Consistent

One of my cooks, frustrated says, " I can make it nice but its consistent".
WOW! I can't blame him because he is frustrated and wants to do nicer food. I do too. He wasn't hired to do food like this. I wasn't hired to do food like this. I wasn't trained for par cooking and refiring. Only to have your food sit in the hotbox (ALTOSHAM) for an hour before the event. When we do something nice it isn't consistent, because nobody else does it the right way. I can't stand the shortcuts. Hollandaise in a box????? Tri-di peppers as a garnish for everything? (red,yellow and green bell peppers diced) For banquets, you need standardized recipes for everything. Otherwise is isn't consistent. The only thing that is consistent is that everything is done differently or bad.

RESULTS

Atlantic City: Miguel Cotto(25-0 21ko) looked like he might not been able to see bigger paydays anf bigger fights. The Puerto Rican star scored a 7th round KO over the Columbian Ricardo Torres (28-1 25ko). Cotto dropped Torres in the first round but Torres staggered Cotto the same round. Round two was Torres', he scored a knockdown with a ferocious attack on Cotto. Cotto had Torres down in the fourth, sixth and down for good in the seventh. Torres had a big round five, wobbling Cotto.
Main Event: As I predicted, Klitschko defeated Peter. Wladimir Klitschko(45-3 40ko) outboxed Samuel Peter(24-1 21ko)using his jab,reach,height and movement. Round five Peter landed and dropped Klitschko twice. I thought the shots landed on the back of the head, the second knockdown was more of pulling Klitschko and hitting on the back of the head. Peter also dropped Klitschko in the 10th. Klitschko staggered Peter in the 12th and final round. All judges scored evenly 114-111.

WHY?

When my cooks say that they could make something nicer but want to stay consistent. That says a whole lot. I don't think I can stay in a place like that. I want better, I want better for my cooks. I like to do nice things. It is hard when you do nice things and the other sous chef undermines your authority. WHY? It feels like an uphill battle. I am the new guy and trying to implement new ideas. They say they are open to new things but they don't want to do it. The integrity of the food is always a question.

NEW SHOEMAKER ITEMS: Steam wings until done then fry them. (WHY? Why cook twice?)
Steam quartered red potatoes then cook in the oven. (WHY? TWICE)

FIGHT RESULTS

As I knew, Marco Antonio Barrera defeated Robbie Peden for his IBF 130LB. belt. The best round was the final, Marco landed the clean and hard shots that almost knocked Peden out.

Sugar Shane Mosely had a tough time with the slow and undefeated Cruz. Shane won a unanimous decision.

Jesus Chavez won via 11th rnd TKO over Leavander Johnson for his 135Lb. IBF belt. Chavez dominated every round before referee Tony Weeks stopped the bout. Johnson's corner should have halted the bout earlier. As a result, Johnson was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery. He has subdural hemotoma,bleeding on the brain.

As a boxer, my thoughts and prayers go out to him and family. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Why we bitch.

Why we bitch and complain.
We, as cooks and chefs, do bitch and complain. A lot. You see we are not like normal people. We are a separate breed. Even within our breed there different pedigrees and bloodlines. There are cooks that cook because they can make "easy" money and find work anywhere. There are the ones that do it because they want to be chefs. There are the dillusional ones that do it because they see it on TV and it want to become a celebrity chef. There are the ones that do it and do it very well with a high standard.
"WE" bitch and complain often because we work with one of these or are one of these. If you have a higher standard and are working with a shoemaker, that will drive you crazy. If you are a shoemaker then you will complain about the "perfectionist" and that he takes a long time to make a sauce that you can make in 4 min, that will serve a 120.
We also bitch and complain about the front of the house. The way that we work a full shift from beginning to end, with maybe a chance to get a bite to eat. The servers hang around the kitchen talking and leaning, while they wait for a table to be seated. They complain about going home with only 400 dollars! They never want to tip us out no matter how hard we try to guilt them into it. They put in special orders that we have to make just for their customer.Yes, it is our customer as well, but we don't have a face to put with that well done butterflied filet, no salt or pepper and no butter, no onions or garlic in the sauce. We stand in the hot line all night, trying to figure out their tickets. "See Server"...... Ok let me stop what I am doing so I can find this moron and ask him what am I seeing him for. Blue cheese crumbles? You couldn't type that in? Oh, I was faster to do it this way? Faster for him not me. How about when they sandbag their tickets and put them all in at once. Then come back to me asking for a ticket he lost and never put it in, to be done on the fly.
These are only some of the reasons we bitch and complain and wondered why we didn't listen to our mothers and gone to law school.
We also bitch when we go out to eat and being served by these morons. Cuz' we know how they are. We also get aggravated when we have to deal with other people. You know the guy at the shoe store or at the grocery store or worse, the movie theatre. These people do not move fast enough and all that wasted movement. FILL UP BOTH CUPS OF SODA AT THE SAME TIME! We asked for two popcorns, why are you doing one at a time? Get a haircut and don't get high before work!!!! breathe...................Getting all worked up.............woooooosaaaaaa.......Find my quiet place........Better.
So you see, that is why we bitch and complain.

