So I rotated into the P.M Grill Position

[LovetheA2s]

As far as I know. He's still teaching. He was wearing one of his CIA culinary instructor Jackets at the CMC dinner. I had a great time working with him for the brief time of 2 days. And your so right, It makes your life so much easier when you enjoy what you do. I couldnt imagine another job that would make me happier.

On a side note. We had the big man working on the line lastnight. I got my first taste of the wrath. We had 2 tickets with veal strips on them. 1 which was on fire, and the other 2 strips just went in line right behind it. I fired the one veal strip and placed it on my board to be picked up when Chef finished plating the rest of the plate. He then called for the two following steaks to be fired. Immediately after that, he said how long on the strip. (it was waiting for him on my board) i miscommunicated and thought he was still referring to the next two strips and said "5 minutes chef". I thought I saw fire in his eyes, and he went off . He had already plated up all of the other plates and this was a 6 top. "GOD******. Why in the hell didnt you say anything when i was calling for it. COME ON AARON. SONOFAB****** (slamming his fist down). I was like, Chef, I have the first strip ready for you here, i thought you were calling for the other 2. All in all, he thought i didnt have the steak, didnt tell him, he went up on the whole table, and it would have had to sit for 5 mins if i indeed did not have the strip. But, i did So i wasnt totally in the wrong. Just a lil communication issue. Today is a new day and ill do what I do. I love my job

PAGE 7 Owned!

[crazyreesie]

Quote, originally posted by LovetheA2s »

Hard Atlanta Water

You can say that again.

[Augs]

Quote, originally posted by LovetheA2s »

Wow my friend, I can definitely say that you Win on this one. I wasnt looking to compete, but for a justified explaination. I will definitely add your paella recipe to my stash and try creating my own "original recipe". Its always good to be intrigued and to learn something new everyday. I have access to all of your ingredients mentioned, at work. Including the snails, rabbit, and Hard Atlanta Water . Thank you for the history lesson and food knowledge on something I have been blind about for years. Please give a lil imput more often if you keep track of this thread. (not negative all the time though), Thanks BTW

Yes, I'm sorry my first comment was not just to praise you.
I've been following this thread closely and it's a great to have an insider sharing what goes on inside a professional kitchen. Sometimes I think of getting into the business but it's too much hard work and pressure for me. I think I'll continue doing it on the amateur side.

[LovetheA2s]

Its all good man, i have fun with this thread. Heck, its the longest vortex thread I have ever created and followed. I enjoy the comments, compliments, critiques as well as the criticism. Being a chef is a fun career. you do tend to lose time with friends and family cause your generally working nights, weekends, and holidays. Truely a labor of love, and must have an understanding "better half". Wouldnt trade it for anything though

[vdubnchef]

man i totally feel you, i just transferred to a new hyatt resort outside of austin tx, and got thrown in as always is the case in the great resturant world. we have a show kitchen which is completly open to guest, so the profanity outburtst when you burn the **** out of urself have to be kept under control. but anyways yesterday we did 170 covers in 50 mins. its a 4 man line but we only had 3 on so the exec, and 2 sous from other outlets popped in to minimize the anal raping that was in progress ,, def. makes u want to

[BillyG60]

HAHAHA Yeah I had to learn to watch what I say real quick here at my current place.
I have let a couple of choice phrases out during the middle of a rush.

My Motto--
The customer looses the right to be always be right when HE/She is an Idiot!!!

T o you guys, opening my first Sam Adams Octoberfest as I type!!

[LovetheA2s]

Thats what im talking about, Fellow chefs speak up. GLad to hear from you guys. Tonight was interesting. We did about 85, I was running Broiled Dorad (fish), grilled indian spiced sturgeon with mediterranean salad, Tzatziki and grilled pita bread. Also running a duo of lamb. Which includes reduced balsamic marbled mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, baby carrots, oven roasted red grapes, and lamb demi glace. Sold a few of them tonight. Im having a beer for all of us

[Danbodia]

Quote, originally posted by BillyG60 »

T o you guys, opening my first Sam Adams Octoberfest as I type!!

Foliage is a killer run of nights for us culinarians in VT.
Finished service last night, got home and cracked one of these....

Soooo good

[KillSwitch85]

wow 7 pages

this thread owns

[Volksless]

I just got hired on as a dishmonkey/prep cook in a small but well respcted local resturant, most well known for it seafood as the owners family is one of the biggest fish wholesalers on the island.
With only a seating capacity for 40 people maximum the chef said in slow times he could teach me some stuff because i had mentioned and interest in possibly going to culinary shcool.

Im really looking forward to it, even though it is only a lowly position,and too see how the industry works.

Cheers! and keep up the thread.


