A Chef's Journal

Ok, ok, alright already!  I get it!  It’s been waaaaaaaayyyyy too long since my last posting.  Last year in fact.  Can you believe it’s 2010 already?  I hope the new year is treating everyone well.  Alot has happened since my last blog, so I’ll get right to it. 

Chef Jeremiah did leave for greener pastures and is now the sous chef at Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor.  So what about his replacement?  Well, Chef John is filling those shoes these days.  We decided that rather than bring in someone new, we would promote from within.  While John doesn’t have years of fine dining experience, he does love to cook.  And he is developing and honing new skills every day.  The great part about having a young chef is that I get to pass on my years of experience and build my own ‘little culinary soldier’.  Yes, I said soldier.  I say this because it takes discipline, commitment and training to be top notch in this business.  Much like the military, you must be ready to do battle when the siren blows.  Too many people are disillusioned to the fact that what they see on T.V. is real.  It’s television, it’s entertainment.  It takes a person with special qualities to hang in there for the long haul.  The things these shows don’t show you is all the preparation and continual cleaning performed on a daily basis.  Ever cleaned a grill that’s had food cooked on it for hours?  Ever cleaned a deep fryer?  How about a grease trap?  Believe me, if you never did, you aren’t missing a thing.  I applaud those kitchen staff who do their jobs day in and day out.  Thank you! 

Now since we moved John into the saute position, we had to replace him with another body.  After conducting two interviews, we were fortunate to find a helicopter pilot to take his spot.  Did I say pilot?  Yes I did.  Well, to be honest, he does have a good culinary background.  I’m crazy but I’m not that crazy.  But if you think about it, if someone is trusted to fly, certainly they should be responsible in the kitchen.  And he is.  Like John, his experience in fine dining is limited, but his passion and commitment more than make up for it.  These two have the potential to be very accomplished at their craft.  And I’m pleased they chose us as the place to grow.  The amazing thing is that the quality of food has not suffered through the transition.  This change has given me the chance to stand at the helm once again a steer us in a new direction.  I would put these two up against chefs that have years of experience simply because my training methods are more rigid and demanding than most chefs.  That’s no brag, just fact.  That’s how we’ve come to receive two 5 star reviews in the Toledo Blade, and I fully expect to receive another if these two stay on the cutting edge. 

So while finding a new chef ain’t easy, it is a helk of a ride, a great opportunity for growth and change, and……always ‘a work in progress’!

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It happens every so often that we lose a chef.  And so it is with the soon-to-depart  Chef Jeremiah.  It’s a shame because he is a gifted set a hands.  My wife and I were trying to count the number of cooks we’ve hired and lost in the past 15 years we’ve owned the restaurant.  We counted a dozen or so in that time frame.  Of course, some left for more promising careers and some were asked to depart (at knife point).  Most showed promise and some were just down right gifted.  As a chef and owner, I admit I expect more than the average restaurateur.  You can’t fool me for long in the kitchen.  Either you have it or you don’t.  When you find one that fits you like to hold on to them.  You pay them what they’re worth (as much as the market will bear), and take care of them in hopes the are in it for the long haul.  But honestly, the life expectancy of a good chef  is about 2 to 3 years.  A lot of effort goes into training new employees, and even more effort goes into keeping their interest.  This ‘revolving door’ of chefs is  perplexing.  I can only expect from my own experiences that at some point they get bored and need a new challenge.  My challenge is to replace a good set of hands with a potentially good set of hands.  You can only hope that when you hire someone new you have made a wise choice.  The bigger challenge though is that it isn’t noticeable to your customer.  Customers want and expect what they always get.  And when you own a 5 star restaurant like us the expectations are even higher.  Smooth transition is everything.  Fortunately our reputation has put us in a position that chefs are attracted to work for us.  So we’ll shake the tree and see what (or whom)  falls out.  Hopefully there are no injuries.  I don’t want to lose a chef  before he, or she is hired.  

By the way, I apologize for the infrequency of writing.  It’s been a helk of a month.  I’ll tell you about it soon.  Very soon!

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My apologies for the belated post.  It’s been a couple of busy weeks with business, birthdays, summer activities and revamping the upcoming menu.  I’ll be talking about the new menu in the next few posts, and I promise you’ll love the changes if you are a customer.  But this post will focus on the splendour of pork.  You know, the “other white meat”?  Every so often a brave and close guest at the restaurant will graciously invite us to their place for dinner.  I use the term “brave” because everyone seems to be intimidated by the fact that they are cooking for a chef.  You know, we aren’t much different from the rest of you.  If you cut us we do bleed.  Of course, when we bleed, we bleed cream sauce.  Anyway, this particular couple took one of our cooking classes so we were confident the food would be great.  Our thoughts were right on target.  They prepared a tasty appetizer of smoked oysters wrapped in puff pastry with goat cheese.  It was awesome.  And for dinner we had cucumber salad, a mixed greens salad and zucchini casserole.  All of this from their garden!  It doesn’t get any better than that.  But the entree, oh the entree.  Pork ribs that had been slow roasted all day, then finished with a sweet and spicy sauce.  They had finished it on the grill, slightly charring the outside.  Not burnt, but charred.  There’s a big difference.  Charred imparts a crisp smokiness to the meat.  Burnt tastes like the fire pit outside your house.  In any event, the meat fell off the bone and melted in your mouth.  Thanks to their thoughtful efforts, we had a relaxing evening with some great food and great friends!   

