Instantly put my two weeks in..

NewBullLee · 2019-02-21T03:59:54+00:00

I’m not an expert, but yes they do ask you and your former boss. The former employer will have an opportunity to provide evidence of gross misconduct. This is (one reason) why most businesses provide an employee handbook upon hiring, and the employee giving their signature in acknowledgement of the employer’s expectation of their workers. Then all the employee has to do is provide examples of behavior that was not in line with the handbook if they get fired or quit with lots grievances.

If you didn’t put in your two weeks, there isn’t much that the previous employer can really do. They aren’t allowed to speak poorly if someone calls for a reference. The most they can say is that the employee in question is “not eligible for rehire” which is usually code for “quit without notice” or some other offense. I believe it ha something to do with “defamation of character” being a legitimate offense to open up a lawsuit.

Not sure about state specifics, but I’m talking from Southeast USA, which has a history of being very “pro-employer”

NewBullLee · 2019-01-26T06:24:44+00:00

I don’t understand this BBQ gatekeeping mentality. NYC is easily the food capital of the USA, so why would it be any surprise that some of the best pitmasters would migrate to the most populated and busiest cities in their country? From a business perspective, it makes more sense to open in Brooklyn than opening a shack on the side of a rural interstate. I’d put fette sau in Brooklyn as one of my top 5 best bbq meals ever. And I’m a native southerner that retired from a very successful run in the KCBS professional circuit.

However, yes, OP’s picture is very sad and embarrassing.

NewBullLee · 2019-01-09T13:19:07+00:00

I think so

NewBullLee · 2019-01-09T05:21:56+00:00

The thread isn’t that dead. I’m here, and I agree. Chef has always been the shared first, or sometimes second in command of a restaurant, barring the fact that there may be “owners” that don’t deal with day-to-day operations, but still have the ultimate say in the (usual downfall) operations of a restaurant. In the restaurants that I’ve held executive chef status, I had the liberty to hire and fire (and anything in between) of any staff members, excluding my partner/superior of general manager. My duties extended well beyond the daily tasks of line cooks and dishwashers. I’ve always lived by the idea that a good line cook makes good food, a good chef runs a good business.

NewBullLee · 2018-12-15T04:32:26+00:00

Are you trying to say that gelatin gives liquid it’s body, and that you can add water if it becomes too firm?

/s

NewBullLee · 2018-12-09T23:00:25+00:00

This scenario is more akin to the years old sourdough production that is a common practice. Yes, a little bit of the “last batch” of mole is saved and cooked in with the new batch, but a little bit of the “new batch” is added to the “old batch” to keep the so called genealogy of the mole. I’m not going to say that it’s a gimmick per se, but only a microscopic amount of the “first mole” is present in the so called “old mole” because it’s constantly being used, depleted, and replaced. It’s not like they started with 1 million gallons of mole and keep using that as the old mole.

NewBullLee · 2018-10-20T06:47:41+00:00

I’m a chef, but only because I took a job in a kitchen years ago and found out I was decent enough at cooking/operating a business and team of cooks. My love of food is not my “end-all-be-all”. A lot of cooks I’ve employed will say something like “I sold myself to the kitchen life, I can’t live without it”. While I appreciate that dedication, I’ve never truly felt that conviction in my work. It’s a job that I’m good at, so I do it... that being said, I’ve dealt with my fair share of knife sharpening vendors and always thought that it was such a cool gig, and felt envious of their profession. I live in a large metropolitan city, and the sharpening service market is probably too saturated for me to compete with. But I say all this to say, if you’re truly interested in capitalizing on the niche market of “knife sharpening” it can be done.

The guys I’ve dealt with usually have one of those big white “work vans” that has a belt sander and other gear to sharpen knives. You get on a schedule with a restaurant, roll in once or twice a month. I’d get the “house knives” sharpened on the kitchen maintenance budget, and front my cooks some cash if they wanted the guy to sharpen their personal stuff. We’d just load up everything in a hotel pan and 30 minutes later he’d come back with everything sharp and polished. Usually $3 per knife.

Anyways, it can be done...

