Lessons Learned #1

So what did I learn during my culinary tenure? To survive in a highly demanding kitchen like Colborne Lane in 2009, you need careful organization and unwavering precision. Multi-tasking expected. The ability to take orders and follow directions. Check. Being a cook is not only physically gruelling, but mentally taxing and emotionally draining. You need hands of steel, and balls of glory to endure the daily beating down of your ego. It will bring you to your knees if you lack confidence or the skills to put out plate after plate of only your best cooking. 

Still, I was and will always be inspired by the humility and camaraderie in the kitchen. Though there are a few bad apples, I've been fortunate enough to have met groups of hardworking, exceptionally well-mannered and friendly people. It takes a certain special personality to cut it in the kitchen, but mostly, it just takes a humble heart, and brute force willingness to learn. Leave your ego in the alley behind the loading doors. 

Eat Grit, M%#*erF#cker!

The long-awaited Toronto Life review was finally been published on September 22: http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/from-the-print-edition-daily-dish/2011/09/22/chris-nuttall-smith-acadia/. 

We spent weeks preparing for this, and after coming back twice, Chris sparred no details in his article. All the cooks at the restaurant were nervous, both if the reviews were good and bad. If bad, we'd all be losing our marbles. If good, we'd all know the restaurant would be an utter shit-show for the next season. Everything was riding on this review. 

The verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5. Not bad. 

We got a tweet from Chris the night before. He wished us luck, and told us that no restaurant in the history of Toronto Life has ever gotten more than 3 stars upon opening. The only other restaurant that had 3 stars: Colborne Lane. THAT is what makes it all worthwhile. 

Kiss My GRITS!

About a month into the opening of Acadia, we were officially slammed every... single... night.

Thanks to relentless reviews and countless food writers who have frequented the restaurant. Here's one that was just published on August 10 by The Grid TO:

http://www.thegridto.com/life/food-drink/kiss-their-grits/

It was another 6-day week for us. Lots of drinking necessary after each service.

Last Stop: Acadia

It was inevitable that I would join the team at Acadia (http://www.acadiarestaurant.com/). It had been in the works for over six months, and my time to call my own was here. Here we go!


After weeks of preparation, experimentation, trial-and-error, recipe development, we finally had most of the wrinkles ironed out. Final opening day menu ended up from having 19 items, pared down to about 11 items. There was no sense in bursting out of the gates, only to fall flat on our face, shitting the bed in the process because we left no margin for error. Each dish needed to be absolutely perfect, we would be scrutinized repeatedly by food writers and bloggers, and wanna-be foodies for the next eight weeks.

Opening night dishes:

CHESAPEAKE BAY CRAB, SUNGOLD CHOW CHOW, WHIPPED BUTTERMILK, CUCUMBER, CHERVIL

SCALLOP W/ CHICKEN CRACKLING, WATERMELON RIND, PARMESAN, ARUGULA

KOLAPORE SPRINGS TROUT, SUNCHOKE RELISH, SEA ASPARAGUS, CHARRED SCALLION, OYSTER MAYO

QUAIL STUFFED W/ BOUDIN, CANE SYRUP, ORLEANS MUSTARD, COLLARD GREENS, BENNE SEED BRITTLE

SALAD OF CHICORIES W/ SUNFLOWER SEED, CELERY ROOT, BLACKENED FINGERLING, COFFEE & MOLASSES VINAIGRETTE

Some later additions:

YARMOUTH ALBACORE W/ BLACKENED SPICE, MAQUE-CHOUX, BROWN BUTTER, CHARRED VEGETABLES, TARRAGON

TOMATOES, CELERY, AND PRAWN IN VARIOUS WAYS

NS COD CHEEKS W/ BLUE CORNMEAL, PICKLED PRAWN, SUGARCANE, MIRLITONS, BUTTERMILK

ECOLAIT VEAL CHEEK W/ SATSUMA HOPPIN JOHN, PARSLEY ROOT, CHICORY, 70% CHOCOLATE

Next Stop: Origin

I should continue my story where I left off: life after Spain.

Before I left for Spain in March 2012, I had already lined up a cook's position at Origin Restaurant (the sister restaurant of Colborne Lane). When I got back, I called up the chef de cuisine there, and started a few weeks later.

MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA, CONFIT TOMATOES, BASIL, PRESERVED LEMON

SPICY TUNA, APPLE, SHISO, PICKLED GINGER, PUFFED AMARANTH, MISO MAYO

OYSTER, RED CHILI, SHISO, VALENTINE RADISH, YUZU

Anyone who's worked in kitchens will know that service is only as good as its mise en place. In other words, how smooth service is depends largely on how well you've prepared. That includes preparation of today's needs, setting up your station, and preparing for the next day's mise. The Origin kitchen, to be fair, wasn't the worse kitchen to work in, it could just be better. A lot better.

My demi chef de partie at the time, Ichiban (not his real name), was a Korean guy, mid-20s who worked with the same kind of vigour, dedication, attention to detail, and passion as I did. I worked the early lunch service before handing over station duties to him for dinner service. Every time we were scheduled on together, our raw station ran like a fuckin' well-oiled machine. Like magic!

