The “Flavor of Napa” was a world class celebration of food and wine highlighting some of Napa's best-known chefs and winemakers. Events took place up and down the Napa Valley over 4 days in November and included culinary demonstrations, multi course dinners, wine tastings, and a closing brunch. Proceeds from the festival benefited the scholarship fund at the Culinary Institute of America. Participating Chefs included Thomas Keller, Bob Hurley, Christopher Kostow, Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Michael Chiarello, Cindy Pawlcyn, Richard Blais, Todd Humphries, Jeff Jake, Christophe Geurad and dozens of others. The main purpose of my visit was to lend a hand and support the culinary team at the Dolce Silverado Resort.

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The First Annual Flavor of Napa

by Chef Len Elias

The “Flavor of Napa” was a world class celebration of food and wine highlighting some of Napa's best-known chefs and winemakers. Events took place up and down the Napa Valley over 4 days in November and included culinary demonstrations, multi course dinners, wine tastings, and a closing brunch. Proceeds from the festival benefited the scholarship fund at the Culinary Institute of America. Participating Chefs included Thomas Keller, Bob Hurley, Christopher Kostow, Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Michael Chiarello, Cindy Pawlcyn, Richard Blais, Todd Humphries, Jeff Jake, Christophe Geurad and dozens of others. The main purpose of my visit was to lend a hand and support the culinary team at the Dolce Silverado Resort.

While I was there I did get to eat a few meals and do the tourist thing. I had lunch at Bouchons with a few other chefs and thought it to be very good, but a bit pricey for lunch. The service was less than stellar, but It was a beautiful day to sit on the patio, it may be the closest I ever get to a European vacation. I had the Duck Confit with Lentils and it was very good, worth the wait and service flaws. The other Chefs ordered a variety of dishes and a tasting and critique ensued. I was with Chefs from Barcelona, Toronto and Boston, so opinions varied and polite banter on technique and presentation went on throughout the meal.

After our meal we walked the streets of Yountville and ran into Chef Bob Hurley of “Hurley’s Restaurant”. Chef Hurley has been in the Napa Valley for 20 years and is a very friendly and outgoing Chef. He was celebrating game week at his restaurant and I had my eyes and tongue on his Wild Boar Baby Back Ribs, unfortunately I never made it back to Hurley’s, but I did run into Chef Hurley at another event and got to speak with him for a while, he is an amazing man. He did eat the appetizer I was serving and came back for more which made me very happy.

My next stop was the “Kitchen Door” located in the Oxbow Market. Chef Christophe Geurad who worked with Chef Todd Humphries at L’Espinasse in NY brought us there and I am glad he did. Melt in Your Mouth Duck Liver Mousse Flatbread, Korean Ribs, Charcuterie, Wood Fired Chicken Wings, it just kept coming, truly amazing, Chef Todd has a great restaurant, I think it’s the restaurant we all would want to eat at and own. More important than that, is that Chef Todd is another real guy, a nice man and an amazing chef. Later in the week I would get to work with Chef Todd. After that it was off to ZuZu’s Tapas and Wine Bar, a place I had written about on a previous Napa trip. This time it was a little different and proves to be a little more than I could handle. Drinking wine with a Frenchman, a Spaniard a Canadian and the owner was quite an experience for a sometimes wine drinker like me. I am more of a beer guy and paid for it the next morning, what the heck, you only live once.

The next day we all worked the opening dinner; Masaharu Morimoto prepared the first course of Pacifc Geoduck with Kinmedai Snapper. Chef Morimoto’s team of chefs worked like highly trained surgeons with few words spoken, their mission was clearly defined and 230 amazing starter courses were born. The next course was prepared by Scott Conant; Chef Conant’s team of Chefs came in earlier in the day to hand make over 2000 Rabbit Agnolottis they later returned to finish their dish with a Foie Gras Emulsion, all I can say is that it was off the charts. Chef Conant was a pleasure to work with and he stayed to assist in plating even after his course was done. The meal continued with Cindy Pawlcyn’s highly creative Bachelor’s Lamb Tagine. Chef Cindy also stuck around and was obviously happy to be there; she knew many of the Silverado staff and instantly became one of the crew. The dinner ended with the Dolce teams world class Miile Feuille. Every component of this dessert was handmade that day and was one of the best desserts I have ever seen or tasted.

Dolce’s Silverado Resort was the host hotel and I had the opportunity to work side by side with many of these chefs and actually headlined my own table at the CIA Greystone during the Appellation Trail tasting event.

