Escoffier On Line

The “Flavor of Napa” was a world class celebration of food and wine highlighting some of Napa's best-known chefs and winemakers. Events took place up and down the Napa Valley over 4 days in November and included culinary demonstrations, multi course dinners, wine tastings, and a closing brunch. Proceeds from the festival benefited the scholarship fund at the Culinary Institute of America. Participating Chefs included Thomas Keller, Bob Hurley, Christopher Kostow, Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Michael Chiarello, Cindy Pawlcyn, Richard Blais, Todd Humphries, Jeff Jake, Christophe Geurad and dozens of others. The main purpose of my visit was to lend a hand and support the culinary team at the Dolce Silverado Resort.

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The First Annual Flavor of Napa

by Chef Len Elias

The “Flavor of Napa” was a world class celebration of food and wine highlighting some of Napa's best-known chefs and winemakers. Events took place up and down the Napa Valley over 4 days in November and included culinary demonstrations, multi course dinners, wine tastings, and a closing brunch. Proceeds from the festival benefited the scholarship fund at the Culinary Institute of America. Participating Chefs included Thomas Keller, Bob Hurley, Christopher Kostow, Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Michael Chiarello, Cindy Pawlcyn, Richard Blais, Todd Humphries, Jeff Jake, Christophe Geurad and dozens of others. The main purpose of my visit was to lend a hand and support the culinary team at the Dolce Silverado Resort.

While I was there I did get to eat a few meals and do the tourist thing. I had lunch at Bouchons with a few other chefs and thought it to be very good, but a bit pricey for lunch. The service was less than stellar, but It was a beautiful day to sit on the patio, it may be the closest I ever get to a European vacation. I had the Duck Confit with Lentils and it was very good, worth the wait and service flaws. The other Chefs ordered a variety of dishes and a tasting and critique ensued. I was with Chefs from Barcelona, Toronto and Boston, so opinions varied and polite banter on technique and presentation went on throughout the meal.

After our meal we walked the streets of Yountville and ran into Chef Bob Hurley of “Hurley’s Restaurant”. Chef Hurley has been in the Napa Valley for 20 years and is a very friendly and outgoing Chef. He was celebrating game week at his restaurant and I had my eyes and tongue on his Wild Boar Baby Back Ribs, unfortunately I never made it back to Hurley’s, but I did run into Chef Hurley at another event and got to speak with him for a while, he is an amazing man. He did eat the appetizer I was serving and came back for more which made me very happy.

My next stop was the “Kitchen Door” located in the Oxbow Market. Chef Christophe Geurad who worked with Chef Todd Humphries at L’Espinasse in NY brought us there and I am glad he did. Melt in Your Mouth Duck Liver Mousse Flatbread, Korean Ribs, Charcuterie, Wood Fired Chicken Wings, it just kept coming, truly amazing, Chef Todd has a great restaurant, I think it’s the restaurant we all would want to eat at and own. More important than that, is that Chef Todd is another real guy, a nice man and an amazing chef. Later in the week I would get to work with Chef Todd. After that it was off to ZuZu’s Tapas and Wine Bar, a place I had written about on a previous Napa trip. This time it was a little different and proves to be a little more than I could handle. Drinking wine with a Frenchman, a Spaniard a Canadian and the owner was quite an experience for a sometimes wine drinker like me. I am more of a beer guy and paid for it the next morning, what the heck, you only live once.

The next day we all worked the opening dinner; Masaharu Morimoto prepared the first course of Pacifc Geoduck with Kinmedai Snapper. Chef Morimoto’s team of chefs worked like highly trained surgeons with few words spoken, their mission was clearly defined and 230 amazing starter courses were born. The next course was prepared by Scott Conant; Chef Conant’s team of Chefs came in earlier in the day to hand make over 2000 Rabbit Agnolottis they later returned to finish their dish with a Foie Gras Emulsion, all I can say is that it was off the charts. Chef Conant was a pleasure to work with and he stayed to assist in plating even after his course was done. The meal continued with Cindy Pawlcyn’s highly creative Bachelor’s Lamb Tagine. Chef Cindy also stuck around and was obviously happy to be there; she knew many of the Silverado staff and instantly became one of the crew. The dinner ended with the Dolce teams world class Miile Feuille. Every component of this dessert was handmade that day and was one of the best desserts I have ever seen or tasted.

Dolce’s Silverado Resort was the host hotel and I had the opportunity to work side by side with many of these chefs and actually headlined my own table at the CIA Greystone during the Appellation Trail tasting event.

