Jump to content

lala

participating member
  • Posts

    880
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by lala

  1. I have to say I disagree. Listing any good restaurant is not "pretentious name dropping", especially if the restaurant to which he's applying if of the same caliber. And of course, at that stage in his career, he was hired at an entry level. We all start somewhere, but not everyone gets into a really good restaurant. The other problem is if it's not on the resume, but he brings it up in the conversation, any good manager would look at that resume more closely and ask why wasn't it on the resume? And wonder what else the candidate was hiding. Managers don't like surprises, and talking about a job that's not on the resume is a surprise. Put the job on there and discuss it. Again, being hired at a good place like Cascadia gives you credibility.
  2. lala

    Tip envy

    Come on. You're paying the guy minimum wage - less than minimum wage in some states. Of course he's upset. On your pay, he's living below the poverty line. Could you do that? Cough up some more money, or be prepared to have high turnover (and resultant customer dissatisfaction) in that position.
  3. With respect to the other posters on this topic, they may not be familiar with Cascadia. I live in Seattle and know that it was a popular, lauded fine dining restaurant. At this point, Aaron, I'd suggest that you put it on your resume. It's not your fault that the place was sold so soon after you started. What does matter in this instance is that your simply being hired at Cascadia gives you some some fine dining credibility that you are otherwise missing. They saw something in you that they liked. I'd definitely list it, and in your interview say something to the effect that you had hoped to be there for a long time to use your current skills (list them) and gain new ones - like you want to do at the interviewers restaurant.
  4. Like any college, the CIA does rank the students and has a Deans List every semester. Students who are on the Deans List for all four on-campus semesters graduate with Honors. And yes, it's very competitive. There was a rush to view the Deans List each time it was posted, with students high-fiving each other when they made it. My graduation copy of my cumulative grades lists my ranking in my class, so yes, they do keep an accounting.
  5. I am allergic to roasted peppers (my throat closes up), and I had to change my vacation plans because of it. I was going to go to New Mexico in September, until I learned that roasting peppers was the state passtime on nearly every street corner at harvest time. Went to Maine instead. I'm not allergic to lobsters or blueberries!
  6. If you created the recipes while at work, the owner of the business owns the recipes. This is the same for any company (creating a product, process, etc.), unless you have a signed agreement that states otherwise. I've created plenty of recipes while working for restaurants. Some made it into cookbooks, and of course I didn't get paid a penny for them. Of course, they're never as good as when I made them.
  7. I'm sure many people wrote in, I certainly did. It was good to see the correction. Fat Guy, both the garlic and fresh herbs cited are problematic in infused oils that are to be stored. That's basic food sanitation, taught early on at the CIA, and as Lisa pointed out, on the SafeServe test. Best practice is to make infused oils fresh daily and not store more than a day or two in the fridge.
  8. Doesn't surprise me, I never cared for his column anyway. If people follow the directions and get sick, will they sue?
  9. In your post, it's all about you and your needs. My desserts. My menu. My degree. Got a few control issues? You may want to take a step back and look at this situation more calmly. You may run the pastry dept, but your boss (Exec chef) runs the whole kitchen, including overseeing you and your work. It's his job to look at what you do and see that it fits into the whole business. Do you ask why he's making these changes or do you just fight it? From what you say, you just fight and fume. Do your desserts fit into the whole menu? Are they more complex than the entrees? What do the guests want? It sounds like you're being guided, not punished. If you don't like what is going on, make an appointment to talk with the exec chef. If you still don't like what is going on, it may be time to look for another job where you have more control.
  10. This is why I'm fearful of the Ephron effect - she turns any character into a stereotype, playing to the lowest common denominator. I love Julia, and acknowledge that her mannerisms already bordered on characature, so I hope they're really careful about this.
  11. I like the idea of using both books, to show Julia's development. I am a bit scared about it being a Nora Ephron project, though.
  12. lala

