A Glimpse in the Kitchen

A professional kitchen can be intimidating. So much is happening from some many different directions. I think this is what is so facinating to so many people about shows like Iron Chef and Kitchen Nightmares, seeing what appears to be chaos turned into a harmony of flavors in 40 minutes or so.

Kathe Tanner is an award-winning reporter and columnist for The Tribune and The Cambrian. She has lived in Cambria since 1971, and her column has been published since 1981. She has begun wading through earlier editions of her columns and re-working them. I found this one today and wanted to share it.

I was definitely being watched.

Sure enough, behind the Knudsen truck that had brought seven, 8-foot-long sections of cake from our Cambria bakery to this most unusual site … hiding over there behind the left corner of the truck was a young girl, watching my every move.

The child’s mouth was open as wide as her eyes were, and she clearly didn’t believe that she was seeing what she knew she saw.

I snuck a look at the girl as she watched me, and my thoughts snapped back more than 20 years. Then, I was the little girl on the outside looking in.

For the first time I was watching my new stepfather at work. I had finally been allowed into the hallowed sanctuary of the kitchen at Jenny Lake Lodge, where he was the sous chef. Later, as I became more familiar with professional kitchen-dom, I would realize that one was really rather unsophisticated … a small, rather ill-equipped facility with an uneven floor, old fixtures and a drop-dead gorgeous view.

However, at the time to me that kitchen was enormous. I saw pots big enough to swim in, knives suitable for use in logging redwoods, and a mixer substantially taller than I was (and am). Clearly, I was impressed.

Daddy had transformed into a 5-foot-8-inch-tall tyrant from the funny, loveable man who’d bewitched my mother. He was obviously a force to reckon with, which his crew would rather not do unless it became inevitable. The whole thing was fascinating, invigorating and unquestionably terrifying.

By the end of my first half-hour session of observation-in-awe, Daddy had me over in a corner, cracking eggs.

Correction: trying to crack eggs. In a professional kitchen, there is always a more efficient way to do things than the way your mother taught you (unless your mother was Julia Child).

At the restaurant, Daddy would take an egg in each hand, crack them both simultaneously on the edge of the bowl, and squeeze. Out would pop two beautiful eggs with yolks intact. But when I did it, we got instant scrambled eggs, with a little extra egg shell (for extra calcium, mebbe?).

My right hand was borderline cooperative, but the left hand was reacting like a fingertip-to-shoulder cast at a quilting bee. Crack, crunch. Crack, smash. Crack, shatter. Couldn’t I ever get it to go crack, plop ... the way my stepfather did?

It took me almost two months to master it.

That insufficiency was a feeling I was to suffer many, many times in my ensuing years in the professional kitchen, part awe, part eagerness, part fumble-fingered exasperation.

As I left the kitchen that first time, I turned around for one last look at that intriguing new world. The waitresses were arriving with a tidal wave of orders, and Daddy had gone into triple high gear ... a pure Texan blur behind the grill. He was professional to the core, ultra efficient and not overly tolerant as he growled at one of the girls, “I said to pick up your order, abulita! My grandma’s slow, but she’s 90 years old!”

That was my introduction into the wonders, terrors, temperaments and inevitably salty communication of professional cooking.

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Food Fact

The average American consumes 10.56 pounds of chocolate each year.

Salinas Golf and Country Club

A limited membership, private golf club Salinas Golf and Country Club was incorporated in 1959. Originally a nine-hole course started in 1925, it has been developed into a challenging 18-hole layout with tree-lined fairways and beautifully manicured greens. A phrase often heard from newcomers to the course is: “One of the best kept secrets in Monterey County”. In 1993, an extensive modernization project was completed that included the rebuilding of several greens and installation of a computer controlled irrigation system.

Golf activities at the Club include events sponsored by the Men’s Association, Senior Men’s Association and the Women’s Golf Association. Couples tournaments are held monthly, which include a three course dinner after play.

Men’s activities include one-day and two-day invitational tournaments, the annual Gold Cup tournament as well as team play matches with other clubs in a league sanctioned by the Northern California Golf Association. The Senior Men’s Association (for members 50 years of age or older) sponsors several tournaments throughout the year as well as participating in “Home and Away” matches with other clubs throughout Northern California.

The Women’s Golf Association also has a well-rounded schedule of competitive events. These include weekly competitions, a two-day invitational, the annual Buttercup tournament and “Open Days” with other clubs in the Women’s Golf Association of Northern California. SG&CC women also participate in the Monterey Bay Area Team Play League, competing against other clubs in the area.

The Club is very active in promoting junior golf in conjunction with the Salinas Valley Junior Golf Association, featuring several clinics and tournaments throughout the year. Each July the Club hosts the Charlie Culver Junior Masters Tournament, which has come to be recognized as one of the finest junior tournaments in all of California.

The Club is also a Member of the Private Club Network which entitles their Members to cart fees only at over 150 private country clubs across the United States.

Dining is limited to breakfast, lunch, and dinner by appointment.

Technomic Says Foodservice Sales Expected to Decline

Weaker than anticipated sales in major areas including fast food, business dining, and vending segments prompted market researcher Technomic to revise its 2010 U.S. foodservice industry sales forecast. Technomic predicts the industry to decline 1.6 percent, down from the 0.8 percent decline it previously estimated.

In comments first delivered to clients at its Foodservice Planning Program meeting, Technomic acknowledged that some segments will outperform the industry at large, most notably education, supermarket foodservice and healthcare. All segments will continue to contend with a foodservice environment that will remain challenging throughout 2010.

“Given current dynamics among consumers, we don't see the industry returning to the sales levels it previously enjoyed until 2011 or even early 2012,” said David Henkes, Technomic vice president. "With demand remaining weak and bundled deals and promotions driving down check averages, topline sales growth among foodservice operators won’t bounce back quickly.”

Read more at the Technomic Website here.here.

Top Chef Trends for 2010: Appetizers/Starters

The National Restaurant Association asked more than 1800 Chefs what they felt were going to be the most trendy items going into 2010. Here is a snapshot of their results.

1 Amuse bouche
2 Mini-burgers/sliders
3 Appetizer combos/ platters
4 Appetizer salads
5 Asian appetizers (e.g. tempura, spring rolls/ egg rolls, satay, dumplings)

For a complete list of the survey go to the National Restaurant Association Website at www.restaurant.org