Derby Week is almost upon us! All over the city, chefs and restaurant managers are tweaking their menus, their training and their scheduling, anticipating the many Louisvillians and out-of-towners who will flood their establishments in the coming days. You and your guests can have successful Derby dining experiences in the River City during this whirlwind time if you follow a few simple guidelines. Continue reading Do’s and Don’ts of Derby dining
All posts by INDUSTRY STANDARD by Marsha Lynch
Social Media and the Restaurant Worker
Should a restaurant employee ever lose their job due to a social media post? Well, in a word – yes. But are there situations in which a cook or server should be able to vent a little on Facebook or Instagram without fear of retribution from their employer? Almost never. Continue reading Social Media and the Restaurant Worker
Allergies vs. “Allergies”
At the suggestion of a chef friend, I recently began viewing the Netflix six-episode docuseries “Rotten.” It’s a very well-executed look at the food supply chain and the crime and corruption which lie within. Episode Two is titled “The Peanut Problem.” It examines the recent sharp rise of peanut allergies in the last decade or so. Continue reading Allergies vs. “Allergies”
Sin
Happy New Year, everyone! Time for us all to purge ourselves of our bad eating and exercise habits and be healthful again for a couple of weeks. Join a gym. Buy a blender and start making smoothies with chia seeds and spinach. Swear off ranch dressing and swear off red-velvet waffles. Consume only “lite” beer. Buy the olive oil version of your favorite mayonnaise. Continue reading Sin
Recipe Schme-cipe
My long-suffering fiancée works in an office of seven people, including three vegetarians. The other night I was re-creating a Crockpot vegetarian green bean dish that I had made for last year’s office Thanksgiving. They were a big hit even with the meat-eaters. I had to work really hard to make them rich in flavor and mouthfeel for everyone to enjoy, and I remembered just what I had put in them before. Naturally I hadn’t written anything down. I just used instinct and memory to make them again. Continue reading Recipe Schme-cipe
The House-Made Tale
Almost anyone who enjoys dining out has a whole range of places they enjoy, from fast food chains to casual stand-alone restaurants to (if cash flow permits), the occasional splurge at a high-end fine dining establishment. If you’re a reasonable person, your expectations of what gets brought into each restaurant pre-made, versus what’s made from scratch, should be on a sliding scale. Continue reading The House-Made Tale
The Hands of a Cook
Do you have a relative or close friend who works in a restaurant? Have you ever looked closely at their hands and forearms? Continue reading The Hands of a Cook
How Not to Complain
I was having a bad day. My fiancé was in the hospital with what turned out to be a minor medical problem, but it was still stressful, as all hospital interactions inevitably are. A friend pretty much insisted on taking me to breakfast before I started my day visiting at the hospital. We settled on a nearby restaurant, which I cherish enough that I eat there several times a year. Old school, not a chain, very diner-ish, with an open kitchen and a staff of veteran cooks, most of them women. Continue reading How Not to Complain
No-Call No-Show, Shit Show
Ah, the old “no-call, no-show”. Basically it means someone who’s scheduled to work doesn’t show up for their shift, doesn’t call to offer an excuse, and doesn’t answer increasingly desperate calls from their place of employment. Continue reading No-Call No-Show, Shit Show
Imagine No Vacation; I Wonder If You Can
This week a friend and fellow food journalist posted a thread on Facebook about hard work paying off in the hospitality industry. Many testimonials followed, with a lot of local chefs back-patting each other and lots of war stories about how many hours they all used to work at two or three jobs, some while still going to college. Continue reading Imagine No Vacation; I Wonder If You Can