I had lost a lot of sleep thinking about how my dish would be received at this world class event. As a longtime resident of Georgia, my plan was to elevate BBQ to new heights and show what could be done with a little imagination. After weeks of trial and error: Barbequed Duck Confit with Creamy Stone Ground Grits, Pickled Collard Greens and Honey Mustard Foam was born. I would cure 60 pounds of Duck legs, confit them and serve with Southern Stone Ground Grits. It turned out better than I could have ever imagined and was well received by the guests; I served over 500 portions in about 2 hours.

One of my favorite events was the closing brunch with some amazingly creative dishes prepared by Chef Todd Humphries of the “Kitchen Door Restaurant”. I loved his food once again and felt lucky to be part of this.

More to come……..

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I must sound like a broken record by now, but I only know what I know and feel how I feel. At 50 years old it’s been a great run for me. Living the “Chefs Life” has been everything and then some. Before it was cool and trendy to be a Chef, I cooked because I loved to cook. Kitchens were my sanctuary from life; it was the place that I felt the most comfortable. Despite the sometimes extreme conditions, long hours and relatively low pay, I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 12-14 hour days would and do still fly by at the speed of light, a sure sign that I am doing what I should be doing. 30 years later I am still as much in love with the industry as the first day that I walked into a kitchen. I really don’t think it could have turned out any better than this. I have enjoyed the food, my friends, and travel and, of course, being able to make people happy through my cooking.

That being said I will say that it’s very disturbing to me that most cooks and chefs don’t ever feel the way I feel. They feel no joy coming into work and have never have come to terms with their career choice; resentment runs deep about working off-hours for mediocre wages and prime time spent away from family. Few are willing to pay the price and make the sacrifices necessary to climb the culinary ladder. Their future in the industry is questionable. As much as they may say that they love kitchen work, the truth is, it doesn’t come naturally to them.

If you want to live the “Chefs Life”, do what you do best. It doesn’t matter what type of kitchen you work in, four stars or fast-food, it's all about the passion and commitment to excellence that you put into it. There is a market for all types of food, chefs and service. You have to pick your venue and make it the best it can be. If you’re any good, money and prestige will follow. If it doesn’t and you are doing it for the right reason, who cares?

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I recently attended the American Culinary Federation’s 2011 Southeast Regional Conference held here in Atlanta. I have been to many ACF conferences over the years, some good, some great and others just ok.  From past experience, I arrived somewhat skeptical of the culinary knowledge that I would absorb over the coming days. I really liked the lineup on paper: lots of local cutting edge chefs, timely subject matter such as dealing with Gluten restricted diets and a few fillers thrown in to help pay the bills (for which I can’t fault them).  In fact the schedule read more like a Star Chefs Conference then an ACF event.

I take my toque off to the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the American Culinary Federation and the team at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel for putting together such an amazing conference. This was not your Daddy’s typical ACF conference. I was very impressed with not only the chef presenters and the diverse subject matter presented, but all components including the trade show and special events. There was great knowledge, thought provoking ideas and cutting edge techniques around every corner.

In one of the seminars that I attended, Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene fame played with liquid nitrogen. Volcanic-like plumes of vapor, menacing chunks of frozen hominy and bacon powder flying through the air and the unrehearsed equipment failures all combined to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. It was truly a treat to listen to such an awe inspiring Chef share his philosophy and vision for what he does and believes in. Other highlights for me were Chef Kevin Rathbun's shoot from the hip synopsis of his life’s journey and how he put together his growing restaurant group. He really captured the imagination of the crowd and ran out of time, which rarely if ever happens at one of these events. Of course, there were the ACF Certified Master Chefs doing their own incredible demos, but we have come to expect that as one of the fundamental components of any ACF Conference and it is somewhat oddly taken for granted.

I have come away from this conference with a lot of respect for the ACF and its leaders. Hopefully this conference will serve as a benchmark for all future conferences. If you have not attended an ACF meeting or event in the last year or two, you are missing out on opportunities to learn, network and regain the passion often lost in the daily grind that we all experience.

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Most of my days are filled with a series of emotional highs and lows. One moment I can experience the exhilaration associated with executing near perfection, only to be deflated moments later when something does not reach my standards. You don’t have to be a Four Star Chef at a high end restaurant to feel this way. Passion and pride are not exclusive to any single segment of the industry, ethnicity, gender or age; you either feel this way or you don’t.

