Our family Wilmington trip

My family came to town to visit us for a few days this week from New Hampshire. My entire family has had an affinity with both the sea coast and, of course, food so a two day trip to Wilmington, NC seemed like a great idea to appease both appetites. But, unfortunately, none of them share my love for a good cigar :)


We saw some amazing sites. The Battleship North Carolina is an amazing thing to see. You could spend HOURS on that ship and still not see it all, just awesome. It's one of the highest awarded ships from world war 2 and permanently docked there in Wilmington on the Cape Fear river.


We walked the "River Walk" while gorging ourselves on home made ice cream stuffed in fresh made waffle cones. The smells sucked us in and it was really hard to resist eating at least 2 a day. Every moment the Kilwins Ice Cream shop was opened, there was a line of at least 30 people running out the door. The ice cream shop across the street could only look on with amazement as we all ate our frozen desserts, wondering why said ice cream shop had no customers. Maybe its because they aren't making their own cones. The smell of a house made waffle cone would bring most people to their knees!



We took a horse drawn wagon tour pulled by Ned and Bobby, two rescued horses, around one of the historic neighborhoods in the area. Some of the houses on the tour were built in the late 1700s and still in tact. Its really impressive to see all the amazing homes that look like they did back in the day. Some of the streets are still covered in cobblestone and caused the wagon to bounce us all over the place, lol, funny.


We couldn't be in a great port town without visiting a few great restaurants. There were some really amazing places to eat during our stay. We started off with a great fried fish platter and bar apps at the Surf's Bar and Grille, yum.

One night we ate on the river walk at a place called The Pilot House where I had a really good carpaccio appetizer followed by an awesome tuna main course (I ordered it very rare, of course :) ) mom had a maple glazed salmon, sis had the fillet Mignon and wifey had the crab cakes. We all split a few shrimp cocktail and the girls split a bottle of wine, great night of noshing.

For a quick light lunch, we stopped by a place that makes their own beer, The Front Street Brewery (FST for short). The place was PACKED!!! I mean, there must have been like hundreds of people eating great food and drinking the local brew. There were these HUGE brass beer brewers (no idea what they're called, lol, I'm a chef and I don't drink!). We chowed down on one of the best pulled pork sammiches I've ever had, sweet potato fries, burgers and check out the picture of Frogmore Stew, a local favorite. :)

If you're ever in Wilmington, North Carolina, I think you'd agree it's a great destination to get away for a couple days and hang out by the water. You're really close to some great beaches too. We hung out at Wrightsville Beach and collected shells and put our toes in the sand. That's my idea of relaxation man. Toes-in-sand and the sounds of the ocean is all I need.


And, lets not forget the scenic walks through the local neighborhoods checking out the amazing churches, T-shirt shopping at Wing's, the aquarium and last, but not least, the laughs in the hotel. Wow, good thing we have a sense of humor, eh? Gotta love it.

Cooking demo series begins at William Sanoma

This morning, I began a series of cooking demonstrations for a local William-Sanoma. We began the series with a summer menu based on local and seasonally available produce taking advantage of their incredible selection of gadgets! The demo started at 11 am and went for a couple hours. We also had a local gardener discuss his business and the importance of organic gardening. He brought me some of his victory garden produce which was perfect for the three recipes I demod for the crowd of about 25 people.

More to come so stop by again in a few days!

Check out the pictures:

I started off with a roasted corn and grape tomato salad. The "picked that morning" local corn was rubbed in olive oil, grilled on a table top electric grill and put into this amazingly fresh salad.


This dish was a cold and refreshing cucumber soup. These cucumbers were so fresh and flavorful that when I grated them, people way in the back of the room could smell them, awesome.


Here is a zucchini and tomato dish using really fresh veggies and herbs. Drizzled with some amazingly fruity extra virgin olive oil and maldon sea salt, it was amazing!


The above recipes can be found on their web site.

Farmers market food demos are fun!

