Hollandaise would have been a nice accompaniment....

The following article made me chuckle, but it made me question the feasibility of my idea of replacing my dishwasher with a camel to reduce my water bill!
PARIS — As if President François Hollande of France did not have enough trouble with a stagnant economy and a scandal over his former budget minister’s secret overseas bank accounts, now his camel has been eaten.

Grateful Malian authorities gave the baby camel to Mr. Hollande during a triumphant visit to Mali in early February, after French troops intervened to drive back Islamist rebels who had seized the north of the country.

The French president, who was traveling with his defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, joked then that he could use the camel in Paris to get around traffic jams. But the animal screeched constantly, and did not seem to enjoy the president’s attempt to pat it on the head. In the end, Mr. Hollande left his camel in the care of a family in Timbuktu.

The family, evidently misunderstanding the purpose of the custody arrangement, proceeded to slaughter the camel and feast on it. According to local reports, it was fashioned into a tasty tagine, a regional type of slow-simmered stew.

Embarrassed Malian authorities said on Tuesday that they would give Mr. Hollande a replacement camel, and that this time they would deliver it to him in France.

“As soon as we heard of this, we quickly replaced it with a bigger and better-looking camel,” an official in Timbuktu told the Reuters news agency. “We are ashamed of what happened to the camel,” said the official, who asked Reuters not to identify him because he was not authorized to speak to the news media. “The new camel will be sent to Paris. It was a present that did not deserve this fate.”

Mr. Le Drian, the defense minister, was in charge of giving Mr. Hollande regular updates on the camel’s status, and had to inform him of its piquant end last week, according to the French magazine Valeurs Actuelles.

“The news came in from soldiers on the ground,” a French government official said.

A version of this article appeared in print on April 10, 2013, on page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Hollande Finds His Gift Camel Was Consumed.

Urban farm rising.....

I have begun to see signs of fresh produce coming in from Ken Campbell over in Saranac! This is a nice contrast to the 1/2 inch of ice that I had to scrape off the car windshield this morning, and helps me to realize that summer is right around the corner. This time of year makes me take account of the progress that we have made, and the melting snow reveals that there is much work to be done before we are ready for our high season. Peter and Susan will soon be out front, toiling in the soil and bringing the flower beds back to life. Community gardens in Saranac Lake will be bustling with activity, as growers prepare beds for the summer season.
As I take stock of the projects that I want to tackle, the one project that has eluded us so far, has been our Fork Too Farm. You might recall that our goal is to provide our urban neighbors with a community garden space that they can use to grow fresh herbs, flowers and vegetables for themselves, and maybe a bit for the restaurant. The thing that is preventing this from becoming a reality is the presence of too many shade trees. All of our trees are overgrown, and need to be removed so that we can realize the urban farm dream for our friends and neighbors. Once the trees are removed, we will replant some fruit and flowering trees that can be pruned to allow for more sunlight on the gardens raised beds. This is where you come in. If anyone knows of a tree climber/cutter who would be willing to do this work as a community supported project, please send them my way. If we can just get the trees down, we can get volunteers to cut up and stack/ remove the wood. I think that there are plenty of our neighbors who would like to have access to some free firewood. And we would see that it goes to those most in need, at no cost.
Once the trees are removed, we will offer the space to the community free of charge for garden use. Let's make this the year that Fork Too Farm rises! Thank you for your continued support Saranac Lake. It is our pleasure, as always to do our part to make this village a great place to call home...

Serv Safe?