Reflections

This is my lady. Ain't she grand? Well anyways I haven't posted in awhile . I predicted that Eric "El Terrible" Morales would lose to Zahir Raheem. This weekend Barrera Vs. Peden. although Peden used to spar with Marco Antonio Barrera I think Marco will be victorious with a late round stoppage.
In the kitchen..... I miss being in a restaurant rather than a banquet kitchen. We do our share of plated dinners but mostly food in hotel pans for buffet style dinners and lunches. Food is par cooked a day before, then fired an hour or more before the function.(!!!!) This pays the bills and I enjoy (for the most part) the people I work with. I do learn from every kitchen I am in. This will make me a better chef in the long run. I am a little tired from a 15 hour shift. So til next time. That's my son C-Jay in the pic. We were at the Trinidad Vs. Wright fight VEGAS.

OH YEAH!!!

Here I am in St. Pete, FL. I miss being able to have the free time to do stuff like this. Being a chef starts to take its toll on the body. Not just wieght gain, sore joints, burns,cuts but being away from family. The hours are bad, work until 1am then return the next day by 8am. Ouch. I chose this profession it didn't choose me. My girlfriend is in the same business (Catering Manager) so she has similar hours and days like I do. So she understands. I lover but I miss her. Maybe next week we will spend more than 2 hours together. And we live together!!

I can't stand the "SHOEMAKER"

For those not in the "biz", a shoemaker is a cook or even a chef(heaven forbid) that takes shortcuts or doesn't care about the quality or integrity of the food he or she puts out. Watching them or working with them kills a piece of my culinary soul.

For example:

• When the SM(ShoeMaker) uses a canned product instead of fresh
• Puts roux(a thickener made from equal parts in weight butter and flour) in everything.
• Microwaves anything not just steaks.
• Fires food way too early just to have it sit in a hotbox for hours before an event.

These are just a few. I will be back I have to go grocery shopping now.

New Here

I have only lived in Florida almost 2 months. I live in a town between Orlando and Tampa. I am used to living in a normal city. Tampa and Orlando would be normal cities. I live between normal cities. I live in METH central. I live in Hicksville USA. I am surrounded by rednecks,hillbillies and trailer trash. Things close real early and on Sundays, I don't know why they bother opening at all, 10a-1pm(????????) It is slow paced here. Somehow, I like it.
I work today. I am a banquet chef for a hotel. It will be a late evening. I wanted to go home and watch the RAIDERZ!!!!!!! I will record it on my DVR.
I must go now.

PEACE OUT
Tina come and get some ham, you fat lard!

My 2 Pits

Gemini and Mocha...both females and adorable.

Antonio Tarver

Time to time I will post a pic. That me and Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver (me on the left)
He is getting ready for his fight in October with Roy Jones Jr. for the third time. Wow, I look good for a guy that hasn't trained in a while. I need to drop a few(alot)pounds.

Welcome to those who entered while searching for porn.

This is my first post. (Cue: music)

I am a chef. This is not always going to be about me being a chef. I am not like a cop where I am on duty all the time. If I am not working then I am a chef who is not at work. I don't go into random kitchens and correct the sanitation of others. (sometimes I do that)
I have a passion for boxing. I was going to turn pro, but work gets in the way and you have to pay the bills. I was being trained by Jeff Mayweather, uncle to Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather Jr.: undefeated 140lb. champion. Jeff was Floyd Jr.'s former trainer.
I have 2 pitbulls. Females- Gemini and Mocha. (pics to come soon)
I will answer all questions and welcome all comments.