More...

The next half-hour is precious down time, when Chase isn’t frantic. He picks a round table in the dining room and talks with a couple lunch servers and the hostess. They recount Friday night: 16 Japanese ambassadors came in and ordered lobster sashimi, or raw lobster, a Japanese delicacy. They came to Sea Catch because it is one of the few places that serves lobster sashimi, albeit for a steep price: anywhere from $80 (2-pounder) to more than $120 (4-pounder). The group of 16’s bill came to more than $2,000, and the server made $400 in tip from that one table. The two lobster tanks at the entrance were empty.

The group cleans its own dishes, re-sets the table, and heads to its different places in the restaurant. It’s 11:17 a.m., 13 minutes before Sea Catch opens for lunch.

Chase heads back to the kitchen and returns to his big pot. He adds the diced onion and garlic, gives it a quick stir, listens to the sizzle, and grabs another pot. He’ll make the sweet corn broth too: frozen corn—he’d prefer fresh, but there’s none around—onions, garlic and herbs. There’s no recipe, he makes it up as he goes, adding what he feels like, constantly tasting. “Cooking’s pretty spontaneous for me,” Chase says.

The controlled bustle of the kitchen staff is all around Chase, and the constant clanking of metal and the thump of knives coming down on a cutting board is drowned out by the sounds coming from the boom box in the corner, covered by a white towel. What music comes out of this boom box is a daily—no, hourly—struggle. Chase’s staff prefers fast-paced Spanish music, Chase prefers hip-hop, particularly that of his friends’ group. So he’ll swap CDs, leave for 20 minutes, and come back to the sounds of a fiesta.

Chase reluctantly grabs a metal spoon hanging above him, and stirs in the uncooked risotto. A chef in France will get shot if he is seen making risotto with anything but a wooden spoon, but Chase isn’t French, and there isn’t a wooden spoon in sight. He’ll go on with a metal spoon. He adds white wine to the risotto, cream to the sweet corn broth (officially no longer a broth since he added cream, so it is now a sauce), and stands over his two pots, tasting every so often to make sure the seasoning his just right. If not, he adds salt and pepper, but nothing else—he keeps it simple.

With the risotto at a dense, lava-like consistency, he pours it onto a sheet pan and stashes it in the refrigerator to harden. He’ll come in an hour or so and cut circles, douse them in flour, and send them to the deep fryer. He blends the sweet corn sauce, and runs it through a chinoise—a fine mesh strainer—to make it as smooth as possible. He tastes it once more, approves, and sets it aside.

Chase enters the walk-in refrigerator and grabs a two-foot hunk of tuna and some of the smoked salmon. He sharpens his knife and attacks the salmon, cutting it into 8-ounce filets. He weighs each one, but he doesn’t have to, since it’s second nature by now. Almost all are right on the dot. He hacks into the tuna, slices away the bitter blood line, and adds more filets to the pile. It takes him less than 10 minutes.

At 12:11 p.m., the first lunch ticket emerges from the receipt machine, a small, worn, black printer of white and yellow paper, which will drive precisely what goes down in the kitchen for the next 10 hours. And it spits out order No. 1: jumbo lump crab cake entrée, Sea Catch’s most popular dish. About two inches thick, two inches in diameter, two to a serving, cooked to a golden brown and served over a medley of sweet corn, strips of tomato, English peas, the crab cakes fly out of the kitchen—about 30-35 orders a day. The lunch cook, just one this early, completes the dish in about 10 minutes, and it’s whisked out of the kitchen. One down, more than 300 to go.

More Mad Chef Press

Hey people, James will be off the blog for a few days while dealign with some family issues, so I'll be taking it over. I'll start by posting (in a few pieces, it's long) an article on James and Sea Catch by freelance writer Seth Hoffman. It's a great look into life at a restaurant and we think you'll enjoy it...


James Chase trudges down the back alley, passing delivery trucks, passing the back entrances of Georgetown’s ritzy stores and restaurants, attracted by the smell of salmon smoking in the cool air of a Saturday morning just off the C&O canal. He opens the smoker, surveys the salmon that he’ll use that night, and enters Sea Catch Restaurant, where he is, for now, the tired sous chef, at least before he drinks his first cup of coffee.

It’s just past 10, but he’s been up since 6:15 a.m. because the three young children in the apartment above his get up early, and they stomp across the floor, a much earlier alarm than Chase prefers. He didn’t work the night before, but he’s 27 years old, and he still likes to have fun, which means late nights. And it means, today, he’s tired.

Chase enters the kitchen, a muggy stainless steel haven, and greets the mostly Hispanic staff in Spanish. Never mind Chase nearly failed his only year of Spanish at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., he’s been working in area kitchens for more than 10 years and has picked up a suitable vocabulary. First came the curse words, then the rest. The thing is, though, they all speak English. They just speak Spanish to annoy him.

