When the pan hits the burner

I've been in love. Ive lived in three different states. Ive experienced allot of things in my life for a 24 year old. But here is the question of the day, When did I fall in love with cooking and food. I'm not really sure...It may have been in 1989 when I first saw the hydroponic vegetables on the raft ride in The Land at the Epcot Center...It may have been at Breakfast with the characters in Disney world. It may have been when I tasted my Grandmothers Red Wine Vinegar Chicken. I just don't know...So many memories and things are associated with food in my life I cant remember what did the trick. I would like to say that I fell into it due to the injury of my ACL thus discontinuing my football career. I would like to say that I always cooked since i was little if pancakes and cookies count. I think it just gave me the satisfaction of doing something so free of will and consciousness that no one held the fate of it except you. I like the control. Like the stroke of a brush, i control its every move. There is no one to blame for failure except you. In reality all of the pressure is on yourself. And there is no magical time that ideas come to you. Id like to say I plan almost every dish and play with them to perfect it, but honestly 90 percent of the time I'm just winging it.
So whats the difference between a being a chef and an artist? Its like the difference between rap and hip-hop, the difference between love and being in love, it's just a word. People don't understand what its like to walk into a blank kitchen, a blank canvas. You've chosen all the paint you even have a picture in your mind. You know what it will look like on a plate, but until you blend textures, flavors and scents you have no idea what the painting or dish will look like until you do it. Doing is 95 percent of every experience. You can read about it all you want, you can dream about it which allot of people do. But until you actually do, You haven't done anything. When the pan hits the burner, the brush hits the canvas, the rubber meets the road or whatever your personal belief is, Without doing, or living in general there is nothing for anyone to talk about. period.

Your Brain's Driving Skills

What drives us?

Competition? Passion? Work ethic? Personal Growth? Self achievement?

Your own Ego?



A friend told me the other day that her worst fear for me was if my head got in the way of my heart. Honestly, I never ever want that to happen, because it takes away from the food, and the customers start to notice that. You start to lose the one thing that people new you for. I want tobe ginuine. I want the food to mean something. Something much much more important than my ego. Something that will reopen a door in someones past or create a new one for them to look forward to the next visit. But in reality there are many chefs that started off in the right direction to achiving this but got caught up in the frenzy of themselves. It's about the food. period. Not to say that a little competition between chefs doesnt happen but what do you think drives us? Its about how your head steers your heart or hopefully the other way around. Remember God needs the Devil.

A little guy called Phil

I know this blog was supposed to be only about the daily life of a chef, but on my days off which are Monday and Tuesday, I read allot and write my menus and ideas for the upcoming week. I also get out all the frustration of things that are bothering me. so, in light of this new idea, I will also post a rant for the week, and maybe some general ideas that I get sitting around doing nothing. also I haven't posted for a little while because I was to lazy to make it to the keyboard, and my dog crapped all over my floor.

There a little thing called groundhog day in the great united states. Its a holiday where they pull a fat groundhog out of a stump to see he he sees his shadow. If he does its six more weeks of winter, if not then spring is on the way. That's what I call a great American holiday, especially since its origin is in Pennsylvania, home of the dutch, and a little furry guy named Phil. But there are a number of people that are trying to take that holiday away from Americans. There names are Canada and Wiarton Willie . So here are the top 25 reasons why Phil kicks ass:

25. He is from America

24. He is from Pennsylvania

23. He lives in a library

22. He has to work one day a year

21. He has a girlfriend named Phillis

20. He eats constantly

19. Other people clean up his shit

18. He lives in a country that has nuclear weapons

17. If he had the height he would kick the master of ceremonies in the nuts

16. 40,000 people gather to watch him in gobblers nob

15. In most places, he is nationally televised, except Maine

14. He is smart and well read, He lives in a library for god's sake.

13. He gets more tail than Wilt Chamberlain

12. They made a Hollywood movie about him starring Bill Murray

11. If Jefferson wasn't so famous he would be on the two dollar bill

10. He Makes the whole population of wild animals envious of his position

9. He was copied in more than 5 countries and 15 states

8. He is a bad ass because he has tattoos under his fur

7. If he had fingers he would flip willie off, and then sue for copyright issues.

6. Canada Sucks, except for the maritime provinces, Ill cut you a break on those.

5. Canada Sucks, except for your health care and cheap prescriptions

4. If Phil could drive he would throw a big bag of trash on Canadian soil

3. What The F*** kind of name is Willie?

2. He determines the whole alcoholic beverage consumption on Feb. 2

1. He is not from Canada

Quote of the week:

Justin: There is also a groundhog in Canada

Jess: How long has Punxsutawney Phil been around?

