Doug Psaltis

[Marlene]

There are links to several discussions in this post

[MichBill]

There was an interesting radio interview with Doug Psaltis on the Restaurant Guys Radio the other day. He comes off as not an especially likeable guy.

Here is the link to listen to the interview link

and since I am not sure if I am doing this correctly here it is spelled out

http://restaurantguysradio.com/sle/rg/cont...asp?show_id=106

[*Deborah*]

Steve Parker loses me off the bat, talking about Doug's recent book, The Soul of a Chef.

[wkl]

the interviewers certainly aren't pulling any punches.

[rocketman]

There was an interesting radio interview with Doug Psaltis on the Restaurant Guys Radio the other day.  He comes off as not an especially likeable guy. 

Here is the link to listen to the interview  link

and since I am not sure if I am doing this correctly here it is spelled out

http://restaurantguysradio.com/sle/rg/cont...asp?show_id=106

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I thought Psaltis, for a young thirty year old defended himself quite well with all the negatively positioned questions he was aksed. There are plenty of good things to discuss in the book but these two guys decided, for whatever reason, to only discuss the negative. He did not back down and that is probably why he is critisized on this board. He comes off as knowing his business and being somewhat set in the way he works (aka cocky).....for whatever reason that irks people on this board......it gives him some credibility with me. Most great athletes and businessmen are cocky egomaniacs....why shouldnt chefs be.

I thought it incredibly funny that the one guy had such a pet peeve with the giving notice isssues. I have a feeling its because his restaurant has had 8 head chefs (most culinary school trained) over the last 10 years. My question to the restaurant guys if your out there is:

If you are so respectful to the chef's that work for you (this is what you said in the interview), why do they all leave so quickly?

RM

[rocketman]

There was an interesting radio interview with Doug Psaltis on the Restaurant Guys Radio the other day.  He comes off as not an especially likeable guy. 

Here is the link to listen to the interview  link

and since I am not sure if I am doing this correctly here it is spelled out

http://restaurantguysradio.com/sle/rg/cont...asp?show_id=106

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Did you think the interviewers were acting even handed? Seemed to me they had an agenda. They did not discuss his dedication to the field at all which is a big big part of the book. They only wanted to discuss the negative publicity. Cant blame them as we all know scandel sells but lets be fair here.....Psaltis had no choice to defend himself and he comes off a little cocky in doing so. As i said in my last post, to me this brings a little credibility. All the greats.....athletes, businessmen, polaticians.....they are all cocky. Why not chefs? You may not like Trump but if he asked you to invest in a real estate deal with him, i know i would jump at the opportunity.

[wkl]

how do you know they leave quickly? just wondering.

[Jason Perlow]

There was an interesting radio interview with Doug Psaltis on the Restaurant Guys Radio the other day.  He comes off as not an especially likeable guy. 

Here is the link to listen to the interview  link

and since I am not sure if I am doing this correctly here it is spelled out

http://restaurantguysradio.com/sle/rg/cont...asp?show_id=106

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If it wasn't for the fact that they own a successful restaurant in New Brunswick, the two interviewers sound like a bunch of small town smarmy jackasses. I like how they immediately take their pot shots at Doug right after he signs off. Utterly gutless. A real interviewer would have had the chutzpah to make those accusations when Doug was on the air.

Doesn't inspire me to visit their place one bit.

[wkl]

they certainly did take shots at him when he was on the air.they called leaving adny on short notice a lame move, and said not respecting an employee giving notice akin to being a jerk.you should listen to it again.

[rocketman]

how do you know they leave quickly? just wondering.

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8 chefs in 10 years. cant be hanging out too long.

[rocketman]

they certainly did take shots at him when he was on the air.they called leaving adny on short notice a lame move, and said not respecting an employee giving notice akin to being a jerk.you should listen to it again.

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Actually you may want to listen again. He left Cello (Tourendal's place) for ADNY. He left ADNY to open MIx.....I thin ducasse probably new about that.

[DCMark]

Is this post a very early April Fool's joke? Tell me it is, the amount of windage flowing here is amazing. It makes all the snide comments about snobby 'foodies' ring true and makes EG look SAD.

Some of you have this fantasy about what goes on in a kitchen (not during the times you get the VIP tour). I am certain Keller's places are a cut above, but the drugs, violence, verbal abuse, etc that exist in restaurants would blow most of your PC minds. Let it be, its the last bastion of creativity we have left.

[ronnie_suburban]

Is this post a very early April Fool's joke?  Tell me it is, the amount of windage flowing here is amazing.  It makes all the snide comments about snobby 'foodies' ring true and makes EG look SAD.

Some of you have this fantasy about what goes on in a kitchen (not during the times you get the VIP tour).  I am certain Keller's places are a cut above, but the drugs, violence, verbal abuse, etc that exist in restaurants would blow most of your PC minds.  Let it be, its the last bastion of creativity we have left.

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To which post are you referring?