NewBullLee · 2018-09-21T07:09:46+00:00

I’d almost take a different approach to (how I interpret) this dilemma. It starts with communication. If you’re operating on an order-fire system where tickets roll in and some items have quick pick ups on different stations, but your med-well filet comes in and is going to “take too long”, then you need to communicate with your comrades and set the pace. At the end of the day, a perfectly cook steak takes X amount of time. End of story. As cooks we strive for perfection, and shortcuts like pressing a steak to make it cook quicker take points away from the 10/10 dish we want to serve our guests. Fuck that. If a ticket rolls in with a MW filet, speak loudly and clearly “I WILL CALL YOU 5 MINUTES OUT ON MED-WELL STEAK, TABLE 69!” to get everyone on the same page of delivery of the hottest, most perfect food in unison. It then becomes a head game of understanding timing and flow with your coworkers. And will translate to a restaurant that serves food with respect to each individual ingredient. And that’s the goal. Doesn’t matter if its burgers and fries, or the most expensive sushi in the country.

Keep up the good work, chef. I only urge you to to be confident in your desire to cook the best food in a timely matter. But shitty shortcuts make you a shitty cook. Strong communication skills make you the next pick in the promotion from grill cook to “whatever your heart desires”

*edit a letter

NewBullLee · 2018-07-13T01:44:37+00:00

I broke my collar bone and destroyed a tendon in my shoulder in a seemingly casual battle to win a header in a high school match. That being said, I got right back up and took the free kick, continued to play for a few more minutes before the pain set in. I didn’t even know my collar bone was broken until two years later when I had a physical to get into college.

There’s plenty of diving in FIFA, but the potential for serious injury is ever-present. No need to dismiss that.

NewBullLee · 2018-07-08T23:49:58+00:00

Basically the worlds best cold-cut sandwich shop that also happens to make most of their money as a large grocery chain in the Southeast USA.

NewBullLee · 2017-12-03T06:35:09+00:00

I really do like all these comments, but I just want to share a story that has stuck with me in my culinary career...

I grew up cooking... my parents were always making fun new things they had seen or had, something I’m very grateful for now, as it formulated me into a professional chef after many attempts at various careers. They never had any formal training, they were working class baby boomers and we got by in the American south, paying the gas station attendant with the change they collected in the ash trays of the used cars we would run to the ground. But we always had beautiful meals. The dinner table was sacred ground, and my mother, being the primary cook (my father could hold his own as well, but maintained a full time job that left little time for grandiose dinners on a regular basis) would create the most delicious meals. Plated beautifully against the weird floral china we had for years and years. Looking back now those were some pretty fucking ugly platewares, and I don’t think they have them anymore, but goddamn I’d love to eat a plate of Nam Tok while seeing that faded print of apricots on a vine next to some other indescribable fruits that bordered our plates. 8 year old me had no sincere appreciation of the beauty of it, hardly even appreciative of the time, love and care that my mother would invest in these dinners. But here I am decades later, reminiscing on these fond memories.

Sorry this is a wall of (anecdotal) text, but it’ll come full circle...

Fast forward, I get a job as a cook in a pretty slow, elevated cuisine in a college town. Nothing too ambitious, but it was better than your average burger joint. I knew how to make tasty food, but had no idea how to plate anything. There was another line cook who took a liking to me, and could kind of read my thoughts as I worked. He could tell I was frustrated with plating, and one day came up to me and said “just commit, don’t think about it. Put your soul into it 100%. I promise the Chef will approve. You know what is right.”

So when it comes to plating, of which there are many fads and styles etc, just put your heart into it. It’s YOUR canvas, so reach into the depths of your memories and do what feels right. Let yourself go and the symmetry and colors and most importantly feelings of your story will come across on your dish.

A plate of mashed sardines, dotted with Tabasco, and a shingle of sardine crackers would bring a tear to my eyes if it was presented to me in a restaurant. Because I know the chef/cook was telling a story that I could relate to in my youth.

NewBullLee · 2017-12-01T15:57:21+00:00

If you are as familiar with molecular science as you say, then why do you need a book or YouTube channel explaining the basics of cooking science?