I beat myself up pretty good when things don’t work out as planned. Sleepless nights followed by stress filled days are common occurrences. Those days are lost forever! What a waste of my most precious resource, time. I know that during these challenging times, many of my fellow Chefs are feeling the same strain. We are all on edge. Uncertain of what tomorrow will bring and how our daily performance will influence our futures, we sweat it out through the end of each month, hoping and praying we hit our numbers and live to cook another month.

A little extra planning, a few more hours committed to the job, and a backup plan for most everything will allow you to better enjoy your down time. You may actually have a little less down time, but it will be higher quality down time and definitely worth considering. Remember that even the worst day will come to an end, try to brush yourself off, learn from it and set yourself up for future success.

Here are a few stress buster suggestions.

* Answer all emails, return all phone calls, and read all change logs  and daily reports before you go home. Ignorance is bliss until you're called on it. Know the answer; that’s what they pay you for.

* Read and know upcoming menus for at least a week in advance; run scenarios; think them through to identify and solve potential challenges.

* Plan your daily 5 minute staff standup meeting to provide the most useful and pertinent information, such as specials, prep lists and anything out of the ordinary.

* If you don’t have people you can trust to purchase, properly receive and store food. You need to oversee it. I can't tell you how many nights I counted steaks, not sheep, running scenario after scenario through my mind. Did we get that? Is it enough? This is not the way to recharge your batteries.

* Know your numbers before they're official. Run a daily food, labor and line item cost through a spread sheet.

* Don’t serve what you shouldn’t. I would rather 86 something than serve inferior or poorly prepared foods. In a preplanned banquet setting, you don’t always have this option. Proper planning and execution are crucial. Don’t be cheap; buy quality ingredients, and have a backup plan. You won't regret it.

* You're not running a test kitchen; cook what you know. Your customers expect a quality product for their hard earned money. Specials and new items must be researched, practiced and perfected before rolling them out.

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I have been lucky enough to be temporally assigned to a new property (within my company) in Napa Valley, CA. at the Silverado Resort.  If you have ever been part of transition team at a large property you know how demanding it can be. Long days for multiple weeks combined with living out of a hotel room can be a rough and sometimes an overwhelming experience. Being away from loved ones and breaking your normal routine can take its toll if you don’t have a little fun.

 

 That being said I have pushed myself to have a little adventure whenever the opportunity arises. Last Sunday I rode a bike 11 miles up and down winding roads to Yountville in search of the French Laundry. My friend Bill talked me into this and I followed with the thought that you only live once. After an hour or so of peddling in 90 degree heat, past miles and miles of wineries and endless vineyards we came upon route 29, the road to Yountville. When we finally arrived both Bill and I were pretty sweaty and quite disheveled. I was wearing gym shorts and Bill a YMCA shirt that looked like he had just finished cleaning his garage. I am not sure what we were thinking, but in the front door we went.

The maitre de was puzzled; he was either thinking that we were pan handlers or a pair of Tommy tourist that lacked any class or good sense. Bill having the gift of gab explained we were actually F&B people and that we had just made the before mentioned journey. He seemed amused but was still not clear what we wanted. Bill then went on to say that we were Chefs and would it be possible to look at the kitchen. To our surprise he said yes and began to lead us through the DR until his good sense kicked in. After a brief pause he said maybe we should go around the back, so we entered through the rear door and into a small service hall, walls adorned with menus, awards, wine lists and assorted celebrity signed posters and memorabilia, I could not get a real good look as service was actively being executed and I tried as hard as I could to be thin and stay clear of the organized frenzy. Square footage is at a premium in this very small, heavily equipped and heavily staffed kitchen. As servers moved quickly in and out of the kitchen, efficiently relaying instructions on the progress of courses within their stations all I could do was offer my apologies for being in their way. During the 15 or 20 minutes that we intruded on their space, not one person appeared to be anything but polite, professional and patient with us.  I have to say that I wouldn’t have let me in my kitchen looking like we did never mind during service at one of America’s top restaurants. As I stared, eyes wide open like a kid in a candy store, the sous vide butter poached lobster circulator, the plates silently moving down one of the four prep lines staffed by a team of about 25 cooks and chefs, I had to remind myself this was lunch.  The Chef de Cuisine, Tim Hollingsworth a nine year veteran of the restaurant did not say much, but was very polite and cordial.  As we watched multiple courses slid forward in each station waiting for Chef Tim’s final approval, complete with almost surgical like placement of the final garnish and a wipe of the plate we began to salivate. We dropped a few hints about being open to tasting a thing or two. Chef smiled and went back to his work, it wasn’t going to happen, we counted our blessing for what we experienced, shook a few hands, thanked all concerned and politely excused ourselves. We vowed to return, but unfortunately did not have the opportunity.