Justin: Longer Than the Canadian one, I'll fight that to the death

A Chef's Tasting

Its been a while since I last posted. I was home in butler, PA for the holidays while the inn was closed. Actually my first break in about 3 years. I came back rejuvenated with some fresh ideas and some ingredients from home.(kimchee base, tapioca starch, lecithin, Agar)
So on Saturday and Sundays I'm offering a chefs tasting menu. its 6 courses for right now. Prob soon to change. And another thing, there are no repeating items......ever........period. so I guess since I'm not using the menus anymore Ill put them on my site.

Chefs Tasting menu for 1/3/09

Duck two ways
Duck Ravioli with duck jus/spring mix with duck cracklings and honey Vin

"haddock sandwich"
baked haddock, grilled brioche, coleslaw, tartar with white truffle oil

Seared scallop
beet chip, beet gelee

Pork tenderloin Robert
pork under brick, sunchoke puree, sauce Robert

Braised beef
Nantes carrots, creamy polenta, braising liquid

Swiss Miss
Chocolate torte, house made marshmallow, dark chocolate sauce

Here is the menu for 1/4/09

Carrot puree with carrot air

smoked haddock cakes with truffled aoili

Butter poached lobster with vanilla sabayon and red current reduction

Provencal roasted leg of lamb with candied turnips

Sous Vide Ribeye with root vegetables

"Apple pie"
Baked and caramelized hunt russet apples, butter fried brioche, Vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, shaved manchego cheese

keep checking for more tasting menus

what do you think I do all day? Write menus?

Still turning up the Heat

Okay so i accidentally published the last entry without finishing it. That is how perplexed I am about the evening. Of course we talked about food. What else is there? But really why? Why do I do the dishes I do? In this conversation It becam clear of one thing....Im a romantic. Ive experimented with avante garde and I love it but, I feel Like I owe something to the classics. why am I drawn to the cooking of the classics is self evident....without the greats being part of your life somehow there is no room for progress except to build on them and create your own. Without foundations there is no future for everything yet to come. Here is a sample menu of what we ate and what I like to cook.

Chef's Tasting

Pate De Campagne
Homemade French Country Pork

Smoked Salmon
Locally smoked,Daikon slaw

Roast Beef
Bone Marrow, Roast New Potatoes, Pearl onions

Roast Pig
Pork Tenderloin,Hot pepper jelly,roast carrots,Pan Jus, Maitake mushrooms, Cous Cous

Cheese
5 year somerset county cheddar
Aged english cheddar with mustard seed

Grain
Apple Cinnamon crunch, vanilla yogurt

Chocolat 2 ways
Chocolate Wellington deconstructed
Bacon, Hazelnut chocolate, Smoked sea salt

Coffee and Cigarette

Chef Justin Cherry

Turn up the Heat

Okay so heres the thing about acting like a normal person for one night, you get an overdose of the real world and forget what its like to talk to another human being outside the restaurant business. But seriously Im a chef in and out of the Kitchen. It turned from dinner and a nice conversation to a 9 course meal and 8 hours of one the best conversations ive ever had in my life. I mean some really deep intelligent talking.

Rant, Rant and Rant some more

Here are some random thoughts in hopes of getting at least one follower to my blog. And for god sakes read it, I'm on Ruhlman's web page!

And by the way, some of these have nothing to do with food.

You can park anywhere by putting a "dead battery sign on your windshield", it can even be handwritten.

Cops don't come out in the rain.

We could get jobs as security guards, they might even give us guns!

Chicks dig Chefs.

A dusting of snow in Maine is a major winter storm.

Dogs eat chocolate right?

Do you think Santa's coat has a zipper?

Are the elves paid minimum wage?

If you shoot a hippie hugging a tree does anyone care?

Did anyone get that Indian crying a tissue, or did he do that off camera?

Was animal rights pissed at the frogs drinking beer?

I think Sarah palin was an extra in Fargo.

One day I would like to punch that douche the Easter bunny right in the suck hole for not bringing me a cadbury egg.

OK Katrina was like 4 years ago and FEMA just got there, maybe we can send out apology cards for Hiroshima too.

I think there should be a 5Th of July holiday for one more chance to piss of the English, besides that tea tastes like shit we should have bought it from the Chinese.

Johnny Appleseed was a homeless bum.

The twin towers, The united states will not submit to terror. We should have sold "nuke the middle east" shirts instead of American flags, Or bought American flags and put them on Taliban graves.

Being touched by religion became a motto of the Vatican's little league t-ball team after the game in the showers. No wonder God's pissed.

Laugh. go ahead. we have freedom of speech.

If a chef is sweating its cause he worked his ass off.

Buy local. Do you really want to support slave trade by buying asparagus from Peru? Besides If you eat Chi Chi's or Sheetz you got what you deserved.

Are they gonna replay that Folgers Christmas commercial with Peter?

Eat n' Park Christmas commercial: Will somebody just put the damn star on the top!

I don't know about anyone else but that fancy feast commercial makes me hungry.

OK I am going to stop now. I'm done with the rant.

Now you know what happens when chefs are bored.

Stop Snitchin