mpshort

Excellent demo! I too have made this cake with your written directions; it's so much clearer with the photos. Thank you for taking the time!!

Once again, thank you for your suggestions!!! No, I'm actually right next door, at Kukio. David Paul Johnson (of Lahaina Grill) is the executive chef. Oh, yes, I know Hans! Very nice man, he usually makes a monthly visit bearing gifts (Toblerone bars). He encouraged me to go to the Ewold Notter class but it's really difficult to get a whole week off (to go off island) when I'm the only one in the pastry department. This past year has been such an intense period of learning. Sometimes I feel that I barely keep my head above water but I'm much more comfortable in the position and I'm starting to getting to know the members and their tastes. Now, that I am feeling more confident I'm going to start trying to plan and strategize more.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the suggestions! I guess my definition would be rather narrow. I have run several items more than once just changing the flavor or presentation. But I try not to do anything similar two weeks in a row. The constraints are: Must always have something chocolate (if not an actual dessert than at least one petit four). Member's tastes: It's very interesting. These are people that can literally eat anywhere in the world. They can fly off in their private jet and be at Charlie Trotter's or Per Se any night of the week. We often get members that fly in just to have dinner at the restaurant and then fly out the next morning. Given all that, you would think they would have very sophisticated, worldly tastes.... but they don't. Or maybe they do, but when they're "home" they want something familiar, comfort food. One of my biggest sellers was a peanut butter pie! The weather: They bought the Rev 2 machine to help me with petit fours but in the summer it gets so hot in the kitchen that I can't use it. Chocolate, meringues, sugar work....ARGHHH it's impossible to keep any of it for longer than one night. My talent and creativity or lack thereof: I have never worked in an environment like this and while the workload is relatively light (20-50 covers for dinner, only open 4 nights, 30-60 covers for lunch) the scope is so broad. Being on an island: I would love to eat at other places, take classes etc. but it's just not available here. I am going to have to start saving my pennies for classes on the mainland but it will take awhile. In the meantime, I'm doing the same thing: book, magazines and the internet. And I was so thrilled to find this site because the information that is shared here is invaluable! Okay, must stumble off, get my espresso and head into work.....

Aloha all, This past year has seen some major life changes for me: moving to the Big Island of Hawaii from Washington state and re-entering the pastry field after a 7 year hiatus. What was I doing during the break? my own specialty cake business, Creative Pastries. Previous to this I had been working in the Washington D.C area as a pastry chef and pastry chef instructor. So here I am, back in a restaurant kitchen again, in the middle of paradise I've never worked in an environment like this before. It's a private club restaurant that is very,very exclusive. I love that I never have to cost anything out, I can get pretty much any ingredient I want and I have free reign with the menu. Sounds perfect right? Because we are private and the members rarely leave the property (except to get on their private jets, even then they take "to go food") we change the menu every week. There are three plated dessert items and there are to be no repeats. After being working for a year it's beginning to get very difficult to come up with new ideas. I also have to come up with two intermezzo flavors, 3 petit fours and a bread every week. I am able to repeat these items but I'm still running out of ideas. I would love any hints, ideas, suggestions on how to keep my creativity up. I read everything I can get my hands on from magazines to books to whatever I can find on the internet. Mahalo!