I had lost a lot of sleep thinking about how my dish would be received at this world class event. As a longtime resident of Georgia, my plan was to elevate BBQ to new heights and show what could be done with a little imagination. After weeks of trial and error: Barbequed Duck Confit with Creamy Stone Ground Grits, Pickled Collard Greens and Honey Mustard Foam was born. I would cure 60 pounds of Duck legs, confit them and serve with Southern Stone Ground Grits. It turned out better than I could have ever imagined and was well received by the guests; I served over 500 portions in about 2 hours.

One of my favorite events was the closing brunch with some amazingly creative dishes prepared by Chef Todd Humphries of the “Kitchen Door Restaurant”. I loved his food once again and felt lucky to be part of this.

More to come……..

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I must sound like a broken record by now, but I only know what I know and feel how I feel. At 50 years old it’s been a great run for me. Living the “Chefs Life” has been everything and then some. Before it was cool and trendy to be a Chef, I cooked because I loved to cook. Kitchens were my sanctuary from life; it was the place that I felt the most comfortable. Despite the sometimes extreme conditions, long hours and relatively low pay, I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 12-14 hour days would and do still fly by at the speed of light, a sure sign that I am doing what I should be doing. 30 years later I am still as much in love with the industry as the first day that I walked into a kitchen. I really don’t think it could have turned out any better than this. I have enjoyed the food, my friends, and travel and, of course, being able to make people happy through my cooking.

That being said I will say that it’s very disturbing to me that most cooks and chefs don’t ever feel the way I feel. They feel no joy coming into work and have never have come to terms with their career choice; resentment runs deep about working off-hours for mediocre wages and prime time spent away from family. Few are willing to pay the price and make the sacrifices necessary to climb the culinary ladder. Their future in the industry is questionable. As much as they may say that they love kitchen work, the truth is, it doesn’t come naturally to them.

If you want to live the “Chefs Life”, do what you do best. It doesn’t matter what type of kitchen you work in, four stars or fast-food, it's all about the passion and commitment to excellence that you put into it. There is a market for all types of food, chefs and service. You have to pick your venue and make it the best it can be. If you’re any good, money and prestige will follow. If it doesn’t and you are doing it for the right reason, who cares?

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I've just read George's blog posts about food trucking in NYC-- can't say I'm surprised...  I've been running a trailer on a part-time basis since '09, and I've encountered a mixed bag of rules & regulations from different municipalities.  (I'm actually contemplating the creation of a video to recap all of the lessons learned -- it's been a lot in a short period of time!)  In '09 and '10 I was in southwest Ohio, now I'm in central Texas.

There are a lot of different ways to apply your mobile kitchen to make $$, but it sounds like the preference so far on this site is the "restaurant surrogate" approach, which happens to be the same path I have taken.  My first 2 years have been a loss, but I'm happy doing it, and am still confident I can make it work with the right combination of food, location, marketing...  all of the things you need in a B&M restaurant.

My impressions of the business so far is that, yes, the financial risk is MUCH less than starting up a fixed location.  However, other challenges arise to prevent it from being easy money.  In my mind, these are not deterrents, but do need to be considered.

1)  As George illustrates in his blog, being mobile can actually make it *more difficult* to find a good location!  The zoning code in most areas is much more restrictive for "itinerant" vendors than it is for fixed structures.  I agree that setting up on privately-owned, commercially-zoned property is the way to go.  But, you're going to be getting into a lease/rental agreement, and you'll have that expense.  Moving to a new location is certainly possible, but you can't just do it on a whim one day.  So scope your spot carefully.

2)  People don't normally expect high-quality, gourmet food out of a trailer.  As George reports, only 10 out of 1000 in NYC are gourmet.  The business is still dominated by the questionably-safe gut trucks, and in some areas, the only place you can find a food truck at all is the local carnival.  This leaves people with the impression that you are serving hot dogs & funnel cakes, and many will pass you by (or ask you for a hot dog).  It takes time to get the word out that you are doing something new, different, better.  But once you do that, you will start developing a following.

3)  It's hard to develop enough volume to get the best food pricing.  This will cut into your sales & profits until you get some momentum.

4)  Storage, water, power, all need to be sorted out, and may not be available at your desired location.  On-board generators are great, but they are loud, have to be filled every day (gas being expensive), and probably can't run all night.  So you have to get your food transferred to a refrigerated location (or the entire unit to another power source).  Fresh water has to come from somewhere, and gray water has to go somewhere.  Utilities will be expensive to install.  I've been quoted everywhere from $600 to $5000 to run electricity -- it depends on what is available at the site.

5)  Your guests are not protected from the weather, so your business is susceptible to heat, cold, rain, snow, wind, etc.  Most people, looking for the indoor, sit-down experience will go elsewhere to eat.  You'll be limited to the intrepid outdoor diners and the takeaway crowd.

