Oysterfest 09

The Annual Lowcountry Oysterfest is always a good time. The thing is, when you live and work here (in a restaurant), you'll probably have to work while the Chef takes off that day to go to the oysterfest. If you're a Sous Chef that is.

Luckily, I'm just a Line cook for this scenario. So, i was able to attend......and bribe my nephew Kane into going up in front of the main stage and showing off a couple of his "dope moves", what neither of us expected, was the singer from the band calling him back to center of the stage to do a little more dancing for the couple thousand people looking directly at him.

He took it well and just kept on dancing. I guess it's dancing?

History of me, Part 1

I started out: a week at Burger King in Belle Vernon, Two days at Pizza Hut in Charleroi, sporadic shifts as a bus boy at Rego's in Charleroi then hired as a bus boy at a place on the Monongahela river called Snooter's Galley and Pub. I was fired the first day because the owner didn't like the tattoo on my leg (the uniform required shorts). Well, I wasn't really fired, I was given the option to work in the kitchen. 1993, I started out as a prep cook at Snooter's (I got to skip that all important roll as a grunt in the dishpit, I've made up for that since then) after the summer season passed there was really not much business at all. Most of the higher paid employees where let go and I started being trained on the fry station. Dano Whyle and Mike DiMarco where the chefs at Snooter's, Mike taught me something new every day even when he didn't know that he was. Before long, he and I and a fellow cook we nick-named Tool, where doing 50 to 100 covers a night along with banquets off the line as the summer started to roll in. 1994. After graduating high school all I wanted to do was work and try to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of my life and what I was going to go to college for. I spent that summer working 60 hours a week and not thinking much of it, it just seemed natural, I worked hard and I played hard. I usually wouldn't get home til 4 in the morning and then go into work at 1 or 2 and do it all over again. I was having a blast! I thoroughly loved what my life was.
Before the summer season swung into full effect, Mike left to open his own place in Uniontown and I was moved up to Sous Chef. I was 17 and on salary and left alone by the Chef a lot to run a fairly large kitchen and a staff that was all older then me.
I was the king of the saute station, I loved getting my ass kicked (at least that's how I remember it now) and we had so much fun doing it, we sang along to Weezer's first album and Ill Communications from the Beastie Boys, we would stop in the middle of a rush to do a synchronized guitar solo at the same time. Tool and I where both out of high school and pretty much running some one's restaurant. That someone was a raging drunk.
There was a boat showroom and repair shop attached to the restaurant. One day the owner asked me to help direct him with a forklift to put a boat up, he almost killed me. Then one day he accused me of stealing 5lbs of shrimp, I quit. I've never stolen anything and I don't lie. I don't put up with anyone accusing me of anything like that.
I then enrolled in Johnson and Whales university in Charleston SC, I moved there a couple months early to get a job and just get out of PA. I worked in a fry shack for a couple weeks then got a job on Kiawah Island working for a guy named Jeff....something. There were J&W students working in the same kitchen I was and the Chef, Sous Chef and the GM, Mo Sussmen just tore them apart for how they worked. I was treated very well by all of them. I was young, not in college yet, and was preferred by the Chef over the student workers to work grill. He bought me a beer one night and sat me down and told me about his school, he told me about the CIA in Hyde Park and asked me not to waste my time at J&W. Soon after that I was moving back home for mostly personal reasons, but his talk and my experience with culinary students of J&W, pushed me in a new direction. I couldn't afford the CIA and I didn't want to be too far away from my girlfriend at the time. So, I went to IUP Academy of Culinary Arts and graduated with High Honers in the summer of 1997.
Then, I moved south for good.









2008, today, I've quit my job, I'm getting on a plane to go to Charleston in 5 hours. I have a job lined up that starts in just over a month. I'm going to show a possible investor the city that I love more then any other. I'm going to meet with other possible investors and look at possible restaurant locations.
This path of mine feels like it's been a long one, and really really hard at times. But, I've met some of the most incredible people just by cooking. I get to go to work and do something I love to do every day and meet people that are like me that have the same interests as me and care about what I care about. We're all so different and the same. They have been my rotating family. They have been closer to me then some of my own real family members. Most of these people I will never see again. It's an amazing field.
The family I am leaving now has stood up with me and pulled through some amazing services against some of the worst conditions I've ever worked in. They have made me a stronger person and a better leader. They softened my heart to understand what it's like to work with myself from 1993 and give guidance, support and knowledge. I'll remember them forever as people that cared about me and would work hard for me because they did. I will miss them.


This blog started to document the job I started over two years ago, it will be taking a new direction now.

Benjamin Snyder AKA: Jammin'

Before.

After.

And how he got this way.

