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Lounge Lizard

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  1. 1988. It would be hard for me to go back and track everybodies whereabouts. I'll just continue to believe it was some down and out people who really needed a good meal.
  2. aww crap. Now I'm going to be all paranoid about it. I only ever assumed it was "rummies", but it was alot of food for anyone to cart off.
  3. I suppose they figured they had already laid out a couple thousand for the food that was stolen and another 3 thousand to cover the additional food. Most of the staff either quit during the event or was drunk or was vandalizing the property so I guess they figured I would leave quitely with enough to break even. We really didnt discuss it I am just speculating. I was just happy to get out of there. I have continued to be a Chef now for over 20 years. Athough I did leave town after the party. It wasnt the career boost I was hoping for.
  4. I have posted my story in Adventures in Eating as A Tale of Perseverance.
  5. In 1988 I was in my mid-twenties and working as a cook in Vancouver BC. I had just left a job working for a large corporate chain as a Kitchen Manager and was taking advantage of some decent unemployment insurance. I had been catering some dinner parties for some of my rich friend's parents. When a friend of mine who was working for her parents leather clothing manufacturing company offered me the job of catering for huge a fashion show they were going to have. 500 people, black tie, fashion magazines, buyers from all over the world, local bands…big time stuff. This was a going to be a great opportunity for me to get my name out as a chef. Here was the plan I had a couple of months to get ready for the party so I spent a lot of time going through cooking magazines and books putting together ideas. I had a fairly big budget, and I was planning on spending about 5 grand on food and hiring 2 bartenders, another chef, and 6 waiters. The party was being held in the company warehouse in a funky old building downtown. I would have two no-charge full bars and a portable espresso machine, two food tables one savory and one sweet, waiters serving different hot and cold canapés and a seafood centerpiece table (sushi, oysters, smoked salmon and frozen vodka shots). As the party got closer I rented a large fridge for home got everything ready that I could do that wasn't last minute. I had hand made chocolates and all my pastries. All my prep work, groceries, savories etc. It really was a lot of hours of work. I had built racks into my little station wagon to transport everything. The rentals were being delivered the afternoon before the party and I was going to move all the food into fridges I had rented on site and set up the tables etc. I was doing all of this alone. I had the other cook and the staff hired for the party only. After setting up the previous night I could go home get some rest and the day of the party all I would have to do is pick up the Liquor and the last minute food, set everything, and serve. Here is what really happened Delivery I arrived at the warehouse around 10 at night and parked my car loaded with the food near the loading dock and then went in to start checking on the rentals. I had been inside only a half hour at most when I received a page on the intercom from my friend who worked there and had let me in. She told me to come down to the loading dock. I went outside to find my car had been broken into. The back window was smashed in and there was a large piece of concrete sitting where all of my food used to be. It was all gone. Every last truffle. I must say I really didn't freak out right away although it came later, believe me. I had to get something going. I couldn't wait until morning to go shopping for 500 people. I had spent all of my money. My friend gave me her bank card I went home and grabbed my room mate who was going to work with me at the party. We emptied all of our bank accounts to the tune of about 3000 dollars and went racing across the city in my car with the window busted out and glass all over the seats to a grocery store we knew was open until midnight. Grocery store We pulled into the store with about a half hour until closing. We ran in and decided to split up and just buy whatever the hell looked like it could be worked with. We grabbed a couple of carts each and started going. A half-hour, $3000 shopping spree. It didn't take long for security to arrive but we soon had him helping us find stuff in the back that had been put away for the night. We ran up and down the aisles dumping armloads of food into our carts. As closing time neared we wheeled our shopping carts up to the cashier who had obviously been planning on going home in 5 minutes and was now faced with scanning and bagging 5 carts of food. She was less than pleased and showed it by going as slow as she possibly could. When it was all rung up we tossed it all in through the broken window of the car and headed home. Home So it was now around 1:30 in the morning and I had 15 hours to turn all of this food into a party for 500 people. We dumped it all out on the living room floor and started to pick through it. It was at this point my friend went to bed leaving me alone with my chaos. Now is when the freak out started to happen. I had been sober for the better part of a year, for the first time since I was about 14, so my body wasn't sure what to do with all these new stress signals that I normally would have "medicated" away. I spent some time having dry heaves in the bathroom and then went to work on the food. The hours between then and the party are not very clear. I stayed up the whole night cooking, and then tossed it all in the car and dropped it off at the warehouse. I did my liquor run, got dressed in my whites and went back to the warehouse to begin the party. Party time So my friend who works for the company obviously knows what's going on but her parents are not aware of it. Its 5 o'clock and I'm in the basement with my other cook putting together trays for the waiters to serve. My bartenders and my friend working the espresso machine are setting up their stations. I can hear a string quartet playing in the lobby. I honestly do