from behind the stove

New home

2009-06-19T14:05:00.001-04:00

Hi all. OK, here is the new address for my blog: http://thecookshouse.typepad.com/from_behind_the_stove/ I still have to get all my links transfered over and do some tweeking, but it's up and running enough that I can start posting there. Hope you follow me over and thanks for your support.

Change of Address

2009-06-17T09:01:00.002-04:00

Hi all. I'm in the process of changing blogging accounts to Typepad. For that reason a lot of the information I have on my blog is not here. I had to change the fomat of this blog to import it to Typepad and so instead of changing it back we're just going to have to deal with this until the other site is up and running. I'll let everyone know when that it. Thanks for your patience.

Calling all gardeners!!!

2009-06-15T21:32:00.004-04:00

To quote Stewie Griffin, "Victory is mine!". I just got back from the city commission meeting where they gave the thumbs up on our rogue garden I wrote about a couple posts ago. I guess all the grave concerns our nosey neighbor had proved to be not very high on the terrorist watch list as she may have at first believed. In fact, one of the commissioners said it was a perfect use of the space and

My happy place

2009-06-13T11:02:00.004-04:00

A couple weeks ago, on a busy Saturday night, I was cooking at the restaurant. We had a few tickets hanging and we were a little behind but things were flowing very nicely. We had a great groove going. The orders were going out at a nice pace. I was having a fantastic time when it dawned on me, I was more relaxed than I had been in a while, and as I think about it, I seem to be the most relaxed

Happy Birthday Calvin

2009-06-06T19:25:00.004-04:00

My youngest son is turning 15 tomorrow. I've spent this past week just watching him and I have tried to talk with him about his dreams and aspirations. He plays the bass guitar and wants to pursue music, which I am all for. I have always maintained that is more important to love what you do in life than be financially well off. If he wants to write poetry and work at 7-11 then more power to him.

Skydiving

2009-05-30T22:34:00.009-04:00

Last Friday was my future daughter-in-law's birthday. She wanted to go skydiving for her birthday and I thought it was a grand idea. So she, a friend of hers, and I pack up and make the 90 minute drive to Petosky to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Skydiving is one of those things I had on my to do list. To make it even more fun, I'm afraid of heights. Get me over 10 feet and I get that

The real credit isn't ours

2009-05-30T12:39:00.005-04:00

Alright guys, I have to clear the air. People keep telling us how great our food is. How talented we are...yada, yada, yada. The problem is this. It's not us. Really. And, I'm not trying to put over any false humility. No, The real genius'. The ones who should get the credit to our great food are the farmers and producers in Northern Michigan in particular and Michigan in general. One cannot

Terroist Gardeners Unite!!!

2009-05-26T12:05:00.004-04:00

We have this plot of city owned land right beside the restaurant. The city does nothing in the way of up keep on it. We have to call and complain each time it needs mowed or it will be over grown with weeds and grass. During the hot months when rainy days are far between the grass takes on this attractive dead brown color. So what to do about it? It was/is apparent to us that no one really gives

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye

2009-05-05T13:30:00.003-04:00

Hi all, I would like to announce a dinner that is being put on by us, The Cooks' House and Angela Mackey of By the Light of Day Teas. Angela and I worked together in coming up with the menu so that the food and teas pair perfectly. Most of the dishes have the teas intergrated right into them. I'm pretty excited because as most of you know, I am a great lover of tea and to combine my two loves

New Link

2009-04-29T15:25:00.002-04:00

Hey all. I just added to the right side of the blog a link to the Wellington Street Market. It's just a menu and nothing fancy. If you live in the area I hope to see you soon. We also deliver.

Roasting a pig at 1030 Hastings Street

2009-04-20T17:44:00.004-04:00

So being Eastern Orthodox means we usually celebrate Pascha (Easter) later than the west does. We can be anywhere from the same day (next year for example) up to 5 weeks later, whichs makes getting all the post Easter goody sales a real bargin for us. Anyway this year we celebrated Pascha yesterday, only a week behind the west, and for the traditional feast that takes place after Agape Vespers

Wow

2009-04-17T09:43:00.003-04:00

I don't know how many of you have hear this piece yet, but you need to take a gander at this. Susan Boyle has given unassuming dorks like me a reason to cheer. She stood there out of place and with little actual "grace", but did she deliver. I can't embed this on the blog but here is a link to watch. I hope it gives you pause... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg

33 moments of happiness in the kitchen continued.