I had the pleasure to demo at two local farmers markets in the area these past few weeks. Kinda odd how I got roped into doing that, but was really fun. One of them was a neighborhood farmers market right smack dab in the middle of an eclectic artsy district in downtown Charlotte. I met some of the nicest and down-to-earth people Ive had the pleasure to meet.

I was setup under a small tent in front of the vendors. It was a wicked hot summer day, about 98F and the humidity was close to that as well, yuk! :) With my thick Egyptian cotton chef coat and black pants, I wasn't very comfortable, to say the least, lol. But, when you love what you do, what's a little sweat, ah?

After gathering some generous samples from a few vendors, my demo started. Armed with my wares of a propane burner, salad spinner and cutting board, I did grilled ostrich loin simply seasoned with salt and pepper and local herb infused olive oil, yum, on top of a simple garden salad tossed in a white wine vinaigrette. The entire thing was quick, easy and light almost in a refreshing way. A few visitors gathered around to try the samples and learn a few tricks. I'm such a ham, lol.

The other market was on the other side of the planet, seemingly, in Concord. It's located in a small park in the middle of a tiny rural area in the middle of nowhere. There are some incredible salt of the earth farmers and producers that just rock. They were glad to give me a few samples to cook with, such nice people.

Most vendors at farmers markets are just awesome to be around. They're mostly always happy and love to talk about what they grow or produce. From the health benefits of buying them to where the seeds come from, the breeds, to what soil they use to tons of preparation suggestions. And, when they find out you're a chef, they become almost GIDDY! We both click and realize that their produce, meats or cheeses are going to get a great final resting place.

At the second market, I took my tonnage of samples and, armed with my tiny Weber charcoal grill, hard woods and my favorite boos cutting board, began the creation process. I grilled a marinated skirt steak, sliced it thin, slapped it into a grilled fresh corn tortilla (yes, I made those too, lol) and topped it with their choice of two types of salsas; one made with local peaches, grilled and tossed with sweet onions and hot peppers, the other was a 4-chili and heirloom tomato salsa. Yeah, the 30+ samples went very fast, to say the least.

One vendor gave me like 3 pounds of really fresh okra that I had no idea what to do with. Having grown up in New Hampshire where I've never even HEARD of the stuff, let alone ate it, and, having only ate it in stews and fried in cornmeal after I moved here to North Carolina, I really hated the stuff, to be honest. Its slimy and tastes like it feels, lol. BUT, I had all this left over charcoal heat that was a shame to waste and just tossed some of the okra straight on the grill grate hoping for the best. Wow! It was charred and crisp with no slime! It tasted like the hard woods it was cooked over with a slightly grassy sweet taste, yum! After the cautious okra lovers looked at me like I had 3 heads, I made a few believers out of them. Wow, a healthy way to eat that stuff!? It was a proud moment :)

Cooking, in my opinion, is so much more than just applying heat to food and putting it in your mouth. It's about the creation and thought processes, the gathering of ingredients and information, the teaching and mentoring and the gratification you get from doing all those things. That's what cooking is, its like an all-in-one rush that you cant get from any other profession. Just seeing the look on someones face when they love your food or the excitement they get when they learned how to make something from nothing is what its all about.

I signed up to do a few cooking demos at a local William Sanoma these next 2 months. I'll keep you posted and I'm looking forward to these demos as well!

Last day of the road to my CEC

Yes folks, it's over. I took both tests (cooking and written practicals), blew way more money than I thought the whole ordeal was worth and sent in my paperwork this afternoon for my CEC. I should receive my Executive Chef Certificate in the mail in a few days. I think Ill hang it in my office in a pretty frame. :) More to come about that soon, I just had to share my excitement NOW!

Thanks for following along.

New job, new staff, new menu, new challenges

Wow, what a ride it's been these last 6 weeks. For those of you following along, I started this new chef job at a local country club about a month and a half ago. I was out of work for a good while before that due to lay-offs. We had tons of people praying for us which has truly paid off. Thank you everyone.

Also, I am truly blessed as I know there are many people out there out of work struggling to make ends meet. I thank God that he provided us with this incredible opportunity in my career.