Uva Downtown Napa-A Local Place



A great place with live music, awesome service and pretty good food. We shared several appetizers that were pretty standard fare, but good quality and cooked properly. 


Brunch at Ad Hoc

It was OK, nothing to write home about, I was somewhat disappointed. We were told the menu was geared towards the Holiday weekend tourist. At about $40 a head I expected more.

Course One: Potato pancake, duck trap smoked salmon, crème fresh and a nice fennel-greens salad.

Course Two: Sliced Omelet, 2 Slices Each of Braised Nuske Bacon and a Snap Pea Salad

Course Three: An Oreo Cookie and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich that was off the charts!


 Waiting For A Table                                 Chef David                                                   Course One

Course Two

Chefs Market Napa

Every Thursday from 6 - 9 pm a Chefs Market a.ka. Street festival takes place.  I didn’t see any Chefs, but I did enjoy the offerings of many stalls. Roasted Oysters with the choice of 4 sauces at $2 a piece were really good. The local favorite called Malfatti was pretty good.
http://vitisenoteca.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/san_fran_chronicle_08-13-04.pdf




Dinner at Whitehall Lane Winery

The Chefs from the Silverado Resort catered this amazing meal. The food, the ambiance, the wine and the company were the best.

 
Zuzu Tapas- Great place, great food with big flavors.
http://www.zuzunapa.com/

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The Total Package Chef

I haven’t written a blog in awhile. I have been pretty busy; I lost some staff, and had to tackle multiple projects at both work and home. We all go through times like this, periods of overwhelming challenges, deadlines, personnel commitments and sometimes health related issues. Thirty days ago I wondered if I would fail or could I rise to the occasion and execute at the expected level? I was reading one of my older blogs and thought it may help to motivate others toward both personal and professional success. I have seen many chefs and cooks with top notch skills and good intentions never reach their potential. An ongoing pattern of self destructive behavior and poor decision making has sidelined them from the fast track. We all need to take a look in the mirror from time to time and give ourselves an attitude adjustment. If you can change your thinking you can change your habits, that’s all it is, bad habits. If you want to be successful in today's no excuses, just get it done world you need to be a Total Package Chef, no ones going to pay you for half of the package.

• Attitude is everything! You are going to do whatever is asked of you, like it or not. I choose to like it. I can't tell you how many times I grunted and groaned over last minute seemingly impossible requests only to execute with excellent results. If I had approached those situations with a positive attitude from the beginning I would have set a better example for others and added points to my reputation bank.

• Lead by example. You should get out of the office and on the line as much as possible, a few extra hours of work won't kill you and the payback is huge. Don’t curse, tell offensive jokes or talk politics, religion or baseball. I have my own thoughts and ideas; I just choose to keep them to myself. Keep smoke breaks and personal phone calls to a minimum if you want the staff to do the same.

• Hold People Accountable. No one likes to be the heavy. Honest and straightforward ongoing dialogue is necessary and most people actually appreciate it. If you are like an Ostrich its time to take your head out of the sand, it gets easier the more you do it. You can't afford to have non productive and problematic associates in the ranks.

• Train! Train! Train! I hear it over and over, "I can't afford to stop and train, it eats into production, I am to busy blah! Blah! Blah!" Without training you will never realize the level of success that you are capable of, you can't do it all yourself and you can't afford not to train.

• Keep Developing Yourself. Our industry is constantly changing, trends come and go quickly, new products are constantly introduced, techniques and methodology are refined and new technologies applied. There are many Chefs in my age bracket who no longer cook, study food, attend industry events, seminars or engage in any activity that will better them. Even the best and brightest in the industry realize the need to constantly move forward and evolve. Join the ACF, attend trade shows, read Escoffier, Plate magazine or Martha Stewart it doesn’t matter, knowledge is everywhere.