2009-04-13T11:22:00.004-04:00

Here is the continuation of my list of 33 moments of happiness in the kitchen that I started sometime ago. Click here to read the first 11. 12. It's a Sunday afternoon and the restaurant is closed today but for some reason my family and I are here. The sun is shining and there is a cool breeze blowing and I have the door open. There aren't many people on the street but on occasion someone pops

1 Year!!

2009-04-01T08:30:00.004-04:00

Well we made it. It was one year ago today, April 1, April Fool's Day, we opened the doors and a life long dream of mine came true. My wife, my youngest son, Jen my partner, and myself all stood there scared out of our minds and not knowing what to expect. Theresa and Calvin had no restaurant experience and their training consisted of a 15 minuet run through of proper service, and then on the

Thank You

2009-03-17T09:57:00.004-04:00

Today is a sad day. Today one of my best friends, Senior Master Sargent Steven Grandalski is shipping out for his second tour of duty in Iraq. Him and his wife Keri, along with their 2 children are the bravest people I know. I want thank them for their service to our country and for keeping me free. Thank you Steve and Keri, and may you have godspeed in your return.

The great Marco-Pierre White at work.

2009-03-12T21:36:00.005-04:00

Hi all. OK, here's a series of videos I found on Youtube with Marco-Pierre White when he was at Harvey's in the 1990's. I found them to be fascinating to watch because I got a chance to see one the great masters of our time at work in his kitchen. The food and presentation may be a bit dated but his techniques are wonderful to watch. Keep an eye on how he moves, what his hands are doing, when

The pathetic-ness of Me

2009-03-10T11:43:00.002-04:00

So I've been informed that I have a large carbon foot print. Why? Well let me tell you. There is a certain market in town that is known for it's organic-eco friendly-fair trade-bill of fare. I am there almost everyday and often a couple times a day, and because of this there are those who like to think I must have the biggest carbon foot print on the planet; never mind that the restaurant is 1

A fork in the road

2009-03-03T15:49:00.005-05:00

As all of you know, cooking if my one passion; my one obsession. But recently I have began to question the place of cooking in my life. What I mean is where does it fit? What's the purpose of cooking in my life. In a way this blog has been the vehicle with which I explore cooking's place in my life, so it shouldn't come as any surprise to me when I begin questioning why I cook. But this

An anniversary of sorts

2009-03-02T14:25:00.003-05:00

So a year ago today we took over the space that would in a month from now become "the cooks' house". We had one month to get the place up and running. I was scared out of my mind. The actual cooking part wasn't a concern of mine, except for the fact I was a bit out of shape. No, what concerned me was how to run a business. I'm a cook, not a businessman. I've spent my life in the kitchen

Catching up

2009-02-25T17:43:00.002-05:00

It's been a good few weeks for the restaurant and the market and I thought I would take a few moments to catch everyone up. 1. Our pulled pork sandwich is featured on the cover of Traverse magazine. We pretty grateful for the exposure. The magazine has a pretty wide readership and it has been an honor having some of our food featured. 2. Apparently we have been voted "community heroes"

33 Moments of Happiness in the Kitchen

2009-02-18T17:11:00.003-05:00

Chin Shengt'an was an 17th century scholar who, while staying in a temple with a friend for ten days because of foul weather, wrote 33 happy moments. While I don't find all or even most of his moments all that happy for me, I do re-read them from time to time just so I can think of my own happy moments in life. For the next few posts I want to give you my 33 happy moments in the kitchen. I

Come to the Table

2009-02-17T18:55:00.001-05:00

OK, here's the link I promised you to an interview on the "Come to the Table" radio program from Detroit. I guess we are the second half of the program. I haven't had a chance to listen to it so I hope I don't sound to much like a dorkl

Up Date

2009-02-16T20:05:00.004-05:00

It seems I have ran into a void in my thinking. I don't know if it's just because I'm busy and don't have much time to just mull things over or if I have hit a genuine wall. My reading hasn't slowed down much; I'm just finishing up "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" by Daniel Dennet. A very good read. Next up are a stack of Middle-Earth books. I love Tolkien and could live in his universe. I could

Just an Honest Word Please

2009-02-07T11:17:00.004-05:00

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I am a bona fide chef groupie. I follow the careers of the tops chef with a passion. I know Mario Batalli's favorite band is Joy Division. Escoffier was a very devout Catholic and would rub his ear when he got angry. Marco-Pierre White doesn't like music played in his restaurants. Fernande Point loved Champagne so much he drank two bottles a day. Guy Savoy

Not even remotly related to food

2009-02-06T07:51:00.002-05:00

Are you kidding me?! Listening to the news on the way in to work this morning I heard that banks were over paid $78 billion from the government for their lame assets. Add to this the the multi-hundred billion we have spent over the past 6 years blowing the shit out of some third world country and accomplishing nothing. Let's not forget the trillion dollar bail out congress is debating, or the

Bad Dog! Bad Dog!