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Many of us look forward to a wonderful experience and pleasurable food when we go out to eat, especially when celebrating a special occasion, it's as simple as making a reservation and spending the time of our lives and enjoying every moment there is to cherish with a significant other or even alone, feeling the nourishment that food brings into our daily lives. It's a simple concept to understand, but what we over look is asking ourselves where all of this comes from? and how is it made possible? There are people in this world, given the talent, that do this for a living, and make it their purpose in life and it's where things get more complex. What a chef to you is someone who is intelligent and creative, who creates food from their sou driven from experience and culture, but what is really going on in those mind's behind that unimaginably claustrophobic kitchen line? what truly lies in between the walls of a professional kitchen? I'm sure if you watch the food network it all seems too easy and perfect, but the truth is that on our side, it is more comparable to a battle field rather than the relaxing experience that one feels in the dining room.

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OK, in making Stuffed Cabbage or what we call " Hiluiki", I know you steam the cabbage, but after it is all done the cabbage is to tuff! What can be done to tender up the cabbage? We have noticed that after letting it set over night and reheating it the cabbage is much more tender than it was the night before! This is the recipe we use. What can we add or do to make cabbage tender?
Thank You For Your Time and Wisdome!
Rev. Michael Hagan

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I recently attended the American Culinary Federation’s 2011 Southeast Regional Conference held here in Atlanta. I have been to many ACF conferences over the years, some good, some great and others just ok.  From past experience, I arrived somewhat skeptical of the culinary knowledge that I would absorb over the coming days. I really liked the lineup on paper: lots of local cutting edge chefs, timely subject matter such as dealing with Gluten restricted diets and a few fillers thrown in to help pay the bills (for which I can’t fault them).  In fact the schedule read more like a Star Chefs Conference then an ACF event.

I take my toque off to the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the American Culinary Federation and the team at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel for putting together such an amazing conference. This was not your Daddy’s typical ACF conference. I was very impressed with not only the chef presenters and the diverse subject matter presented, but all components including the trade show and special events. There was great knowledge, thought provoking ideas and cutting edge techniques around every corner.

In one of the seminars that I attended, Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene fame played with liquid nitrogen. Volcanic-like plumes of vapor, menacing chunks of frozen hominy and bacon powder flying through the air and the unrehearsed equipment failures all combined to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. It was truly a treat to listen to such an awe inspiring Chef share his philosophy and vision for what he does and believes in. Other highlights for me were Chef Kevin Rathbun's shoot from the hip synopsis of his life’s journey and how he put together his growing restaurant group. He really captured the imagination of the crowd and ran out of time, which rarely if ever happens at one of these events. Of course, there were the ACF Certified Master Chefs doing their own incredible demos, but we have come to expect that as one of the fundamental components of any ACF Conference and it is somewhat oddly taken for granted.

I have come away from this conference with a lot of respect for the ACF and its leaders. Hopefully this conference will serve as a benchmark for all future conferences. If you have not attended an ACF meeting or event in the last year or two, you are missing out on opportunities to learn, network and regain the passion often lost in the daily grind that we all experience.

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Most of my days are filled with a series of emotional highs and lows. One moment I can experience the exhilaration associated with executing near perfection, only to be deflated moments later when something does not reach my standards. You don’t have to be a Four Star Chef at a high end restaurant to feel this way. Passion and pride are not exclusive to any single segment of the industry, ethnicity, gender or age; you either feel this way or you don’t.

I beat myself up pretty good when things don’t work out as planned. Sleepless nights followed by stress filled days are common occurrences. Those days are lost forever! What a waste of my most precious resource, time. I know that during these challenging times, many of my fellow Chefs are feeling the same strain. We are all on edge. Uncertain of what tomorrow will bring and how our daily performance will influence our futures, we sweat it out through the end of each month, hoping and praying we hit our numbers and live to cook another month.

A little extra planning, a few more hours committed to the job, and a backup plan for most everything will allow you to better enjoy your down time. You may actually have a little less down time, but it will be higher quality down time and definitely worth considering. Remember that even the worst day will come to an end, try to brush yourself off, learn from it and set yourself up for future success.

Here are a few stress buster suggestions.

* Answer all emails, return all phone calls, and read all change logs  and daily reports before you go home. Ignorance is bliss until you're called on it. Know the answer; that’s what they pay you for.

* Read and know upcoming menus for at least a week in advance; run scenarios; think them through to identify and solve potential challenges.

* Plan your daily 5 minute staff standup meeting to provide the most useful and pertinent information, such as specials, prep lists and anything out of the ordinary.

* If you don’t have people you can trust to purchase, properly receive and store food. You need to oversee it. I can't tell you how many nights I counted steaks, not sheep, running scenario after scenario through my mind. Did we get that? Is it enough? This is not the way to recharge your batteries.

