For your Consideration

http://www.restaurantslave.com/main.html

After much frustration with arrogant interns coming into my kitchen and then leaving in tears when they can't hack it. I've started to wonder what exactly can people be thinking when they say 'I want to be a chef!' After all, it's just like on tv, right?

Tell me what you think.

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Monday, August 06, 2001 - 06:57 pm: Edit

orange is the knew gray.

Good job.

I'll be visiting often.

tim

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Monday, August 06, 2001 - 09:08 pm: Edit

This is an awesome site! Excellent for Culinary Educators and those who have forgotten what it was like!!!! Do we ever forget???

By Chef Spike on Monday, August 06, 2001 - 09:19 pm: Edit

I think it's not their fault. I think it's ours and the chefs that came before us, not all chefs, but any that subscribed to the so called new cusine of flash, 8 different flavors, 10 things sticking out of it type of food that so many are doing today. Please ,please don't say that it has to be that way in order to keep up. Because thats Bull.... I find so many chef's and pastry chef's today doing this today that I wonder if any of them have any formal training at all. You'd be hard pressed to find a simple, bread pudding with a well done pastry sauce today. It's all 5 flavors and 3 sauces, with things sticking out of it that have nothing to do with bread pudding. And the laughable thing is it's served cold and not room temp. They can't even get that right. I've had bad people work for me, on the cell phone, com'in in high, disapear to talk to the girlfriend that worked there too, showing up late. That happens everywhere, in many different fields. I think one of the biggest things that still plague's this profession is the fact that it's still run by people that don't work in the kitchen everyday, i e, food critics, mag's, and people like those with food shows that have no concern what they are doing and how it affects the culinary field. After close to 25 years in this field as a Pastry Chef, I'm surprized it's lasted this long. Today I was reading a list of new cook books out and I saw that some were about down home food. Like a simple bread pudding, served room temp. or warm. I wonder if it will sell. I hope so. As far as the young one's that think they are chef's because they wear a tall white hat, tell them what I tell them.............your a dumbass, get out.
Hard I know,but it has to be done sometimes in order to thin out the ones that waste our time.
And speaking of wasting time, I have to go to bed, I have a 3:am wake up time to teach a young women pastries, and she is an exceptional student which I hav'ent had in years. Just so you know, I was the Pastry Chef at The Helmsley Palace Hotel,
and Window's on the World( both N.Y. )and have worked at other wonderful places as well, I know...I just dated myself. Peace.

By Mbw (Mbw) on Monday, August 06, 2001 - 09:30 pm: Edit

Hail Chef Spike!!

Down with ring molds!

More classic and comfort foods!

I do a basic Eggs Benedict for brunch and it ROCKS!! Home made pot pie sales are up too. That book just may sell.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 06:01 am: Edit

Excellent comment Spike, especially coming from someone who has been in your positions.
Hail metloaf w/ mashed pot. & gray and peach cobbler a la mode!

By linkhorn on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:30 am: Edit

paul bocuse says people should defend ther national cuisine. i agree. long live classic american cooking.

By Chris on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 09:59 am: Edit

My goal in my kitchen is to make the simple dishes taste outstanding. Kids, go do the fru-fru in someone elses kitchen.

By JRRYAN on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:10 am: Edit

Make it simple ...Nurture flavor dynamics not eye appeal. The biggest sellers on my menu are Meatloaf and Linguine with Littlenecks(White clam sauce). I am part of this younger generation of chef(26 y.o.), but I was trained in traditionalism by a chef who tried very little to make his food overly beautiful. I have a fresh culinary grad in my kitchen and all she does is make my plates pretty before they go out. I can't be bothered.
I can only ask all of the chefs reading this post to not give up. There are a few chefs my age who care about the classics and want to change cuisine, but the are even fewer experienced chefs who aren't too angry or burnt out to teach us.
I guess I got lucky.

