Jakea222

I am sorry - nut the real facts are coming and they are not pretty. Knowing the time to quit whie you still have is a good thing. It is when you bleed too long and start selling off assets that hurt down the road....another time and another place - keep your dream , may put on hold after 9 yrs ---

The formers are going to drive down prices....well that is a new one on me - corn crops - wheat are at very high cost right now as flours have gone through the roof. Not to mention the money that they get for NOT growing. The midwest floods are hurting the market right now as crops in that area as well as transportation through that area is costing more ----with that being said I have had several bakers in here even since my last post trying to get commercial business. We have used a couple of them - BUT some are not producing the quality - but it did get them some business with us. The walmart tactics will make you look cheap ---

It sounds like to me you are rocking and rolling - getting vendors set up it the only challenge I see from your post...the rest is tough but do able. You have a long few weeks - labor as you said if you have good ones training should not be as hard then - I would not open anything in the US right now the economy is a killer!

It happens all of the time - As a pro chef I see it, most of the time I don't say anything UNLESS I am being ripped off money wise. I recently had a rissotto that was uncle bens swimming in sauce - My wife is more picky than I am and looks at things harder than I do and she is a doc! No it is wrong all the way around - and we should put our foot down. BUT - please if you are a chef - in todays terrible happenings - make sure you have a job before leaving on principal. I am a sous chef that bites his tongue A LOT!

I would send you home to dress appropriatly. I am not going to define that because it should be very obvious.

we are crazy - I left another great white collar jo to come into the food business. I would not change a think. I love what I do - I work too much but don't we all. I burned out in the other world and even though I have burnout days every week - my staff is the best when one is down the others pick em up and while I pick em up a lot they pick me up too...so it is what you amke of the things that are beating you...

I am just pro education - my father was a blue collar employee and my mother was a masters degree white collar and my father is the one that pushed education. Yes I may make a few dollars more on the hour when it comes down to it, but I am an exec sous and will certify and will move up when I am ready - not when I prove to the boss that I can not only cook, but can do the business part of the food business. I think everyone should further knowledge, class in somehting you want to know about to better yourself in any way - I am looking to take a french class - but I have lots of goals in my life that I want to hit - straining the brain is one of them.

WiscoNole, I just did AOS Culinary Arts - BUT I have a Bachelors Degree already. I went as a career changer. While i know that all these people are going to jump me as they usually do - but moving up with education is everything. I am cooking my a-- off, but also my knowledge as a business degreed and culinary school grad made me very hirable and I only had one no out of lots of interviews and cooking tryouts. Say waht you want about cooking schools but they do help down the raod....I am going to move up a lot faster than most of the non schooled route people irregardless of what you think about schools...any school.

I have a farmer family frined that when we go back home - I always get Peached and Cream corn from her. IT is the best I think in my opinion. Bringing it back to my kitchen and cookig it up my staff loved it very much too.

good luck we pulled an order late a few months ago and our guy said no problem - not sure what he waould say today as things are bad - but he knows we call him and him only and we will use him even though many have sampled us by stopping by - I wish all of us luck in the coming months as I still think the worst is yet to hit - Strap in and keeps your hands and arms inside the ride beause we are going on a good one then next 6 months

well I make more than 12 an hour - I stepped into a Exec Sous job from the get go - but so I don't start a new debate here - the school is still the best as far as connections. It still has the best prefessors you could ever get in one place. I had 4 CMC a CMB and you can't get that anywhere else - BUT that being said as a former University Comm Director I can say that not just culinary schools relaxed requirements - SAT scores are a LOT lower than they have been and schools had to make numbers to stay moving. US students are not putting out scores like they used to. It is not cheap running schools - of any type especially the ones that have special schools - Med Schools, Law, Pharmacy and Nursing - they all cost big buck and without federal money and the state money many would be really hurting - so private schools really hurt. I am a grad - I have a couple of degrees and I have come to realize that chefs don't typically cook or do what they do for the money - yep it is there and yes it is why we show up - but the satisfaction is what it is all about - I know especially today as I have been non stop for 2 freakin days on a mothers day thing and it has been nuts in the restaurant too. My Exec is a JW grad and while we pick on each other all of the time - we know what we together can do and use our skills to put out great food...

I agree, the 4 yr thing is a little much especially since they have cooperative agreements with Cornell which has the staff. I graduated from a 4 yr business school - worked in the white collar world and then went to the CIA and I found lots of the approaches to certain things so academic that it was not practical. BUt in most schools the professors in many fields do not have practical experience. Now I am not slamming the program, but I am just not sure how serious the school degree can be taken on paper as compared to a non culinary school - college and university status insitutions. I also can say that the classes did not seem as hard core as I thought they should be as compared with mine so many years ago. On the letting people in - I also think that many culinary schools relaxed admissions to get people in the door. It is a very expensive thing to run. My class had the majority of us were career changers and all of my classmates had done lots of time in kitchens - it is a lot different when you are not spending mommy and daddys money - and none of the career changers in my class stayed to do the next 2 years. I think I said Tim Ryan - well - I saw him once in the hall and then at graduation. Now my other job was with a University and the president was everywhere. The school I received my bachelors degree - he was everywhere. So the visibility was certainly not there. I made a wise crack while lining up to gradaute - the lady was telling us what to do and to follow Dr. Ryan - and I said who is that and what does he look like. Many agreed with me, but she did give me a look - oh well.