Chase checks the inventory, checks the deliveries, checks the night’s reservations (130 people at the time), changes into one of his bleached white chef jackets, and takes a sip of his first cup of coffee, now cold after sitting on the counter while Chase runs around.

Edgar Garcia, a giant of a 20-year-old, stands across from Chase, cutting thin strips of tomatoes and hacking globes of squash for the spaghetti squash. Garcia arrived at 6 a.m. to snatch one of the few free parking spaces near the restaurant. He keeps a blanket and pillow in the car, and he slept for three hours before work. He’s not as tired as Chase, maybe even a little peppy, maybe even a little too peppy.

Chase is in charge of the kitchen until executive chef Chris Sgro arrives at 3 p.m., so he has to think of a special for dinner. It quickly comes to him: herb risotto cake with a sweet corn black pepper broth and “whatever fish Chris ordered.” He enters the walk-in refrigerator, where all the produce is kept, and grabs the bagged corn, sage, parsley, rosemary, any other herb he can find, onions and garlic.

Meanwhile, the morning deliveries roll in: $235.74 worth of lettuce, scallions, mixed vegetables; $510.33 worth of live lobsters; $916.63 worth of oysters, scallops, shrimp, mussels and crabmeat; $342.42 of oysters for the raw bar; $441.84 of sunfish and pacific swordfish, an overnight delivery from Hawaii; $82.16 of sourdough bread.

In the first five days of April, Sea Catch has spent $15,404.04 for food.

Chase adds oil to a big pot for the risotto, contemplates beginning, then takes it off the stove. It’s lunch time: cheeseburgers and homemade potato chips for the staff, grilled salmon and zucchini for Chase, because his girlfriend thinks he’s getting fat.


More later...

Thousands Served...

Hey folks, we just hit 1,000 plus independent views in under 2 months, not bad for word of mouth! Thank you to all the readers out who have stuck with this. Remember, comments and feedback are always appreciated, and we've had a bunch more recently so keep it up!

Lots more fun coming up this summer, with production of the TV show rolling along, we should be shooting the pilot in August and all the details will be right here. Plus, celebrity sightings and diners to talk about, new catering events and opportunities coming up and the usual back and forth goodness about life in a high class restaurant in the Nation's Capital.

Keep reading, this Mad Chef of M Street guy is just getting started.

Musings on the "F.N.G."

So, I have a friend that just got back from culinary school recently. Bless his soul, he chose my alma mater over that other school in NY that shall not be named, simply because I have found 90% of its graduates to be the worst cooks EVER. If you know what school I am referring to, kudos, and feel free to call me out on it!

Upon his return he has landed a job here in Georgetown at a new hot spot, as if there weren't enough on this side of town, called Hook. Hook is a seafood restaurant, go figure, that features...well, the same damn thing we do. Fresh seafood flown in from all over, blah blah. Whatever.

He is stoked about the job, and I would be too. I have yet to go in to eat, obviously I am waiting to hear more about the place from the inside before I go to a place that is just like mine, only with a more modern setting (our decor seems to be stuck in the 80's...did I really say that?). He is only working there for the summer, but even though he has only completed one year of culinary school, I would put him down as someone that can easily hang with the other cooks.

His greatest quality, that I know he already has (he damn well better given the time I spent banging it into his head), is he can season food. Vital when it comes to cooking, neglected by far too many cooks in this city. The use of a little kosher salt and some black pepper can go a long way. That is until he sent me a text today that his chef never uses black pepper, and this kid hates white pepper. Should be interesting as he learns to use a pepper that is 2 times stronger then the other, and generally is used in the powder form.

I am sure he will do just fine, but I can already see where my next restaurant outing will take place. I also can't wait to hear about the hazing he will go through for the next 2 years while completing school and then being a fresh graduate. It's like being a rookie in a pro league, or even that new guy at your office that you just have to mess with, you know, the F.N.G.

The Restaurant Will Be Desserted...

Ah yes...2 days off in a row!!!! No, I'm nowhere near ready to be back (who is?), but I gotta snap back to reality. After reading a book or 2 on cooking, I'm inspired and the batteries are recharged and I'm ready to go.

I think today, even though it will be fairly slow in the restaurant the day after a holiday, I will make a dessert to be put on the menu along with a dinner special for the evening. My dessert? A fresh ginger cake using fresh everything, no powders when it comes to this kind of stuff. I am thinking of an apple compote of some kind to accompany it. Maybe some toasted hazelnuts, a nice creme anglaise to top it off, or maybe even some vanilla ice cream. Have to see how it comes out. Also with June coming up there is nothing better then to use some fresh cherries because they are prime in season right now. I will have something else using those tomorrow.

Contrary to popular belief (not really), I do not make pastries, people. If baking is a science and cooking is an art, I failed science all through high school so don't expect much in that department from me, but I do what I can :)

For my special...uhh, we will see about that. I have some yellow beefsteak tomatoes in house and I see a box of haricot verts in the walk-in, so it should be something simple and not too much, because I want to use all of whatever I put on the menu this evening.

