Vrabel as a 1st time HC from a Chef's Perspective

[Face]

@chefyou were going to be a psychiatrist & became a chef. Very interesting.

 

Also another reason I think if I have kids they're going to stop blue collar jobs or maybe even join the military after HS, before going to college. I don't think most 20-21 year olds have any clue what they want to do with their lives, and they're better off starting college a few years later.

[TitanDuckFan]

I cooked my way through part of HS and most of college.  I can cut shortening into flour (manually, no food processors allowed) with the best of them.  Sous chef no prob.  Good but not great over a grill or a saute pan.  I own plenty of cast iron to this day.

And I did a few recipes.  Simple food to the Nth degree, it was all about the flavors, in part 'cuz I shopped my own groceries.

 

But I never mastered the art of "putting the ambiance on the plate" as my mentor used to say.

 

I ain't the egg.  But any way you want it, I can pretty much fix you up.

Just don't ask me where to put the garnish.

That was the job of the exec.

Edited January 21, 2018 by TitanDuckFan

[chef]

3 minutes ago, Face said:

@chefyou were going to be a psychiatrist & became a chef. Very interesting.

 

Also another reason I think if I have kids they're going to stop blue collar jobs or maybe even join the military after HS, before going to college. I don't think most 20-21 year olds have any clue what they want to do with their lives, and they're better off starting college a few years later.

It's not the best route for everyone, but I do know that in general some post-military/older college students begin Day One with way more focus and discipline about why they are there than the average 18 year old out of HS.  

[chef]

2 minutes ago, TitanDuckFan said:

I cooked my way through part of HS and most of college.  I can cut shortening into flour (manually, no food processors allowed) with the best of them.  Sous chef no prob.  Good but not great over a grill or a saute pan.  I own plenty of cast iron to this day.

And I did a few recipes.  Simple food to the Nth degree, it was all about the flavors, in part 'cuz I shopped my own groceries.

 

But I never mastered the art of "putting the ambiance on the plate" as my mentor used to say.

 

I ain't the egg.  But any way you want it, I can pretty much fix you up.

Just don't ask me where to put the garnish.

That was the job of the exec.

It was always easy for me to see who had an eye and who didn't. Who could just know what Good looked like, and who had to be taught by wrote.  And that's just presentation.  Creation of new dish concepts that can stand up in a place like SF (in the high end places) is a different beast altogether.  Again, much like being an OC or DC in the NFL.  You may love your stuff and it might have fans, but when compared by reviewers and customers against competing restaurants in a like price point situation, your best stuff can fail in a hurry.  (See Chuck Cecil)

 

 

[MamlngEnvy]

5 minutes ago, chef said:

It was always easy for me to see who had an eye and who didn't. Who could just know what Good looked like, and who had to be taught by wrote.  And that's just presentation.  Creation of new dish concepts that can stand up in a place like SF (in the high end places) is a different beast altogether.  Again, much like being an OC or DC in the NFL.  You may love your stuff and it might have fans, but when compared by reviewers and customers against competing restaurants in a like price point situation, your best stuff can fail in a hurry.  (See Chuck Cecil)

 

 

My biggest problem is plating. Luckily one of the nations best is looking to take me under his wing and refine my practice a bit. Till then it’s all bout that meal prep biz

Edited January 21, 2018 by 52O

[Btowner]

A couple of months ago, I heard Michael Lombardi make a chef analogy. When it comes to Belichick and trying to run his system. He called it the Emeril Lagasse problem.

 

We want to open a restaurant so we steal Emeril's recipes. We open the restaurant and think we're cooking the recipes well. Even though we're cooking according to the recipes, we really don't know those recipes well and we can't quite get it. Our customers know it doesn't taste exactly the same. 

 

You can't steal someone's offense or system. 

 

 

[freakingeek]

 In almost any type of successful business, in a universal way, the man at the top sets the tone. He sets the tone of the operation because HE is the one with the VISION of where it needs to go. He takes that vision and builds on it, and facilitates it by surrounding himself with people who buy in to the concept and who understand their role. THEIR role is to contribute a necessary ingredients at which they excel. The man at the top's responsibility is knowing their capabilities and knowing what to expect and equally as important, what NOT to expect. Basically putting people in a position to succeed and motivating them to maximize their potential. 

