Culinary Cues

JULY 16, 2022

I am aware as I grow older this is going to happen, but nevertheless, it hits hard and makes you take inventory of the person you are, what you do, how you do it, how you treat others, and the way you live your life. What a wonderful legacy, an enormously important mantra, and an inspirational way to live your life.

Front of House 366

Front of House Back of House Education Leadership 366

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 11, 2022

So, are you ready to push aside the emotional tug of “owning your own” and approaching this as a pragmatic businessperson would? This is the only way that the restaurant business makes sense today. The opportunity is there, make sure you are ready to do it right. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Customer Experience 367

Customer Experience Café Training Hospitality 367

Culinary Cues

JULY 23, 2023

When the menu is not their own then they are left with all the responsibility for the guest and employee experience and very little authority to set the stage for success. The model makes sense from a clear business perspective. Both are equally important, but does it really make sense for the same person to wear two hats?

Guest Recovery 404

Guest Recovery Seasonal Menu Presentation Customer Experience 404

Culinary Cues

JULY 2, 2023

Why is it then that so many places make lousy coffee, and a few produce a beverage that is comforting, exciting, and memorable? When we are “all-in” with the simple approach then you will not only create those memories and inspire others, but you will also set yourself in a space that only a few own. It’s simple, but it isn’t easy.

Back of House 353

Back of House Seasonal Menu Café Sourcing 353

Culinary Cues

JUNE 7, 2023

You know what I’m talking about – the knot in your stomach, dry throat, beads of forehead sweat even without the addition of kitchen heat, tingling in the fingers, rapid heartbeat, lack of focus, cold fingertips, and a sense of impending doom. Maybe you make that long overdue appointment with your doctor – time for a checkup.

Training 326

Training Article Café Take-out 326

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

Chef, I completed your assignment and met with the three chefs.” “So, Chef Charles from Main Street Grill responded: “Yes, I knew how they all began, that’s why I chose them for your assignment. Okay, so your assignment was to assess and summarize what you found. He brought his assignment to the chef before suiting up for work.

Back of House 265

Back of House Hotels Uniforms Certification 265

Culinary Cues

MARCH 10, 2022

How frustrated would a line cook be if he or she had to clean their own sauté pans after every use? How much more difficult would your job as a cook be if every pot or pan that you picked up were slick with grease or caked with yesterday’s burnt mirepoix? Harvest America Ventures, LLC. How beautiful is a kitchen that sparkles?

Front of House 447

Front of House Back of House Uniforms Hiring 447

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Get it done, no mistakes, and pick up the pace are all directives that help line cooks make it through another day or night. But what about your food, what about the guest’s reaction, what about creating memorable experiences, what about your connection to the plate? Give your cooks a chance, now and then, to dine out front.

Customer Service 344

Customer Service Customer Experience Uniforms Point of Sale 344

Culinary Cues

JUNE 4, 2023

This is my version and addition to his profound words: EYES ON THE POSITION OF CHEF: So, you want to make a career out of this kitchen work. Okay, tuck these guidelines in your pocket and read them every day: Show up on time, be ready to hit the ground running, be alert and prepared, and have a smile on your face.

Brewery 353

Brewery Equipment Book Blog 353

Culinary Cues

MAY 8, 2023

The chef is responsible for hiring, training, coaching, evaluating, and scheduling employees keeping in mind their skill level, personal issues and responsibilities, demands of specific positions in the kitchen (not everyone fits in every role), and an ever-changing influx of customers with their own demands.

Kitchen Safety 428

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Coaching Training 428

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

We wake people up in the morning and provide the energy to start their engines, help them think clearly, stimulate creative work, and fire up the millions of businesses that make the country tick and drive America forward. No other art form can make this claim and witness these results. Look at your job this way. We are a force!

Consumer Goods 412

Consumer Goods Uniforms Café Blog 412

Culinary Cues

APRIL 18, 2023

Most of the problems in restaurants were there before but not so vivid, not so “in your face”. Look at your product – does it fit these requirements? [] INVEST IN PEOPLE: Restaurants need committed, passionate, dependable, focused, professional employees. Ask yourself and your staff: “What am I (are we) really great at?”

