Day 2

There are 10 students in my class, but only 7 hats showing in this pic.

Today’s class was more nuts and bolts. The first half we learned about safeserv regulations and how not to poison people. We also learned some of the realities of food costing and waste, and that each chef who runs her own business will have some tough decisions to make as to whether certain foods should be saved or thrown. The question isn’t “to poison or not to poison”, as none of us wants to poison our customers. Rather, the question is does your staff have the same level of understanding of safety regulations, and cleanliness and respect for the food, kitchen and clients, as you? Hoping that the answer is “yes” is not enough. The Executive Chef or Sous Chef has a tough job in finding the balance between instilling fear in the staff over these issues and cultivating an environment in which employees feel free to say when there is an issue with improper food storage or handling, or that an employee is vomiting or has the runs and therefore by CA law should not even be on the premises. On that note…

On the menu tomorrow is: 1) Nicoise-style ratatouille, and 2) Roasted beet and goat cheese timbale with apple vinaigrette.