Yesterday I attended an all day course called Serv Safe. From 8 am to 5:30 pm I was required by NYS Dept. of Health to receive training in how to minimize the threat that my cooking can cause to you, the public. When we got into the class, the instructor asked us to open our packets, and find a small blue index card. We were asked to fold the card in half to create a table tent. On the front, facing the instructor, we were instructed to write our name, so that she could identify us. On the back, facing ourselves, we were asked to write the reason we were here, so that when it got tedious and boring, we could read our written response to this question, to motivate us to stay alert (or at least awake). I chose not to write anything. I knew why I was there, and the reason if written on the card, would by no means motivate me to wake up. As it turns out, I had no problem staying awake, as the class was very informative, and after all I was paying good money for the education. Since I hate to waste my time or money, the instructor had my attention. Most of the class involves good and indisputable information about viruses, bacteria, cross contamination and sanitation.
 However, I feel compelled to question one point that was driven in to us over and over again. That being the procurement of product that is considered safe to sell in my restaurant. I was told that it is considered unsafe, and in most cases illegal to sell product that has been procured anywhere but from the major food service distributors. The FDA labels these distributors as safe and reliable, and smaller independent producers as unsafe and unreliable. Who is lobbying the government to make this determination? Are we still beholden to the old farm bill that has been proven unsustainable, by funneling the procurement of my purchases to mega farms, and factories? The course even instructs me to purchase pre- prepared ready to eat foods, to minimize my exposure to potential risk, from critical control points of danger caused by doing anything to the food but heating it and serving it. I was further disheartened to learn that among the most dangerous foods that I could prepare, local wild mushrooms, wild game (say free range), and house cured meats were of greatest concern to the Feds. As a dedicated lover of local and hand made ingredients, this premise is at odds with my very core values. It is dangerous for folks to put all of their eggs in one basket (don't tell 'em where I get my eggs!) and I am very concerned that the factory farms and multi national conglomerates put our food supply at much greater risk for potential danger than a diversified and locally managed one could ever do. As I sat in that mandatory class, I feared that my days are numbered in this profession, because the general acceptance by the population of government control over our safety and health will eventually drive me underground. My own neighbors, thinking they are doing their patriotic duty, might turn me in for cooking a hamburger that didn't come from big brothers factory farm. Sad state of affairs indeed.

A spring time song for you.

This song is a springtime gift for you..... This goes with my previous post. 
Listen while you read!

Watching the prosciutto cure.....

Winter in the 'Dacks is a long slow process. A lot like watching my house cured prosciutto age to perfection. After the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is long gone, the cold snowy winter presses on....and on. But there is a glimmer of springtime activity nipping at our heels. Sugaring season is right around the corner, and maple trees will soon yield their sweet sap for producers to slowly cook down to the mountain gold known as maple syrup. The sugary bliss seems to lift peoples moods out of their wintery blues and cure their cabin fever, as the morning air is perfumed with the smell of pancakes and French toast, bacon and coffee. Folks become more active, and begin the spring cleanup that puts our town in shape for the coming summer high season. Daffodils will start to bloom throughout Saranac Lake, as the snow recedes, and kids will soon be seen readying their soap box cars for the Daffest Derby.
I look forward to the spring, as my larder shelves empty of canned tomatoes, dry beans and root vegetables. Soon there will be fresh herbs and greens coming in the door from Ken Campbell, who assures me that he has been planting baby lettuce and readying soil beds for cool weather crops like fennel and spinach. He will dig up parsnips that have grown sweet over winter. Michelle at Harmony Hills Farmstead is welcoming piglets to their new spring pastures. My mind wanders to thoughts of pork belly with wild leeks and morels. Scottish Highland cattle that have grown fat over the winter at Atlas Hoofed It Farm in Vermontville, will soon be on the menu as grilled ribeyes and porterhouse steaks. Fishermen and women will soon take to the local waters with their fly rods and creels. They have been busy all winter re stocking their fly boxes with hand tied flies, toiled over in their winter dens. Joe Hackett will show up at my door with a couple of huge brookies that seem to have been waiting just for him. I will cook them his favorite way - lightly curried with a bit of ginger and a few side dishes to round out the meal. My son will hopefully put down his video game controller, and pick up his fly rod when he sees those glistening trout. He will suggest that I take a day off, to drive him over to the Ausable for some spring fishing. Our good friend Micky will arrive shortly thereafter, to relieve me of this duty, and take Nate out for some early Pike on Oseetah Lake. He will once again ask me if this is the year that I follow him up to Canada, to his secret Musky river. I will of course be too busy, readying the restaurant for the summer rush, and dreaming of daily menus that can attract our cosmopolitan visitors. But for now, I guess that I can enjoy the last of the Adirondack winter, catch some last ice fishing on Jone's Pond, and dream of the day when that prosciutto will be perfect......