So, I start this job and, to make the biggest understatement of the year, the kitchen was filthy. The equipment had been abused and left in its own grime for a couple years or so. The ice machines weren't fit for healthy ice consumption. There was more black mold on the inside of those things than I care to share. Stuff stuck to the shelves because they weren't cleaned since Regan was in office, lol. You seriously had to pry stuff off of them to use anything. Crazy stuff. To be honest, I'm surprised noone got sick from eating there in the past. So, I held a "cleaning party" on a Monday (clubs closed then) and most of the staff volunteered to help out and we tore the place apart. Now, it's all about maintaining the cleanliness levels.

The kitchen was WAY understaffed. We were like 3 people short or so which effected everything from cleanliness to ticket times to poor moral. It's hard to believe anything got done there at all with the skeleton crew they had back there. I was able to hire a few people who have some great experience which has helped a lot. We have a pretty strong crew now, which is exciting.

The old menu? Um, it's not worth discussing :) Needless to say, I redesigned it from the ground up. We had a new menu tasting last night for the board of directors and it went over perfectly. They loved everything which was a relief. It was a multi-course sampler of most of the menu. From local lettuces, vegetables and fruits to domestic lamb and day boat coastal fish to local made desserts, I was proud of what my guys put out last night.

Tonight, we roll out the new menu unofficially. I decided to run half of the menu tonight and half over the weekend. With the 4th of July weekend upon us, I think that would be a little easier for everyone to handle. Next week we run the entire menu and out with the old menu completely. (thank goodness)

Well, I'll keep you posted with the new job and exciting things that are planned ahead. Cigar and wine dinners are in the works. Chef cooking classes for the members and the like are coming soon. Gonna be awesome :)

On the road to my CEC, part 2

Wow, what a journey! I'm half way to the goal of making it to my CEC (Certified Executive Chef) status. Today I had the pleasure of doing the cooking practical half of a two part testing session. Next week I will begin practicing and studying for the written part of the test. God willing, I pass, I should be certified officially by the middle of August, SAAAWEET! :)


This leg of the journey began two nights ago at the club where I had one of my associates help me pack up all the TONS of stuff I needed to bring with me. There's a picture below to show you what I mean. It's a great idea to stay organized when doing this test as it will be your downfall if your not.

I arrived in the afternoon yesterday in a town called Jamestown, NC, near Greensboro around 4:00, right before the night students arrived. I kinda had the place to myself. I dropped off and staged all my food and equipment at the test location kitchen at Guilford Technical College campus' Hospitality department. I was still missing a key ingredient though.

I decided not to buy lobsters, which is one of the required items for this test, until I arrived in town. I wanted to avoid killing them during the ride down (and, I live in a back woods red-neck infested town that wouldn't know what a live fresh lobster was if it jumped off the sign at that chain place everyone visits for the cheese biscuits!) Anyway, I would have much rather done that myself with my own knife (evil grimace). So, after calling no less than 8 stores, Super Wal-Mart prevails! (once again). So, off I went to get them. It was on the way to my hotel and not too far away, easy cheesy, right? (hmmph)

Well, after getting a parking ticket from the over achieving rent-a-cop/ campus security dude for parking at the loading dock and near a fire hydrant, losing my car keys and having the entire classroom and faculty hunting for them, only to find them in a students pocket! (long story but he thought they were his as he has a similar remote door lock, apparently), getting lost twice because google maps decided to suck that night, I arrived at this HUGE super Wal-mart and bought my victims with the help of a cute little Jamaican girl named "Welcome to Wal-mart" (her name tag was blank and she didn't seem to remember he own name, lol, sweet little Jamaicans, eh?).

ANYWAY!!! 45 dollars later (for two!), it was time to find my hotel. I ask an employee where so and so hotel was and he gave me PERFECT directions! Nope, too easy, I had to not trust this guy and start reading my Google maps sheet again (WTF?). To make a long story short, I ended up 20 miles out of my way and finally had to ask a trooper for directions. He got me back to the exact spot and with the exact directions as my Walmart buddy had told me in the first place, wow.

