I do not know if a lot of people know about this, but in most restaurants there is something called family meal. It is when a restaurant utilizes scraps and leftovers usually to make a meal for everyone to eat before service. Most restaurants I’ve worked in do this. I have experienced a restaurant who does not do this due to time issues. Being fed is probably the greatest perk in working at a restaurant for me.
Food
On being a CIA graduate
People often think I’m a walking encyclopedia of food. That I can answer every question relating to food. That I should know how to make any restaurant faced or asked about because I graduated from the “best” culinary school in the world. The fact is I am just like any other young cook. Still learning and when people ask me questions I often say I do not know because I do not want to give them false answers. True I may know more than the average person, but I cannot tell you how to make some dish from a cuisine I am unfamiliar about. The truth is the CIA and most culinary schools teach you the basics to hopefully create a successful cook that will become a chef one day.
Yelp
Yes the chefs and managers read your yelp reviews. Heck even the line cooks read them sometimes. I have heard the staff talk about yelp reviews before, in fact if there is a negative review everyone takes it to heart and tries to fix it.
Example: A restaurant I work in had reviews about how the pasta portions were small, so the chef made the portions 25% bigger.
Chefs try to adapt to make the customers happy because ultimately Yelp reviews can make or break a restaurant. Whenever I ask someone to find a restaurant to eat at, they always turn to Yelp first. Yelp even allowed restaurants to hide poor reviews for money but I believe they had since stopped that service because of controversy.
“It is not surgery, it’s just cooking”
The quote was told to me by Chef Jason Fox at Commonwealth, where I would frequently stage in San Francisco. He was a great chef to work for and knew how to communicate with everyone. He knew I would get frantic during a huge rush and told me to calm my nerves down pretty much. Now whenever I’m in the shits, I just remember what he told me and try to calm down and work through it.
A place where people can eat alone
I just went out to eat with my parents and it was a casual Chinese restaurant, and people were coming in by themselves which I did not see often. It just gave me a thought of how I would like my future restaurant to be. I want a place where people can be comfortable coming to eat alone or with a big party.
“On Food and Cooking” By Harold McGee
If you were to buy one book about food it would be this book. Every chef has read it. It is the only book you really use at the CIA. It basically talks about the science of food. “The Modernist Cuisine” is like “On Food and Cooking” but with pictures and recipes. If you are really interesting in learning about food and how everything works, buy this book or attend the CIA and it will be one of the books given to you.
Pho
I’ve been eating pho since I was a baby! My earliest food memories are eating pho every Saturday with my family. I live in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles which boast one of the highest concentration of Asians outside of Asia. I think I read that from the Lucky Peach periodical, but don’t quote me!
My places for pho? That is quite difficult because my parents are from Vietnam and my dad is quite particular on his pho. If one place dissatisfies him he never returns, except one place called Pho Hien Mai, or simply Mai now. We probably spent more than 10k on pho in our lifetime there. We go there so much the owner knows our order. I have tried some of the more popular pho places such as Noodle Guy(now New Noodle Guy) and Pho Filet. But we tend to just go to Mai most of the time, less wait, great pho.
What do I like in my pho? Raw beef and brisket is what I always order. We always get our meat on the side so we can dunk it in ourselves, my dad said that is how they do it in Vietnam so that is how he wants us to eat it. Sometimes I like the meatballs as well.
Pho is easily one of my favorite foods though because it’s delicious and brings me back to my childhood. I still eat it twice or more a month with my family.
Cooking in a truck
Before I headed to the CIA, I worked in a food truck for a month. I’ll give you my thoughts and experiences in the food truck bit by bit. I do not want to reveal the truck I worked for because there will be negatives and positives about the truck and I do not want to affect their business.
People love the idea of food trucks, they can get delicious food at reasonable prices. Chefs opt for a food truck because it is cheaper than owning a restaurant, but still have the opportunity to be creative.
What do I think of food trucks? I think it is overrated but some of them can be delicious. The only food truck I actually make an effort to go to is Kogi. It is cheap and delicious on a Saturday night. It started the food truck boom.
Stay Hydrated
Most important thing is to stay hydrated. I’ve seen many people faint at culinary school because they are dehydrated. It’s also good for your health. I always start my shift with grabbing a deli container of ice water, with a lid( for food safety and sanitation). I end up drinking 2-3 quarts of water per shift. The kitchen is hot and you start sweating bullets. Last thing anyone wants is a cook on the floor during a busy dinner service.
Short term goal
My short term goal right now out of culinary school? Gain as much experience and learn as much about different types of cuisines. At culinary school I learned the foundational French cuisine. During my internship, I picked up Japanese cuisine. Now I am working in an Italian restaurant learning about Italian food, and pasta making. I hope to gain a lot of experience on the line as well.
Just a Cook 