2009-01-29T20:26:00.005-05:00

OK, I'll take this slow for those of you whom may not understand. Let's pretend you are making a reservation at my restaurant... ring, ring, ring... "Thank you for calling The Cooks' House. How may I help you?" "Yes, I would like to make a reservation for 8 at 7:00pm." "8 at 7:00pm. Perfect. See you this evening." It may be me, but I don't see anything there that says, "and we are going

Something New

2009-01-20T20:13:00.003-05:00

Hi all. Just found this on YouTube. I remember these guys coming in but forgot about it. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

Of Bulls and Ballerinas

2009-01-20T17:59:00.003-05:00

There are two type of cooks in the world, bulls and ballerinas. Each has their place and individual roles in the kitchen, and every kitchen needs a healthy mixture of each type. The mix is entirely dependent on the kind of kitchen, for instance, if the kitchen is pumping out buffets or banquets for 100's or even 1000's of people on a regular basis, then it will have the need for more bulls.

My new obsession

2009-01-16T11:38:00.002-05:00

Let me introduce you to my latest obsession, corn tortillas. These little bastards have only two, that's dos, ingredients; water, masa harina. And they are proving my long held conviction that the less ingredients in a dish the harder it is to make. I've tried a couple recipes and have now moved to Rick Bayless' recipe. I think recipe is a bit of a stretch as it is more a technique than a

Finally

2009-01-15T21:00:00.003-05:00

Well, I just finished the last recipe in the last section of the cookbook. Phew...what a relief. Have no idea what's next in the process, but I'm glad this part is over. I think there are around 100 recipes or so, most of them I have had to do from memory.

My Cave

2009-01-07T21:17:00.005-05:00

Someone asked me this evening when we're going to get on T.V. or on one those cooking competition shows like Iron Chef or Top Chef or the like. My reply was that we're not. Why? Well, it's mostly because my food, our food, is not the type that will win competitions. We don't do theatrics, which is what wins those kinds of shows. We do simple, straight forward food. Our carnival squash soup

Yes, I'm still here

2009-01-04T20:23:00.004-05:00

Hi all. It's been a while since my last post. I've been pretty busy with holiday business and the opening of the market. Things are plugging along very well. We had a better than expected December which was a nice surprise. I've spent the last couple hours going through seed catalogs looking at what is available out there. We have had more than a few of the amazing farmers who live up here

Number 100

2008-12-20T15:22:00.004-05:00

Well folks, you've had to sit through 99 posts of drivel and now I present number 100. When I started the blog I was employed in a restaurant that was sucking the very life out of my cooking (not to mention my very existence) and I began to blog to help keep my sanity, but now 100 posts later I am co-owner of not only a restaurant but also a neighborhood market. How far I've come in just a few

Today's quiet repose

2008-12-11T18:10:00.004-05:00

Today while taking a break from my usual hectic schedule I was drinking a pot of tea and reading through one of my favorite books called "The Book of Tea", by Kakuzo Okakura. I have found a copy online for you to read. I have copied the first two paragraphs of the book below for your enjoyment because they speak so much to me and always remind me why I love tea so much. Hope you get a chance

Market Opening!!

2008-12-11T10:07:00.002-05:00

Hi All. A quick note to let everyone know our Wellington Street Market will be opening this up coming Monday the 15th. For those of you living in the Traverse City area we hope to see you, and ask that you help us spread the good word. We are opening up with a menu of 23 or so take items ranging from Jen's famous pizzas to East Indian food developed by our good friends from Kuri Guru,

Round Two

2008-12-09T11:33:00.003-05:00

Someone left a comment on my last post wondering what my second worst ever was in the kitchen. Well I'll tell you. It was a Friday night and we had 100 reservations on the books. When doing the prep work for the evening the cook will always find out how many covers is expected for the evening and make his mis en place accordingly. After working any given station for a couple weeks one can