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The Mother of all Days

by Chef Leonard W. Elias CEC

Its 4 am, as I sit here drinking my coffee, surfing the net, clipping recipes and gearing up for the “Mother of all Days” all I can say is that I am glad I have a place to go. Yes today will be crazy, at last count we were up to 670 reservations for Mothers Day Brunch. It is what we do and under the right circumstance can actually be fun and challenging. Last night I had two weddings and a full day of regular serviced meals, so prep for today actually started on Wednesday. It sounds like a Christmas carol, 12 beef tenderloins, 11 boxes of shrimp, 10 roast turkeys, 9 legs of lamb, you get the rest.

I think I went a little crazy on the menu, but I have to draw the crowds and offer more then the hotel up the street. At $32.95 pp, you have to show value with an added wow factor. The buffet includes Pecan Salmon-Smoked Turkey-Creole Style and Regular Benedict, Tiramisu Stuffed French Toast-Apple Smoked Bacon, Vegetables, Lyonaisse Potatoes and more. Then there are the Omelets Stations, Carving Stations, Banana Fosters Station and Desserts. It will be out of control with over 400 reservations in the first 1.5 hours alone, with walk-ins I hope to hit 800. One of our sister properties always brags about hitting a 1000 covers, beating them would be like icing on the cake for me. Well I got to go, off to the trenches, hopefully all the staff will show up and we can have a smooth stress free service.

Happy Mothers Day

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Last weekend I traveled to the ACF Regional Conference in Birmingham Alabama. I was scheduled to arrive Friday, but could not leave until after I put out the Saturday Night Banquets. After driving through several tornado warnings, torrential rains and 60 mile an hour winds, I arrived safely at my destination. With no harm done, I looked forward to finding something to eat, but ended up ordering a pizza delivery. Sad to say compared to the $20 room service burger and less then desirable hotel lounge setting, I think I made the right choice.

On Sunday Morning I took part in several seminars and spoke with many chefs about the taboo subject “Are Culinary Schools Helping or Hurting the Industry”? I first of all will say that I have nothing but respect for a quality culinary education and the majority of dedicated and committed instructors. Their work is very important and crucial to the future of our industry. My problem is that I think we have hit the saturation point, too many schools, too many graduates with too few real opportunities. Where will all these graduates work? Is the $50-$100,000 cost of culinary education worth the payoff or will most graduates find themselves disenchanted finding little opportunity for advancement and eventually leave the industry?

If you are currently a culinary student or considering it, read on, you need to make an informed decision. My intent is not to discourage you or turn you off to the industry; I love the industry and have no regrets on my career choice. If this is what you want to do, great, but realize you will have a long journey ahead of you filled with many challenges and sacrifices? Working off hours including weekends and holidays will be the norm. While family and friends are gathered for holidays and get-togethers, you will be busy at work. You better get use to it; it’s the path you choose.

Some of you will be lucky and fall into great situations working under great chefs. Just realize how lucky you are and take advantage of it. Controlling and shaping your future starts each day that you suit up. Your attitude and commitment can never waiver. I am convinced that anyone can be successful at something; you just need to find that something, whatever it is and work it! If Culinary is it, give it all you got. But first you have to ask yourself, why are you contemplating a career as a chef? Here a few common answers. Please add some of your own questions and comments.

1. I love cooking and my friends and family tell me I am very good at.

That may be true and serve as a starting point but it’s usually not relevant to required basic industry skills and knowledge. I would suggest getting a job at a local full service or white table cloth restaurant; develop knife skills, elementary prep methodology and some kitchen savvy. Work for free if you must, it may save you thousands in tuition and will certainly give you a jump start on your career path.

2. I love watching reality TV Cooking Shows. The Culinary School commercials are also inspiring.

Read my blog on the subject @. http://www.fohboh.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1411008:BlogPost:334116

 

Just remember it is TV and many of the contestants are unemployed.

3. The Industry pays well.

You can definitely do well down the road and make a good living, but it won’t come easy. The attached UD Dept. of Labor statistics published are accurate.

Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

Median /Mean /Mean Annual

Chefs and Head Cooks $18.64 $20.39 $42,410

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $13.93 $14.81 $30,810Cooks, Fast Food $8.12 $8.47 $17,620

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $10.68 $11.19 $23,260

Cooks, Private Household $11.57 $14.91 $31,020

Cooks, Restaurant $10.57 $10.94 $22,750

Cooks, Short Order $9.26 $9.73 $20,230

Cooks, All Other $11.09 $11.91 $24,770

Food Preparation Workers $8.96 $9.54 $19,850

 

 

 

 

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