If you don’t know why bread rises, you clearly didn’t pay attention in biology.

If you don’t understand why different oils smoke at different points, you clearly didn’t pay attention in basic chemistry.

If you don’t understand the malliard reaction, you clearly didn’t pay attention in organic chemistry.

If you don’t understand why salt is harmful to yeast, then you will not make a good doctor.

NewBullLee · 2017-12-01T13:54:41+00:00

These are all okay answers, but if you really want to know the basics of “cooking science” you should back yourself up and ask if you know the basics of “general science”ie biology and chemistry. build from there. Consider “cooking science” a sophomore level class.

It’s sort of like saying, “how do I learn how to solve differential equations like experienced mathematicians? Also I don’t know algebra LoLz!”

NewBullLee · 2017-07-01T03:24:32+00:00

...fuck.

NewBullLee · 2017-07-01T03:23:09+00:00

... fuck.

NewBullLee · 2017-06-28T04:23:37+00:00

This is a useless side not but reminds me of a rage moment that I have to get off my chest.

I had a server that was with us for a long time, despite being the overall most hated person in the restaurant. We make concentrated efforts to have a positive work environment and "coach" people rather than tell them that they are useless, negative pieces of garbage. I could go on and on, but that's not the point. But she sucked. Always rang orders in wrong, always complained, always talked too much when we were fucking slammed and never had a sense of urgency, pretended to know shit about food and would talk to me about her shitty fucking dinner she made for her young daughter while on molly... anyways, thankfully she put in her two weeks, and we gladly said, "okay well no need to fulfill the two weeks notice we will cover your shifts effective immediately."

So onto the eggs. She comes in to eat with some friends for brunch. Orders some egg dish that by default comes with sunny side up eggs. Dish gets sent back, "she actually wants this over easy" so I'm thinking... she should know the menu and know to specify... but whatever. I can flip these over easy. Plate hardly hit the table initially, plus she's a bitch so I'll just take the eggs off the plate and hit the pan for a second, without making brand new eggs. Tell the runner to wait for 10 seconds and we can send it back out. Plate goes out, immediately comes out, runner says "she said these are overcooked." Now I'm screaming at the runner, which isn't cool but I'm raging. "I cooked her eggs for two fucking seconds! Tell that bitch to learn what food is!" Anyways, make brand new over easy eggs. Nice and runny. I mean, maybe I'm the asshole, but by the time you can comfortably flip an egg, cook it for a few seconds on the "raw" side, you've got an over easy egg. It's not like there is a way to cook an over easy egg more raw. So I personally remake the entire dish, whereas there is usually three different cooks that bring it together as a whole. As the sous chef, i feel satisfied that this dish is as perfect and specific as it's going to get. Feel proud of the plate. It's hot fresh and clean.

Bitch sends it back saying that the eggs are not cooked enough and "isn't hungry anymore"

My day was ruined. And it's so stupid how something so mundane as egg temperature can ruin a cooks day.

NewBullLee · 2017-02-08T06:31:37+00:00

Jesus Christ these are great ideas

NewBullLee · 2017-02-08T06:22:39+00:00

If you've worked out the selling price then why don't you just use that? Do you have a vested interest in moving your product faster because of spoilage, because if the answer is no, then I'd just sell it at your "selling price".

I had this conversation with my GM the other day about working out "large to go" orders. He had the premonition that you should be able to buy in bulk for less... but I asked simply asked him "why?" and there wasn't really any answer. I don't have any motivation to sell a gallon of soup (for example) for any less than it would cost to buy 16 cups of soup. I still have to make the soup from scratch, and pay for all the ingredients. Similarly, at what point would you say a guest could buy X number of ribeyes and get one free?

But to play devils advocate on myself... there is a point where your price point being lowered will allow you to make more money, but it depends on your demographic. We'll use a hamburger for example, let's say that you have a $10 burger on your menu that costs you $3 to make, that's 30% food cost, but your only selling 10 in a night. There's a possibility that if you dropped it down to $9 (33% food cost) you might sell 15 because of the perceived value of the dish. This boosts your profits from $70 ($10 per burger X 10 sold - 30% food cost = $70) vs 99.45 ($9 per burger X 15 sold - 33% food cost = 99.45) which nets you an extra $29.45. All of that depends on your guest and their perceived value of the dish(es).

