November 3rd, 2009 Chef
04-see-from-the-stage
Music by “Zach” of his new album “Lost + Found”…www.zachmusic.net ( This guy is the real deal!!!) check him out
Sometimes don’t you just wish you could put on a pair of glasses and see nothing but good, happiness, and love? SEE I have this special place I can go…..We all have this place…sometimes you walk right by the door and ya don’t even know ya passed it. …………………….Slow down….look around……….
This little world of mine is such a wonderful place, It’s a place where people want to help and look at things in a positive way. Its a place where people want to make you better and grow. Not step on your dreams when you make a simple mistake.
When I crawl into my place that is tucked way back in my head, there isn’t Haters-Fakers and full of hot air bloggers.
I have been wanting to blog about blogging for sometime now. My close friend Katie K….said “You should Blog about bloggers” after a conversation we had about the blogger world….I thought about this for some time now and well here is how Chef Brandt, SEE”S it……
Being a Chef isn’t just about throwing some ingredients in a pan and running around town telling everyone you’re best friends with farmer jimmy crack “CORN” and you are so in touch with the soil….don’t get me wrong.. i love the farmers !!!! I am down with getting the best of the best just like the next guy in the jacket and yes some organics are the right choice for some farm famlies…and some non-organic farming just wont work for some families. Dont hate..ya dont have the facts….both sides…. nor do you wake up at 4am with Randy the Rooster and walk the fields.
When was the last time you read a Chef Blog or someone blogged about a Chef…….that made a young kid give him three things on how he is going to build his self esteem up? because he said he has no friends and goes home alone every-night…and plays viedo games………
Or a chef that ran down the street to get better first aid band aids for his dishwasher so he could personally wrapped his wound everyday for seven days…The chef knew that home life wouldn’t of cared to do so…and the poor guy would be really in the weeds..( that means in trouble for you non kitchen blogger people….but ya knew that…………………… right?)
Where are the blogs talking about chefs teaching their staff to see the magical “I am special sign” so they truly understand what the word of Hospitality means….or the word “NO” isn’t in the culture when it comes to our guests…( if you want ketchup on your Grass feed Sirloin…fine with me, as long as your credit card works..:)
Haven’t seen a blog about a Chef that has brought two dishwashers up from the ranks and now are running two of his kitchens across the country…(one also is running a large hotel unit on top of it)
What about one about a successful chef that climb the ranks of learning disabilities and turned them around and now using them to his advantages and now is making sure to tell the next generation of kids dont give up…just go down a different street…you will get there!!…sometimes even faster………….:)
Ya gotta to love the blog people that don’t even give there REAL names or show those pretty faces off…..( and the pic’s are a pic of a fork or piece of bacon….pretty neat ) anyway…..they are so brave to ripe my face off and slam my name that my Daughter shares!!!!!!!!! If you want to dance with us Chefs…then get on the dance floor baby…….I would love to know who I am dancing with…. I can boogie!! ( We really do want you happy and try to better ourselves everyday)
Don’t just throw eggs from the car and drive off..If you want to dirty my house then stand in my front yard and don’t be scared for me to come out and talk to you…because I am not scared to put on my jacket everyday and change peoples lives for the BETTER….before i even walk into my cooler…
So while your sipping your latte and reviewing phone pics from last nights dinner…just remember one thing…Chefs aren’t made they are born, Please go get your eyes cleaned and try to see the good that we really do do.
( Hope to SEE you in the dinning room)
“It ain’t bragging, if you can do it”!!!
-LOVE - Chef Brandt xxoo
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April 5th, 2009 Chef
I -we have been in a rebuilding period in the kitchen of the Blue Canyon. It’s always hard to start over with an employees after you put so much time and effort in to them…….how to explain it….you go threw Break phases…MAD-SAD-REGRET-REBUILDING….
There are things that the public doesn’t really get nor understand(Chefs haters…that’s you too out there) WE are Blue Canyon…(Ohio)We do large numbers every day every week……..the BC Train doesn’t stop for nobody, if you want to get off ,you have to jump and be ready to drop a roll…….. I have a free pass rail for anyone who wants to ride with me anyday any week…….You will work……….I MEAN WORK, not sit around and watch. (My Chef had one of those mileage clickers one day that to see how far he walks, he clocked in 10 miles!!) those guys work their tails off.
We still make 90% of our stuff from strach, I am very proud of that, it cuase heart burn some days also……..
I have some new BC seals in the kitchen…..and boy am i happy with this last group, the fire in there eye’s are inspirational, they are hungry, they are pissed! they want to cook!!!! It reminds me of two brothers that I worked with back in day…and they are now the Executive Chefs of the BLue Canyons in other States…
I had some great customers that would come see me at Kostas back when i was young on fire!! skinny did i mention on fire….lol and i don’t mean in the kitchen. But They told me last night how excited they where with their meals and how great the food was.. just like the old days….I had three newbies on the line….don’t get me wrong I have had my generals and tank comanders running up the beach taking the hill all night. We ran 25 minute tickets times when 165 people hit us all at once. ( we try to stay around 14 minutes) we ended up doing 570 for the night
but over all We took the hill and won the battle!!