You have not seen "nothin'" yet. The numbers are going to get worse. My suppliers said that look for another increase on simple things 5-6% on top of the 9-13% already. I have had 3 bakers in the club this week offering services and bringing in amazing samples, but for the most part we are staying loyal to our providers right now. We are paying for fuel delivery costs right now 7 bucks a pop on top of the increases and we order a lot. We are going to work on doing certain days of the week to cut down on that. But you californians know gas is terrible and people are staying home. No joy riding for me right now

we are bumping numbers the next week - thinkgs are gonna get strange... You ain't seen nothing yet.

I was there when he was the big dog and well I never laid eyes on him until graduation - would not have know and voiced that in the hallway before we started walking - I was supposed to follow Ryan - and had to ask who is he! The school is expanding too much and going to look like many of the other failing culinary programs - good luck - but they won't last not with the economy...

I like when people move after they order or get food then change their minds! Haha I know that costs are going up - Blue Cheese dressing has gone from about 31.00 a recipe to 43.00 as of last week. We make it and send it out for lots of things...so I think we are all in for a shock for costs and cutbacks - I just hope it does not last....

Hi stan - I have to say to you that this crazy bunch of people on this society are real good about jumping on things literally of what you are posting - I could tell what you are saying and did not take it literal but amusing - The prediction of the waitress was classic. I love it when they ask and you tell them it was not good and they are ready with the response of " good if I can get you anything else" or "I will be back to check on you"...he hee! I get jumped on all of the time for being a real professional chef and that I don't know what I am talking about - so keep posting I thought it was fine Oh and by the way people - take a little money - go to a good market - get the same cut of meat - organic - grass fed - corn fed - Austrailian - whatever - cook them the same way and see what you think - they are all DIFFERENT - until you do it - don't knock it - Oh and the classic - wait in until your mouth is loaded up "can I get you anything else right now" I want to just blow it on the floor and answer! Ha Hee

Well - not sure about what you guys are on about - I order from a very reputable fine meat and seafood guy here and when I get the box it always says NY Strip Roast on the side of the box. We do them all of the time - I trim to fat until it is not a hard push. We use a dry rub - 350 for - well until it is done. We sue them on carving stations - and I use them for sandwiches and soups (left over cuts of course) They are no trouble and easy. The cost is also a bit better. Tenderloin is costing me about 10$/# and Strip is costing me about 6.50 - so it is a good thing as far as I am concerned and very easy

A step furtehr would be that language as a whole has relaxed since the 70s. Lots of things have relaxed - when could you see playmates on tv in their own reality show, when could you see someone get killed on tv - things have realxed. Kids in schools can cuss you out probably 10 days you never thought of - it has just gotten to be accepted - is it right - nope - but iot is what it is.

Sorry I have burn cream and an aloe plant for my employees.

Shop time - 15.00 Prep/Cook Time 20.-25 hr Cost of food of course. I did it that way for several personal chef things before the catering hit me. Cost of food then you can add 20% gratuity what they call ++ which is tax and tip So the bill could be ex 75.00 a person ++ (the cost of food plus your time - then ++) for the bottom line MAKE SURE YOU ARE ACCURATE ON FOOD - you don't want to make a mistake and end up eating it on your cut.

Listen, Read and Pull. When you get busy if you have it pulled then it will help you down the raod. I am still learing myslef and I have been doing it a while now. If you need a push to get caught up do it. I have been so weeded before the tickets had nowhere to go and the machine was hanging on the floor someboday can free up to push and sometimes that is all you need. Be careful if you just started and they want you to stay on...no exlanation on this, but been there and sometimes a bad reason follows...but maybe not.

I have one now and have had many ask. Yes it does take some time - but if you are up front about things, like she said stay out of the way when I am doing XYZ. If you cater - always something to do whether cleaning cambros, cutting and prep - HOWEVER - I have a few people that are on payroll that are learning English - well, the time you explain 3 times it is quicker to do yourself after the deer in headlight look. Liability has not been an issue yet, but if you get them on payroll - it falls under workers comp - if they are FreeBees it varies adn you may need to look at a waiver. You must be doing somthing right - to be getting approached. I enjoy it most days - but I have a very good enthusiastic person.

Thats it Turcos! Lots of places to eat all down 9 clear to the Tapan Zee bridge - we happened on lots by driving around.

that cool - I meanI was not aware that as many people had reations to things like I do. EpiPens are awesome