Chef Dave
11-12-2007, 12:25 PM
I am a former elementary teacher turned chef instructor.
This is my first year working as a chef instructor and the year did not start out well. My predecessor and her husband were making my life quite difficult. Both of them were night custodians at my school. The former chef instructor used to pull food items from the freezer and issue directions to my managers regarding breakfast production as though she still had any authority to do this.
The principal banned her from campus and told her that she could no longer use the culinary arts lab to teach college level culinary arts classes at night. She retaliated by pulling all of her recipes from our student operated restaurant.
Problems escalated when I scrapped her curriculum and drastically changed the restaurant menu and procedures. Under my leadership, the student restaurant has evolved into a casual dining restaurant with elements of fine dining. We are no longer a fast food establishment with a snack bar. The snack bar itself has been eliminated as we no longer sell chips or candy.
Unlike my predecessor, my feeling is that I am a chef instructor first and a restaurant manager second. To my way of thinking, the culinary arts department drives the restaurant. The restaurant does not drive the culinary arts program.
What does this mean? As a chef instructor, it is my feeling that I am responsible for the instruction of the culinary arts. Am I teaching students how to cook if all they're doing is reheating frozen food like corn dogs or pizza? NO!
Nearly everything we make in the culinary arts lab is now sold in the restaurant. Our menu changes on a daily basis. We always have at least one plated special and one "fast food" item. Gone is the old menu that offered burgers, pizza, corn dogs, pretzels, and burritos on a daily basis.
In place of last year's menu, we now offer such dishes as shrimp pasta alfredo, grilled pork chops, dim sum platters, and chicken curry alongside pizzas (made from scratch), double decker bacon cheese burgers, meatball hoagies, and pork carnitas (pork tacos served with soft corn tortillas).
The changes were not well received by my predecessor.
Someone began filing "anonymous" complaints about me with the local health department. The husband also began bad mouthing me at the middle school - telling other teachers that I'm incompetent and that my kitchen is a filthy unsanitary mess.
After submitting formal complaints to my building administrator regarding this person's conduct, the contractor who provides night custodial services finally gave this man a permanent transfer to another campus. He's turned in his keys. Neither he or his wife have any further access to my kitchen!
I have no doubt that their tongues will continue to wag - but at least they will no longer be in my kitchen, prying into my food stores, and "spying" upon what I do.
In the meanwhile, my department has now hosted several catering events for the district. All of the events have been extremely successful.
My last event was this past Wednesday when the high school inducted nominees into the National Honors Society.
I was asked to provide beverages and refreshments.
The sponsor told me that last year, my predecessor provided cookies, brownies, nachos with cheese, and a punch.
My culinary students tell me that last year they used frozen cookie dough and instant brownie mix. (Shudder)
Being somewhat competitive but also thinking that we should actually make (from scratch) everything we offer, we provided: cinnamon raisin pumpkin bread, peach bread, chocolate chip cookies, and pecan sandies. We also offered a vegetable platter with Ranch dressing and shrimp rangoon (shrimp stuffed wonton with spinach, onions, and cream cheese that's deep fried). The shrimp rangoon was served with a honey mustard and celery seed dipping sauce. We also offered a layered jello dessert: tropical fruit in strawberry jello covered with chopped bananas and crushed pineapple, topped with pistachio pudding and whipped cream. Our beverage was a simple peach punch which we already carry in the student restaurant. The peach punch was the only product we offered that was made from an instant mix.
Everyone was happy with our food and beverages. Several comparisons were drawn between the enhanced quality of this year's offerings compared to previous years. My stock in trade with the faculty and district office is up and all of this will go a long way to offsetting any continuing negative comments made by my predecessor and her husband.
All in all - it was a very good week.
Pictured below is my class during a recent catering event. The culinary arts department was asked to prepare 85 prime rib dinners. In addition to the prime rib, we served loaded baked potatoes, rolls (made from scratch), grilled vegetables, a tossed salad, and three types of dessert: carrot cake, chocolate cream cannolis, and strawberry cream cheese pie. (I'm the guy with the poofy white hat).
http://www.thatcherud.k12.az.us/database/sites/site_article_pic_554.jpg
This is my first year working as a chef instructor and the year did not start out well. My predecessor and her husband were making my life quite difficult. Both of them were night custodians at my school. The former chef instructor used to pull food items from the freezer and issue directions to my managers regarding breakfast production as though she still had any authority to do this.