not remember much of the food we served at this point but I'm fairly sure it was something like Ritz crackers with a piece of cucumber and a dill sprig. The first I saw of the owners was quite early on when they came down to inform me that they had sent home one of the bartenders for being drunk. This was a friend of my roommates who he had assured me would be great for the job even though we both knew he was an alcoholic. He must have come in drunk or just headed to the bar and started getting loaded when he arrived. We went on with the trays for awhile, the fashion show went off and then I decided to head up to the main room and set up my seafood station I still had planed to do. Upstairs I headed up to the main room to set up my seafood station. I opened the elevator door and was greeted with absolute madness. A popular west coast band was playing loudly and the black tie affair had taken on the appearance of some kind of a rave. One of the first things I saw was Bill, the drunken bartender who had been sent home, was dancing by himself in the middle of the dance floor with a bottle of liquor in his hand. Next I saw my room mate working the cappuccino machine being crushed by people as he crazily tried to keep up with demand. He shot me a desperate look and then sort of disappeared behind the mob. I went over to set up my station near the unmanned bar and watched the guests helping themselves to the booze. Just as I did this the other bartender walked up to me and said he couldn't not take it anymore and was quitting. I was sort of happy that the event had turned so crazed because I thought it would take attention away from the lack of food. I was just about to head back down to the basement to grab something when I was again faced with the hosts of the party who had some more "news "for me. One of the waiters I had hired was (unknown to me) an animal rights activist and had been caught spray painting anti leather/fur graffiti in one of the washrooms. She had fled the building. Seafood station My plan for this was to have a large mirror tray filled with all kinds of fresh seafood. I was going to stand behind it and roll fresh sushi, shuck oysters and pour shots of frozen vodka. What it turned out to be was a bunch of store bought sushi I had found the night before during our shopping spree and some fresh oysters. The vodka had been pilfered by the guests early in the party. I set up what I had. People immediately began asking for fresh oysters. It was then that I realized I had forgotten to bring an oyster shucker. I ran around trying to find something to use and finally settled on a large paint covered flat head screwdriver. With every attempt at opening an oyster I ripped another chunk of skin off of my hands. After realizing I could not control the blood loss anymore I tossed the screwdriver aside and headed to the basement to smoke and wait for the party to end. Clean up My other chef and most of the waiters had bailed so I was left with 2 waiters and my roommate who had given up on the espresso machine early as well. We were sitting back having a smoke waiting to get started on packing up when the owners came down and said we had to leave right away as they were going home and needed to secure the building. I would have to return the next day to clean up. We went home and I passed out on the couch until being woken up by the owners calling early the next day saying they were onsite and I needed to get started on the clean up. So, with out any staff to help me anymore I drove my car, still full of glass, over to the location and started to clean up. The place was trashed. Broken glass and plates, liquor bottles all over. All the signs of a great party I suppose. I don't remember doing much of a job cleaning the place up. I stacked the rentals that weren't broken by the door tossed out several garbage bags of broken dishes and was about to leave when the owners came by. They handed me a cheque to cover the cost of the food and I left. No money for me and none to cover the staff although they all bailed anyway and never called me to get paid. The Haunted Leather Jacket My friend who worked for the company called me later that week and asked me to meet her at the factory. I drove down and she led me to the warehouse and told me I could pick out a leather jacket to have for all of my troubles. This was all without her parents knowledge I'm sure. I picked out a $1000 lamb skin coat. I had had the coat for a few weeks when my room mate asked me to borrow it to take his date to the Rolling Stones concert on his new motor bike. I held out for awhile but finally gave in and let him borrow it. In an accident on the way home he dumped the bike and broke both of his wrists trying not to let the jacket get ripped up. A couple years later I still had the jacket which was very nicely broken in by now. One day I returned to my car to find a large rock had been thrown through the same window that had been broken during my catering disaster, and the leather jacket had been stolen. Whenever I tell this story I wonder who broke into my car stole all the food. There was a ton of food in the car and every scrap was gone. I had only been inside for a short while. I picture some downtown homeless rummies loading up their shopping carts and heading back to their camp under a bridge somewhere to dig in. After their binge they sit back to enjoy a cigarette butt they found in an ashtray, commenting to their friends that "they just couldn't eat another chocolate truffle." I hope they enjoyed every bite.
  6. I have sent my long story off to fat Guy. While we wait I do have a shorter story. I was catering a retirement party in someones home and shortly after arriving and setting up I began to get very sick. I had eaten early that day in a questionable donair place and had gotten what I am sure was food poisoning. I was heaving in the bathroom of this womans house trying desperatly not to be heard. Unfortunatly I was heard and had to try and explain how the Chef had food poisoning but not to worry about her dinner. As it turns out the retirement party was being held for someone who worked for the city health department. They had a great laugh at my expense and assured me they would pay that donair place a visit.
