What I want to know is why a chef felt it necessary to show me that I’m not ready to work on the line in his restaurant. You may or may not know that a chef at a certain seafood and oyster bar on South Congress in Austin told me that he would “give me a chance” and bring me in on a shift to see how I do. After two weeks of me calling and asking when I can come in and getting brushed aside he finally says “I want you to come in Saturday at 5:00PM.” Obviously I was terrified, but I wasn’t going to say no.

It Was a Set Up

I really walked right into this one. This guy throws me in on the line on Saturday night following the grill cook. Now as you can probably imagine, it went terribly and I knew that if put in a situation like that I would not be able to perform adequately. I knew that, that’s why I didn’t say I want to work on your line. I said I want to learn. I said I’ll work anywhere you want me to work because there are other positions besides the line and there are other shifts besides Saturday night. I’d even have washed dishes if it was necessary. Believe it or not I like washing dishes in a professional kitchen because you can use the sprayer and, contrary to what you might think given the current state of my apartment, I like to clean. I’d have been the best damn dishwasher he ever hired.

You might say, as he did, that it’s nothing personal. I really hate when people say that because what they mean is that it’s nothing personal to them. This guy doesn’t know me at all, so no, watching some little, over eager girl fall on her face is not personal to him. It is, however, quite personal to me. This is a choice that I made because it’s something that I love so much; a choice for which I will be in debt for many years. I don’t care what anyone says, these days when there’s debt involved, it’s personal.

It really was a win win for this guy. If I had done well in this nearly impossible situation he would have hired a restaurant prodigy, if I had done poorly he can say, “well I gave some kid a chance and maybe they’ll let me into heaven for that or something.” But what he did wasn’t giving someone a chance; it was setting someone up to fail so he can rub it in their face. Maybe he’s a younger sibling that to this day still gets picked on, so he needs to take it out on young, unsuspecting, eager, hopeful, naive cooks.

I did enjoy being in the kitchen and working, and I think I could work in a place like that in a position other than on the line. So no, this guy didn’t scare me away from the industry like he might have been trying to do. I’m still going to try to find a job, but now I’ll be looking for chefs who wants to help young cooks learn, and I won’t walk into any more set-ups.

Today I made a salad for a recipe contest. this recipe is by weight because it is the most accurate form of measurement. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, and refuse to get one even though it’s a fantastic investment, you’ll do well to remember that 2T=1oz. and 8oz.=1 Cup.

Avocado Salad with Sweet Honey Dijon Dressing

For Dressing:

• 1 oz. Shallot finely minced
• 4 oz. honey dijon mustard
• 1.5 oz. sugar
• juice 1/2 lemon
• 1 oz dry white wine
• 4 oz. extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt to taste; about 3/4 t
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste; about 1/4 t

In a wide mouth mixing bowl, whisk shallot, dijon, wine, lemon juice & sugar together to combine.

While whisking vigorously, drizzle in olive oil very slowly to form emulsion.

Transfer to a jar for easy recombination. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.

For Salad:

• 1 head of green leaf lettuce washed, hard ribs removed and torn into bite size pieces
• .5 oz green onion sliced on bias
• 4.5 oz (1)bosc pear pealed, cored, small dice
• 1.5 oz celery small dice
• 2.5 oz walnuts chopped
• 13.5 oz (2 small) avocados small dice
• juice 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• 1.5 oz parsley roughly chopped
• 4 oz. feta cheese crumbled
• 1.5 oz. pomegranate arils

In a small bowl squeeze lemon juice and sprinkle salt over avocado, fold together and allow to marinade for a few minutes.

Place lettuce in a large salad serving bowl.

In a separate small bowl combine green onion, pear, celery, walnuts. Carefully fold in avocado. Pour mixture over lettuce and toss, making sure mixture is evenly distributed.

Sprinkle parsley and feta and toss lightly again. Sprinkle pomegranate over top. Serve with dressing

*Pictures of Avocado Salad soon to come.