Kitchen Chronicles: Your kitchen provides a fertile vineyard for sour grapes! 
Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it? (Mark Twain 1835-1910)
I had a week from hell which ended on Friday. It’s a complicated story of trying to run a kitchen on an isolated island with a very resentful staff. One of my clients was footing the bill and they insisted on having me in control of the cooking operation. I agreed on the hotel's promise of the kitchen staff helping me prepare the meals for this large group. The hotel also agreed on providing all of the necessary ingredients we have requested. Needless to say they didn't provide the promised help, and 60% of the requested ingredients were missing. So, I had to run the show by myself with the only help of two of the best students from the Academia de Artes Culinarias I took with me. We re-designed the menus to use the limited ingredients we had on hand. It was tough task.
Although at times I though we were not going to make it, I can proudly report that we performed a miracle through all the foot-dragging, antiquated equipment, and sabotage.
My client's team doesn't have the foggiest idea of the vivid inferno we went through. We worked non stop from 5 AM through 10-11 PM at night almost every day. At the end of the last day, we could barely stand up. One of my helpers suddenly fell on his knees while he was preparing some fish. I asked him, ..."what are you looking for down there?" With a pale look and still holding tight his chef's knife he told me he could not stand up, his legs were failing. He was exhausted.
There was a point when I forgot my own exhaustion. My automatic pilot was on, run only by the love I was putting on my work and the compromise we had with the client. I was not going to run away, it is not my style. It was obviously not an option.
Trying to get some fresh air, I headed out of the kitchen a few times, looking to find some comfort with the fresh air caressing my hot sweaty face. And always when the saddened tear was coming out, growing with despair, feeling abandoned by the mean hotel's kitchen crew, there was a moment lost in time when God whispered to my ear that everything was going to be fine. And it did.
To my helpers Luis and Eliécer:
I thank you from the bottom of my heart because you both worked by my side all the time. I feel proud of you, and now you have proved you are capable of working under fire, under the worst possible conditions. Creativity and love are the secret. Always love what you do, otherwise do not do it, OR you will end like those disgraceful cooks at that hotel who turned their backs on us hoping we would gave up and fail. But, we didn't.
Isn't that beautiful?
panama cookingdiva cooking recipe recipes chef panamagourmet culinary academy cooking school- by Chef Melissa
- March 18, 2007
- 2:48 pm
Links Favoritos
Panama
- Clasificados Encuentra24
- La Prensa Web
- Autoridad de Turismo Panamá
- Panama America
- * Panama Hotels - Veneto Hotel
- Municipio de Panamá
- Presidencia de Panamá
The world is talking, are you listening?
- Anne Walker's Kalu Yala
- Global Voices
- Cocinerita - Aristóloga
- Boquete Guide
- ChowTrek - Road Feasts
- Cabbage Soup Diet
Panama Restaurants
- Ten Bistro by Fabien Migny
- Chef Clara Icaza - Limoncillo
- Chef Rafael Ciniglio - Restaurante Las Americas
- Chef Willy Diggelmann - 1985
- La Posta Panama
Personal Chefs
Latinolicious
Blogs That Cook
Comentarios
-
Jacqueline ivette santamaria gonzalez dice en Los Mejores Restaurantes - Places to Visit in Panama: Mosto Bistro (Chiriqui)
La próxima vez que este por panamá , los visitare .
-
Dan dice en Hot & Delicious from the Tropics: Luscious Thai Truffles
They sound delicious! I’ll definitely be giving these a try.
… -
Manuel dice en Arroz con Frijoles Negros y Chimichurri de Culantro - Black Beans and Rice with Culantro Chimichurri
Great job!
Archives
Recetas Deliciosas
- La Cuaresma: Pescado o no Pescado? ese es el dilema
- My 10$ Gem: Pairing the TRIO Cabernet Sauvignon with my delicious empanadas & chimichurri salsa
- Latin America’s Best: Juan Deago’s Panamanian Cocada
- La Receta del Dia: Licor de Fresas Casero
- The Joy of Garlic: Olive Roasted Head of Garlic
- Vinagreta de Café y Maní
- ‘Cake’ mágico de Chocolate - Dulce Vegetariano
- La Receta del Dia: Arroz con Leche, Anis y Naranja
- Arrollado de Chocolate y Mango
- Flan de Champagne
Comments
03.18.07 at 03:42 PM |
Mis muchachos respondieron, porque fueron entrenados con una mentalidad de profesionales, y no de engreídos irresponsables. Gracias Melissa por los buenos comentarios y me alegro que hayan podido sacar el trabajo adelante. Un abrazo
Elena
——-
03.18.07 at 03:44 PM |
Gracias a ti Elena!
03.18.07 at 08:59 PM |
Parece una novela, jeje. Me alegra que tanto esfuerzo haya valido la pena. te he visto siempre batallando y se que nunca te vas a rendir… he aqui la prueba. Y yo que creia que la cocina era cosa facil…
03.19.07 at 08:07 AM |
Jaja…una novela se queda corta, esto fue una película de terror!
Las buenas practicas de vida, incluyendo honestidad, compañerismo, rectitud y profesionalismo se aplican en la cocina tambien. Y como en todo rubro y empresa hay manzanas podridas que contaminan a las demas—-Pues, claro que si, yo no soy de las que se rinden
Me da gusto que lo hayas notado!
Melissa
03.19.07 at 11:04 AM |
OMG! I am so sorry that you were let down by these people! If I could I would give a huge hug and a kiss to each of these sweetheart guys.
03.19.07 at 11:26 AM |
They will LOVE it! They are really sweet boys!
03.19.07 at 01:44 PM |
Gracias Chef Melissa por habernos invitado a participar de esta gran experiencia.
03.19.07 at 02:07 PM |
Chef melissa quiero agradecerle por esta gran oportunidad puede contar conmigo cuando quiera . Muchas Gracias x todo
03.20.07 at 05:24 PM |
What a story. I felt like I was there with you. Shame on that staff for not doing their job.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope that my tostones recipe met your standards! Here in Honduras, tostones have been most often served to me plain, but I like your suggestion of hot sauce. Thanks so much.
03.21.07 at 09:46 AM |
Gracias Luis y Eliécer—-Saben que tambien pueden contar conmigo
La Gringa: of course I love your tostones recipe! When I saw the rock that you use to press the plantains, it brought memories of my childhood…My great grandmother use to have a rock like that, she used it to prepare tostones and to crush garlic & spices!
Un abrazo,
Melissa
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