Several times in my Culinary life I've been a participant in an age old practice of "pie-ing", whenever a valued member of a team that has been with the team long enough, he or she was given a grand send off. This send off could be: a cake, presents, shots, a night out drinking with co-workers, a free dinner in the restaurant, antique-ing (a water battle followed by a dousing of flour), or in this case (video doesn't show the approach) me hiding everyone behind an extra sheet of paneling. When dropped, everyone comes out of the wood work to give Jamin' a farewell pie-ing.

Some comments from Jammin' "That may have been a bit much, I couldn't breath at one point", and " I can't get the smell of sour milk out of my nose".

Jammin' is heading off to Bob Jones university to further his Culinary future (then hopefully to the CIA for more learning), he's already way ahead of the pack though. When I hired him he was fresh out of Burger King as an ass kicking record holding Whopper maker. I put him in the dish pit well over a year ago and he kept asking me for a chance at pantry... after a week I had to ask him to slow down. I couldn't get entrees started before he would have the entire tables first course sent out the door.

I moved him onto Saute with no problems then let him settle in to Grill for the summer, I figured he would need to get used to the heat. The south gets pretty warm.

I plan on working for Jammin' some day. He's one of those people you meet in your life that's meant to be doing what he's doing. He will master every part of cooking at some point, if only because he wants to. I'm not even sure if he enjoys it or not, I think he does, he smiles after a good ass-handing so he must.

I wish I knew what he knows now about food when I was his age.

Good luck buddy, and you know to keep in touch.

Charleroi PA

Carrie and I took a drive back to my home town. I've been here for almost two years now, and it hits me every now and then, that craving for spaghetti. I may make it at home every now and then, like my parents did with Prego Traditional, ground beef and extra touches from the spice rack.

But three places have a special place in my heart and memory when it comes to Americanized spaghetti, 1. The American Legion in Belle Vernon and their home made pasta 2. My Grandmother's house (sadly no longer available) and 3. Rego's, where I had my first job as a bus boy and every night I got a plate full of spaghetti with meat sauce.

I haven't had it over 16 years and it's still as great as I remembered. There's just something about it. It may be just that it's a memory that can be returned to.

I never order spaghetti anymore because the memories of what's good and what I like are already in place, and that's what I want when I eat spaghetti. So, I wait until those time are possible. It's been tough living a little over an hour away from Rego's and waiting until recently to get a fix, but man was it worth it.

On the way out of town we stopped across the river to see a really great friend of mine, who just a happens to manage a pizza shop that is known for another favorite food memory of mine.

She insisted on making one for us to take home. With a belly full of spaghetti, I had to have a slice after about five minutes smelling it in the car.

"The Red Top" is what makes Armando's what it is. And the people that love making pizzas the right way.

"Quality ingredients, quality flour, quality craftsmanship in making the dough", I think that's how Mandy put it.

Thank you again Mandy.

Courses 4 and 5

Oyster Cog Au Vin
with Oyster Mushrooms, Scallop and Rhubarb Mignonette. Served with: Domaine Jean-Claude Belland Santenay 1er Cru "Comme" 2002 Cote De Beaune
Baer and Jamin' hard at work.


Pork Bourguignonne a la French Onion.
Red wine braised Pork ribs, shredded and mixed with truffle stewed Maitakes and carmelized onions over top french onion broth and a crouton loaded with Primma Donna cheese.
Anytime I think of French Onion soup, I think of two people: Wilson and Randy, Wilson freakin loves french onion soup and Randy makes awesome French Onion soup. All I can say, is that I truely believe they would both have loved this dish.
Served with: Domaine Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin "Les Jeunes Rios" 2005 Cote De Nuits

Randy's Last Day

Randy's been at the restaurant for three years or so. He was the dishwasher working on the night I flew in to do my tasting interview almost two years ago. I fed him a couple things he never had before, told him that my brothers name was also Randy, he smiled slightly and nodded. All he ever wanted to do was listen to music, play drums and clean. You gotta love that. He would walk around tapping the bottom of the mixing bowls just to hear the different pitches just before he put them away clean on the shelf. Everything was an instrument in some fashion.
He had a couple things he wanted to do on his last day, hell, some of the things done in the past should have been saved for 'last day antics" but what fun is that.?
Prior to working with Randy, my dishwasher experience was mostly in the world of crack heads, ex-cons, the mentally challenged or mentally unstable, work- release, or the "one paycheck" guys. At this point, Randy could do whatever he wanted to......and I knew he wouldn't take advantage of it. He just like doing dishes.
I've seen this guy scrub the grout in the kitchen with a toothbrush...........without being asked!

Randy's now enrolled at a college in Gettysburg to learn more about sound and music.

He has a job whenever he needs one here.

Cherry Bombe

Some dessert items got a little messed up. In my kitchen we're always looking for some sort of eating competition, all it takes is a little money and some challengers.