Great Job Everyone Last Night…..now get back to work…we have 300 on for brunch 250 for Dinner…..900 screaming down the track at us for Easter………All AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Board!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I look forward to working with you everyday, i welcome the newness and welcome the new culinary branches to be developed and grown on my tree.
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February 26th, 2009 Chef
Its been a great week so far in Missoula Montana, working with all the great people here at the Hilton and the Blue Canyon. We are gearing up for this little off premise catering party for 1100 people. Its going to take place over at the Missoula Airport. It’s always interesting when you take a chef out of his or hers sandbox or saftey zone. None of thier own ovens or walk in coolers….all I can say is the check list is cruical……….so check the check list and double check the person who is checking the checker of the check list.
I have to say I think I had the best cheese cake that I have EVER had in my life this week. Our Pastry Chef Gretchen sure nailed it!! topped with Huckleberry’s……….. COME GET SOME!!!!
Chef Larry & have a 7 course meal set this evening for some guest at the chefs table…..stay tuned for details and a follow up story on this……
Take care, Chef Brandt
“Gastronomy begins with technique. If you haven’t got technique you will never master Gastronomy.”
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February 19th, 2009 Chef
I am so excited to team up with Michele & my little buddy (aka Little Farmer Jessica Bline from the Other Side of the Fence Farms). They handed me about 8 seed catalogs and said “pick out what you want us to grow for you”….this is a dream come true for a Chef….They are all more then Organic. Michele and Jessica truly have a passion about what they do…When I met them last year at the Twinsburg Farmers’ Market they would bring me little goodies from the farm every week….like “Cutting Celery” a type of leaf that is sharp and has a potent flavor…works great with salads, sauces, relishes, and salsa’s without having the big chunks or pieces of celery in it.
Michele & Little Farmer are the same kind of people that I work with when I blend my Blue Canyon wine…they truly do it for the love. I am amazed how knowledgeable they are about soil and about farming…I can listen to them all day long.
Currently they are raising some Red Wattle Hogs for me, so we can have one Heck of Pig Roast here at the Canyon ( stay tuned, Katie Lady will tell you all about that)…..just thinking about the bacon and the pork chops is making my stomach grumble……
You will be seeing all of our vegetables and fun stuff that we are growing all through out our summer menus….So keep your eyes open and your taste buds ready!!!!!
An empty plate makes the person working the dish machine happy~~~!!!
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February 18th, 2009 Chef
I am very thankful to have AD (Attention Deficit) and give tons of credit to all the teachers in Hudson that where in the Learning Disability Room. They always pushed me and always made me feel that I could accomplish anything I put my mind to…Now I use this to my advantage……..
“There is more then one way to get to Florida”
With all the projects going on I truly need to to keep bouncing back and forth to all of them….I am sure it makes my partners or the people I work with nuts because they just want the projects they are working on with me finished….:)
So if you’d like… lets peak inside this brain of mine and see what I am working on
- Spring/Summer Menu for all Blue Canyons
- Gluten Free Menu for all Blue Canyons
- Patio Menu
- New & Improved Drink Menu for all the Bars at the Blue Canyons
- Revamp all Catering Menus and Public Sales Blitz
- Record New Radio Commercials
- Demo TV Reel….that’s all I can say
- Write monthly Column for Living Magazine
- Benefits,Benefits,Benefits,Benefits…..we do a lot of them
- Determine All Gateway Hotel Food Specks.
- Breath………Eat……….Sleep………..
- Madison
- Kristen
- Weekly Phone Call Meetings with Chef Scott/Larry/Matt
- Weekly Meeting with Chef Danny/Stu/Russ (Ohio)
- Try To Keep up with all the Marketing Stuff that Katie has planned for me to do…..boy does she keep me busy…..
- Retail Line: Trying to bottle the Calamari Sauce, Sophia Dressing, Steak Sauce, and BBQ Sauce
- Coming Out with another label of wine called the “Chef’s Jacket Label” … a Chardonnay and a Cabernet
- Watching this grey patch getting bigger on the front of my head
- Wondering why I quit smoking…4 months ago….!!!!!!!!
I always get asked what I would do if I wasn’t a Chef……to tell you the truth, Chefs are not made, they are born….so that is very hard for me to answer. I don’t know…We are often very stressed out. We take comments very personal. We take work home. And we don’t sleep very well. A lot of Chefs party like rock stars…( trust me…my daughter took me out of the jungle and put my butt in the petting zoo….that’s a whole another post….one day) We are highly competitive..but are very friendly on the field. We put everything we have on the line so people can come in and hopefully eat a disposable product………..lol………..that’s crazy.
I have the greatest partners anyone could ask to be in this business with.. they are honest and out work me everyday…..I am amazed by them and learn from them daily….I also learn from the great staff of the Blue Canyons…Katie, Danny, Stu, Paul, Ryan, Matt H, Terry, Nancy, Todd, Larry , Scott, Matt and of course Sean Brown.
What more can someone ask for……..I don’t go to work….I just put on comfortable clothes and hang out with some kick ass people all day long. ………..and drink lots of coffee
Stick and Move and Stay out of the Corner!!
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