Hospitality ain't what it used to be......

I am a restaurateur. I started out in the hospitality business training to be a chef. I endured the rigors of apprenticeship that many of my generation and before me had to accept as the price to pay for classical training. Angry and tyrannical chefs were an accepted price to pay for top notch training. I remember days of ridicule and belittlement during my training, that often left me questioning my choice of vocation. When I worked as a stage in Paris, even my mentors' wife would scream at me and tell me my mis en place was pure shit.
Thankfully, I worked my way up through the ranks, and was enlightened by some compassionate chefs at New England Culinary Institute like Executive Chef Robert Barral and Benjamin Cevelo. I learned to control my temper, and realized that passion and anger do not have to go hand in hand. Working with my beautiful wife Colleen, I am reminded of this fact whenever I revert back to my old ways. She knows how to talk me down from these episodes, and calm the savage beast within me.
When I moved up from chef to owner, and became a restaurateur, my quest for role models expanded to those who see the big picture of running a restaurant - not just a kitchen. Dealing with my customers has required me to become more refined. Anyone who has read Anthony Bourdains' memoir Kitchen Confidential, can understand that there is a big difference between dealing with like minded (and often deranged) cooks, and dealing with the tapestry of customers who come in the front door. My heroes now include front of the house champions like Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group and Ron Miller of Solera in NYC. I have a quote from Mr. Meyer that was printed in the NY Times a few years back posted right over my desk. It is entitled "A Dialogue of Respect". It reads: " I enjoyed reading Joe Drape's article "Out in Front but Often Overlooked" (Sept.26). In this era of celebrity chefs, it was refreshing to see so many leaders of the hospitality movement recognized for the essential role they play in making guests feel welcome while they're eating all of that great food. (We were especially delighted to see your acknowledgement of one of our Grammercy Tavern alumni, Phil Grieco). Alluding to my own  approach, Mr. Drape was correct in describing that hospitality is a dialogue, and service a monologue. But it was not accurate to suggest that I believe "the customer is always right." I was certainly taught that before becoming a restaurateur, but over the years, I have learned that no one is always right. In fact, for most guests, it's far more important to feel heard, than to be right. The trick to delivering optimum guest satisfaction is first to require that staff members express warm hospitality toward one another, without which no amount of hospitality to our guests will feel genuine." Amen.
I would like to add one more sentence of my own to Mr. Meyer's letter. "I feel that for guest satisfaction to be optimum, the customer should recognize that any good dialogue, requires respect on both parties behalf."

 I went to the doctor yesterday to have them treat my eye that was irritated. The office was quite busy, and the staff was handling the workload the best that they could. As I waited for my turn in the waiting area, a couple came in, and the first words out of the woman's mouth were " how long is the wait going to be?" I couldn't help but wonder what sort of ailment they were both (as she stated) suffering from, that would allow them the luxury of deciding between treatment and not waiting. I would have waited all day if necessary to have my eye treated. I can't work if I can't see.
I remarked to the girl who weighed me and took my vitals, that the question reminded my of my own experiences during a busy Saturday night in the restaurant. She shared a laugh with me, alluding to the attitude of many customers these days. It seems that people have forgotten to care about anyone but themselves these days. Or perhaps they were never taught manners as children.
I am compelled to write this post, because my experience has led me to believe that as a society, our "me" attitude is at odds with the inevitable population increase our planet is experiencing. Electronic devices that cause people to never look beyond the palm of their hand, could be a big part of this trend. When we become so self absorbed in our own world, it is difficult to see the world around us. Many residents of the Adirondacks, live here because we appreciate the beauty and wonder of the natural world. I can't tell you how many of my local customers do not even own a television or computer. I think that they just value the interaction with nature, and their neighbors too much to allow themselves to become distracted by these modern devices. I find that conversations with my neighbors often lead to my own self assessment of my intolerance of others point of view. It is usually the visitor from urban areas that cause me to become frustrated with society and bad manners. Maybe as we try to figure out ways to attract more visitors to our area, in order to achieve economic growth, we should consider that the most important asset we have here is our willingness to engage one another respectfully, and to recognize that that quality may be our greatest core competence.