I check in to one of my favorite chain hotels, STARVING! All this stuff I just went through made me hungrier than a (insert stupid Larry the Cable Guy joke here). The dude behind the counter suggested I try this "Italian" place next door. "Here, have a coupon for a free appetizer." he said with glee. "Sure", I thought, I can walk next door, eat a decent meal and go to bed fuller than a tick :) Yeah!

Having forgot that I was VERRYY chafed from my long day and no corn starch in site, I John-Wayne walked my hungry ass to Villa Rosa. 4 cars in the parking lot (3 were employees), Frankie playing lightly on the outside speaker system and fake flowers all over the place, nice. I get my seat, the host was a cool dude. I decided on the calamari as my app (decent) and a chicken dish for dinner. After eating my wilted house salad with thinned out bleu cheese dressing, stale garlic bread and tough capon chicken breast covered in mop water and canned black nacho olives, I took my to go water and left. hey, it only cost me like 15 bucks with tip. Rachael would have been proud.

After a horrible nights sleep (I think all that worrying combined with the 3 red bulls and 2 venti Starbucks I had the day caught up to me, lol), I arrive at GTCC at around 7 am where they gave us an awesome continental style breakfast, nice. The chef gave out our competition times (mine was 11:30!) and we were off to the races. I'm kinda glad my time was 4 hours from then because I was a basket case with nerves and needed about that much time to calm down!

I watched my fellow chefs sweat through their paper hats, listened to the sizzles and the pan banging, smelled the smells of stress, was weird to be watching. I felt like I need to grab a pair of tongs and help out, or expedite or something! Ah, old habits die hard, eh?

Finally! My turn. Luckily, I was organized and mentally ready. I started on time and ended about 20 minutes early. Aside from a few minor infractions, I did really well. I felt like I was on my game! A nice redemption for falling on my face during my last two competitions! (for you few that are following along). I had the opportunity to practice these dishes three times before and it really paid off! I only used one chef hat! (Which means I didn't seat too much. Most of the time you could go through at least 3 during that amount of time).

Check out these pictures and WISH ME LUCK for the written test. I'll keep you posted.

ROB!

"SOMEBODY'S WAAATCHING YOOUUU!"

My Mise! This doesn't include the 3 sheet pans full of food that was in the cooler!

Healthy cooking demo at Pregel USA in Charlotte, NC

Another grand event offered by yours truly. I was asked to do a healthy cooking demonstration for a group of folks that work for a company (Pregel America) that makes the ingredients for the best gelato I've ever had the pleasure of eating! I mean, when I say the best, I mean, you will never eat anything so incredibly sensational in your life (unless you travel to Italy or something, but this has GOT to be at least as great as that). This plant is HUGE and very state of the art. It was very impressive to see this place and some of the stuff they are creating over there. Truly awesome.

Weekday Gourmet approached me with a need to teach this group how to make a couple healthy side items to accompany one of their "build your own" entrees. Check out their web site for more information.

We started off with a simple hummus with crispy baked wheat pita chips followed by a crispy locally organic vegetable side dish using REALLY fresh green beans and white/ red baby new potatoes. I tossed all that in a sherry vinaigrette and some fresh herbs for color contrast. The recipe is listed below along with a couple pictures of the event.

After my demo, one of the company chefs made this unbelievable strawberry rhubarb crumble that reminded me of New Hampshire in the spring time. It was a perfect end to a great night.