Food Truck 319

Food Truck Back of House Education Training 319

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

That Instagram picture was possible because of the farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and vendors who brought the ingredients to your receiving dock. Chefs, managers, and owners should live by a simple rule – “If you are not serving the guest directly then it is your job to serve those who are.”

Front of House 473

Front of House Customer Experience Workshop Dine-in 473

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Restaurants could choose to raise prices, reduce portion sizes, or lower quality standards to make up the difference, or take a more proactive approach without alienating guests or impacting their reputation for quality. SKILL SET: Too many factors are making it difficult to maintain large, diverse menus. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Compost 437

Compost Fine Dining Waste Café 437

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 30, 2022

My question to those cooks is: “What are you investing in your career as a cook?”. That’s correct, I asked: “What are you investing in your career as a cook?” The more you know, the more you are able to do, the more competent you are, and the more diverse your skill set – the greater the opportunities. Exceed expectations!

Workshop 361

Workshop Article Uniforms Take-out 361

Culinary Cues

JULY 31, 2023

I felt it was time to refresh, modify, and re-emphasize the rules and make them relatable to the current climate we all work in. My hope is that these are worthy enough of a space on your kitchen bulletin board or the chef’s office door. If your direction is planned out then work can be, and will be, enjoyable and rewarding.

Kitchen Safety 324

Kitchen Safety Back of House Front of House Food Safety 324

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 12, 2021

What is that cook for all ages like, what list of attributes make up the ideal person for the job? Trying to succeed at others expense will never work in the long run – your role is to help others to grab opportunities and succeed, not get in their way. Harvest America Ventures, LLC. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Restaurant Law 391

Restaurant Law Education Definition Social Media 391

Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2023

There is a determination to not let your team members down. They are real, transparent, honest in their own way, and safe to be themselves when they tie on an apron. There is banter, and some of it is inappropriate and must be controlled, but it is thought to be harmless – there is rarely ill intent.

Front of House 427

Front of House Back of House Food Order Seasonal Menu 427

Culinary Cues

JUNE 16, 2023

Shawn was 17 years old, an average student in school, no real direction, wanted to have fun, make a difference, do something important, and college was far from his thinking. Shawn, it has been a pleasure working with you these past two years and watching how you have built your skills. Think about this typical story.

Kitchen Safety 327

Kitchen Safety Back of House Hotels Food Safety 327

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2023

Did you meet yours or someone else’s expectations? Were your standards met, goals achieved, was progress made? THE LEADER/COACH IMPACT: The leader is responsible for creating the game plan and the learning organization that makes a win possible. But then we need to more clearly define the word “satisfied”. That NEVER works!

Coaching 374

Coaching Sports Point of Sale Take-out 374

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Mediocre sucks the lifeblood out of an individual or an organization – it is the dark side of the moon, the harbinger of discomfort and pain, and the salt in the wound that saps your energy and leaves you hardened and embarrassed. What piece of equipment will be most successful in reaching your goals of deliciousness?

Uniforms 449

Uniforms Fine Dining Small Business Customer Service 449

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2022

Now that I have your attention and you are back in your chair, let me explain. The margins are very tight, in fact they are so tight that most business savvy people would wonder why anyone would ever want to own a restaurant. Make sure that cooler temperatures are appropriate for the products stored. First in, first out.

Food 381

Food Seasonal Menu Waste Point of Sale 381

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

” Sure, point the finger elsewhere – but this means that you are releasing any responsibility for your own actions. Creativity was always in the back of your mind – something that gave you purpose and drove you to learn about the art of cooking. So WHY DID YOU ALLOW YOUR FEELINGS TO GO SOUTH?

Take-out 379

Take-out Customer Experience Blog Training 379

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 20, 2021

In the end, from my perspective, the ones who exceed their own and other’s expectations are the ones that find strength in the school of hard knocks. Is it possible that we have become a society determined to make everything easier – assuming that easier is better? Make sure the mop head is clean and changed frequently.

Front of House 421

Front of House Uniforms Back of House Kitchen Safety 421

Culinary Cues

MAY 13, 2023

I can only advise from my own experience which may not be appropriate for everyone, but here goes: Start by building an understanding of what a chef does, what the position calls for, and the type of chef you hope to become. If you can afford the cost and the time, of course a culinary school would help as an integral part of your plan.

