My two weeks with the temp agency

During these past few months, as with most of us, times have been tough. Money's tight, gas prices go up and bills keep coming in no matter how much we wish them away.

Well, to lessen this blow and to meet my obligations as a husband and father, I decided to pick up a few hours at a local temp agency. To sum up my experiences, you could say it was both fun and humbling. Just when you think you hate your job, try not having enough money coming in to make the mortgage. Scary stuff.

My first gig was at a new lodge in the area. This place is unbelievably gorgeous. The food is awesome and the crew is very professional. My kinda place. They were having their grand opening bash with multiple stations and rooms full of food. They even had a room designated to dessert with two 6 foot chocolate fountains and tons of store bought chocolate truffles.

When I first walked in, I was treated a little like someone who smelled bad or something, lol. A chef that was helping out pointed towards a pot of boiling water and asked me if I knew how to cook ravioli. In my head, I wanted to answer with a smart ass remark, but, being the professional that I try to be, I refrained and just answered with a simple, "Yes". After spending the next 30 minutes boiling agnolotti (not ravioli, dude) and having this self proclaimed sous chef prodigy come by and taste and poke and prod at a couple dozen, asking me if I thought they were done enough, I was finally done.

But, after they realized I wasn't their average crack head temp worker, they eased up a little and the rest of the night went extremely well. I manned the Risotto de Fungi station where I warmed risotto and dried chantrelle mushrooms with chicken stock and pecarino in front of about 300 of Charlotte's most impressionable people, laughing my ass off with the guy working next to me on a salad station. I love being around people and making them feel special, it was a blast.

I have to say though, I've worked in some amazing places where there are people that specialize in setting up stations to look like cities or wal-marts or whatever. I've been to buffets where you feel like you're surrounded by a city of ice statues and wedding cakes, but I've never seen anything more ingenious than some of the things the chefs were pulling off there that night. They had an "around the world" theme going. This is not unusual or unique, but the way they pulled it off was insane and just awesome. There was a tropical bar with incredible fruit carvings and crazy drinks, a Brazilian grill station where they were grilling steaks, sausages and chicken right on these huge griddles like you'd see on the streets of South America. The only thing missing were the mules and wild chickens running around!

They had an Asian Wok station. A long row of about 15 woks, each filled with a different Asian street food. I was not able to get any pics of that to my dismay, but I promise, it was impressive.

I could go one a while longer, but I'd bore you. It was just impressive. I hope to be able to use a few of those ideas in the future. I was concerned, however, about the ingredients that were used throughout this gala. On one extreme, they flew in hand-made marshmallows from California for the chocolate fountain, the agnolotti I just mentioned were hand made and flown in from Texas, they had prosciutto's, Parmesans, dried cured beef and so on that would make most Italians cry with happiness! Hand made sausages and dry ages meats. Yea, my kinda grub. But then...the other extreme. They were sauteing their pre-sliced onions in WHIRL for fuck sakes! Serving rock hard out of season melons, using grocery store bread and opening cans for some easily sourced items. It didn't make any sense to me. I was concerned about their inconsistency. It put off a bad vibe for me. It's almost like they were trying to impress someone but didn't want to impress them TOO much. Shit, I'm sure they had their reasons, but that's not something I nor most of my colleagues would have done, I'm sure.

Well, enough of that. Overall, I would definitely work for them. They seem like a bunch of great people and hard workers, which is what its all about in the end, in most cases.

So, moving on to job number 2. Well, if I say to you that I went from one extreme to the other, I would be understating more to you than someone saying rotten potatoes "kinda smell". Now, I don't mean any disrespect to anyone that works at this place, not at all. I met some of the nicest and down to earth, humbled and non arrogant people I have EVER and most likely WILL ever meet in my life! But, first of all, I had to get up at 3:30 am to arrive by 5:00 am each morning. I don't know how they do it. A few of them get there at 3:30am! YIKES! Then, they made me dress up like the bastard son of a clown and a nurse, lol. Hair nets, lab coats, gloves, sanitation is #1! Cool. I like that.