Summers in the Origin underbelly literally reached inhumane temperatures. Unlike our service kitchen, our prep space was in the basement. When you factor in the convection oven, three stand up fridges and a walk-in, along with a Sani-Clean, it was a pressure cooker of a different kind. It still amazes me how the dessert station produced what it produced when the temperatures routinely reached 40 plus degrees C.

Working conditions aside, the months at Origin were actually quite enjoyable. Post-service prep for the next day while random tunes such as the Naked And Famous, Foster The People, as well as Lionel Richie, blared from a comically underpowered set of desktop speakers.

But like all the proverbial good things, it all came to an end in June. Acadia was set to open in July. I needed to jump ship.

We Need Your Help!

Marcie is a singer/songwriter from Boston, MA and has been the voice behind the Dance Music radio broadcast "Behind The Lyric".

She's embarking on a NEW project for KIDS, and working on an album of children's songs, using her background in music and developmental psychology to creatively engage children, and encourage healthy, confident, and active kids!

Please view the website for her project: 

20 Silly Singalong Songs for Healthy Child Development

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marciejoy/20-silly-singalong-songs-for-healthy-child-develop

There, you can view a short video, with a demo song, as well as read up on the philosophy behind this project.

She's raising funds through a community based funding platform called Kickstarter. She ONLY has until 02 June 2012 to reach her goal, and it's ALL OR NOTHING. Every $1 counts, and it would mean the world to me if you would consider making a pledge to this worthy cause. Even if you just share the link around with your friends and family, that would be awesome!  

You won't lose money! THIS PROJECT WILL ONLY BE FUNDED IF AT LEAST $3,000 IS PLEDGED BY SATURDAY JUN 2, 11:39PM EDT. 

Kickstarter is a crowd-funding platform for creative projects. 

"Every project is independently crafted, put to all-or-nothing funding, and supported by friends, fans, and the public in return for rewards."

Thanks everyone for your support!

Get Off That Couch!

WE'VE ALL HEARD IT BEFORE . . . 
just as soon as ... [____] happens, I will start my business, ... i have ['x'] number of dollars in the bank, I will take the plunge, or ... once I have all of the details sorted out, I am going to start making my dream a reality.

While I applaud thoughtful preparations, I'm also here to encourage you to step forth into the great unknown. If you wait for perfection before you launch your ideas, you could be waiting forever.

THE $100 STARTUP
I'm a big fan of Chris Guillebeau and his blog, The Art of Non-Conformity. As a non-conformist myself, I appreciate his words of wisdom, and enjoy being reinvigorated by the projects he writes about.

Today, his new book The $100 Startup hits the stands, and I recommend it for anyone that needs a push in starting their dream. I'm an advocate of taking control of your work - and this book, which focuses on micro-entrepreneurs (i.e. entrepreneurs who start businesses that largely consist of themselves alone - no employees), provides endless inspiration for figuring out how to get your own business (or side project) up and running in a real way.

Just remember, the book is a step in the right direction, not a crutch that fools you into thinking you are taking action - use it to inspire your ideas and put them into ACTION.

And if Chris' words resonate with you, too, let him know in person. His book tour starts in NYC today, but you can catch him all over the country in the coming weeks.

I'll be catching him when he drops by Toronto next month. Everyone is welcome to join me June 18th @7:00PM at the Chapters/Indigo store on Bay/Bloor.

¡Hola!

I just returned from my trip to Switzerland, the South of France, and London. Took a few days to readjust and to get back into the thick of things. Right now, I'm in the midst of application upon applications, in an effort to feed my bank account once again. In the meantime, I wanted to get back in touch with my readers, and pour my thoughts onto the screen again. It's good to be back!

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Life after the office was a relief. There was an immediate sense that things were going to be okay, and that the decision to leave was invariably the right one. I had no regrets (and still don't). I was ready to move on. So I pack my bags and left for Spain for three weeks. I left my job on the Friday, and was on the plane Monday. I had no idea what kind of an influence the gastronomic culture there would have on me and my future, but I wanted to experience something new.

I was determined to eat my way through most of Spain:
Barcelona > Granada > Seville > Bilbao > Saint-Sébastien > Madrid

A friend of mine who lived and worked in Spain with his wife kindly took me in for the week while I was in Barcelona. This was one of those places where I've read about, and knew it had a superb food scene. Ferran's experimental laboratory was situation in the Las Ramblas district after all. We had a chance to visit Tickets, an Adria joint-effort operation. Think of it like an upscale cocktail/tapas bar, with the expected modern twist.

Saint-Sébastien was arguably the highlight of the journey. It was unlike just about anywhere else in Spain, with an unwavering hold onto its Basque traditions, language, and customs. "Calimocho" became "kalimoxo" and "tapas" became "pintxos". A slight adjustment, but as I'm told, the Basque dialect was very different than Castillian Spanish. After settling into our hotel, we decided to head out to the old town for a bite to eat. We asked for the more local "tinto de verano" rather than the sangria that most tourists opt for. Tinto is the local drink of red wine mixed with either lemon Fanta, orange Fanta, or Sprite/7-Up, rather than a cocktail of random fruits found in sangria. Many don't know the difference, but you score at least a little more respect from your drinking buddies if you stay away from the more touristic sangria. Each pintxos bar has its own speciality, and its not recommended that you stay in one for the entire night. Instead, locals bar hop, ordering a glass of wine and eating only what is best at one, before moving on to another. Rinse and repeat.