Hotels 426

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 426

Culinary Cues

MARCH 26, 2022

Are you thinking about owning a restaurant? You are not alone if the thought of putting your name on a restaurant awning has crossed your mind. If you were to address them all then maybe, just maybe, you can make it work. [] ASSUMING THAT IT WILL BE EASIER AS AN OWNER. Train to your standards and be very clear.

Cash Management 366

Cash Management Social Media Restaurant Law Communication 366

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 27, 2020

A well-run kitchen is not a free-form environment where every cook does his or her own thing or moves to the beat of his or her own drum. It makes no difference if it is a 4-diamond restaurant offering fine dining, a quality pizza shop, a bakery, or a hospital foodservice – discipline, pride, and results are closely aligned.

Uniforms 463

Uniforms Airlines Fine Dining Food Order 463

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

The choice to be great or not so great is in the hands of the restaurateur and the folks who make a living with food. Find out everything you can about your guests and potential guests. Don’t strive for something that is beyond your ability to reach. It’s all about your people. This is your most important job.

Fine Dining 392

Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 392

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 28, 2021

I know you remember the first day that you slid your arms into the sleeves of that chef’s jacket with your name embroidered under the title: executive chef. You walked through the kitchen greeting each person at his or her station finally coming to rest at a stainless table that will be your workspace. This is magical.

Kitchen Safety 423

Kitchen Safety Front of House Fine Dining Seasonal Menu 423

Culinary Cues

APRIL 16, 2022

The flavor, aroma, texture, or presentation made you sit back in your chair, close your eyes, and wonder how anything could be this good. Remember how beautiful those well designed and executed plate presentations gave you pause, stopped your conversations, and insisted that you snap a picture for posterity.

Hotels 370

Hotels Presentation Reservations Social Media 370

Culinary Cues

JULY 8, 2021

With a real need to try and make-up for a lost year and an overnight demand for dining out – restaurants are faced with a new pressing issue: where do we find the staff and how do we keep them? So, the reaction now is to pay whatever is needed for staff positions in your local restaurant. The strong survive and the weak shall perish.

Sports 473

Sports Take-out Café Training 473

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Every now and then this can serve as a “checks and balance” activity to keep you on the right path and assess where and why you might have strayed from those “stakes in the ground” that are important to your core. You can disagree, take a stand, make your point, continue to have a unique opinion, but in the end – it is their business.

2021 396

2021 Point of Sale Reference Take-out 396

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 15, 2022

We want and need to make a difference, no matter how small or how large that contribution might be. As I often quote Steve Jobs: “To make a dent in the universe.”. They are telling you about themselves: where they come from, who they are, what makes them happy.”. This is what being a cook is all about. Figure it out!

Uniforms 413

Uniforms Front of House Food Safety Healthcare 413

Culinary Cues

MAY 4, 2022

One would assume that you dedicated the time and effort to your education, otherwise graduation might not be within your grasp. Your chef instructors dedicated themselves to passing on the knowledge and skills that you will need to reach for your goals; knowledge and skills that took them a career to acquire.

2022 372

2022 Coaching Education Kitchen Safety 372

Culinary Cues

JULY 19, 2022

But, beyond all of this lies a macro responsibility, one that defines the chef’s position in the larger business of food, and that is being a mentor who creates an environment for and nurtures the potential of young cooks to make their own mark on the restaurant scene. Harvest America Ventures, LLC. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Training 368

Training Presentation Employee Relations Article 368

Culinary Cues

JUNE 29, 2022

There were days of self-doubt when we were our own worst critic, when our work never felt adequate enough, when the chef shook his or her head signaling that we didn’t hit the mark, and when far too many dishes came back from a disappointed guest. Your work counts – do it well and do it right. Let excellence be your signature.

Education 411

Education Take-out Leadership Café 411

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 17, 2021

To make a difference – this is something that many of us seek and so few of us think that we accomplish. At some level we all make a difference, even if only in one person’s life, one situation, one community, or even one business. We make a difference through the effort that we are willing and able to give.

Café 372

Café Take-out Training Small Business 372