The food...well..., the only time I used a knife was to cut open freezer bags and box tops. Wait, I take that back, I had to use a knife another time to lob (yes "lob", this knife was like the equivalent of the safety-scissors-you-give-to-the-special-kid-in-3rd-grade-dull!) frozen bread sticks in half so they would fit into the serving try (with this asshole corporate chef making remarks about why it's taking me so long to cut bread while he walks around with a clip board, lol, wow, what a dick). Sorry, had to mention that. He was trying to be funny, but with 2 hours sleep and no coffee in site, I wasn't feeling very jovial, lol.

Instead of listing my duties, I'll just list the things we worked with: enough canned pudding to drown a camel (they even had an air powered can opener, they MUST open a lot of cans!), fully cooked heat-n-serve fried chicken, fully cooked heat-n-serve grilled chicken breast with, we think, are painted on grill marks, fully cooked "meat"loaf, powdered gravy mix, frozen corn, carrots and/ or green beans in rotation, canned marinara sauce, 35 pound tubs of pre-made tuna and chicken salads, thaw and serve peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and so on and so forth. After this week, whirl and pre-sliced onions were forgivable.

Like I said, I'm not knocking anyone personally (except that corporate "chef"), but this is what our children in public schools are being fed. This is what our grand parents in government subsidised nursing homes are being forced to eat. Sad.

I'm sure they have their reasons and anyone might and would justify that crap if you asked them, I'm just blown away by that. Crazy thing is, I worked for that same company under a different sector that catered to the private school "richy-riches" of the world and they bragged about how "scratch made" everything was and how processed food was a big "no-no" and that "WE" don't allow frozen anything and canned ecetera to be used because its not wholesome! That they have professional chefs on staff and they don't need can openers or fryers because everything is painstakingly created with love, blah blah. So, apparently, you (or your parents) have to be doctors in order for you to get a true healthy meal, but if you're anywhere near the poverty level, you get to eat processed BS while you learn your ABCs and before you die of old age.

My family grew up with not a lot of money. What extra money we did have, my dad usually drank, lol. But, no matter what, my family fed us awesome food. I guess my point is, you don't need a lot of money to make healthy scratch-made food without additives and crap in it, you just need skill and a little passion. Laziness is not the way of the future. Its not always about pinching pennies so the big corporate dudes can drive a new BMW every 6 months and brag about their mistresses over goose and crans and Cubans. Ah, you get my point. Being on both sides of the coin showed me a new way to look at things and given me even more reason to cook well and teach others to do it for themselves too.

Shit, go to a farmers market and go make your kids some hand made pizzas. Costs less then 2 slices of pizza from your local pie shop and your kids will never forget it. Kids love to play with dough. So what if you have to have the maid stay late to clean up the mess, its OK!

Anyway, here are some pictures, thanks for reading this far! :)

Brazilian Grille

Funny Ass Salad Guy!

Risotto Station

Angelotti Pasta Station

Jeesh, Whirl and olive oil blend, have MERCY!!!

Canteen with the Cambro's ready to go and feed our kids and the elderly.

The food line.

This sweet woman, hard worker and tired. I loved her. She made getting there at 5am almost enjoyable. I mean that.

Wow, now THAT'S some niller puddin'! See the air-powered can opener? WOW!

The crew, now those hair nets are HOT!

ACF Southeast Regional Convention Food Competition...

As many of you may already know by following my status on facebook, I recently had the honor and opportunity to partake in this past weekends ACF food competition. I entered into two categories, hot food (K4, Lamb Rack) category and cold food (B1 - 6 appetizer courses). With the help from a fellow chef at a local hotel, my main man Mike during slicing and glazing, my patient wife, gallons of coffee and most importantly God, it finally came and went.

I didn't place in either category, meaning I didn't win one medal for my troubles. Well, I did win something, actually, a "Certificate of Completion" for being there with my last name misspelled. It kinda reminded me of a time in second grade when I got one just like it for reading a book for extra credit, but this one cost me about 600 bucks in entry fees and food, lol.