By ChefSpike on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 02:16 pm: Edit

Thanks...........
And I did not mean to say that you can't add here or there, for the eye.
What is it, 70% of food is sold by the eye.
But I'm so sick of the charlie trotters and others influencing the way people precieve food.
It's not real!, and misrepresents what most of us do everyday, every week, every month.
Today I made myself a Dobos Torte, and sat there for 20 min's, in heaven, it's one of the most simple, excellent cakes you can make. And eat.
Thanks again for your comments, and I'll see ya at the Diner!............Spike

By The Baker on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 02:27 pm: Edit

I Love simple desserts and stuff.
just take a few great ingr. and create something wonderful.

nothing that the diner is going to need 10min just to take it apart to eat it.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 03:04 pm: Edit

Hey!, it's not rocket science!!! Just gooooooooood
cookin'

By Peachcreek (Peachcreek) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 03:45 pm: Edit

You mean we don't have to wait around till Charlie Trotter or Bobby Flay "discover" simple food like Chicken and Dumplings, and make it O.K. for the rest of us? Charlie Trotter was on NPR a few months ago after he discovered "the vegetable".
"To go where no cook has gone before....."
Who knows, they may discover "Chipped Beef" in our lifetime......

By Panini (Panini) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 05:05 pm: Edit

Hey Spike,
Hemsley Palace,Windows, I don't know how to find all that personal stuff about people in your profile editor.
You plucked a string when you mentioned those places. I opened that monster in Time Square with
Colivita, I'm just wondering if we used to hang.Are you still in the area? I'm looking for Mohan DeSilva, I believe he took over when we all jumped ship. Weren't those the good old days. Somebody would look cross at you and Bam! Across the street for 25% more money. You must be pretty thicked skinned and patient to have worked for Leona. What a B--ch.
Subject: The only things I have sticking out of my desserts and cakes are price tags. Had old fashioned fried ice cream the other night, man did that bring back memories, in fact, didn't Hemsley have them on the room service menu?

By Chris on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 05:12 pm: Edit

I'll never forget a wine dinner i did. It was sandwhiched in between two weddings an another funtion so simplicity was of the essence. My sous and I banged out six simple yet incredible courses for eighty in about four hours. Meanwhile my CIA pastry chef brought in five assistants at 6 a.m. to do dessert. Twelve hours later, and probably just as many concepts, his masterpiece went out. It was so elaborate, white chocolate rissotto layered with four different fruit coulis and eight inch multi chocolate "sails", that one third made it to the tables still standing. Needless to say it wasn't a happy ending to my dinner.

By ChefSpike on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 06:57 pm: Edit

hey Panini, Don't know who Mohan De Silva is, and
I don't know what Colivita is, sorry. I was at the Palace from opening until June of 81". Leona
was the best boss I've had to date. She wanted the best for her customers, and if you did'nt give it to her, bam!see ya. I wanted to make our own ice cream and sorbets and the next day I had a killer machine sitting in my area. Hot wired that night. When I moved to NY, I lived at the Hotel, my view was the church across the street, a birds eye view, it was great. I can't remember if there was fried ice cream or not, I know we did some at Windows. There was a banguet Chef at Windows named George...If anyone knows him I'd sure like to say hi to him, I think he lived on Staten Island(?)Man those were good times. NY was the place to work, a lot of fun. Any of you in NY now? Hey Chris, that was funny LOL, won't comment on the dessert. Any of you guys ever make Pithiviers. Another simple great dessert, more for fall and winter. Poor charlie, I don't think he will ever get it. Maybe it's time for a good old fashion fufu chef book burning, but you did'nt hear it from me. Later. Peace.

By ChefSpike on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 07:11 pm: Edit

Just a short note.
There are these little cook books called "pamphlets" that the fridge, and stove, flour, and choc. companies used to put out with the product they sold. The highlite years were right after the second world war and up to the 60's. those little books are filled with all the american food dishes from all over the U.S.
Check them out. But remember they don't have stuff like vanilla from some Island that no one has ever heard of in the middle of some ocean.
Peace.