It helps to add the stipulation that all food, or food like products, must remain down for at least 30 minutes.

Philly Mac N Cheese Steak

It's like a mishearing mixed with a mixspeaking.

Of course it led to Chimis
Thanks to this man.

What a differance a year makes.

Last Mother's Day was insanely different from this year's.
Last year I had two teenage employees working the line, I had just lost two sous chefs and two seasoned line cooks.

This year was quite opposite. I finally got a sous chef after a solid year and over the past summer and slow season I've trained and gained some awesome cooks, whom I'm very proud of.

We exceeded our usual numbers with almost no problems, one little snaffu with a dessert rush, but that will be fixed by the time the theatre opens up for the summer.





I didn't realize this at the time, but we were all toasting right under our kitchen mascot.
....I wonder if anyone remembers the mascot from Turtle Point? Willy? Randy?

What da ya know!

It is still around.

Not the little clear flavors from my youth, but the peach goes pretty damn good with bourbon.

Thanks Michele for the Big Lots heads up.

I know someone else who will be glad to hear of this. MmmHm.

Pizza

Right now, in the background, the Travel Channel is on doing a special on Pizzas called "Pizza Paradise". What's funny (and kinda pathetic) is that Foodnetwork is doing a competition on Pizza at the same exact time. Food Network seems to do this a lot.
(side note) Anytime there's a Bizarre Foods or a No Reservations marathon on Travel channel, for some reason the Food Network seems to think that 8 hours of Rachel Ray will really compete. The Travel Channel has succeeded at something Food Network started out as, they have shows about food that actual chefs want to watch. They've combined entertainment with education. ...........And on top of that, Travel Channel has the chick from
Cash and Treasures

Back to Pizza.

The show titled Pizza Paradise gives credit to the very first pizza joint in the country!!!!! Lombardi's is and has earned the crown of the "First Pizza" in America. They also claim to be "The best pizza in America". I'll give them the "First", that should be enough.
I ate there several months ago. One: the service was not that great, OK it's a pizza joint! But it also claims to be the "Best Pizza" joint, Two: the pizza wasn't that good. It was good, but I've had better. And, yes I am a fan of PapaJohns and yes I use the and love the Garlic "butter".
But, I am not born and bread on it. I was lucky enough to have a little family loved pizza hole in the wall called Vic's. Vic's is no longer around. I was very sad to find this out, after moving back into an hour driving distance from it. Vic's Pizza had thin crust, great toppings and these huge bubbles that ran circles around the crust that added a pillow of hot moisture on top of chewy well flavored end to a pizza, well seasoned on a well seasoned cast iron gas oven.
BUT!, Aside from that. I was lucky enough, again, to have a damn gem of a pizza joint in Charleston. Andolini's by far crushes any pizza I've ever had. When I visit Charleston, it's on the list of places to eat. It's on my "pros and cons" list of reasons to move back the Charleston!
I am simply stating, in my opinion, the best pizza in New York, the first pizza in the country is not as good as pizza made by a 40 something(???) New Yorker in the south.
The Shaved meatballs, the sausage, the cheese, the fresh garlic rub, the Ice Cold Cream Soda the lunch special, the common and pleasant staff, normal kids from the local areas of Charleston that know that pride comes from proper work.....they care because they want to.
All I want to do right now is sit back and leaf through a Charleston City Paper to see what bands aren't coming to town, see who's cooking what poorly, what bars are running specials, who's hiring and why? and enjoy a couple slices at a community table inside or under and Andolini's spot.

Crepes

I've been running "BBQ Chicken Crepes" on the menu for a couple months now. I am yet to be happy with the final dish though. Every tweak brings me closer.

the addition of a goat cheese cracker has helped, but to be honest with you it was supposed to be a goat cheese puff. It's close, I can tell it wants to puff but.....it won't.

My patience has never been a virtue though.

The BBQ sauce is an Asian BBQ sauce that I was taught when I was 17 and it's something I'll never forget. It's a great sauce that can fit in almost anywhere and It was taught to me at a time when I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I still remember the day it was taught to me. I tasted the final outcome of it and realized how incredible cooking was. How (what seemed to be) random ingredients treated with appropriate care and love and technique could be combined to make amazing things. I also had a girlfriend that actually knew the name and number of the only Chinese place in our "Mon valley" and she knew to order General Tso's. It was an opening to a new world to me. And this sauce reminds me of that. I still use the same approach to it, kinda, the technique looking back on it doesn't really make sense, but it still works.

Matt Baer had a great idea though, (concerning crepes) I'm gonna wait until we can work on it, but it will be new and unique...as far as we know. You'll probably be the firsts to find out.