* Know your numbers before they're official. Run a daily food, labor and line item cost through a spread sheet.

* Don’t serve what you shouldn’t. I would rather 86 something than serve inferior or poorly prepared foods. In a preplanned banquet setting, you don’t always have this option. Proper planning and execution are crucial. Don’t be cheap; buy quality ingredients, and have a backup plan. You won't regret it.

* You're not running a test kitchen; cook what you know. Your customers expect a quality product for their hard earned money. Specials and new items must be researched, practiced and perfected before rolling them out.

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Today I will suggest a small "divertimento". As I mentioned in my previous post, I go to the village market every Saturday and buy fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. I usually buy fruit and veg for the whole week. The game I suggest is the following: in the picture you can see my fruit and veg basket for a whole week. How many fruit and vegs can you find and identify? :-) By the way, in the background to the right you can see my Oster Professional Series. Love it! Here's the pic anyway

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Mediterranean Food and Sun

Ok, this is my first entry in the blog and my hope is to have a very open blog where everybody can contribute, ask me about anything (about cooking and even non-cooking issues), and this way keep a very openminded blog. 

I live in the greater Barcelona region in Spain, in a small village just by the sunsparked Mediterranean. This is a great place to live in, with plenty of wonderful fresh produce, as I will talk about in other posts, good restaurants, an easygoing attitude, beautiful beaches and scenery. My philosophy in cooking is using fresh, local, and seasonal produce (of course there are quite a few exceptions used in my cooking). I don't like cutting corners when I cook. Which means that if e.g. a nice, rich soup need 10 hours of cooking... that's what it gets. I also love going to the local farmers market and buy the vegetables and fruit of them. What I still haven't done though is going to the fish auction. Basically because I don't know where and when I should go (I know... very early), and if I need some sort of special license to go there. When I go I will take a few pictures though, for you to see how a real Mediterranean fish auction looks like.

 I thought I would give you the "real deal" in paella making. The Spanish "national dish". A paella can be made of anything (seafood, inland, vegetables, etc), and every chef/cook/home cook, etc, has his/her own way of making the paella, not only by ingredients, but also by using different techniques. However, I will explain how I make paella. Or rather, how I prefer the paella.

 For 4 servings you will need the following:

 

• 1 fresh cuttlefish (aprox. 400-500 gr.)
• 12 fresh shrimps
• 4 fresh crayfish
• 250 gr. mussels
• 250 gr. clams
• fish stock
• 1 green pepper (italian type is best)
• 1 onion
• 2 medium tomatoes
• five handfuls of rice (I know, not very orthodox way to write a recipe, but it works fine). I.e one handful per person + one for the pan (the Spanish way of measuring)
• 1 clove of garlic
• parsley
• saffron

 

Pour some olive oil in the paella pan. That's a broad and low pan if you haven't seen one before. Fry the shrimps and the crayfish just a few seconds, just enough for the olive oil to get the flavour. Remove and reserve.

Clean and dice the cuttlefish in 2x2 or even 3x3 cm. VERY IMPORTANT! Reserve the green liver for later use. Fry the cuttlefish 3-4 min, until it starts expelling water. You can hear it by the noise it makes, the same when water comes in contact with hot oil. Then add the chopped onion and green pepper. Don't use too much of green pepper as it would dominate the flavour. Sizzle for 4-5 minutes. Make sure the onion doesn't roast and the green pepper burn (of course).

Peel and chop the tomatoes in small dices (brunoise). Add them to the paella. Sizzle for 5 minutes. Add the cuttlefish liver you previously reserved. The easiest way is to either cut it up with a knife, or even cleaner is to cut it with a pair of scissors. The liver is a thick sauce-like "gunk" (sorry about the poor explanation). Let it blend well with everything else in the pan.

Clean the mussels and boil them in some water. No need to cover the mussels. Strain the mussels and keep the water. We will use it to add richness to the stock.

Now's the time for the rice. Add it and blend it well with everything. Don't add any stock quite yet. Let it fry in the pan while you stir it for a couple of minutes.

Now you add the stock and the water form the mussels, just enough to barely cover the rice. I always stir during the cooking process, and add stock just a risotto, because I like my paella to be "moisty", but if you like it to be dry, don't stir and add as much water as you will need. Salt the paella, but be careful though, as the stock made from fish and the water from the mussels has salt. 

After 12 minutes add the saffron, crush the garlic and parsley in a mortar and add that too. 5 minutes before the rice is ready, add the clams and the mussels. The last couple of minutes I add the crayfish, and finally the shrimps.

If you're as lucky as I am that you can make the paella over woodfire, that's the most preferrable.

I wanted to add a picture of a paella I made a couple of weeks ago but I will have to learn how to do that.

 

Bon profit!

 

 

 

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