Culinary Adventures - Where Necessity Meets Passion

If you have worked in the restaurant business, you know there is typically a divide between those in the front serving guests and those in the back cooking the food. At times, it seems to be as polar as political differences and can often result in a lack of care for guests. In my experience as a front of house manager, I have always tried to bridge the gap from front to back but never felt I had strong support from my kitchen counterparts. Whether it was a lack of knowledge about the cuisine we were serving or asking a ‘dumb’ question about preparation, I was still interested in learning about the kitchen perspective. This led me into the kitchen, where I already had some basic knowledge from school and from working in the business. 

I believe the catalyst for this interest in home cooking began during 2020 when restaurants all around the country had to pivot their business models tremendously. In one weekend, the restaurant group I work for had one restaurant pivot to take-out only, and the other, completely close before it was able to have it’s opening night. Our world completely changed but I was still interested in working and was willing to dive in to figure out how I could contribute. This led me into the kitchen, where I already had some basic knowledge from school and working in the business. For the first time ever, my work in the kitchen was depended on to serve guests. 

As our ability to open progressed and we could finally open our shuttered fine dining restaurant to limited services, I was able to focus on my primary job of taking care of guests and showing them the hospitality that we are known for. I found myself in a dual role in our new restaurant: during the day, responding to all guest inquiries and organizing our dinner services; at night, working a table and presenting dishes our culinary team worked so hard to prepare during the day. What I enjoyed about our dinner service was the connection I could make between those that prepared the food and the guest I was serving it to with real time emotion. People were delighted to be back in our restaurant and were craving the hospitality and great food we had to offer. 

My role as a table chef eventually was replaced with new hires we brought on to bolster new business demand. I went back to focusing on hospitality, service, and helping maintain day to day operations at all of our restaurants. However, I became increasingly interested in the process of cooking and fully understanding what our kitchens were up to. There were many opportunities to bring home our take home meal kits and test them out on family and friends. As my confidence grew in technique, I would try new recipes myself and often find myself either delighted with what I had made or frustrated that I didn’t nail the new recipe on the first try. As with all new skills, my improvement came through repetition, process, and refinement.

The more I have practiced over the last few years, the more I feel confident about my ability to cook and feel comfortable sharing my ‘hobby’ with others. When I have questions about a process, I ask a chef at work. If I see something on one of our menus that looks cool or tastes absolutely amazing, I observe. When a guest asks a question about a dish I don’t have an answer for, I find an answer for them. By utilizing the knowledge of others while I’m working, I have been able to hone my skills to a level where I feel comfortable preparing numerous dishes from memory. On the flip side, I continue to read new recipes in books and online to refine my techniques and understand the ‘why’ behind them.

Everyone has to learn some basic kitchen skills to feed themselves but Why Not Try learning a new skill in the kitchen that amplifies your cooking? That everyday dish you enjoy making may turn into something that your family craves at the next family gathering.