Thanks Kirk! Now that was an in-depth reply -- gotta love your positive energy. You drew a nice portrait of your circumstance, and I think you're onto something there. Hope it all gels as you hope. And, hellfuckingyeah I'd love to walk into your restaurant and get a blast of the presentation's shakti. My family was in the restaurant business -- not your finest kind but the industrial lunch bucket type, and I've worked in four star restaurants, so I have experienced a whole range of presentations in my past, and, this gives me a basis for resonating with your write-up of your restaurant's eventual embodiment's energy. Me want some!
And, yeah, Kirk and Curtis, I was being twitty to question what you could get out of "yet more spices." I salute your commitment to continuing education. What's the pricing going to be for your menu? Sounds like $20 - 30 range. Big wine list with a sommelier? Maitre 'd? How many seats? Window views nice? Outdoor seating? Got an address for us to do Google maps and see your location location location? Big dessert menu? A bar? What kind of decorations? -- paintings, hangings, plants? What garb for the waiters? -- tuxedos, uniforms, bow ties, aprons, or pirate shirts? Hee hee. Edg --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Kirk" <kirk_bernha...@...> wrote: > > I'll try to answer (read in). > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Duveyoung > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:27 AM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: New Job > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Kirk" <kirk_bernhardt@> wrote: > > > > Hi guys I am starting to work at a new and fascinating restaurant in > > Exchange Place in the French Quarter. > > Kirk, > > What kind of research do you do to be "on top of" the restaurant scene in > NOLA? Is there local coverage via newspaper columnist, or TV show, or > tourist guidebooks? > ----Of course there is coverage but I care little for it. Word of mouth is > the main thing. Plus being a cook and having worked so many places I know > pretty much what is going on in the city. Fine restaurants in general wont > hire me because I cost too much. My resume isn't good enough for me to claim > chef at any of them. They demand CIA or equivalent education. > > And, fine restaurants around here all pay homage to Cajun/Creole food or > French and few (or none) really break out and go wild with their concepts. > For instance, one can freeze coconut milk and then serve excellent rum on > coconut ice cubes. Sometimes simple and obvious things take a really alert > chef to make notes and then enact. > > > The chef Chris Debarre is a genius and > > for once I stand to learn a lot of new cooking ingredients and > techniques. > > All these years you've been a passionate chef yourself -- can there really > be ingredients that you can say are new to you? > > ----There's always new ingredients. To use Curtis' analogy, one can be a > great blues player and yet there will always be new songs and varieties on > style which are even more aluring having had some background in the first > place. Also, as Curtis said, ethnic cuisines are various and discrete and > proper use of ideal ingredients makes all the difference. My background is > mostly New Orleans Metro French and Creole. Almost exclusively. So I still > have alot to learn. > > How do you know that Chris has the mojo -- has ya eaten in other places > he's been the chef? > > ----Actually I haven't but word of mouth from friends of mine say he's > cool. And I have met him and started work there so I know him. I am one of > his sous-chefs so I am helping to formulate the menu and implement it from > scratch. I am even helping remodel the place! All this makes me more integral > and feel more important. That's usually the most important aspect of the job > for me, that is, to not feel like a mere useless appendage. But his menu is > the mojo, and between us we can tweak stuff to be entirely delicious and not > merely stuck up and unusual. > > > Seems to me that your intellect is capable of taking up your skills a notch > by hanging with another genius, but from my side, as an inventor myself, you > surely must be at that stage where you can turn out a new dish every single > time you cook, and it'll be as creative and savory as any dish that any chef > can create. 98% of the customers surely wouldn't have the chops to say that > your menu is "less inviting" than this chef's menu, so what's your goal? > > -----I can write menus from scratch and they would be unique, but working > with even more unique or more worldly chefs still broadens my purview. I > can't lose by expanding my range. I can only win. Moreover, I work best as > partners with others due to my own lack of motivation. My goal is to be > associated with one of the most avant garde chefs in the country. The fact > that he isn't known yet means little. I have faith that he will make it to > the top and you will all hear about him within a few years, if not > immediately. Then I can thumb my nose at all those who derided me. his smarts > to hire me equal my smarts in working for him. I'm not sure how but we hit it > off from the start and he has been entirely personable to me thus far. > > I can understand working with another chef, and hoping to secure a stable > position of respect there, but as for you "as an artist," I can't see you > becoming more creative -- only creating more dishes in this chef's cuisine. > Are you searching for your inner cuisine -- your artistic style or genre? > > -----No. I have my style, but I am always seeking to broaden my range and > become more eclectic and knowledgable. It's an insiders brag to know and use > not only fine ingredients but to have a knowledge of and use of unique > ingredients. This is about the only chance I have had in the last ten years > to work with a fine chef, who isn't myself. Who really has a more extensive > palette than me. > > And, the really important question is, aside from your excitement at the > new prospect, and other than your intuitive powers (which are potent if your > posts are any indication,) "what has you assured that this chef's personality > will be harmonious with yours?" Isn't that as important as the chef's > credentials and skills? > > -------Yes, well so far he respects me and defers to my input. That alone > is enough. Plus he isn't an asshole. That's really good enough for me. And > it's rare enough as it is. I am the sort of person who searches until he > finds and then sticks with it. If this chef works for me, I'll work for him > for a long time to come. > > -----Thanks for your unending compliments. Deserved or not they feel good. > Love You. > > Edg > > > He has made the menu partially vegetarian and explores uses of exotic > fruits > > and juices as well as ethnic cuisine. We are sure to spark a new culinary > > enthusiasm in the city. I will write the menu down for you when it is > > finalized. Peace for now. Loves Yahs. > > I think you've posted your menu descriptions more than once here, and > everytime you've made my mouth drool, so I have to ask: What amount of drool > are you trying for? I had to drink a bottle of Gatorade after reading your > last menu just to replentish the loss of fluids. > ----Haha > > > >