Check it out;






Warm Green Bean and Potato Salad

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

* 2 whole red peppers
* 1 1/2 pound assorted red and white new potatoes
* 3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
* 1 bunch scallions, sliced
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
* 1 lemon, zested and juiced
* 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Place the red peppers on a foil lined baking sheet.
Place the red peppers under the boiler. Turning every 2 to 3 minutes cook the peppers until the
skin is blistered, about 8 to 9 minutes total. Place the blistered peppers in a plastic bag. Seal the
bag and allow the peppers to sit for 10 minutes to allow the skin to separate and to let cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook
until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board. Add the green
beans to the pot. Cook the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the green beans
to a large bowl. Slice the potatoes in half while still warm and combine them with the green beans
in the large bowl. Remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off the skin from the peppers.
Slice the pepper flesh into wide strips and remove the seeds and veins. Place them in the bowl
with the potatoes. Add the scallions, parsley, and garlic and toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine the oregano, lemon juice and zest, and white wine vinegar. Whisk in the
olive oil. Stir in the salt and pepper. Toss the warm vegetables with the herb vinaigrette. Serve
immediately.

Private multi-course dinner for 8

Last night I had the opportunity to cook 4 out of 5 courses for a group of eight clients/ friends celebrating their neighbors 40th birthday.

What a great time! Not only did I have a blast cooking for these folks, but everyone seemed to have had a great time, which is always nice :)

The guests arrived at around 7:30 and were greeted by an artisan fruit and cheese platter with whole grain lavash, flat breads, crackers and spreads. Since it was such a beautiful night, the host insisted everyone eat outside on their heavily candle-lit veranda which just added ambiance to the evening. As they munched on the awesome array of fruit, cheese and crackers, I began the evening with course number one while explaining everything to everyone. The night progressed with another course, intermezzo, main course and, finally, dessert. I was full just watching everyone eat!

All ingredients were either local, organic or sustainable in one way or another. As most of you may know, I like to keep that in mind when planning my menus. It just makes things better, if you ask me.

Check out the menu and a few pictures below;

1st course – Salad

Local greens with butter poached lobster tossed in a white wine and citrus vinaigrette.

2nd course – Appetizer

Nectarine and mascarpone cheese purses with bourbon vidalia onion jam.

3rd course – Inter Mezzo

Chunky gazpacho shooter with Absolut vodka.

4th course – Main Course

Pan-seared salmon with local summer vegetables, creamy mashed Yukon gold potatoes and classic beurre blanc.

5^th course – Dessert

Apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream provided by the hostess.

--------------

Nectarine and Mascarpone Purse with Bourbon Vidalia Onion Jam.

Chunky gazpacho shooters with Absolut vodka served over ice.

Pan-seared salmon with local summer vegetables, creamy mashed Yukon gold potatoes and classic beurre blanc.

My upcoming Certified Executive Chef (CEC) test

Wow, been a little while since I posted last. I apologize to the one viewer that reads my blog for not having new and exciting material to get you through your week :)

So, as a few of you may already know, I am a Certified Chef de Cuisine. I earned that certification back in 2007 after gathering a list of work related experience points and just plain busting my ass for years to gather enough experience to become what the American Culinary Federation (ACF) deems as "certified".

If you ask me, it's a money making scam facilitated by a few ornery retired chefs running the food world, but I digress. (personal rant about to start, wait for it, wait for it...GO!!!) See, not only do you have to work upwards of 60-80 hours a week, 12-16 hours a day, endure hours and hours of heat, stress and the scum of the earth, get screamed at by the Gordan Ramsey's of the world, catch a VD once in a while, become an alcoholic (or at least be able to hold your weight in stolen liquor), screw a few bar tenders and waitresses, cut and burn yourself a few hundred times, fall a few hundred times, work countless holidays and weekends away from family and friends, get criticized by your peers and all the other bull shit that comes with the food service industry, then there's yet more!

You do all that, THEN, you have to prove it by getting your old bosses that most likely wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire, to sign a paper stating that they put up with your crap for "X amount" of time, copy all those pieces of worthless paper you spent God knows how much time and money earning (serv-safe, GED, COLLEGE DEGREE!!, etc., etc.), take a written test that is full of trick questions about shit that never happens in a real kitchen, cook a multi course meal with all your heart and soul just to have it picked over, sneered at and ridiculed by people that, if the tables were turned, would make the same food you did (maybe smaller, lol).