Restaurant and foodservice operators:you can use local to increase profits!

I got a call from Amy Ivy the other day. Amy is Executive Director/Horticulture Educator at cooperative extension in Clinton and Essex counties. She asked me if I would attend a meeting of chefs and farmers in Plattsburgh on February 13, 2013. I tried to locate the time and location of this meeting for this essay, but could not find it. Please contact Laurie Davis at Adirondack Harvest if you are interested in attending. She will be glad to give you the correct information. The purpose of the meeting is to introduce local chefs/operators of food service operations, to local farmers who would like to grow agricultural products and sell them locally. These products include produce, meats, maple, dairy, and eggs. I would like to tell you why you should consider buying these local products. 
 I run a restaurant in Saranac Lake called The Eat 'n Meet Grill and larder. I have used local agriculture in my restaurant and my career as a chef from day one. Since I have been in this business for over 25 years, I have many reasons for this choice. But profits and increased gross revenues have always been the foremost reason for this policy. This is exactly the same reason why many operators feel that they can not use local products. Many of the farmers that I do business with, say to me that operators most often will not do business with them, because they can not match the price of the major food service distributors that they buy from. Many operators also like the convenience of purchasing 100% of their products from one supplier. To me, this is a dangerous practice, because of the increasing risk of product shortages and recalls in the national food supply. How often have we heard about tainted lettuce or ground beef coming down through the supply chain? When this product is served in your operation, your customers lose trust in your choice of suppliers. 
   Can we afford to lose customers in this economy? Not hardly. In fact, I have to gain customers on a regular basis, to keep up with rising fixed costs like property taxes and fuel. I would bet that the operator that quibbles over a dollar or two more for a bag of local potatoes, keeps their ovens and grills burning all day, often with no product being prepared.
 My customers trust me because they know that I seek out relationships with my suppliers and do the homework that they would like to do themselves if they weren't so busy earning a living. They know that I only purchase from suppliers who have the best interest of their customers in mind. I do not purchase from someone just because they are local. There are unscrupulous people in every part of this country, but because of my proximity to the suppliers I use, I can form relationships with the best and most conscionable.
A bad reputation is much harder to overcome in a local environment.  
  And now back to the reason that I use local suppliers to increase gross revenue and profits. You see, the hospitality industry relies more on word of mouth advertising than just about any other. When you purchase products from local sources, you are much more likely to gain customers based on the increased exposure to local ties that those very suppliers have. For example, when I buy potatoes from Steve Tucker in Gabriels, or Ken Campbell in Saranac, I am reaching, via word of mouth the friends, family, and customer base of those suppliers. The people who trust those farmers to produce the food that they eat, are much more likely to trust them when they recommend my restaurant as well. Many local farmers like Michelle at Harmony Hills Farmstead and Rhonda at Asgaard Farm and Dairy maintain a presence at the local farmers market every Saturday in Saranac Lake, and Sunday in Keene Valley. I know that they are reaching my core customer base - folks who care about where their food comes from, much more often than I ever could, from my uptown location. People who don't mind paying a bit more for that peace of mind.
 If you spend 5% of your operating budget on advertising, and then scrimping on the quality of the product that you use, why not take a look at how you can reevaluate how you do business, and spend a little more on building local relationships with your suppliers, and a little less on those advertising costs. I bet that if you look around your operation, you could also economize on other costs as well. The benefit of spending those dollars locally, would probably surprise you. Best of luck to you all in the coming year, and I hope this letter has reminded you of why we got into this business in the first place, to serve our customers the best we can.