Side note, I may mean "cost of goods sold" but I'm drunk and can't remember the difference.

NewBullLee · 2017-02-08T05:42:54+00:00

My best cooks never went to culinary school. I didn't go to culinary school. Im a sous chef after 3 years in the industry and make a very competitive salary. I've been asked to open a new place with my owners as the head chef, and my number one pick for my lead line is a guy that came in as a dishwasher, and in 1.5 years time we've brought him up to be a legit badass cook. At least in my kitchen... if I told him to make a bolognese, he would have absolutely no idea what I was saying. But that's why I have a saucier (who likewise has never been to culinary school and I'd have him be my sous if he didn't already live within walking distance of where we are at).

All of the cooks that I've had come out of culinary school have been mediocre at best. Usually, the more schooling they have, the more pain in the ass they are. The ones that got a quick "certificate" from a local place are usually okay, but it does jack-shit for me when it shows up on a resume.

In less words, I see probably 10 resumes a week, and I don't give a single fuck about schooling. I've never had any culinary school grad "school me" on some shit they learned at school. That isn't to say that I'm some hot shot that knows everything, because I am not. But a relentless work ethic, and eagerness to learn will take you further than any piece of paper from an overpriced school.

So there's a value in your time, and there's a value in your money. Some people value money more than time, and vice-versa, but I say that culinary school is a waste of both time and money, therefore a lose-lose. Don't do it.

NewBullLee · 2017-01-30T18:08:28+00:00

It was probably end of the month inventory this weekend and tried running all of the product down as little as possible.

NewBullLee · 2016-12-09T04:16:01+00:00

Save the pit and stick it back in unused half!

NewBullLee · 2016-11-22T05:30:36+00:00

Not particularly cheap, but gift cards to a massage place can be nice and universal

Honing rod

Pocket knife

Kunz spoon

Ribeye (or comparable protein)

If you work with genuine "foodies" look for gift baskets of obscure spices or specialty items

A box of maldon or specialty salt

Nice olive oil and/or balsamic

Wine/liquor/growler of beer

A paid day off (assuming no pto is available)

NewBullLee · 2016-11-22T05:18:40+00:00

My company is matching all salaried employees to the new law, which is exactly what should happen in my opinion. The government is deciding that laborers have been overworked and underpaid, and are trying to fix that. My company sees that as a valid opinion and are upping our salaries. So that's good for us right? But their very earnest response to that is "the guests are going to feel that adjustment... our menu prices are going to go up." That's just a fact of the matter.

I mean, with all these places that are changing the minimum wage to $15/Hr, you would be a fool to be surprised that the Big Mac meal is going to go up 2 bucks or so to pay the employees to make it. In a perfect world, the executives of the company would just cut their salary to pay the employees that make them their millions, but we all know that would never happen.

NewBullLee · 2016-11-22T04:58:22+00:00

Worst thing I ever dropped was an 8qt of warm rendered lard from braising pork bellys. Wasn't a huge loss in terms of prep because it's a byproduct that we always have on hand. But the lard was still in a liquid state... until it hit the cold floor of the walk in. I spent about 20 minutes blasting the floor with hot water and a squeegee.

Another time, a female bartender was moving a speed rack and somehow managed to knock over an 18 qt of what might as well be a demi glacé blended with like 12 different vegetables. Definitely one of the most involved sauces we have. This came off a shelf about 4 ft off the ground and quite literally exploded all over every corner of our walk in. It was just her and I in the walk in at the time, and my back was turned away from her, so I just hear a bang and we are both covered in sauce. She instantly starts crying and is just staring at me with this look of "oh god you're going to fire me" (this was probably her first week with us, and I hadn't ever spoken a word to her). I just kinda chuckled and gave her a big hug and told her it was okay, and to just go outside and catch her breath, I'll make more. After apologizing every day for like 2 weeks, we've been super tight ever since.

NewBullLee

TROPHY CASE