After ALL THAT! Yes, THERE'S MORE!!! They make you pay for it! WTF!? Check this out; over $100.00 for the food you need, the gas it takes to drive 4 hours out of town because the town you live in is 20 years behind a proper culinary city (in my truck at 17 MPG, that's a lot of loot, 150 bucks or so), hotel stay (another 100 bucks), about $100.00 to take the ridiculous cooking test and about $100.00 to take the even more ridiculous and unrealistic written test in a closet at a testing center hidden at a regional airport on 15 year old computers next to a guy taking a plumbers exam. Grand total to become a "Certified Chef de Cuisine" or "CCC", about $550.00!!! That's two car payments for most people! We do this to make note of our personal achievements, so people will notice us for our hard work, maybe pay us more, maybe get that "dream job" before the "young and hungry" culinary graduate gets it for a few grand a year less. We do it for the pride of the business, to prove our love for it and to get a sense of achievement. But, most people don't even understand what the "de" means or how to spell quiseen! ;) Most people wonder why we have those three little letters after our names on our chef coats, the often asked "what's CCC mean" rings through kitchens all over the world, surly. (rant complete, thanks for reading!)

But, aside from all that crap they make us go through, all the hours and money we spend getting ready and completing the tests, all the hours and time away from a social life, when you see your name on that fancy piece of paper, when people look forward to eating the food you spent years perfecting, all that crap is WELL worth it. Going for those certifications keeps us focused on the ultimate goal, to be the best chef they ever had and pass it on to others. Kinda funny how that works. We collect, earn, burn and create just to give it all back to the next generation. Full circle stuff at it's finest.

I write all that to tell you this; I'm doing it all AGAIN!! MWAHAHAHAAA!! "CHEF BRADLEY, YOU MUST BE CRAZY!!!", well, perhaps, but this upcoming certification has been in my sights long before my current one. I've wanted those three letters, "CEC" by my name since I saw them on the jacket of the first chef I ever worked for over 15 years ago. The three letters that define a good chef from a great one (in most cases), the ones that stand for "Certified Executive Chef", see, more people KNOW what that means and that feels well worth it in the end. Employers know what that means too and are willing to pay accordingly. And, before you get your panties in a wad, its NOT all about the money, its about making a living and there's more to a living than just a paycheck. But, if I can get more, should I turn it down? HELL NO!!! :)

Here are a few pictures I took of my practice cooking practical earlier this week. The real test is on June 19th. The requirements are listed as well. Enjoy...

Requirements

• 1 each 10 ounce Salmon filet
  
• 2 each 1.25 pound live Maine Lobster
  
• 2 each Whole chickens, 2.5 – 3.5 pounds each (fabricate to your menus specifications during the exam)
  
• 2 ounces smoked bacon
  
• 1 pound fresh spinach
  
• 2 heads Boston lettuce
  
• 1 piece Belgian endive
  
• 1 pound Carrots
  
• 3 each Russet or Yukon potatoes
  
• 2 each Globe Artichokes
  
• 2 each Bartlett pears or Granny Smith apples
  
• 1 pint Grape Tomatoes
  

The three courses shall include:

• Fish course (including both seafood items): appetizer size
  
• Salad course (tossed, with extra dressing served on the side): as part of a 3 course meal
  
• Main course (with two or more accompanying vegetables and starch): approximately 6-7 ounces protein
  
  
  The three courses shall include:
  

• 4 classical vegetable cuts (i.e. Julienne, Tournee, Brunoise, Alumette, Small dice, Paysanne, and Batonette)
  

• 4 different cooking methods must be shown (i.e., fry, broil, sauté, roast, boil, poach, steam or grill)
  

• Appropriate vegetable and starch accompaniment for the main course (may bring in additional ingredients and prepare them for plate accompaniments) prepared and presented during the exam.
  

• An emulsified vinaigrette (ingredients must be brought in)
  

• 2 different sauces using different methods (i.e., roux based, reduction, or butter)

My new (re) found faith...

I know some of you may be uncomfortable with the topic of faith and/ or religion. I know I used to be. When the topic came up at all, I always cringed a little or walked out of the room thinking that was all crap, or say some smart remark. If there were a TV show or radio commercial even hinting about religious views, the channel would be changed post-haste! My brother and sisters share those same views today.