The principal banned her from campus and told her that she could no longer use the culinary arts lab to teach college level culinary arts classes at night. She retaliated by pulling all of her recipes from our student operated restaurant.
Problems escalated when I scrapped her curriculum and drastically changed the restaurant menu and procedures. Under my leadership, the student restaurant has evolved into a casual dining restaurant with elements of fine dining. We are no longer a fast food establishment with a snack bar. The snack bar itself has been eliminated as we no longer sell chips or candy.
Unlike my predecessor, my feeling is that I am a chef instructor first and a restaurant manager second. To my way of thinking, the culinary arts department drives the restaurant. The restaurant does not drive the culinary arts program.
What does this mean? As a chef instructor, it is my feeling that I am responsible for the instruction of the culinary arts. Am I teaching students how to cook if all they're doing is reheating frozen food like corn dogs or pizza? NO!
Nearly everything we make in the culinary arts lab is now sold in the restaurant. Our menu changes on a daily basis. We always have at least one plated special and one "fast food" item. Gone is the old menu that offered burgers, pizza, corn dogs, pretzels, and burritos on a daily basis.
In place of last year's menu, we now offer such dishes as shrimp pasta alfredo, grilled pork chops, dim sum platters, and chicken curry alongside pizzas (made from scratch), double decker bacon cheese burgers, meatball hoagies, and pork carnitas (pork tacos served with soft corn tortillas).
The changes were not well received by my predecessor.
Someone began filing "anonymous" complaints about me with the local health department. The husband also began bad mouthing me at the middle school - telling other teachers that I'm incompetent and that my kitchen is a filthy unsanitary mess.
After submitting formal complaints to my building administrator regarding this person's conduct, the contractor who provides night custodial services finally gave this man a permanent transfer to another campus. He's turned in his keys. Neither he or his wife have any further access to my kitchen!
I have no doubt that their tongues will continue to wag - but at least they will no longer be in my kitchen, prying into my food stores, and "spying" upon what I do.
In the meanwhile, my department has now hosted several catering events for the district. All of the events have been extremely successful.
My last event was this past Wednesday when the high school inducted nominees into the National Honors Society.
I was asked to provide beverages and refreshments.
The sponsor told me that last year, my predecessor provided cookies, brownies, nachos with cheese, and a punch.
My culinary students tell me that last year they used frozen cookie dough and instant brownie mix. (Shudder)
Being somewhat competitive but also thinking that we should actually make (from scratch) everything we offer, we provided: cinnamon raisin pumpkin bread, peach bread, chocolate chip cookies, and pecan sandies. We also offered a vegetable platter with Ranch dressing and shrimp rangoon (shrimp stuffed wonton with spinach, onions, and cream cheese that's deep fried). The shrimp rangoon was served with a honey mustard and celery seed dipping sauce. We also offered a layered jello dessert: tropical fruit in strawberry jello covered with chopped bananas and crushed pineapple, topped with pistachio pudding and whipped cream. Our beverage was a simple peach punch which we already carry in the student restaurant. The peach punch was the only product we offered that was made from an instant mix.
Everyone was happy with our food and beverages. Several comparisons were drawn between the enhanced quality of this year's offerings compared to previous years. My stock in trade with the faculty and district office is up and all of this will go a long way to offsetting any continuing negative comments made by my predecessor and her husband.
All in all - it was a very good week.
Pictured below is my class during a recent catering event. The culinary arts department was asked to prepare 85 prime rib dinners. In addition to the prime rib, we served loaded baked potatoes, rolls (made from scratch), grilled vegetables, a tossed salad, and three types of dessert: carrot cake, chocolate cream cannolis, and strawberry cream cheese pie. (I'm the guy with the poofy white hat).
http://www.thatcherud.k12.az.us/database/sites/site_article_pic_554.jpg