Spewing
Seems like every time I call a friend to chat it begins with the rant. I remember writing a poem a long time ago, in another life, that contained a line like 'dust maker meets waste maker'. The waste maker being me. The only element I have come up with thus far that I hate about what I do is the amount of food I am forced to dispose of. Forced you might ask? Yes, forced. If anyone outside of the kitchen has so much as breathed, even looked at or removed from my sight, an article of food, I must get rid of it. I can no longer ensure it is what I want it to be, what it should be; not been manhandled/sneezed/coughed/hacked upon. Part of my commitment is to make sure people will get food that will do them no intentional harm.
Does this all seem familiar? How many of us have had chefs go around checking the garbage cans looking for unneccesary trimming? Pulling it out, putting it on someones board, asking around, sniffing out who is responsible, yelling about the bottom line and waste. Apparently not enough. While I have no clue about the actual bottom line or cost factors where I am, I know what I see. We are all trained professionals. Many of us who actual paid for training. Is it really so difficult to follow the simple idea of use what is older first? It boggles my mind to see how much is wasted in a place that claims to foster sustainiblity. I'll get into the whole sustainable culture where I am another time. For now, it's all about product use.
In harshest reality, I make food that needs to sit in a 145* hot bar that has visitors for 9 hours a day and food for sitting in a cold case for up to 6 days. Tall order for this a la carte girl. What maintains its appeal after that amount of time? I am slowly figuring it out. Meanwhile, I went on a very verbal spew this evening that involved venting about the fact that I carefully put old product above new, meaning use me first, and found old product IN THE SAME CRATE with new carefully removed from below it. Why is it so difficult to understand that we are cooking the food. It changes as being cooked and after sitting at then temps required with heat lamps above, it deteriorates even more. Will people notice that it may have been created with less than perfect beginnings? Is that not part of what we are all about?
The ingredients are pristine, and for the most part they are local and organic; our guests will respect the occasional blemish. None of us are without them after all. So, even though my (sort of) screaming tonight was at those who had no complicity in this instance, it still needs addressing. Utilize what is in front of you first. That is a part of what we do; turn waste into elegance. Cannot wait to get my hands on those two week old artichokes crying to be stuffed and turned into something sexy.
Does this all seem familiar? How many of us have had chefs go around checking the garbage cans looking for unneccesary trimming? Pulling it out, putting it on someones board, asking around, sniffing out who is responsible, yelling about the bottom line and waste. Apparently not enough. While I have no clue about the actual bottom line or cost factors where I am, I know what I see. We are all trained professionals. Many of us who actual paid for training. Is it really so difficult to follow the simple idea of use what is older first? It boggles my mind to see how much is wasted in a place that claims to foster sustainiblity. I'll get into the whole sustainable culture where I am another time. For now, it's all about product use.
In harshest reality, I make food that needs to sit in a 145* hot bar that has visitors for 9 hours a day and food for sitting in a cold case for up to 6 days. Tall order for this a la carte girl. What maintains its appeal after that amount of time? I am slowly figuring it out. Meanwhile, I went on a very verbal spew this evening that involved venting about the fact that I carefully put old product above new, meaning use me first, and found old product IN THE SAME CRATE with new carefully removed from below it. Why is it so difficult to understand that we are cooking the food. It changes as being cooked and after sitting at then temps required with heat lamps above, it deteriorates even more. Will people notice that it may have been created with less than perfect beginnings? Is that not part of what we are all about?
The ingredients are pristine, and for the most part they are local and organic; our guests will respect the occasional blemish. None of us are without them after all. So, even though my (sort of) screaming tonight was at those who had no complicity in this instance, it still needs addressing. Utilize what is in front of you first. That is a part of what we do; turn waste into elegance. Cannot wait to get my hands on those two week old artichokes crying to be stuffed and turned into something sexy.
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