Food on the Plains: First Day of Work
Today, I put in my first day of work at the Café Phoenix. I had a really good time. I work from 9-2 on Thursdays until the end of the semester, at which point I will hopefully be comfortable enough in a kitchen to start working some dinners, and actually being helpful.
I started the day by making sure the restaurant was clean for lunch-vacuuming etc. I then helped Kamal, the owner and chef, in setting up the mise en place- the ingredients that are required to create the dishes. Lunch at the PC is mostly sandwiches, so I sliced tomatoes and lettuce, and prepared spreads- an avocado pesto spread and a feta-garlic spread- that go on as condiments. I also prepped Kamal’s unique take on French fries, which are more like stove top potatoes. The potato is baked, and then lightly seared on both sides on the flat top.
I also prepped the burger patties, which are made with beef from local B&B farms. Just from handling the meat, I could tell it was good. It was nice and firm, and had very little “juice”.
Our lunch menu was as follows:
- Mahi-Mahi tuna melt
- Steak sandwich (local steak)
- Chicken sandwich (local chicken)
- Grilled eggplant sandwich
- Chickpea burgers (made by Kamal)
- Patty Melts (Again, local beef)
- Lamb bratwurst (guess what? Local!)
My job today was to handle the grill, which meant I did the burgers, brats, eggplant and steaks, under the watchful eye of Kamal, while he handled the tuna melt, plating and expediting. The thing I love most about the PC is how much hands on time I have with the food; I was afraid on my first day I would just be watching. Fortunately, Kamal believes in hands-on learning.
Post lunch, I did dish duty. I was surprised halfway through when Kamal made the staff lunch- I had a delectable grilled chicken breast on a mixed green salad with feta. A great end to a productive and enjoyable day.
Lessons Learned:
1-Keep your grill clean to get good sear marks
2-Do as much beforehand as you can- the kitchen gets busy, and you want to keep it simple when you get rushed.
1 comment:
Hmmmm. Reading your blog makes me hungry, Ben! Looks like you're bringing some of that CA grill sensibility to Iowa....or maybe it will be the other way around.
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