    HACCP Plans

    I know that people here in Seattle who need to do HACCP go through our local health department - why don't you call yours?
  13. I second this. This book never leaves my desk and I use it several times a week to get ideas.
  14. I heard Leslie Stahl saying "You've got to be kidding" in a voice over - not really objective. I saw kids who were excited about growing, cooking and eating vegetables. What exactly was cringe-inducing? Her passion? Her idea that healthy food is a right, not a privilege? Horrors! Healthy food for all! Showing kids how to cook, rather than buying preservative laden packaged food - dreadful! I just don't get the hate.
  15. I had no idea Alice Waters was the mother of the slow food movement! ← Oh, STOP, will you? Alice never claimed to have invented the Slow Food movement. That is just one part of the problem with the Leslie Stahl interview - she failed to make the distinction that Alice, while a proponant and leader, did not begin the movement. All you have to do is google Slow Food San Francisco and follow a few links to find that it was the Slow Food Convivium that produced the Slow Food Nation event last fall: "Slow Food Nation is a subsidiary non-profit of Slow Food USA and part of the international Slow Food movement. It was created to organize the first-ever American collaborative gathering to unite the growing sustainable food movement and introduce thousands of people to food that is good, clean and fair." http://slowfoodnation.org/about-sfn/ http://slowfoodnation.org/faq/
  16. I used to travel back and forth London/NY with my whole toolbox as checked luggage. Not a problem at all.
  17. ← Yeah, fast food rocks. Until the diabetes sets in and the heart attacks start.
  18. Encouraging organic gardening so that pesticides don't ruin the earth and our bodies - bad? Encouraging children to garden so that they know where their food comes from - bad? Linking gardening, cooking and science lessons in schools - bad? Experiencing culture, history, language, ecology, and mathematics through the preparation of food - bad? Believing in your message and practicing what you preach - bad? Mentoring dozens of the best chefs, who then go on to mentor others - bad? Yeah, she's a real byotch.
  19. I've never heard of that review site, and if this is how they operate, I don't feel inclined to go to their site. This seems to be a private matter that he's made public without the author's permission. He actually violates his own site's privacy policy: "We8there.com™ respects your privacy! Any and all information collected at this site will be kept strictly confidential and will not be sold, reused, rented, loaned, or otherwise disclosed. Any information you give to we8there.com™ communications will be held in strictest confidence, and it will not be used in ways that you have not consented to. A more detailed explanation about how we safeguard your personal information is described below." Slimy. I don't know why he's posted this on EG, but he's doing himself more damage than good.
  20. I don't understand. You won't allow the restauranteur to post a reply on your site, so you post her letters here, without her permission? Have you ever heard of ethics?
  21. Unfortunately, you can't buy their bacon. Gabe, the owner is not yet licensed to make or sell bacon commercially, although he has done so. The bacon you bought was made illegally. He is a long way away from making and selling cured meats legally and the health department is dogging his every step to make sure he does it legally: http://blog.seattlepi.com/devouringseattle...ives/161153.asp
  22. I'm glad that your wrist is healing, and that it gave you a little perspective. I understand your urge to cook. With all you're doing, it's self-nurturing and grounding - and nurturing for anyone who's lucky enough to eat your good homemade food. Cooking is joyful, not a drudgery like the rest of our day, it's creative, fun, fills the senses, and offers immediate gratification. It sounds like you're finding your way to a good balance. Good for you!
  23. My knives, especially my 4 Sabatiers I bought at an incredible knife shop in Soho (London) 20 years ago. I know they're old fashioned, but they fit my small hands perfectly. I especially love the 8" carbon steel french knife.
  24. All sizes are discounted for delivery, too. Just had my Salumi Primo yesterday.
  25. Posted on Rebekah Denn's blog today: Swinery update I talked with the folks at Public Health -- Seattle and King County and with Gabriel Claycamp to find out what happened with Claycamp's planned Swinery Meats stand at the Ballard Farmers Market. If you remember, Claycamp had planned to be at the market last week with all sorts of cured meats and stocks, but instead took down the Swinery Web page and told friends he had been shut down. A health department e-mail said his application for a market permit was turned down. It was denied, according to the department, because he is not allowed to sell the food, because he never had a permit to make it in the first place. The long version: 1) The meats were not being made in an approved kitchen. "The owner had written that he'd be using a previously approved/permitted commercial facility in Bothell; however, when our inspector visited that location, she found that he did not have arrangements or approval to use that facility." 2) Claycamp provided plans last year to use his own facility to make the food, and those plans were approved. "However, to receive a permit, he must show that he installed the equipment, get the necessary plumbing system and permits, etc., as described on his plans." He needs a preopening inspection to confirm that he followed through on those plans, but he never applied for the permit that would have triggered that inspection. 3) To sell cured meats, he needs a Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan and possibly variances. To sell fresh meats and possibly cured meats at farmers markets, he needs mechanical refrigeration. I had talked with Claycamp earlier in the day, and he mainly focused on roadblocks such as the HACCP requirement, which he called a massive and expensive proposition that other vendors haven't had to produce. (The health department says everyone has been treated equally.) Mechanical refrigeration also would be difficult and pricey, as the market does not allow generators. Claycamp said he thought he had everything in order to proceed, and he still wants to deal with whatever he needs to do to get the Swinery going. "I'm just trying to figure it out. All I want to do is make it legal," he said. He has a hearing with the health department Thursday, he said, and he's hopeful. The department is calling it a conversation. "A hearing implies he had a permit that was revoked. He never had a permit to make the meats."
×
×
  • Create New...