cdabney

We found a great hydroponic farmer who is going to be growing micros for us! How sweet!

This is the kitchen we are working out of untill we open

Late night canning. The peach butter is awsome! Here are a few more pics of the kitchen. First is the blast chiller. I had heard of these before but like sasquatch, no one has seen one. Take a look.This is the Molteni in place.

I left "The Farm" a few months before Fleer. Great guy! As for Little Rock..a few places are cropping up around town..Ferneau is on the Top of my list. Hillcrest is up and coming in the restaurant scene. Quite a few good places to eat there.

Big day today. Most of the morning was dedicated to buying all the figs at the Farmers Market and three cases of peaches.All that needs to be canned ASAP. Canning party tonight at Travis's house..I'll bring the jars and some wine! After the farmers market I ran up to Beebe to an organic dairy farm. Wish they could sell us some milk, but they don't process any. Pics will be posted soon!

The Molteni in the kitchen I'll post more soon!

Arkansas? The Natural State. Home of Walmart, the Microplane and Bill Clinton. Often referred to as The Bastard Southern State, Arkansas is a very overlooked mecca of untapped culinary wealth. Almost anything can be be grown in Arkansas. This wealth of local products was one of the resons I moved to Little Rock. I had just left Blackberry Farm in TN to be closer to my aging parents and Little Rock seemed to be my best bet. I had known of the Capital Hotel but was not too excited about it until I heard about the renovations and the new Ex Chef Lee Richardson. Lee had left his post at Restaurant August in New Orleans after Katrina and moved to Arkansas, not only for the quality of life Little Rock offers but also to be a part of this amazing re-opening. A few months after I was hired a few more sous chef came on board: Travis McConnell from the Four Seasons Jackson Hole, Matt McClure from Harvest in Cambridge and Brian Deloney from Delmonico Steakhouse in Vegas. We're off to a good start. Over the next few weeks we will be documenting this opening and introducing everyone to Arkanasas. http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11863867...71_4966_900.jpg The Moltini http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11863867..._4966_18557.jpg The Mezzanine Enjoy!

So you honestly don't see a difference in male and female cooks? How the respond to certain direction, how they veiw food, how they think and feel?

Let me clear this up...I'm a Sous Chef. I'm 28 and alot of guys don't want to listen to some punk ass kid.... But how do you guys feel about ladies in the kitchen? Does it take longer to read them? Warm-up to them? Do you expect more or less from them on the line? Is sex at all an issue? Is race? Sexuality? Honestly? I've honestly in the past been a bit skeptical of ladies in the kitchen. As silly as that sounds.

I've been cooking for almost ten years now at some pretty swanky places. I recently started a new job and everyone here (sans the ex.chef) is holding my hand. I know what I'm doing...I act like I know what I'm doing..why the babying. I hate to pull this card but is it because I'm a woman? My question is, how do other cooks (male ) feel about woman in the kitchen? And Ladies, how do you get them to understand that a joke about fisting someones sister is not shocking..we're cooks for Christ sake. We've heard/seen it all!

The kitchen loves it! And we always remember the guest on their next visit. In most cases the guest comes back to the kitchen to deliver the goods and visits a bit...almost always appreciated unless we are in a hurry to get home.

I white water kayak. Nothing gets your mind off work better then hitting some rapids.

I use my microplane for garlic...

Thanks for the concern. I've found them in the past but can't seem to locate any this year.

I set out early this morning,bug spray, water and a sack in hand. I researched the needed habitat and weather conditions, located a seemingly great spot and went there. What did I find? Nothing.Zip.Zilch. Unless you include all the ticks I found upon my return home. Any morel hunters out there with any tips?

Some of my favorites: Newbie's: -keep taking their salt ..I mean all of it..empty 1/9 pan, after about three days it gets pretty funny..also ride them about NOT having any salt -make up crazy stories about the dish washers and wait staff and have the rest of the line confirm them. This can be fun for months For the waiter who eats off the line,once I coated a raw rabbit liver in chocolate. Very funny. I've filled tool boxes with sugar,rubbed habanero on water bottles and in the event I find something that smells like a$$ I always put it in someone elses trash can. Once I asked the entire staff to call the intern by a different name.

I've worked in a few open kitchens and they have their pro and cons. I like the pressure of working clean and watching my language but I hate it when some "foodies" want to chat right in the middle of the rush. I'd love to hear about the dinner they made for friends last week over some free drinks after service. But that rarely ever happens.

Fleer is MY hero! Nice pics green oil..those sandwiches rocked! What ever Fleer decides to do will be great...He'll have a James Beard award in one hand and a High Life in the other. That's a picture I want to see. Maggie! Mind PMing the oatmeal cream pie recipe to me? I'll love you forever.