Growing up, religion was an odd subject to me. I was a bit confused. My family, well, my mother mostly, was, and still is to the best of my knowledge, a believer in the Jehovah's Witnesses. We would go to the "Kingdom Hall" on Wednesday nights (Sundays too, I think) so my mom could share in her faith and we (kids) would pray that it would end soon, lol. The only things I remember really liking about those days were playing with a couple buddies that were always there no matter what. We'd check out the pretty girls and play with some sort of new found toy of sorts, that sorta thing. I remember the bibles being green, that they believed Christ was crucified on a stake and there were no holidays as they were considered pagan. As a matter of fact, breathing was considered pagan if I remember correctly! (kidding)

My dad, on the other hand, was and still is in search of Him. As far back as I could remember, there would be Jerry Falwell yelling about "faggots", Jimmy Swaggart crying about needing more money and Jim (with his HUGE glasses) and Tami Fae (with her clown make-up) Baker playing on TV. I faintly remember Pat Robertson and the 700 Club too. Gospel music would be playing in the car and he'd fall asleep to it (and most likely still does) every night to the radio by his head. Throughout all that and all those years, I don't ever remember my dad settling down into one church or denomination for very long. He still searches to this day for a sect or denomination that will fill his spiritual needs.

I'm not bashing my parents in any way. As a matter of fact, I owe my life to both of them (literally, lol). I always knew and believed that there was a God and there was a devil. They taught me that, for sure. We didn't celebrate any holidays for religious purposes, which kinda sucked, but over all, we were raised pretty well. Ask either of my siblings that and you might get a different answer, but this is MY blog :P, lol.

I wrote all that to tell you this: about 13 years ago, I went through a change in my life. A change that was way over due. My partying and shenanigans started getting out of hand. I was drinking and drugging so much that no one, including my best friends and family, wanted to be around me. I had to get some help and gave up all that to make a new beginning. I found God shortly after that at a Billy Graham crusade here in Charlotte. I witnessed things that night that would shake your boots! It would take me too long to explain all the things I saw, but I promise, it was God showing me that he loved me and wanted great things for me. Looking back to that night, I knew I would be ok. He had great plans for me as long as I followed and sought after Him.

After that night, I ran to anyone that would listen, told them of my new found faith. Told them how great God is and what he can do FOR YOU! I was excited to say the least. As a matter of fact, people were getting annoyed at the new "JUMPED UP WITH JESUS" Bradley. I sensed that but didn't care. But, as the saying goes, the brightest flame burns the fastest, and it never stuck. I burned out with it and just stopped searching, stopped praying as much, or at all. About 8 months ago, I wasn't seeking Him at all anymore and it was all about me again. To stay mentally and physically sober, there must be a higher power in my life. I never TRULY stopped believing, I just got lazy and complacent. Stopped going to church, stopped asking for guidance and so on. It's a lonely place, believe me.

So, fast forward to 8 months ago. A good friend told me he was going to go to church that Sunday. For some reason, I got excited and asked him if I could join him. He said, "Of course", and it was great! We went together for a few weeks. I dragged my poor wife to one service and she hated it. Partly because the church was a 5500+ member cathedral with jumbo-trons and concert sized PA systems and partly because I hadn't invited her sooner. I kinda pissed her off about just going with my buddy alone. (I know, I know, shut up, lol).

So, she suggested we try this church near our house. Pretty large to this small towns standards, but a 1/4 the size of that soccer stadium I was going to before, and 30 minutes closer of a drive, which is always nice with my gas hog of a truck! That was this past December and we've been going ever since.

