So far, amazing and good! I like my chef Frederic a lot, except that he has threatened to put "cinco kilos" on me before I leave at the end of the month. Translation: he thinks I'm skinny and wants to put 10 pounds on me by the end of June. No problem. I've already eaten …
Continue reading First Day at Osmosis (I’m on a break until dinner service)
Although the lighting was terrible, these are the main cocineros outside of Dos Palillos after we finished Saturday night/Sunday a.m. From left to right, back row: Mario - all cold apps; Borja - grill and 3rd in command at the restaurant after Albert (owner) and Chef de Cuisine Takeshi; Rachel - pastry; Takeshi - Chef …
I have worked 3 weeks at Dos Palillos. There is much I have learned that I have taken for granted because I'm moving so fast when I am there that I don't have time to really think about what I'm learning. So, I thought I should jot down at least a few of them, in …
Continue reading Things I’ve learned in the past 3 weeks, and another fun weekend!
I seem to have a perpetual sore throat and snot nose here. Could be allergies, but it could be that I'm picking up hundreds of plates - yes, hundreds - from customers every day, picking up their chopsticks, etc. and then likely putting my hands on or near my face. For almost every course of …
Continue reading A typical day at Dos Palillos (well, not today)
Week 2: done. I made family meal on Saturday night for the cocineros. Everyone has to take their turn making family meal, and being the new person, I was stuck with Saturday night because of course that's the longest day and no one wants to spend whatever small break they may have making food for …
Continue reading Another week done at Dos Palillos and a fun weekend full of eating and drinking
Today, I worked 15.5 hours, with a 15 minute break. I'm pretty sure that's illegal, even in Spain. But, the good news is I still have 5 toes on each foot and 5 fingers on each hand, even if my fingernails and fingers, in general, have not been this stained and filthy since I was …
It's 1:45 a.m. and I'm sitting in my bathroom, feet soaking in an ice water tub. I just opened up a bottle of "biologico" rioja. That's organic, here. It goes without saying that I'm exhausted, but I'm too hyped up and sore to go to bed at the moment. I'm super nervous about tomorrow, when …
No pictures. Who had time? I worked from 2:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. Today was a short day. Thursdays-Saturdays, I go in at 9:30 a.m. and leave at about 1:00-1:30 a.m. Yep, a.m. to a.m. - 15-16 hour days. Luckily, I'm working with Vincente this week. He does mostly pastry and has been with Albert Raurich since …
So, I was all excited about my first day as a stage at Dos Palillos. I arrived a 1/2 hour early, at 1:30 p.m. The gate was down over the employee entrance and there were no lights on in the restaurant. I thought, "Well, maybe, just maybe everyone shows up at 2?" Nope. It's labor …
Continue reading Labor Day in Spain (Dos Palillos forgot to tell me they were closed)
Saturday was my last day at El Quim... at least as a stage (for a while..I hope to go back). As usual, I was spoiled rotten. In the middle of the day, a woman came in carrying the most gorgeous bouquet of tropical flowers. She asked me if I was Rachel. I immediately smiled and …
Salty Apron 