But, as was pointed out on more than one occasion, I got to compete with friends and learn and that's all that matters. Well, sorry folks, learning is important, yes, and competing with your buddy's and fellow chefs that you love and respect is fun, agreed, but we all know that losing two categories in a row after spending about 60 hours cooking, testing, reading, NOT SLEEPING, slicing, glazing and so on, is a pisser. (Sorry, couldn't think of a better word that didn't include an "F" or a "K".)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter (well, actually, I am a little. It's just been 24 hours since I left the convention center, lol). The judges handed me my scrotum in a glass, pretty much, but nothing they critiqued me on was wrong. It's perfection we strive for and they expect it. I deserved everything I got, and that's OK.

Best of all, though, I had a blast making the food, it's what I do as a chef. Making food, whether it be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or pate en croute, making food makes me happy and gives me a little rush every time. But, competing is a whole different realm of culinarianism (is that a word?). This is the food that separates the men from the boys. It's like making my moms mac and cheese for my mom, it's THAT tough. Compare it to trying to cut your own hair with dull scissors without your glasses in a foggy mirror. Sure, it could be done but you have to be a bad ass to impress anyone with the results. Seriously.

Anywho. Thanks to everyone that supported me through this. Overall, I really had a great time and look forward to pulling up my bootstraps and doing another competition very soon! First though, I'm going to go for my certified executive chef exam this June, stay tuned for blogs about that. Meanwhile, check out the menu and some pictures.

Cold food menu:

Poached Salmon and Lemon Terrine with Shiitake Mushroom Soba Noodle Salad and Soy Ginger Glace.

Canapés Assortment: Grilled Smoked Honey-Cured Duck on Parsnip Galette w/ Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette, Trout Mousse in Barquette with Roe and Red Onion Confiture on Potato Blini with Crème Fraiche and Caviar.

Pate de Compagne En Croute w/ Brown Sugar Fig Brulee and Spicy Toasted Walnuts.

Chicken Galantine w/ Pistachios and Dried Cherries, Bourbon Apricot Tart and Balsamic Reduction.

Rabbit Pie in Parmesan Prosciutto Crust, Poached Baby Root Vegetables and Basil Pistou.

Scallop Trio: Scallop Mousse in Cucumber Cups with Brunoise Vegetable Garni, Pan-Seared Diver Scallop with Dill Caper Aioli and Hickory Smoked Scallop Ceviche with Preserved Lemon Dill Marmalade.

Hot food menu:

Lamb Loin Roulade Stuffed with Greek “Loukanika” Sausage, Roasted Baby Root Vegetables, Sweet and Russet Potato Gratin and Rosemary Lamb Demi-Glaze.

And some pictures, just click on anyone to take you to my flickr page to see more show food pictures:

House-Made Demi Glaze Demo

So, I have this awesome food competition coming up this month in Charlotte. I've entered into both a K4 hot food and B1 cold food categories. I'll post some info on that soon.

The sauce for my K4 (1 hour hot food category where Bone-In Lamb Loin is the protein) is going to be a rosemary lamb demi glaze. Since the initial demi takes so long to make, I've decided to make it today and freeze it. A couple days before the event, I'll just pull it out and it'll be thawed and ready for service. Of course, we can't actually BRING any finished demi with us, we are however allowed to bring a double beef stock and reduce it on site. That works out a lot better anyway because it gives me more control over the finished sauce.

Anyway, thought I'd share with you this process of making one of my favorite sauce bases. Being as scratch made is ALWAYS better when it comes to sauces and stocks, I want to show you that, even though this process is lengthy, it's very easy and inexpensive to make yourself.

Check out the pics and info below:

Line your beef or veal bones on a sheet pan.

Rub them down with canola oil.

Roast them in a 375F oven until very brown, turning occasionally, for about 2 hours, more or less.

They should look like this when done.

Roughly chop some mire poix (50% onions, 25% carrots and 25% celery) into large chunks. After removing the roasted bones, put the veg onto the same pan and rub them down with about a 1/2 cups of tomato paste.

Roast them, turning occasionally, until caramelized.

Add the roasted vegetables to the roasted bones in a large stock pot, place the sheet pan over a burner or two on medium heat and deglaze with about 1/2 cup of red wine and some water. Bring to a simmer, scraping the pan well, reduce slightly and add that liquid with all your new-found bits in with the vegetables and bones.