There are several ways to cook pork, with as many types of cuts of meat.  There are ribs, of course, pork loin, pork chop, pork steak, pork butt and pork shoulder.  How do you pick which one?  Well, here’s some food for thought.  My wife recently celebrated another birthday at the beginning of August.  I’m not sure how old she is because the numbers keeps changing like the stock market.  All of our children, their girlfriends and my mother gathered to celebrate the great event.  Catherine wanted to have a pork roast wrapped in banana leaves.  She had recently served one for a party and wanted to try one at home.  So my sous chef, Jeremiah, prepared this beast of a roast wrapped in banana leaves which was rubbed in a blend of spices.  We chose a boneless pork butt, but Chef Jeremiah prefers bone-in.  We put it in the oven at 9:00 a.m. at 250 degrees and pulled it out about 6:00 p.m.  When we cut through the leaves and unmasked the pork, the aroma was incredible.  Pure heaven!  And you could smell how moist it was.  By wrapping the pork in banana leaves and then in foil, it steams slowly, infusing the spices into the meat.  It was so good I couldn’t tell you what else was for dinner.  Wait a minute, yes I can.  Roasted wedges of sweet potatoes tossed in what my son described as one of the wing sauces at Buffalo Wild Wings.  A simple salad was all we needed to finish the plate.  It was so good even cold, we sampled it as an appetizer the next day with some of our friends.  I’m sure this celebration of pork will end at some point.  But while it is here I’m gonna enjoy every morsel that comes my way. 

Thanks for taking the time to read!  I’d really appreciate any comments.  It’s the only way I can tell you’re reading the blog!

Your personal chef,

Chef Tad

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I love to cook!  I love to create!  I can honestly say that sometimes I’m all but consumed with desire and passion for my gift.  Owning a restaurant has given me the unbelievable freedom to do what I desire.  No one telling me what to put on my menu, how to present a dish, no matter how crazy it may seem.  The down side to all of this is that when you own your own business, the one thing that is hard to control are the customers walking through your door.  This economy will no doubt take some time to recover.  The summer is a slow time as well, with graduation parties, weddings, vacations, etcetera.  I don’t like the slow season.  It’s to…….slow.  When I’m slow I tend to get complacent.  This week started out like any other week.  Monday was here and  I was thinking about a group of gourmet diners coming in on Tuesday.  Then Tuesday came.  I checked our bread supply and we were low.  I had been taking a break from making my 12 grain bread and using a very good frozen dough.  It is good, but definitely not the 12 grain.  My choice was simple.  Should I get some more frozen dough, or make the 12 grain bread?  It sounds silly that a small decision like that can change your perspective.  But in that moment, that one decision sparked a fire.  I absolutely love to make bread.  It brought me out of the funk that we all get in from time to time.  You know what I mean?  That feeling that what we do isn’t all that important.  Well, let me tell you something.  That spark felt good!  Really good.  And it changed my perspective.  It was a revelation that everything we do is important, no matter how insignificant it may seem.  These gourmet diners wanted something from me.  They were expecting something from me.  And I was going to deliver.  They wanted an amuse bouche, which is a French culinary term for a small appetizer bite.  I was now challenged to create one.  Sometimes it’s the simple things that are the best.  So I went to the local produce market and got some vine ripened tomatoes.  I created a crab salad and sandwiched it between the layers of tomatoes.  And voila!  A Tomato Napoleon is born.  Oh, I did forget to tell you one important thing.  Before my change I was fresh out of ideas for appetizers.  So my decision to make bread wasn’t such a small decision after all.  The gourmet diners all loved the amuse bouche, and I fulfilled their expectations.       

By now I’m sure you’re wondering what this has to do with food.  Absolutely everything for me.  The way we approach our work is what determines the outcome.  Without joy and passion for what we do, we just go through the motions.  In my profession, that mindset is the difference between feeding for survival or having a dining experience.  I want everyone I serve to have that dining experience.  So the next time you’re hungry, serve yourself a generous helping of perspective to ignite the work you know you love to do!  Nutrition facts:  0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 fat.  But it’s the healthiest meal you can feed yourself!  Trust me!  Thanks for listening.