Modified by Volksless at 10:08 PM 10-16-2006

[LovetheA2s]

Quote, originally posted by Volksless »

I just got hired on as a dishmonkey/prep cook in a small but well respcted local resturant, most well known for it seafood as the owners family is one of the biggest fish wholesalers on the island. With only a seating capacity for 40 people maximum the chef said in slow times he could teach me some stuff because i had mentioned and interest in possibly going to culinary shcool. Im really looking forward to it, even though it is only a lowly position,and too see how the industry works. Cheers! and keep up the thread. Modified by Volksless at 10:08 PM 10-16-2006

Thats awesome bro, few things that you could recommend to your chef that you would like to be taught would be:

- Classic Stocks

- 6 Basic Mother sauces : Bechemel, Espagnole, Tomato, Hollandaise, Veloute, Demi Glace

- A few Knife Cuts- Julienne, bruniose, Batonnet, Tournee

- Good Sanitation Practices

- If you get time, (with perfectly clean hands or gloves on) ask the chef to let you get familiar with temps on steaks, burgers, pork

- Fabrication of meats, butchering, and utilization of product

- Recieving is a BIG part of this industry, with you being a dishwasher, you could ask the chef if you might be able to take on the responsibility of checking in the purveyors and orders (thats if you have the time to do so), this will show him that you have the willingness and drive to be a chef at some point.

I dont know how busy your lifestyle is, but offering you off time in exchange for knowledge shouldnt be ruled out. Ask if you could come in early or even come in on a day off to get some skills. Have a pen and paper, and take notes, take notes, take notes. I hope this helps. If you have the ambition, you can be a great chef. Good luck bro, If you need anything at all, dont hesitate to post up or send a pm. There are plenty of chefs in here that can point you in the right direction. Please dont consider the Dishmonkey/prep cook (yourself) a "lowly position". Some of the best chefs have come from that position. and you can be one of them. Ive spent my time in the "Pit" at one time or another. Every chef should have to do it at one point in their career. I had fun . Had my own room, a boombox, spit game the waitresses , and had a good time. Good luck once again bro.


Modified by LovetheA2s at 4:12 PM 10-18-2006

[BillyG60]

I agree Sanitation is a must!!!!!
And I second the thought of recieving product, you just would not believe what some purveyors try to push off on you.

I bet everyone who has written in this thread started in the dish pit. I did and then one night, a line cook did not show up --and I stepped up. That was almost 20 years ago.

[LovetheA2s]

Ok so how about tonight was CRAZY. The big man wrote the menu on saturday night for us with 41 reservations on the books for Today. It was a super intricate menu with mad mise en place. So we get to menu meeting today and we are sitting at 93 rezzies!!!!! Even chef was like "are you sure this is right"....... So it was a combination for a LONG day. here we go , on top of our intensive normal "tuesday prep" here is our menu

Wine Dinner:

Warm cauliflower Custard with Caviar and Buckwheat blinis made to order

Swiss style shredded veal with haricots verts and roesti potatoes

Baked Brie in Puff pastry (also to order) with toasted walnuts and grape confit

dessert was Fried Custard with poached pears and raspberry Sorbet

Onto the Specials:

Salads - Frisse, Maytag, and Avacado with sherry Vinaigrette and Chile spiced Pecans

Warm mushroom Strudel with Leek compote and potato leek sauce

Roasted yellow and red beet carpaccio salad with microgreens and shaved parmiggiano reggiano

Apps:

Shavings of Prosciutto, pears, Parmesan and toasted pine nuts with lambs lettuce, lemon vinaigrette, olive oil, crostinis and garlic bread

Fricassee of lobster, leeks, and potato Gnocci

Pan Seared Foie Gras with Raclette Grilled Cheese Sandwich, sauteed cabbage, apples, and port reduction

Entrees:

Cumin scented broiled Striped Bass with cashew raisan confit (believe me, it was way more than just raisans and cashews), Lemon marinated fennel, and Cilantro salad

Truffle filled U15 Scallops with Silkened, truffled, potato puree, leek compote, and Veal Demi

Pan Seared Red Snapper with Oyster, Red pepper Nage, Haricots Verts, and Marscapone Risotto

Sauteed Dorade PonChartrain
Lump crab meat, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, White Wine Sauce

Whole Lobster, Broken down (To order) pan seared and served with corna dn mushroom risotto, sauteed snow peas, and lobster butter sauce

Grill EnTrees (all me):

Mixed Grill
Smoked and roasted squab Breast, Grilled Venison Loin, Grilled Homemade duck Andioulle Sausage, mccaire potatoes, sauteed spinach and reduced port bearnaise

(yes, i broke down 3 whole ducks to make the sausage)

Seared Rabbit Loin and Rabbit Confit Cannelloni
(yeah, we made the Confit too)
With sauteed spaghetti squash, chantarelle mushrooms, and Roasted beet sauce

Grilled Harris Ranch Ribeye Cap Steak with texas cowboy bean stew , sauteed spinach, and tobacco onions

Seared Tares Major and Beed Braciole Croustade with Sauteed Rapini, Cauliflower Roasted Garlic Puree, and Sauce Braciole

We had our work cut for ourselves fellas, got off at 12:15, back in at 1pm tomorrow. Im so worn out for one day. Thank God for a cold beer when I get home at night!

