I'm all done with those chickens. My walk-in freezer is filled with 22 sheet pans of chicken parts, and 11 hotel pans with chicken bones. That's a lot of chicken!

132 birds, yielding 264 breasts and leg-thigh combos. Two days of work, just under four hours of production. On average, each case of 12 birds took about 22 minutes, which includes set up time, wrapping, storage, etc. After set up, just straight fabrication of a case took 14 minutes. That's probably a personal best of 70 seconds per chicken. 70 seconds, sustained over 132 birds. I can't believe it!

Permalink |

I ordered 132 whole chickens for my FareStart dinner on Jan 31. I wonder what the hell I was thinking when I decided to do this menu!

When I was an apprentice, the goal for breaking down a single chicken was 3 minutes. My personal best, sustained through 10 chickens is about 1 minute 45 seconds. If I can keep it to two minutes a bird, I'm looking at 4.5 hours of just chickens! I'm going to time this production task and see how quick I actually am.

Permalink |

It's cliche to say "Gee, how time flies" but as I get older, I find myself saying this all the time. And here it is, two years with Starry Nights! Feels only like a year, not two. Our second year was quite a triumph, I am really impressed and very fortunate to have a great business like Starry Nights. After two years, it's really taken on a personality and life of its own. I've been saying it since I first became Gabe's apprentice, but I don't miss the office life at all. Certainly I miss the paycheck, but I'm in control here and success is totally mine to achieve. I've gotten to do some great work and meet some really cool people. I am so looking forward to Year Three!

Permalink |

I've been invited to be the guest chef at FareStart at the end of the month. This is a great honor for me and symbolizes a full circle in my culinary career. FareStart is where I met Chef Gabe, way back in 2004. He was a guest chef on a night while Denise and I were there. She and I had been talking about my career change back then, and she suggested that I take a class or two from Gabe, then interview him about the industry and get his advice. The rest is history!

And so now I get the opportunity to be the guest chef. It's quite intimidating because I'm not a restaurant chef, I don't have much experience working the line. As a caterer, however, I can easily cook for 200, so I've got that aspect covered. I think I'm most concerned with disappointing all my guests. Of about 200 reservations possible, I believe I have about 40+ friends and family coming. I really want to make a great dinner for everyone, so they can see how my career is developing. The coolest thing is that my mom is going to fly all the way from outside of Toronto just for dinner. This is my mother who is deathly claustrophobic, but she's coming to dinner. I can't wait!

The menu itself will really showcase my skills as a caterer, playing to my strengths: Solid French country food, recognizable, approachable, flavorful:

First

French Onion Soup Gratinée

Second

Herb-crusted roast chicken
Winter ratatouille
Truffled Mashed Potatoes

Third

Hazelnut Gâteau with Chocolate Mousse and Café au Lait Crème Anglaise

If you want to attend the dinner, please register online here at FareStart.org.

Permalink |