"If you're really going to be creative, you're going to have to have your shit together." Chef Frank Lee https://youtu.be/2XUc-f8lCqQ Still learning from this man. As long as I've known him, Chef has always had this fantastic repertoire of aphorisms that continue to knock around my head. The rhythm of mis en place. Strike while …
David Kinch & Manresa
After getting in from Sunday service, I had a short window of selfish time before my family's weekly Walking Dead session. I settled in to watch the first of the David Kinch episodes of "Mind of a Chef." It's one of the few television shows I try to keep up with as these days my spare …
Who is Charleston’s Most Underrated Chef?
Pretty spent today after a very strong weekend, so I'm catching up on some reading. I recently (and finally) pulled the trigger on several issues of Fool magazine. The culinary magazine awarded "Best Food Magazine" 2012 by Gourmand Magazine has been elusive to find on the newsstand. Finally, curiosity got the best of me and …
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Open Letter to the Chefs of Tomorrow
In my post Monday, I included some of the discourse of the New Nordic Kitchen Manifesto that has helped direct and align the efforts of Rene Redzepi at Copenhagen's Noma. I also underscored the impact of the Manifesto on our own cuisine here in the Lowcountry if we were to apply the same precepts. As …
Required Reading: The Culture of the Kitchen: Iliana Regan
Yup, it's Bloodshirt Friday! I'd previously posted 2 other articles in this series from Lucky Peach authored by Rene Redzepi and David Chang. Here is the third in the series by Chicago chef Iliana Regan. Personally, what Iliana is saying resonated with me- the bits about unresponsive young chefs, stating "I’m not responsible for their …
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Bloodshirt
"Here. You're overdue," a familiar voice said. I turned to be hit in the face with a black t-shirt tossed across the office by Chef. Soft, 100% spun cotton, black, xxl. Sweet- I got my Bloodshirt. On the back, the familiar stamp "Cuisine Commandos." On the front, the famous insignia of Slightly North of Broad. …
Required Reading: Fantasies of a Happier Kitchen
In a July 5 Post and Courier article titled "Short Staffing Endangers Charleston Restaurants," Hanna Raskin detailed the many challenges to staffing food and beverage positions in Charleston. She is not alone. Chefs all over the country worldwide have spent the last several months lamenting the situation. The latest to enter the discussion is RenĂ© …
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Implementing Innovation
Breaking down the line last week, my phone buzzed with an alert. Rene Redzepi was streaming live from Noma on Periscope. Four times listed as "The Best Restaurant in the World" (2010,2011, 2012 & 2014), Copenhagen's Noma is famous for its modernist take on Nordic cuisine. In restaurant circles, Rene is also famous for his …