=R=

[tan319]

Some of you have this fantasy about what goes on in a kitchen (not during the times you get the VIP tour).  I am certain Keller's places are a cut above, but the drugs, violence, verbal abuse, etc that exist in restaurants would blow most of your PC minds.  Let it be, its the last bastion of creativity we have left.

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Thank you!!!

[DCMark]

Some of you have this fantasy about what goes on in a kitchen (not during the times you get the VIP tour).  I am certain Keller's places are a cut above, but the drugs, violence, verbal abuse, etc that exist in restaurants would blow most of your PC minds.  Let it be, its the last bastion of creativity we have left.

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Thank you!!!

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My first day on the job as a prep cook at a nothing beach restaurant I got my ass kicked, stuffed in a trash can and locked in the walk in.

If the chef slapped my hand I would have been touched!

[dvs]

Some of you have this fantasy about what goes on in a kitchen (not during the times you get the VIP tour).  I am certain Keller's places are a cut above, but the drugs, violence, verbal abuse, etc that exist in restaurants would blow most of your PC minds.  Let it be, its the last bastion of creativity we have left.

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Thank you!!!

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My first day on the job as a prep cook at a nothing beach restaurant I got my ass kicked, stuffed in a trash can and locked in the walk in.

If the chef slapped my hand I would have been touched!

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doesn't make it right, though...

[DCMark]

Some of you have this fantasy about what goes on in a kitchen (not during the times you get the VIP tour).  I am certain Keller's places are a cut above, but the drugs, violence, verbal abuse, etc that exist in restaurants would blow most of your PC minds.  Let it be, its the last bastion of creativity we have left.

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Thank you!!!

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My first day on the job as a prep cook at a nothing beach restaurant I got my ass kicked, stuffed in a trash can and locked in the walk in.

If the chef slapped my hand I would have been touched!

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doesn't make it right, though...

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Doesn't make it wrong either. If you join the Marines you expect to be treated in a certain way. Its life. We legislate all non-conformity out of our little worlds while across the border people are in slavery. Perspective.

[dvs]

Some of you have this fantasy about what goes on in a kitchen (not during the times you get the VIP tour).  I am certain Keller's places are a cut above, but the drugs, violence, verbal abuse, etc that exist in restaurants would blow most of your PC minds.  Let it be, its the last bastion of creativity we have left.

←

Thank you!!!

←

My first day on the job as a prep cook at a nothing beach restaurant I got my ass kicked, stuffed in a trash can and locked in the walk in.

If the chef slapped my hand I would have been touched!

←

doesn't make it right, though...

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Doesn't make it wrong either. If you join the Marines you expect to be treated in a certain way. Its life. We legislate all non-conformity out of our little worlds while across the border people are in slavery. Perspective.

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whoa... what a poor analogy... i hear lots of stories about people suing the marines for bad treatment. restaurants are lucky they don't get sued more often...

fwiw, i've worked in restaurants for the last 15 years & have seen it all...

[rancho_gordo]

Again, the point is what the author chose to disclose, not whether corporal punishment in the restaurant business is common, fair or justified.

Edited November 2, 2005 by rancho_gordo (log)

[Marlene]

The slapping incident has been done to death on this thread already. Let's move on please.

[D. Peckham]

People, for the love of god, get over it. If you don't like what Doug has to say or agree with it don't buy the book or eat at his restaurant ( edit for the case that he is the Chef there and not the owner) Doug is a friend of mine and I admire his skill and dedication and I think that this book has alot more to it then one chapter. Every point has been made ten times over and it's getting really stupid.

[Bux]

. . . I think that this book has alot more to it then one chapter.  Every point has been made ten times over and it's getting really stupid.

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At risk of appearing like a complete idiot to you, I'd like to point out that more than one chapter has been criticized for what some people consider to be the lack of a complete account or a lopsided account of event all the way up to what some people consider complete and malicious fabrications. I have no need to repeat the comments I made earlier, but I dislike the attempt to bury criticism that was about more than the French Laundry incident by pretending it hasn't been made.

[rocketman]

. . . I think that this book has alot more to it then one chapter.  Every point has been made ten times over and it's getting really stupid.

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At risk of appearing like a complete idiot to you, I'd like to point out that more than one chapter has been criticized for what some people consider to be the lack of a complete account or a lopsided account of event all the way up to what some people consider complete and malicious fabrications. I have no need to repeat the comments I made earlier, but I dislike the attempt to bury criticism that was about more than the French Laundry incident by pretending it hasn't been made.

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Bux,

You seem to have a real bone to pick with Psaltis here. What's up?

I mean when all the comments were made about how Psaltis was never the sous chef at Blue Hill you never once stepped up and said that statement was false even though Im pretty sure it was your daughter who wrote the article stating Psaltis was a Sous chef in NY Metro or Time Out and she had visited at the time it opened and had first hand knowledge of what had happened. While you could have contributed to the board in that instance you chose to remain silent, in my opinion b/c this would have been positive about Psaltis, but if that is not why, let me know....im super curious b/c your posts are all sooooooo negative.

What gives Bux?