[TazerRE]

A cold beer? Just ONE cold beer, after all of that? A stronger man than I...

[LovetheA2s]

ONE, after the other, after the other, after the other...........

[LovetheA2s]

Tonight was pretty cool guys. We are getting into the busy season and things are starting to pick up. We will be doing covers of over 150+ soon. Tonight what sold well was the Seared carolina red trout with lobster cornbread filling, basmati rice and gumbo sauce. Sear the trout, nice browning, med rare, fill with the stuffing. flash in the oven in a broiler pan and serve over the rice with gumbo. It looked so good. Got in some whole eel and Chef did a demo on how to fabricate one down. Seems simple. Just like catfish, ya need some pliers to skin the thing, then just go down the backbone like any normal fish with a sharp filet knife.

Saw an online demo on Gnocci. Did you guys know that there are 2 types of gnocci. And one does NOT contain potato. One is the italian version which does contain potato. And the French version is based on a Pate a choux recipe. Just a food thought, that I picked up the other day.

Thinking of a recipe(s) for venison guys, lemme know if I am crazy or not.

Here we go:

1) Venison napolean with port macerated fruit compote, champagne cabbage, mashed sweet potatoes with sauce foyot.

On a 12 inch dinner plate

2) (as an app)

"trio of venison"

> Classical french venison tartar with brioche chip
> Sous vide venison loin over sous vide leeks with sauce foyot
> Smoked/clove studded venison loin with port compote and demi glace

all on a small rectangle white app plate.

Lemme know whether I am crazy guys........ Just hrowing a thought out there.

[BillyG60]

love the venision. I use it here at my place.
Use some wild huckleberries , blackberries and blue berries in the compote--all natural diet for wild venison--in the sauce i use.

Gnocci--love to use it when it starts getting cold out with some really heavy bleu cheese sauce. I use a heavy blue lke stilton or Shorpshire( my fav) and reduced cream, s@p

Leave it to the french to do something different!!

[LovetheA2s]

Venison is such a nice protien to work with. I grew up in the sticks of VA and am a "country boy" at heart. I didnt realize how important the fabrication skills I learned as a child would benefit my career and give me an edge over certain cooks. I know the full fabrication of a deer just by deer hunting as a child and how to utilize all of the product. Loins, inside loins, hind quarters, front shoulders, even the ribs. I used to go fishing with my father on sundays and we would always have a bucket of Crappie to clean with a few bass in there as well. Which taught me the basics of a good filet. Then he taught me how to cook it! We used to go stripe bass fishing (rockfish, striper) and would oven roast them whole. I also learned how to make a good country sausage, homemade bacon, how to cook hams,(yes we had a smoke house that I miss soooo bad) canning tomatoes, blanching and freezing vegetables from the garden, Shelling butterbeans . picking crabs of all sorts, shucking oysters, I really could go on. But its cool that when some chefs get in a wierd fish and scratch their heads on how to clean it and I just jump in and do it. Yes I know how to clean squirrel, duck, goose, frogs, deer and other various items that you guys get pre-fabbed . Just kidding, didnt have much to write tonight, so I figured Id drop a line of some sort.

We have an extern from the CIA working for a few months for us and he has rotated onto the grill with me. Ive never really had to be a teacher and pass along knowledge before to an upcoming culinarian. Kinda made me feel wierd/old. I dont have muchhhh experience in the industry (not 10 yrs +) but, i tried to explain the culinary fundamentals as best as I can. It was pretty cool, I set up my station and he kinda worked it till we got in the ShiZ. How about this, our club was shooting a video of the kitchen of how our kitchen works for a perspective members dvd and there was a fella with a camera all in the kitchen today shooting all of us. Im just trying to do my work. its all good though, we had a good night and did about 70+. Went smooth and food was great. Take care guys

[College Dub]

Just so you know... I love this thread! I just wish your restaurant was closer so I could visit it!

Keep it up!

-Alan

[mk2jettarunner]

Try grilling in a resturant that sits about 200-220.
It sucks when you end up with specials.