Add any vegetable scraps you may have laying around (no carrot or onion skins, they will make things bitter!) along with about 6 bay leaves, a tablespoon of whole peppercorns and a bunch of fresh thyme, to the stock pot and cover in COLD water.

Bring this liquid JUST to a boil, reduce heat to a medium simmer (bubbles should barely break the surface)...



...and remove any scum/ foam that may float to the top with a ladel.

Let that large pot of goodness simmer for about 12 hours. This will extract great things out of your roasted bones, veg and herbs. The liquid by itself is an awesome beef broth/ stock, but you can reduce this liquid in a smaller pot to about half and get a really rich double stock or demi glaze. This reduction is great as a base for other sauces such as Espanole.

Some of the finished product. After it cools you will see a film of beef fat on top, just skim that off, enjoy or freeze for a later time.

Adult cooking class at the Wilkinsons

Last night was a great evening filled with tutorials, wine, fun, cosmos, food, wine and, did I mention wine?

I led 5 couples into the fun world of creating pasta from scratch. Seems to be one of my most popular and very economical cooking classes. People are always amazed by how easy it is to create their own ravioli and fettuccine with little more than a few eggs and some flour.

We filled the ravioli with spinach and ricotta, seasoned with lemon zest and Parmesan cheese. Cooked in boiling salted water and served with their choices of scratch made marinara, pesto or garlic herb butter.

To start the evening off though, we walked through the steps of creating two simple appetizers. A simple bruschetta with ricotta and pesto and goat cheese filled Parmesan cups with bacon. Everything used for the appetizers was also used with other parts of the meal. So, nothing went to waste! In these tough times, waste is not an option with home cooks and chefs alike.

To accompany the meal, we created an awesome Parmesan garlic herb bread and a spring mix salad tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. Needless to say, everyone was happy and full. My job was simply accomplished.

Cool thing about cooking classes in peoples homes is that I not only get to do what I love to do, but I get to show others how easy and cheap it is to make these incredible dishes without spending gobs of money. A bowl of scratch made raviolis at some restaurants could fetch upwards of 30 bucks! We fed 10 people a full Italian style pasta dinner with creme brulee custard for dessert for about 8 bucks a head! Hows that for a stimulus package?! :)

Any who, here are a couple pictures of the happy eaters/ students.

My official 100th post! Demo number 2 at Chocolatier Barracund

Wow, 100 posts since the beginning back in 2005. Crazy how time flies. I've learned a lot these past 3 1/2 years. Met some great people, met some douche bags (you know who you are), and best of all, ate some awesome food. Yes, less I forget, I created some great food too. Ah, the food business, gotta love it. Wonder how many hours I put in since then?

So, this past Saturday, I did a food demo at a friends chocolate shop. It was the second of a monthly series and, hopefully, many to come in the future. Between the rain and the sale going on at the new IKEA, there was a small crowd of 4 people this time. They were the lucky ones. They learned how to make summer rolls with sambal and ate their weight in free samples.

Hoping for a larger turn out next month. May 2nd is the next date so come check us out!

Local artisan coffee roaster company...

As many of you may already know, I am a home coffee roaster. I started this hobby a few months ago and haven't looked back since.

I was able to get a tour of a local artisan coffee roaster in my area. It was quite a treat. Saw a couple really old machines and saw how small batch coffee is made. Was really cool.

Check these pics out:

My pork belly, the "cure" for my cravings/ Part 3, the Finale!

So, if you're following along at home, you may have noticed the wonderful rewards I've earned from giving my 11+ pound fresh pork belly a good home. We made three kinds of cured American style bacon and a flat pancetta called a "stresa". Well, my patience has been rewarded. The pancetta FINALLY had been drying long enough to use.

I decided, since it was breakfast time, to make a hash using my new porky snack with a few other yum-yums I scored from our local producers.

First, I diced up a little bit of this stresa. When I cut into it, I noticed the shear beauty of dry-cured meat and fat staring at me, taunting me, wow. Picture perfect!