Your personal chef,

Chef Tad

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I met with one of my wine distributors today.  It’s one of the pleasures we have in the restaurant business.  This particular wine house sells what we consider ‘boutique wines’, which are out of the mainstream market.  My wife and I have always tried to stay out of the mainstream.  We offer that which others usually don’t offer.  Today I sampled some very appealing wines, both in terms of taste as well as value.  I’ve found that our customers, while looking for a great value, are not timid about spending for what they believe is exceptional.  We have gone to great lengths to make sure we deliver what our customers desire.  That being said, todays’ tasting delivered what they (and I) were/was looking for.  Proper grammer?  I don’t know.  Just finished a wine tasting, so don’t critique, just read!  As a boutique wine house, part of their problem is availability, since they work with smaller suppliers.  As well, other wines form different suppliers are playing ’hard to get’.  So it was time to re-vamp the list.  Amoung those wines tasted, some of them stand out.  A traditional Riesling, called Wurzburger Stein Spatlese Troken, was unbelievable.  It brought me back to a trip I took to Europe when I was sixteen.  Any wine that can invoke that response must appear on the list!  Most Americans think Riesling should be sweet.  I challenge you to taste a dry Riesling and let your taste buds decide, not what wine critics tell you to drink.  They underestimate our intelligence for the most part. Another was the Steven Vincent Sauvignon Blanc.  Most Sauvignon Blancs are dry and aggressive.  This one has a subtle start and a bold, dry finish.  Very surprising!  We have been trying to find a replacement for our German Sylvaner.  This Sylvaner is from the Alsace region, which is the area tossed about by the Germans and the French for hundreds of years.  The result is an influence of both countries wine perception.  The wine is sweet, yet dry with tones of citrus.  With all the wine to choose from, the pick from Ann, my sales consultant, was a wine produced in Michigan.  Michigan?  Yes.  Round Barn Winery makes a Vineyard Demi-Sec that I think fits the mold very well.  Thus proving that Michigan wines CAN hold their own against other wines of the world!  

I should talk about the fact that every restaurant looks for a great house pour at a reasonable price for us as well as the customer.  A winery called Oak Grove is just what the doctor ordered.  The wine that surprised me with its subtle aromas and taste was the Cabernet Sauvignon.  More so than the Merlot and Petit Sirah.  As we finished the tasting, I tried a spanish wine, which I haven’t tried since our first wine list.  There was a time when Spanish wines dominated our wine list, because that is all we could get in our location.  The Anciano Tempranillo, a 2004 vintage was very smooth yet earthy.  The climate in Spain is dry and arid for the most part.  The soil has a high clay content in most regions, giving the wines a distinct flavor.  Most are very robust.  This one is very smooth, yet full flavored. 

I hope this gives you a perspective of the thought a restaurant puts into making sure you have a great dining experience.  I know at least it is true of our restaurant.  Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts!

Your personal chef,

Chef Tad

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I realize the economy is in dire straights these days.  Few know that better than me.  You see, I have owned a restaurant for 15 years in a very small town.  We have enjoyed some good times over the years.  We succeeded in taking a small town pizza bar and turning it into a 5 star restaurant.  No small feat.  Admittedly, we have done some crazy things in this business over the years.  But one thing we have always been is fair with our pricing.  I have built my reputation on this idea.

Customers have asked me over the years what I think of the emergence of Food Network TV.  I used to like watching it when food was the focus.  When it was inspiring!  When cooks were passionate about it.  When they created dishes.  These days it’s more about the media hype than the craft, the profession.  Please don’t confuse the two of them.  One is entertainment and one requires years of training, not to mention blood, sweat and tears.

By now I’m sure you are wondering what this has to with the economy and restaurants.  Well, here we go.  My wife and I went to Cleveland to pick up fresh pasta at Ohio City Pasta for the Frog Leg Inn, our restaurant, this afternoon.  On the way home we stopped at a new place nestled in a strip mall called Bar Symon.  The owner is an acclaimed winner of the Iron Chef.  I was expecting great things from this place.  And why shouldn’t I.  What a reputation he has!  Funny thing about reputation though.  It’s a struggle to live up to it.  It takes a lot of work.  He has four, count ‘em, four restaurants, from Cleveland to Detroit.  I have a hard time with two, let alone four.  It takes a set of big ones just to think about making it in this business.  I applaud him.  As I said earlier, it’s a tough economy.  My issue is with restaurants that try to retire with every meal they sell.  Bar Symon, with their emphasis on bar, was an expensive proposition.  Appetizers are good, but very small at an $8.00 average.  We had two.  The plate presentation was not what was expected from a seasoned professional.  Now I realize he can’t be everywhere, but at least you should ensure dishes are presented properly when absent.  One of our entrees was cold and had to be sent back, served on a room temperature plate.  If their is nothing else you learn in this business, it is this; Hot food on a hot plate, cold food on a cold plate.  Suffice to say that our ‘bar experience‘ cost us $100.00 with tip.  I appreciate good food, and I know a good food experience when it comes along.  This did not deliver.  What leaves a bad taste in my mouth is when I don’t get value for my dollar.  Reputation.  It’s what the public perceives of you.  I don’t blame anyone for making a living.  This is, of course, a capitalist economy.  There’s nothing wrong with using the tools at your disposal.  We’re all blessed with talents.  But let’s be careful on how we cash in on them.  Would I have gone to this bar if the owner didn’t have such a sterling reputation.  Probably not.  But I did, and the media hype won’t snare me again. 

So I pose this question to you, the readers of my first blog entry.  When was the last time you spent $100.00 to go to a bar for a bite?  What has this economy pushed us to?  Am I jealous?  You betcha!  But I also have a conscience.

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