(but thats why i went to pastry) Female waitstaff love my little slices i sneek them.

[LovetheA2s]

Waitstaff females dig the grill man as he is, he doesnt have to bait them in with sweet treats. . Just kidding bro. Love to hear some of your B&P knowledge. I want to make a croquambouche sometime soooooo bad. Just like the one that was on the previews of Great Chefs back in the day.

[skizzott]

Just wanted to chime in and let you know i'm still reading all updates!!

[LovetheA2s]

Thanks bro, much appreciated.

[LovetheA2s]

Ran a broiled Barramundi with a salad of field greens, toasted almonds, julienne tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, dried cherries, hazlenut vinaigrette tonight. Our fish specials didnt go over like we had hoped tonight.

Got in:

Yellow tail snapper

Barramundi

Amberjack

Cod

Grouper

[BillyG60]

We ran Barramundi for the last 2 nights. we have been using it for a while now and the price goes up everytime we get it in We blackened it with a warm tropical salsa and yellow rice pilaf.

Being in florida I am able to get a good amount of fresh fish, but man I miss the Dekalb's Farmers Market

[LovetheA2s]

Dekalb's Farmers Market is amazing. That place has some of the most beautiful and exotic produce I have ever seen. My girlfriend and I went up there one day, stocked the shelves and had a nice dinner at home.

[PhaetonChix]

Quote, originally posted by LovetheA2s »

Mixed Grill Smoked and roasted squab Breast, Grilled Venison Loin, Grilled Homemade duck Andioulle Sausage, mccaire potatoes, sauteed spinach and reduced port bearnaise

Do you deliver? I think I'm in love!

[tobin_bass]

man im glad that i work catering.

i never got to work much on the line.

but that would be a real goo skill to get.

[LovetheA2s]

im trying to suck up everything I can get. Started a deep kitchen clean down on saturday nights. Our whole ine is going to start diasassembling out stations, soaking them and scrubbing them clean. I am taking apart my broiler every saturday and giving it a good scrubdown. On saute, the cooler is being cleaned out, racks scrubbed and the cooler itself is being cleaned with a hint of bleach water. Walls, lowboys, back of the line, fryers, steam kettles, grill, steam tables, ovens, saute broiler.

On a side note, we got a brand spanking new double deep fryer. 10gs,,,,,,,,,, Plans are to get a new stove for saute as well.

Any news on Volksless? hope he is coming along in his culinary trials,,,,,,,,,

So now we have, chefs, bakers, caterers, dishwashers, c'mon guys who's next?



Modified by LovetheA2s at 5:43 AM 10-30-2006

[grilledpickle]

This thread is one of the only reasons I come to the vortex.

[vdubjb]

who cleans the deepfryer? I had to do that at my last job and I bloody hated it!

[skizzott]

Quote, originally posted by LovetheA2s »

So now we have, chefs, bakers, caterers, dishwashers, c'mon guys who's next? Modified by LovetheA2s at 5:43 AM 10-30-2006

While not at your particular restaraunt, I am a patron at many others And I worked at Burger King in High School and did all of the above while there.

[cllf]

Thank you for the insight into a kitchen with a CMC. Keep the photos, recipes, daily menus, etc. coming. Excellent info!!!! A thousand thanks!!!

[BG73395]

Quote, originally posted by LovetheA2s »

So now we have, chefs, bakers, caterers, dishwashers, c'mon guys who's next? Modified by LovetheA2s at 5:43 AM 10-30-2006

I am a sous chef at a small restaurant in Colorado.

Here are some pics of the place I work at...

Our herb and Veg garden



Modified by BG73395 at 5:26 AM 10-31-2006

[mizugsy]

Quote, originally posted by LovetheA2s »

im trying to suck up everything I can get. Started a deep kitchen clean down on saturday nights. Our whole ine is going to start diasassembling out stations, soaking them and scrubbing them clean. I am taking apart my broiler every saturday and giving it a good scrubdown. On saute, the cooler is being cleaned out, racks scrubbed and the cooler itself is being cleaned with a hint of bleach water. Walls, lowboys, back of the line, fryers, steam kettles, grill, steam tables, ovens, saute broiler. On a side note, we got a brand spanking new double deep fryer. 10gs,,,,,,,,,, Plans are to get a new stove for saute as well. Any news on Volksless? hope he is coming along in his culinary trials,,,,,,,,, So now we have, chefs, bakers, caterers, dishwashers, c'mon guys who's next? Modified by LovetheA2s at 5:43 AM 10-30-2006

i'm a waiter, prep 'cook', and expoditer but at a "****-on-the-wall" place. you gotta get started somewhere though. i plan to be in restaurants for a long time.