I'm really excited about this. We go together as a married couple, we've met people our age. I'm praying again, seeking Him again and comfortable. I was baptized about a month ago in front of a few hundred people and it was AWESOME!!! The pastor is cool too. I witness miracles and hear His messages all the time. About 10 days ago, I got a new job as a direct result of prayer and the church. We went forward and asked for help with this situation. Many people prayed for me to find something, very powerful. So, I find out about a chefs job at a country club near my house (very rare situation). The position was filled but I was asked to come work for them anyway at a lesser rate. I was angry and hurt that they would even consider asking someone of my skill level and greatness to work for that little! (wow, I thought I was something, lol). After being humbled by our pastors messages and not being so arrogant for a change, I took the job, planning to take the next best thing as soon as it came! Well, apparently they were planning to get rid of the chef anyway and needed someone in place before they did so. Here I was thinking that they didn't see how great I was when they actually wanted me there in the first place! They chose me and I am SO GRATEFUL! I was offered the job about a week later and started this past Friday as the official chef. Wow, 37 years old and God gave me a country club kitchen to run. AWESOME!

Going to church, getting baptized and seeking God again has been, and will be, an awesome ride. We hope to be blessed with a healthy and happy child soon. We are excited to see His plans for us! I just have to get out of the way and let Him do what He does!

Now, I'm not a bible thumper, far from it, I just have a new found purpose and I get to share this journey with my wife and new friends, how cool is that!

See, I'm convinced that if my parents hadn't taught me the difference between Heaven and Hell in there own ways, I would be a really lost soul right now, so thanks folks :)

Niman Ranch Tasting at Blue Restaurant in Uptown Charlotte

Wow! The one word that sums this event up. My buddy and sales rep Phil Wolf from Buckhead Beef Atlanta, Niman Ranch and Blue Restaurant in Uptown Charlotte hosted a tasting this afternoon. They were offering samples of a few of the things that are offered by Niman Ranch. From prime rib to pork loin and tongue to lamb kabobs, just awesome. A farmer/ owner was there as well as a few sales people.


Chef Gene Briggs and his crew put on one heck of a spread. The service was pretty amazing too!


Along with the food and amazing ambiance, I bumped into a few old friends in the business that I hadn't seen in ages. The chef and a few of the crew from the Charlotte City Club, the chef from Red Rocks and a couple guys from Zink as well as a few folks from the local Westin Hotel were there among others. Was nice to see them all.

At the end, they gave us a couple packs of bacon to sample. I'm looking forward to seeing how it matches up to my own recipe using Grateful Growers Farms pork belly. Guess I'll just have to fry some up :)

Heres the menu, pretty sweet.

Station #1 Chicken

1. Roasted chicken salad with herbs, grapes and marcona almonds
2. Fricasee with a morel cream

Station #2 Lamb

1. Mousakka
2. Lamb noisette wellington(wrapped in caul fat) with a morel mushroom sauce
3. Crisp braised lamb tongue and warm potato salad

Station #3 Beef

1. Grilled outside skirt steak and pepperonata salad with goat cheese boursion and a tangerine viniagrette
2. Braised short ribs over creamy Anson Mill grits flavored with Bellavitano cheese

Station #4

1. Moroccan Braised Belly-with diced spring vegetables, crushed almonds, chickpeas, and harissa
2. 10 Bone Rack sliced over chorizo potatoes with Romesco
3. Pinchos Morunos Spanish grilled marinated pork kabobs


Station #5

1. Mini Rueben Sliders
2. Skirt Steak taco with fresh guacamole
3. Heirloom tomato and Niman Ranch bacon BLT salad
4. Keftedes- Greek pork meatballs on pita

Great Times at the Ryan Wedding

Old friends of mine and just got married after a pretty long engagement. When the topic of food came up, Mike told me he was going to get it from the local grocery store. "They sell cheese platters", he said. Being as Mike JUST graduated from one the best and most recognized culinary schools in the world and me hating store bought cheese platters, I offered to do the food as their wedding gift. Nothing too fancy, but everything was delicious, if I do say so myself :)


Fruit and cheese platter (artisnal cheeses, not pre-cubed swiss and pepperjack), tandoori chicken drummettes with apple compote, smoked salmon platter with condiments, you know, typical wedding food. Everyone raved and Mike and Erin were very grateful. They're old friends, it's the least I could do.

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!