I love my job. I really do. But the biggest frustration is that there are so many owners that want a say in the business that it takes forever for anything to get done or decided on. For example:
Tomorrow we have our Grand Opening, even though we have been open since December 21st. Confusing I know but it gets better. We have talked about his event for 2 months with them asking me " Chef, Will you get a menu together for thus big event and plan for over 1000 people?" And I reply "Sure will. I just need a list of equipment I will have for patio cooking so I can plan a great menu and food cost." Fast forward to last week's manager meeting. Me: "Do we have an equipment list yet? Do we have the grills, alto shams, propane stove?" Them: "Um... did Megan talk to... Terry have you found..." WTF!!!! So my menu of 8 high quality entrees has been reduced to 3 meats and 3 sides. Of which, only 2 we actually sell in our kitchen.
I also developed an adult Mac and cheese for our restaurant that 4 out of 5 staff love. The ones who dont? Our owners. Its to spicey they say. We have complaints of it being to spicey. ( Mind you, the complaints came from the owners daughter who said her kids wouldnt eat it. Her kids didnt like the Adult Mac n Cheese!!!) So I reduced the two ingredients that gave it its spice and the verdict: its bland. No shit!!! I took the spice out like i was asked.
So tomorrow, as Mac n Cheese is offered for one of our side options, I had to recreate a Mac sauce so I can serve it in 14 hours. I was frustrated and decided to use the worst ingredient I could and sold my fucking soul to cater to this. I made a Mac sauce and gave to the owners to try. They loved it.
" Much better!!!" They said. Compliments and accolades were poured. They chose a maccsauce made from a block of Velveta over a cheese sauce made from six cheeses and cream. Let that sink in. A processed fake cheese hits the palet of the owners over a Mac sauce recipe I brought from a restaurant with over 5 million in sales a year. And that lost out to Vel fucking veta!!!
As a Chef, I am almost ready to commit culinary suicide but there are no volcanoes to sacrifice a virgin nor cross roads close to strike a deal with the devil as the roads in Indiana look like they are on loan from Iraq.
Fuck my culinary life!!!!