 

In a kitchen, as the soup begins to cook, the head chef observes and takes an occasional sip to evaluate the progress and blending of the spices. Each person in the kitchen brings a different and important element to the product. The head chef continues setting the tone by encouraging the crew, both individually and as a group and keeps building the team concept. Without team unity there is chaos. The man at the top has to know each member of the team and know which buttons to push and how and when to push them. That's where his (or her) people skills become the most important. "The floggings will continue until morale improves" has never been the recipe for success. A true field general leads the troops into battle. 

 

The the top chef has to be a man of many hats. Leader, motivator, educator, communicator, role model, disciplinarian, empathizer, supporter and psychologist are just a few the qualities he has to have. Some people have it and some don't. It's a fine line. Being a good listener is high on the list.  True listening is an art and I don't mean sympathizing. When you sympathize, you put another's concerns at a distance and you put yourself in a position of superiority, which creates separation, whereas empathy, on the other hand, requires that you internalize the concerns of another. You put yourself in their shoes.That shared experience strengthens personal relationships. By imparting his wisdom, the head chef elevates the whole crew. 

 

The Xs and Os are the easy part. Being the the man at the top in not. I'm not sure about the reports of Vrabel being a screamer. I don't know if that's true or not. Fire and emotion can be a motivator at the right time and place. It can also be a divider. I trust JRob. It took some brass cojones to fire Mularkey and he acted on the concerns we have all been discussing ad nauseum for months. I admire that. If he had it in his mind that Vrabel was the right guy all along and this was the right time, I'm all in. The process seemed hurried but there may be deciding factors we know nothing about. We're getting ready to find out just how sharp JRob is. HIS job is depending on it.

 

[freakingeek]

6 minutes ago, Btowner said:

A couple of months ago, I heard Michael Lombardi make a chef analogy. When it comes to Belichick and trying to run his system. He called it the Emeril Lagasse problem.

 

We want to open a restaurant so we steal Emeril's recipes. We open the restaurant and think we're cooking the recipes well. Even though we're cooking according to the recipes, we really don't know those recipes well and we can't quite get it. Our customers know it doesn't taste exactly the same. 

 

You can't steal someone's offense or system. 

 

 

Greatness comes from within.

[TitanedUpSince'70]

7 minutes ago, Btowner said:

A couple of months ago, I heard Michael Lombardi make a chef analogy. When it comes to Belichick and trying to run his system. He called it the Emeril Lagasse problem.

 

We want to open a restaurant so we steal Emeril's recipes. We open the restaurant and think we're cooking the recipes well. Even though we're cooking according to the recipes, we really don't know those recipes well and we can't quite get it. Our customers know it doesn't taste exactly the same. 

 

You can't steal someone's offense or system. 

 

 

[MamlngEnvy]

11 minutes ago, Btowner said:

A couple of months ago, I heard Michael Lombardi make a chef analogy. When it comes to Belichick and trying to run his system. He called it the Emeril Lagasse problem.

 

We want to open a restaurant so we steal Emeril's recipes. We open the restaurant and think we're cooking the recipes well. Even though we're cooking according to the recipes, we really don't know those recipes well and we can't quite get it. Our customers know it doesn't taste exactly the same. 

 

You can't steal someone's offense or system. 

 

 

My old restaurant found that out fast

 

inleft cuz the owner was ruining shit and my name was attached to it, two months later without me but with my recipes they shit down lol

[TitanDuckFan]

6 minutes ago, chef said:

It was always easy for me to see who had an eye and who didn't. Who could just know what Good looked like, and who had to be taught by wrote.  And that's just presentation.  Creation of new dish concepts that can stand up in a place like SF (in the high end places) is a different beast altogether.  Again, much like being an OC or DC in the NFL.  You may love your stuff and it might have fans, but when compared by reviewers and customers against competing restaurants in a like price point situation, your best stuff can fail in a hurry.  (See Chuck Cecil)

I think that was part of my realization that I didn't belong there.

I saw food that really impressed me, but that didn't interest me beyond the second bite.

I tasted a food that blew me away, and didn't care if it was served on chipped stoneware.

But within that world, or what passes for judgement of that world, the looks usually overrode the flavors.

 

That juxtaposition created a conflict/dichotomy that I couldn't get past.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen both come together and if that's what you do, my hat is off to you.

 

But my favorite example of taste vs presentation is always great, old-school Mexican food.