Eleven o'clock has to come sometime

2008-12-08T17:23:00.005-05:00

I have burnt into my memory two of the worst days in cooking career. The first was just not long after I took my first chefs position. The night in question was New Years Eve, 1993. My boss told me we would take no more than 150 reservations and to plan a menu accordingly. I went to work. This was my first time being at the sharp end of the stick and I wanted to impress. I had everything

I must answer back

2008-12-04T13:54:00.004-05:00

Someone recently sent me a link to a bad review of the restaurant that came from the website, "Trip Advisor". In fact, here is the review so you can read it yourself. At first I didn't want to reply to this, at least not at the website, but as I thought about it, and especially since a couple people have encouraged me, I have decide to reply to this post, but on my blog and not the website. I

To be defined

2008-12-02T08:30:00.006-05:00

How a cook sees her/himself makes up a fundamental part of that individuals cuisine. Does the cook view himself as traditionalist? Do she see herself as an artist? Or maybe as a mom just trying to get something healthy in the kids bellies? When the cook picks up his pan does he pick it up like a well oiled machine or does he see himself as just doing a job? You see, if I take a basket of

My Cornerstone

2008-11-30T12:09:00.004-05:00

Last night when I got home from the restaurant I went to my son's room, which happens to be the basement of the house, to hang out with him. I do this most every night because I just like being with him and catching up on his day. I have said before that there will be too many things in life I will miss because of my profession, but I will not miss my boy growing up and he will not have a

Great article in the New York Times

2008-11-29T12:16:00.002-05:00

Someone sent me this great article I thought I would pass onto you. Hope you enjoy it. I think it hits the point on the head with many things I've been telling you for the past few months.

YouTube

2008-11-22T17:54:00.004-05:00

Hi all. Here is a nice video posted on YouTube done by a couple students from the culinary school for a project they had to do. Hope you enjoy it. We think it is very well done, and of course the subject matter is perfect.

Thank you Mr. Melville

2008-11-20T09:02:00.008-05:00

I recently read an essay by Albert Camus on Herman Melville. In short, Camus found Melville's work to rank up there with some of the greatest books ever written. He wrote about Melville's ability to not only write superior books but to create in those books myths that will last generations. Camus wrote, "if it is true that talent recreates life, while genius has the additional gift of

Intervie with Joel Robuchon

2008-11-19T17:25:00.003-05:00

I found this on YouTube today. It's from the Charlie Rose show that is found on PBS. While the whole episode is very good, I particularly enjoyed the first part with Joel Robuchon. If there is a hierarchy of cooking gods, he sits about where Zeus would. Hope you enjoy it.

A time to get tough

2008-11-18T09:03:00.004-05:00

Winter is setting in here in Norther Michigan. Outside the snow is blowing. We are currently under a severe weather alert because of what is called lake effect snow. Winter is difficult for me and I'm not sure why. I tend to like gray dreary days so I know the lack of sun isn't the reason. Winter should be an exciting time. Winter is that time where life goes into suspension. It is a time

Marco-Pierre White's Teaching Technique

2008-11-13T21:19:00.002-05:00

As some of you know, I am a huge fan of Chef Marco-Pierre White. I ran into this on YouTube today and thought you would enjoy it.

A Pilgrimage, of sorts...Perhaps

2008-11-05T14:54:00.003-05:00

I have three homes. My first one is the town of my birth, Oakley, Kansas. I was born there and spent my first 18 years there. I have fond memories of Oakley and am grateful for it being there in my formative years. My second home is Las Vegas, Nevada. I moved to Las Vegas when I was 18 and spent the next 22 years there. It is in Las Vegas I found my wife. My third home is now found in Traverse

"The Importance of Being"

2008-10-28T12:03:00.002-04:00

Here's a link to a very well written article on the hardships of cooking and the disillusionment some younger cooks may get into when they venture into the kitchen unprepared and unawares of the reality of professional cooking. Well done, Chef.

Amateur Cooks Rejoice!!

2008-10-27T15:09:00.004-04:00

Last night we had the privilege of hosting an Indian dinner with two cooks from Kalamazoo, MI. Mukta Joshi and Himanshu Pant joined us and cooked 5 traditional Indian courses. What was amazing is the fact these two have not spent one day in a professional kitchen and are not professional chefs. We, that is, Jen, Carlos, and myself, acted purely as a support staff to help them organize, do

Tradition, Plum Pudding, and the Struggle for Victory

2008-10-21T20:50:00.003-04:00