing and just made it so you can post a comment without logging in. I thought I did that originally but it didn't take. I'm sure it was no fault of mine.


P.S. Busy, busy, busy. If I get a chance I'll post something later.