The presentation may suck, but it's out of this world good, and everybody leaves the table stuffed to the brim because they couldn't stop eating.

There's this old pink stucco restaurant on the outskirts of Sierra Vista, Arizona,............

 

 

 

 

[chef]

8 minutes ago, TitanDuckFan said:

I think that was part of my realization that I didn't belong there.

I saw food that really impressed me, but that didn't interest me beyond the second bite.

I tasted a food that blew me away, and didn't care if it was served on chipped stoneware.

But within that world, or what passes for judgement of that world, the looks usually overrode the flavors.

 

That juxtaposition created a conflict/dichotomy that I couldn't get past.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen both come together and if that's what you do, my hat is off to you.

 

But my favorite example of taste vs presentation is always great, old-school Mexican food.

The presentation may suck, but it's out of this world good, and everybody leaves the table stuffed to the brim because they couldn't stop eating.

There's this old pink stucco restaurant on the outskirts of Sierra Vista, Arizona,............

 

 

 

 

Flavors always matter 1st, 2nd and more.

 

The rest is just the art part that gives you reasons to charge more since you are enhancing the dining experience in ways well above and beyond the food.  But without the food, what is there?  Kinda looks like one of those silent raves where everyone is dancing but there's no music to be heard.  Hollow experience, even when it grabs your attention.

 

But really, and again like being a HC, a chef (chef/owner moreso) in that capacity is usually tied up with concerns well beyond the food.  More about keep the ship pointed in the right direction to create an environment where everyone can do their jobs and succeed. 

 

 

[chef]

32 minutes ago, 52O said:

My biggest problem is plating. Luckily one of the nations best is looking to take me under his wing and refine my practice a bit. Till then it’s all bout that meal prep biz

Good luck.  I was brought in to open a place in the East Bay years back just to help design plates, train the staff on presentation, getting it ready for media scrutiny.  The chef/owner knew exactly what he wanted in terms of the menu, just wanted to polish it up.

 

 

Go get your hands on some Art Culinaire issues.  Even if it's not what you end up doing (and mostly not my style either), it can be inspirational to see what's out there.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=art+culinaire&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwirhMf07enYAhUU9GMKHVbOC5kQ_AUIDCgD&biw=2560&bih=1309

 

[chef]

30 minutes ago, Btowner said:

A couple of months ago, I heard Michael Lombardi make a chef analogy. When it comes to Belichick and trying to run his system. He called it the Emeril Lagasse problem.

 

We want to open a restaurant so we steal Emeril's recipes. We open the restaurant and think we're cooking the recipes well. Even though we're cooking according to the recipes, we really don't know those recipes well and we can't quite get it. Our customers know it doesn't taste exactly the same. 

 

You can't steal someone's offense or system. 

 

 

I can give anyone a recipe.  Like giving them a playbook.  Just doesn't matter.  You've got to execute each and every time to succeed.  That what I mean about the chef being beyond the food.  It's about about consistent execution.  Not one time, but every time.  Through circumstances where things become difficult if not impossible and you have to completely improvise on the spot (like key players getting injured, maybe even playing a WR at CB), taking entirely new paths to get to your goal, rather than simply trying to fit your square peg back into the round hole with greater and greater (wasted) effort.

 

This is why Mularky is gone.  And why we're hiring Vrabel, and maybe college QB coach.  That alone means nothing in terms of predicting future success, but it absolutely demonstrates the mindset JR wants in his kitchen.  Which again, won't be an effort to copy NE in terms of play style, but rather in operational mindset and ability to adapt.

 

 

[TitanDuckFan]

8 minutes ago, chef said:

Flavors always matter 1st, 2nd and more.

 

The rest is just the art part that gives you reasons to charge more since you are enhancing the dining experience in ways well above and beyond the food.  But without the food, what is there?  Kinda looks like one of those silent raves where everyone is dancing but there's no music to be heard.  Hollow experience, even when it grabs your attention.

 

But really, and again like being a HC, a chef (chef/owner moreso) in that capacity is usually tied up with concerns well beyond the food.  More about keep the ship pointed in the right direction to create an environment where everyone can do their jobs and succeed.

Just to bring this analogy back to football,..

Can you do it with a Maitre D' or a manager that wears hoodies with the sleeves torn off?

It's a matter of priorities.