Welcome fellow members. This newsletter marks the debut of my regular column "Point of View". I have been an Executive Chef for 25 years, have been certified for the last 20 as CEC, have led the kitchen teams at two platinum level private clubs, presided over two PGA championships, 10 major tennis tournaments, won 2 gold medals in ACF competitions, etc.- but enough about me. The column is titled 'Point of View' and it is intended for all of our membership. I will discuss topics relevant to our industry, continuing education and of course cooking. So with introductions finished we will start out with our first subject-

HITTING THE WALL- What to do when Burn-out strikes-

Many chefs and others in our profession, but not all, at one time feel like they have reached a point where they can no longer feel good about walking into their kitchens. The stress, the volume, intra operational conflicts, equipment failures, lack of staff, outside issues can all contribute whether it's any particular one or a combination. Although the three coping and rejuvenation suggestions I will offer are not intended to be "instant cures" they will help to make a difference.

One thing I might add and this may not be what a lot of people wish to hear but it is the truth. Sometimes you have to look upon our industry as a marriage, especially if you in the trenches as a working chef. All marriages take commitment, patience and effort. However, if for some reason the marriage isn't working, then it's time to separate and move on. My point is that this business is a demanding one and all are not suited for it. The point of any career is to be passionate about what you are doing. If your passion has truly gone, then find another career or look for a different aspect of our business to get into. Just as in a marriage when the passion is gone its time to go your separate ways.

Assuming you still have the passion for it, then here are three steps you can take to re-awaken your love for the kitchen.

1. Get Away- take a stinkin' break. You are just like anyone else. Your staff takes time off. Your managers do. Do not be a martyr to the position. They don't hand out sainthoods to chefs. As one of my wisest mentors once said to me (and I have never forgotten it) Thomas Catherall, CMC- "..Eric, sometimes Chefs are their own worst enemies.." So take a deep breath, take some time off, even it's a day or two in the middle of the week. Regroup and do something that takes your mind off work.
2. Get Moving- Sometimes there is so much to do that it seems impossible to know where to start. So start with yourself. If you have gotten into bad habits whether diet, sleeping exercising etc...try doing something if it's incremental and stick with it. Then start at work. Clean the walk-in. Arrange the spice rack. If you have trouble delegating and prioritizing start practicing that. Get into the habit of creating "to do lists". That will organize your day minute by minute day by day, week by week.
3. Get Inspired- Sometimes we also hit the wall creatively. Let's face it not all of us have the creative spark to continually create innovative and cutting edge dishes. Why do you think "elBulli" was so popular? Because it inspired a legion of chefs to duplicate what Chef Ferran Adria was doing . You don't have to look far. The internet is a grand place to start. Look up any restaurant, chef or image you want. There are two recent books I have found to be particularly innovative and stimulating. One is Todd Kelly's Orchids at Palm Court cookbook. Chef Kelly was last year's ACF Chef of the year and has constructed a book of practical yet elegant and interesting dishes. The "elBullli" of the recent wave of Chefs is 'The Eleven Madison Park" cookbook by Daniel Humm and Will Guidara. Please take a look at it if you get the chance. Truly cutting edge and brilliant. The book also has an interesting local connection. On page 21 is a picture of the staff in line up. There is a waitperson to the right top named Brandon Laterveer. I hired Brandon to his first foodservice position as a snack bar worker at the Atlanta Athletic Club. He later worked at a hotel with our own Keith Schroeder who went on to start High Road Ice Cream. Keith got him a position in New York where Brandon eventually came to work at Eleven Madison. Brandon has since left with some of the people from the restaurant to manage the NoMad Hotel- a very high end super high quality establishment. So inspiration comes from within and without.

Hopefully this has been helpful to some of you. At least I hope it has given you something to think about. Good luck and remember there is no Chef out there who has not been through what you have been, hasn't felt what you're feeling or hasn't dealt with what you're dealing with.

  BBQ Pitmasters  

Jim Stancil of Bareknuckles BBQ has been a longtime supporter of the ACF and OCU. He was selected from a large group of over 1000 teams to be one of the Featured pitmasters on Season 3 of BBQ Pitmasters, it will be on the Discovery Network Destination America. His team traveled to Tupelo MS for their contest. They was very excited and honored to be selected from such a great group of bbq people. The Sneak Preview will be aired May 30 on DestinationAmerica formerly the Green channel. Full Premier will be on June 3 at 9pm. Should be exciting tv for all the backyard bbq guys and for professional chefs as well. Be sure and check it out!

Executive Chef Recipe

Squash Blossoms are one of my favorite ingredients. I love serving them as an hors d'oeurves, a small plate, a tapas or a side for Latin or Mediterranean dishes. This recipe is colorful, flavorful and the filling is lightened up by some fresh vegetables instead of the all cheese filling I frequently use. Enjoy!

Tempura Squash Blossoms with Three Sauces

by: Exec. Chef Eric Karell, CEC AAC  

For the Squash Blossoms

3 squash blossoms, stamen, removed, sharp triangular edges removes, rinsed in ice water and dried

2 cups tempura batter

For the yellow pepper coulis-

4 large yellow peppers, seeds and stem removed, 16 ounces chicken stock, salt and pepper, 2 T. olive oil.

Simmer all ingredients until peppers are very soft. Puree in VitaMix until smooth. Adjust seasoning.Hold warm for service

For the Chive-Spinach Coulis-

¼ pound chives, rinsed and dried.

2 cups baby spinach

¼ cup olive oil

2 T. rice wine vinegar

Place all ingredients in VitaMix and puree on high until smooth.Adjust seasoning.

For Tomato Coulis

4 large tomatoes, concasse'

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large shallots, chopped

2 T. olive oil

1 T. tomato paste

Heat olive oil in sauce pan. Add garlic and shallots. Cook until soft. Add tomatoes and salt and pepper. Simmer until tomatoes are soft. Add 1 T. tomato paste.Simmer until mixture is thickened. Put into Vita Mix and puree until smooth. Adjust seasoning. Hold warm for service.

For Squash Blossom Filling

½ pound scamorza cheese

½ pound drunken goat cheese

¼ pound zucchini, brunoise

½ red onion brunoise

1 T. whole butter

ground black pepper

Melt butter in sauce pan, add red onion and zuchinni. Season with black pepper. Cook until soft. Cool completely.

Mix with cheeses and Reserve.

Assemblt and Plating

Stuff squash blossom carefully with scant teaspoon of cheese mixture. Wrapped flower around filling to seal. Repeat with other blossoms. Dip in flour than in tempura batter and fry at 350 degrees until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towel.

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