I rendered it off until slightly crisp in a saute pan, threw in some half-cooked pan fried potatoes, a dollop of local home-made sweet cream butter (pork fat AND butter? you bad boy!). I let that melt and then added some local organic eggs that had the most orangey yolks I've ever seen! They were glowing like the sun! T'was quite a site.

Lastly, after the eggs were almost done, I threw in a handful of cows milk feta cheese and melted that all together. Few splashes of Chalula Hot Sauce (not local, but hell, it's the best!) and off I went to the big nosh. Washed it down with a few cups of my latest batch of Colombian beans and I was set up for some great things to come (including some flatulence that would indeed haunt me later, but I digress).

I'm trying not to use cuss words in my blog as much as I've been known to, so I can't tell you how holy-shit amazing this was to eat (oops, one slipped out ;) ) . Check out the pictures for yourself.

The finished stresa, what a site to see!

Crispy home-fries like mom used to make :)

"stresa and potatoes sittin' in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G."

Followed up by the whore herself, the adulteress, sweet cream local butter. WHO'S YER DADDY!?

IT'S A BOY? (NO, it's a cholester-f**k :) )

Slow Food Charlotte Potluck Dinner

Back on March 5th, I was invited to attend the local Slow Food Charlotte Monthly Pot Luck Dinner. There were about 20 of us and we were to each bring a dish that was either our specialty or a dish that reflected our heritage. For instance, if you're from New England, you might bring a dish called "Gorton", which is a pork spread made with ground pork and spices (you might remember a past blog of mine that mentioned my childhood love of pies filled with the stuff!, yum!).

Anyway, there were all sorts of great dishes. From spinach soup made with organic spinach and potatoes, to manicotti filled with cheese to some of the best breads I've ever had! The hostess made this Lamb Shank dish that blew me out of the water. It's really great when someone cooks a lamb shank so perfectly. It's a treat, for sure.

I met some great people who share my love for all things food. It's such a relief to know that we are out there, the food lovers, and that people actually do appreciate good food as a passion and not just filling a hole.

In case you're wondering, I brought a huge 9x12x4 beef and cheese lasagna made with home-made pasta that I infused with thyme and cracked black pepper. It was layered with a goat cheese and cream cheese filling with lemon zest, garlic and Parmesan as well as a house-made marinara sauce. It was topped with gobs of mozzarella.

Unfortunately, the pasta was a little thirstier than I had expected and it sucked up most of the sauce, thus resulting in a slightly dried out version of something that could have been mind-blowing. Everyone said they loved it but, they were being overly nice. I blame all the wine they were drinking, lol. Ah, chef's are their own worse critics, right!?

Check out these pictures:

Party at Chef Charles Catering!!

Recently, I had the honor and the pleasure to work for Chef Charles Semail at Chef Charles Catering in Charlotte, NC. We was doing a private event for a few of the cities most influential people in the food service world. We did a multi-course dinner for about 16 people. Food was awesome and I was very proud to be a part of it!



As people were trickling in, they were met by a couple appetizers. Chef Charles Catering has this huge smoker in the back and smoked some chicken wings. They were rubbed in a special blend of spices then smoked in hickory. We tossed them in two types of house-made barbecue sauce (mild and hot) and served them with celery sticks, blue cheese dressing and chipotle ranch. Simple setup but those wings were, and I'm not exaggerating, the BEST I've ever eaten. I mean, I've been on this planet for over 37 years and been to every state on the east coast and I've NEVER had wings like these. Perfectly cooked with the right amount of hickory smoke and spice. Jeesh.


The menu was pheasant-themed to commemorate a hunting trip they all went on in South Dakota last year. So, as one would expect from the chef, he created a pheasant pate platter. The center piece was the body of a gorgeous pheasant with all the pate sliced perfectly and layed around with assorted accompaniments. Check out the picture:


Was just awesome. The flesh of the bird was taken out properly and used in the pate. The body was then stuffed with a cabbage head and set in a natural pose. Sweet.

There were tons of expensive wines to chose from as well. All layed out by Sylvain. Prices ranging from 20 dollar bottles to bottles costing over 150 bucks! Everyone was really impressed so far and they hadn't even started dinner yet!