  7. Ok I am done except for the edit. Problem is its 2000 words long. Any ideas how to post something of this length. If any moderators whould like to proof read and advise me what to do with it Id me happy to email it.
  8. I have a rather lengthy story of a spetacular catering disaster that I have been told to by friends I should get written down. Perhaps this is a good time to do so. Ill post back as soon as I can get it done.
  9. This ones been on my nerves for awhile. Resaurant names. We have a place in town that was/is an English pub. they started to calling themselves a Brew pub and now is calling itself a Bistro. Obviously trying to be trendy but it has not changed its menu or decor. Please someone tell me what the hell is an "eatery". I saw that one all over the place on vacation this summer. Could be a new thread if it hasnt been done...bad restaurant names.
  10. All I know if him lately is the Gaslight Gourmet show on knowledge and WTV networks. I am not sure if it is still in production.
  11. So this one time we had a prep cook seed a big bowl of jalepenos for us and at the same time we fed him lots of beer knowing he would have to relieve himself eventually...he did, and it hurt.
  12. Anyone with braces? My wife just had them put on her at teeth at the ripe old age of thirty. Lots of spillage! Not to mention the amount of dinner left behind in the wires after she eats. Lost 20 lbs in no time.
  13. I cant get out of the driveway with out spilling my coffee on my shirt. So I have had this idea for awhile. A drivers bib! Just like the ones kids use with the plastic catch all on the bottom. Even would have a condiment container for your ketchup and a place to put your fries. I can see the commercial on late night TV...... "Ok honey I'm off to the interview". "Good luck dear we sure need this job". Kids by the door looking sad. Guy driving in heavy traffic with his coffee and egg mcmuffin....... Screech!....spills all over his shirt. Later, the interview getting nasty looks from the interviewers. Pulling in to the driveway wife at the door crying. This could have been prevented with...The drivers bib.
  14. If anyone is not aware we in the Okanagan are suffering through the worst fire season in decades. I am not aware of the names yet(information is spotty right now) but one or two wineries in kelowna were destroyed on Friday night. My queston however is what will the smoke do to the grapes that survive? The air quaility has been rated as extremly poor for nearly two weeks, it smells like a campfire all the time. Has this ever occured anywhere else that anyone knows of?
  15. I recieved an email from Cru today posting new press in Vancouver Province. I dont see making it down for awhile. Two of my staff are off due to fire evacauations. Tough times here for many. Hope to keep in touch and visit the "big city" in the fall.
  16. Sorry just off for me. I was going to be travelling from Penticton but have too much work to get done here. My sous chef is going away for his vacation leaving me with a lot of shifts to cover myself. Can you belive these guys think that they should get vacations once a year? the nerve! I hope you guys can get together. Call Cru ...Mark the owner has been watching the posts here and would be happy to see you I am sure. I will in Vancouver in the fall for the Neptune foods trade show and hope to visit Cru then.
  17. Well I think I will stay home and can peaches this weekend. I will be in Vancouver in the fall sometime perhaps a meeting will come together by then. Cheers
  18. I am checking with Cru on availablilty for Friday the 22nd. Please confirm ASAP all attending,Mark tells me they are "smoking busy"
  19. Actually I havent checked to see if they are open that early ( 4pm) anyway .......Ill email Cru and report back
  20. I am confident ill still be consuming drinks well past 6 oclock
  21. Not sure why it is not on Food Network where you are but we have had this show running on Food TV Canada for awhile. All have been Canadian restaurants.
  22. I was just going to ask the same question. I am still confirmed to be there and will book space with Cru. So who's in?
  23. Funny to read your post Zep. My first job in Tofino was at the Alley Waycafe. Made alot of meals out of that little kitchen. I went on to work at the Wick...not that one. The original Wickanninish Inn in Pacific Rim Park. I have no idea how it is now, the crew I worked with is all long gone we did some fine meals there, then we would surf right out on Long Beach, the staff room was full of uniforms and wetsuits. This thread sure takes me back. I spent about 6 years Chefing on the coast and made my home on a float house about 10 miles from town. Commutes could sometimes be tough. Has anyone been out to the Cayoquot Wilderness Resort?
  24. After the first episode I thought I would hate the show. It stared out very "scripted". After # 3 I think I may be hooked. Although there was some scripting tonight,Tophers phone call to Caroline, I am feeling for the most part that they arent acting too much. Could be I am wrong. Love to here from some of the staff you have been posting but it seem to me that fault lies with just about everyone. Bad attitudes from servers going in and no support from managment. And why the all the food issues, was it really that bad? Did Rocco ever get into the kitchen? He comes off very poorly in tonights episode. Oh the shifts I've had like Tophers tonight. "In the weeds"!
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