Back from LA

Pardon my lack of enthusiasm, the trip to LA was really a great experience, but riddled with bad turns. I will not and do not want to go into detail, but it started as soon as I landed. A phone call that caused excruciating worry that led to hope that, three days later led to an end. And with all that worry and stress came sickness and other feelings.

Still, as I write, I'm running a fever and this is the most I've done all day.

The only other thing I want to say on the matter is that, I hope guilt doesn't make life long decisions.


On to the trip.


So, after getting some Thai food the first night and drinking my stomach into a state of settled-ness, we went for burgers.
That's right, burgers. Many of you have probably heard of the In and Out Burgers like I have but never had a chance to try one do to the fact that they just don't come out this way.
I used to work with this guy from California, Sam Perry, he said the In and Out Burgers were worth being flown out to SC when he needed a fix.
I gotta say, they are damn tasty. Freshly made, fresh cut fries, a super-burger staff that is more professional than most "High End" places. All they did was focus on the product. Which there are three. A hamburger, a cheeseburger or a double double. Unless you know the secret menu.

I got a double double animal style.....filthy.


Then we headed up the coast.....on the wrong highway for several hours. It's OK, saw a lot of great scenery, gives the mind time to wonder.
We ended up in Solvang , a Danish town close to several wineries.

Leaving for LA

This was going to be a post about the final product of Grape Soda Meringue, but Blogger is having some more problems and won't let me upload pictures right now.
I may have to redirect this site in the near future.
I need to figure out how first.

Aside from that, I will be on the left coast for a little over a week, eating and visiting more wineries. I will bring back many pictures and stories.
See you soon S&S.

Matt Baer

Some additional pictures from

Matt Baer.

The road to Montevina

I have to point out one thing first, It's seems too weird sometimes when I find something, wether a website or an ingredient or a product that I've never seen before and then I read aobut it two days later on someone elses blog or in the news or somewhere. I don't think (in any way) that I'm beating someone to the punch of marking new ground, I just think it's extremely coincidental sometimes. I would put a link to http://www.ideasinfood.com/ and thier rescent post about Dublin Dr. Pepper but my link code won't work on this page anymore. But, I to ran into Dublin Dr. Pepper apon entering the Montevina wine tasting room. I was so sick of tasting wine at this point, I walked up to the little reach-in cooler they had to see what esle was there to drink and there it was....A "new" Dr. Pepper, to me at least. Go here, http://www.dublindrpepper.com/history.aspx?odrd=true&setuser= to get the history of this Dr. Pepper offspring. Anyone that knows me, knows I love Dr.Pepper. I often kid (seriously-like) that I will someday make a meal based on "my favorite ingredients" Dr. Pepper, Cool Ranch Doritos and a Kit-Kat bar.

Back to the trip. On this day we arrived at Montevina winery in Amador County. We had the privelage of taking the tour, which ended up being almost 4 hours...well spent. We were given the tour by the VP and former Wine maker, Jeff is his name and he pulled no punches with us. We spent 30 minutes looking in great detail the finer points of the 1/2 a million dollar machine that bottles the Montevina juice. And it was awesome. Any question, he was all over it, anything you wanted to see or taste, he was cool with it. No holds barred. We felt like we were boring him at some points.

But then it was on to the tasting room. 17 Different wines. We took our time.


On top of all of this was the house itself, Villa D'toro. Huge. Only four bedrooms, but the last thing you did there was sleep. It was for pure entertainment puposes only. Game room, pool (too cold for), garage with ping pong and darts, living room, dining room, brunch room, sun room, TV rooms, basically if you needed a room for anything it was there.

Dinner was prepared for us the fisrt night by the onstaff chef and server. The second night?.....I really liked the kitchen. Two reach-ins says a lot.

Napa Valley day 2

We started today with a tour of the Trinchero Winery Bottling warehouse. We walked through the barrel room and saw the massive level of production they are working in. Our guide Rosie was quite a character, which always makes a tour more interesting and memorable. That or all the animals (mascots) that go along with most tasting rooms.


If you click on the video, you get a small idea of how loud it was. And they crank out some bottles.

After that came Peju, a new one to me, but one I will keep an I out for. Even if just for the fact that Alan, our taste pourer, was awesome. He is an older gentleman that comes off very professional and knowledgable, but as soon as he starts pouring it's a whole new person.

We were actually told about him by someone at the first winery we stopped at, I just didn't realize this was the guy. He told jokes and lymrics and actually rapped, complete with a little "scratch" pad.


He caught me off gaurd, I only caught the very end of one of his songs. The wines were really good to.

A slightly last minute stop at Frog's Leap.

Then to Ana's Cantina (probably one of the only bars in town) for a little local brew. I love Red Seal, and it was on tap.
Then we headed out to our reservation at Go Fish, another Cindy Pawlcyn restaurant in Napa, for sushi, oysters and sake.