RM

[Bux]

I thought I've been quite clear that I've restricted my posting to comments I can defend. I believe I already posted that the article in question stated that Doug Psaltis was sous chef and we can assume he was introduced as sous chef, or that he introduced himself as sous chef and no one corrected him on that. Whether it was a tilte in lieu of a better salary, a position of respect or what, we can o nly speculate and I've avoided speculation and innuendo as much as possible. Better than most, I think. What I may not have posted is that when I recently asked my daughter about meeting Doug Psaltis during the day she worked at Blue Hill as research for her article which was on ramps, not on the restaurant. In fact, I seem to recall she neglected to mention the restaurant's address or phone number, but Dan still talks to her. He's quite understanding of mistakes made by novices. My daughter at the time was working freelance in several positions at another restaurant and one of the reasons she chose Blue Hill to feature rather than one of the restaurants featured in the side bar with name, address and phone number, was that she didn't know anyone connected to the restaurant.

To make a long story shorter, the article was written in 2000 and when I spoke to her last month, she had no memory of Psaltis, which may show how important a role he appeared to play in the restaurant when she was there. Anyone who reads the article will notice immediately that Doug handles some of the prepwork with Alex and Dan and that he's cooking. It's Dan who works the pass and performs the job of chef on that day. Her article however, focuses mostly on Alex Urena. His background is the one given in some detail. He and Rick Bishop, the picker and seller of the ramps, are the two featured players. The interesting quote to me is about Alex. "Six months ago, he teamed with fellow Bouley Alum Dan Barber, who had lauched his own catering company in 1997 and was planning to expand into the restaurant business."

Rocketman, my life is a pretty open book and I sign all my posts with my real name. my posts are truthful, whether or not you find them negative. I won't ask you to indentify yourself as a gentleman or state your connections with anyone involved in the book as you have done to me, but my question to you is why do you say

Bux,

You seem to have a real bone to pick with Psaltis here.  What's up? 

I mean when all the comments were made about how Psaltis was never the sous chef at Blue Hill you never once stepped up and said that statement was false even though Im pretty sure it was your daughter who wrote the article stating Psaltis was a Sous chef in NY Metro or Time Out and she had visited at the time it opened and had first hand knowledge of what had happened.  While you could have contributed to the board in that instance you chose to remain silent, in my opinion b/c this would have been positive about Psaltis, but if that is not why, let me know....im super curious b/c your posts are all sooooooo negative.   

What gives Bux? 

RM

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I long ago posted that I knew Doug had been introduced as a sous chef.

This part of Alex Urena's account is particularly hard to swallow given the journalistic record. Urena says:

"He was helping us as a line cook," Mr. Ureña said. "We didn't want him to get the idea that he was going to be a sous-chef."

But in a Time Out New York article published in 2000, Doug Psaltis is specifically referred to as the sous-chef:

On the day I visit, sous chef Doug Psaltis arrives shortly after Urena.

Also:

Because Blue Hill is a relatively small restaurant—it has about 54 seats, bar not included—Urena, Psaltis and Barber do all of the preliminary prepping or "breaking down" of the vegetables, fish and meats.

The story is available online here: http://www.timeoutny.com/eatout/240/240.eat.ramps.html -- this, at least, would seem to be a bit of homework the New York Times didn't do.

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You know I read that article, several times over the years. I have a couple of copies in my library. What it says is that Doug was sous-chef, not Alex's co-chef as he says in his book. It goes on to say that Dan is the chef chef since he’s calling out the orders and working the pass, which is what the top chef in any kitchen does, and that Dan clearly knows his way around the kitchen if he’s breaking down vegetables, fish, and meats. Even the title sous-chef may be questionable in a new restaurant opening on a tight budget. It's often easier to give a title than a salary to boost the ego of one of the guys in a new kitchen. The author of that article was one of the few people who would talk to me at all. What she had to say is that she didn't have much memory of Doug. It seems to me that he wasn't one with much responsibility or input into the restaurant that took off big, quickly. Alex apparently did have much to do with the origninal success, but even there I have some questions. You and I never shared the same opinion of the restaurant. I felt it was a destination restaurant from early on and you didn't. More to the point I seem to recall that when Alex left, your predictions were negative and you expressed the view that Alex was the talent. I wondered why you had that misapprehension then. I better understand that today.

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I would define negativity not so much just as refuting someone else's statements, but as doing so without bothering to read what they've said or follow their statement. I would define negativity as putting words in someone's mouth, or worse yet, implying in public they've not said something they are already on record as saying. Why are you so intent on posting so vehemently on one subject on a site on which you never registered until this thread had long been underway? I have a track record here that speaks for itself and I put my reputation on the line with every post I make by signing them

[rocketman]

Bux,

If your position is so transparent than why were you not forthcoming when you first mentioned the article written by your daughter. Instead you wrote:

"You know I read that article, several times over the years. I have a couple of copies in my library."

This is clearly evasive.

And can you believe I can rebut your post in all of 49 words....pretty amazing, huh?

RM