By Panini (Panini) on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:25 pm: Edit

My gosh ChefSpike, you are old. Sorry, I was referring to84-85-86 I opened the Marquis in Time Square, lived in the Essex House for 8mth, then to the Novotel while they were building a non-union hotel in a union city.Crossed 20+ picket lines everyday. I recall Leona as a b--ch for the mere reason she had one of the banquet capt. set up a meeting with her so she could steal me from the Marriott. When I told her it was not a money thing she snorted "you'll learn". she was right.
These pamphlets you are talking of came with everything. We collect many of these things and use them to decorate the walls of our bakery. I have many first edition cookbooks like Jack Sprat cookbook and many more. These are what I turn to first when I need to brainstorm. Hey we do pithiviers, this month we threw Texas blueberries in them.WOW almonds and blueberries really go well baked together. It's funny, we call our concept upscale american, but a lot of it is French Bourgeois with a twist.
Do you remember if George was of Polish descent? Always on his last beer to catch the ferry? 4-8hrs.lol

By ChefSpike on Tuesday, August 07, 2001 - 10:56 pm: Edit

Panini,
you hang them on the wall??????????????
LOL...they are wonderful little books. Yes? and I'm not that old, I can still kick out the product. George was Irish and yes that sounds like him, running to catch the last ferry, and he had a belly, santa size.LOL.... So what year did you interview with Leona? 84,85,86, what year did the hard rock cafe open? I did security there and remember Houlihans at 63rd and broadway, I was a night manager there for a whlie before moving to San Rafael, Ca, north of San Fran. I'm in the midwest now and this job ends on aug. 31, Thank God!!! I'll most likely head back to LA. and get out of the biz. I'm soooo tired of lying Managers,Chef's and no talent help,I was hoping to get out on a better note, but maybe it's time.
I think sometimes that I can't bend enough to work with the kind of people that come through the industry today. Some days I just want to kick these slackers a**"s, then go on vacation. Maybe I'll change my mind once I get home to LA. Know of anyone looking for a Pastry Chef in LA? If you hear of something let me know. How old are u? 40?
Peace.

By Timmy Doherty on Monday, August 13, 2001 - 04:52 pm: Edit

I'm a culinary student. I won't say where. Your all right, especially spike. Tight and tall, fru fru, whatever you call it. It has it's place and I'm glad you all know it isn't going anywhere. Please make your interns cry if you can. Weed out these Emeril Network rejects. It will make it a lot better for the rest of us in the end.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Monday, August 13, 2001 - 11:57 pm: Edit

Tim sounds sensible!

By houston on Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - 08:02 am: Edit

tim,that's if your still in the biz in ten years.

By chady2k on Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - 06:28 pm: Edit

Training yes! How about some goddamn sanitation training so the patrons don't go home with the runs or die! Oh boy that would be something ea! or how about some social skills training or perhaps employability skills trainig so that these folks working in your establishments could get along with others or perhaps work as a team not to mention make it to work on time. Fifteen flavors and wild stuff from places we have never heard of does nothing for me. How about a "Chef" that can increace his bottom line, decreas waste and run an efficent kitchen of ANY type ANY time, ANYwhere. That is a "Chef" to me. How about the ACF master chef certification. What a joke thousands of dollars a 10 day test ,just to put CMC on his/her jacket. The embroidrey shop only charges me $2.00 to put it on mine! HA take that. Just let me whine for a moment.....

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - 08:19 pm: Edit

Tim, thanks for the plug, kid. I'm assuming you are a kid, being a culinary studend and all. Why don't you say where your school is? Maybe there are some here that know of it. By the sound of your words you want to stay in the biz for awhile.
Yes? Get back to us, eh?
Peace.

By Chris on Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - 09:54 pm: Edit

Chady 2k good point on the cmc thing my old boss was one, he's since lost his job and I hear through the grape vine that at his new gig he can't even order or cook!!

By Panini (Panini) on Wednesday, August 15, 2001 - 02:05 pm: Edit

staying out of this one!
Panini HWS