After everyone sat down, we served them the first of 4 courses.

Course number one was an egg roll filled with pheasant confit, dried cherry's, brandy and some spices. It was then fried, cut on a bias and placed with a baby arugula salad, finely julienned multi-colored radishes and a baby heirloom tomato salad tossed in a shallot and herb vinaigrette. Wow, was it great! Perfect flavors and uses of textures.

Course number two was a pheasant pot pie. I made this basic flavorful pot pie filling using pheasant stock (roasted bones, mire poix, red wine, tomato paste, herbs and water), vegetables and the breast and thighs of the pheasant. I placed it in a ramekin and sealed the top with puff pastry, brushed it with egg wash and baked it until golden brown and delicious. The result was this puffed dome of buttery goodness that you had to break through with your spoon. Beneath this layer of goodness was the bubbly stew of veloute, vegetables, potatoes and chunks of pheasant. Outstanding!

Course number three was the main course. It consisted of a red-wine marinated breast of pheasant, roasted baby root vegetables (turnips, carrots, red onion and leeks), and truffle mashed potatoes in a puff pastry ring. All was served with an awesome red wine sauce.

The last course was dessert. We made a bread pudding with rum-soaked raisins, chocolate chips and sweet spices. Poured a killer custard over the top and baked until just done. We then topped it with a lemon ice cream made with creme anglaise and garnished with assorted chocolate candies that the chef made in-house.

To make the night even MORE enjoyable, the chef invited me to join them for dinner. I've never worked for anyone like that before. I've always been the guy or the guy managing the people cleaning up and eating the left overs!

It was a great event and everyone (including the Chef and I) were very pleased with the food.

At the end of the night, belly's full and buzzed with a lot of great wine, the guests departed with a thank you gift of country pate in a canning jar that was decorated by the vivacious Emily.

Just awesome and, like his mantra states, they have a "Passion for Food and an Obsession for Detail". I look forward to working with them again soon.

Tarheel Catering; Smoke, Beef and Rain on a Saturday Night.

So, a couple Saturday nights ago, Kevin from Tarheel Catering and a few of us got together up in Albemarle at Uwharrie Vineyards. Tarheel Catering is a catering company based in Statesville, NC and his company's specialty it charcoal cooking done right. No propane, no briquettes, just real hard wood coals on a HUGE custom-made drum-style grill. Pretty impressive set-up.

I'd answered an ad I saw on Craigslist to pick up a few extra bucks. As with most of the people in the cheffing biz, we're struggling to make ends meet and need a little more money these days. Kevin and I talked over the phone a few times and hit it off right away. Great guy and I appreciated the chance to help out!

But, we earned our money that night, for sure. Check out what happened:

The event was a wine club dinner for over 180 people. We had a little "weather" to say the least. It was day two of a four day rain storm that just wouldn't let up. And, to make matters worse, it was WINDY as SHIT! Before I was to assume the grilling position, I helped make the salads. Simple spring mix salad with the usual fixin's of grape tomatoes, onion, cucumbers and a hoola-hoop sized ring of green bell pepper to tie it all together.

Then, after a quick chop of some red potatoes, Kevin's wife put them in the oven (she's not pictured) with a little chopped red onion, garlic and some spices.

He had put up a huge tent over the grilling area to keep us dry and keep the wind off of us. The wind was whipping bad. We both thought that the tent was going to blow away like Dorothy's house! But, small problem with that setup is that, although we were dry and semi-wind-free, we were becoming a couple of smoked sausages, lol! My hat and sweatshirt STILL smell like a camp fire. I finally had to open up a wall to let in some air.

Kevin had a great idea to knock these 180 steaks out fast. He covered 2 8-foot prep tables in plastic sheeting and layed the steaks out, oiled them, seasoned them, and we then threw them on the grill. We fit about 60 steaks on at a time. After they were done to Kevin's liking, we placed them in a Cambro hot box to keep them warm for service.

We had a great time, people were pleased and I met another colleague to write in my blog about.

Thanks Kevin!