Welcome back to work everybody! :)

Mana(ger)

Ever heard the expression "while the cat is away the mice will play?" That would be The Mad Chef this weekend, as my GM is off for the weekend and my chef is about to take a leave of absence...leaving only yours truly to run the show.

Soft shells, some heirloom tomatoes, purple basil, and some nice buffalo mozzarella are running through my head right now. I will put the dish together tomorrow but I know right now I will serve the soft shells "tempura style" with a caprese salad, and a basil aioli to top it off. Perfect for the weather we are FINALLY beginning to have, global warming anyone??

So as I blast my music in the kitchen this weekend I gotta ask, what kind of music do you listen to while you are cooking? Most of my former chefs would prefer bands like Audioslave and Soundgarden, and some with no music at all...and I didn't last long in those kitchens.

In my kitchen you will hear everything from Outkast to Fleetwood Mac to 311. Kinda all over the place, huh? You will never hear country though. If I have a full staff in the kitchen we usually have to mix it up. With most of it being Latin American music, sometimes I feel like dawning a sombrero and a bottle of Cuervo and go looking for a fight. Other times I feel like I want to cry, and for some reason that music is their favorite. How can you work like that?

Every now and again I get them to play this group by the name of Mana. They are apparently the equivalent of U2 for Latin countries, similar in sound to U2 when they kicked ass in the 80s...not anything in the last 10 years. But the fun this weekend will be about the food, it'll just be a bit more fun making it when I'm the guy in charge!

Gluten-Free, Killing Me

You know, pride kicks in some times when it shouldn't. When I come up with a special each night, I want my servers and cooks and managers to try it to make sure it's up to par, the restaurant's, and more importantly, mine. It's my masterpiece, my Sistine Chapel, every night. If it's not, then I wouldn't put it on your plate. So I know the fact that it's all about the food and not the person creating the dish, but it really pisses me off when a customer desecrates it by asking for substitutions.

Some chefs refuse to allow substitutions, but my chef will bend over backwards and throw in a cart wheel at the table to make the guest happy. Not so much when it comes to The Mad Chef. I often ask for no substitutions on my specials. It's the special for a reason, although when allergies are involved, of course I'm lenient. But still, if you don't like that particular item then choose something else from the menu! It's big!

Go ahead people, tell me I won't make it far with that attitude, you wouldn't be nearly the first...but I have followed a few successful chefs in my short career that follow the same principles. They each have their own restaurants now with their names on the doors. Regular menu items, fine, butcher them if you like, but leave the specials alone! But here, I don't have the right to say no to such things...yet.

Tonight a woman came in and told the server that she could not have any items containing gluten. The server then pre-selected 3 items for her, and she said no to all of them and asked to speak with the chef. The server comes back to get me, explaining she cannot have any items containing gluten, but he did not tell me she had already said no to the items we had on the menu that were gluten free.

So, in my own head I'm thinking, this should be damn easy, gluten allergy, all too familiar in this biz. I approach the table and the woman begins to rattle off all the items that she cannot have. This takes a moment and I let her finish, thinking in my head this is more difficult than it needs to be. I am already stepping outside of my realm by trying to deal with a customer...not my favorite task, but it is what it is.

After she is done speaking I politely say, "Ma'am you have a gluten allergy correct? We can..." interrupted abruptly by her screaming (so the surrounding tables all begin to pay attention simultaneously) "IT'S A DISEASE THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

OK, I'm no doctor, nor will I ever pretend to be one, but a gluten allergy being labeled a disease was a new one for me. I was almost speechless, almost. I did not hesitate to offer her a dish (that I would prepare personally) containing several items she was allowed to eat. And the smile that came across her face was sincere, and she simply said thank you.

Grrr. I hate to pass judgement on people, but this is why I don't like to deal with them directly. The attitude just isn't necessary. I'm just trying to help, lady, despite the fact that you pissed on my chapel!

Hot Air

So as I am checking my email the other day on AOL, and one of the news messages that flashes across the board is, "Look at what some restaurants are trying to pull on you."

OK, you have my attention, obviously. Some "freelance beat writer" (which is journalistic lingo for "jobless, mudraking attention monkey") has written an article on restaurant menus and what chefs are doing in attempt to hide the rising cost of food and surcharges on deliveries. This person stated that the 3rd item on most menus is the most popular, according to a study out of some Ivy League school.

Um, the 3rd item on our menu, if you go past the 10 oysters we carry daily at no more then $2.75 for the really good ones, would be our linguini with shrimp and scallops at 21 dollars. Hardly the most expensive, in fact it's ALMOST half of our most expensive item. The writer goes on to point out that restaurants are increasing their costs on the menus, hiding prices, or placing them strategically so the guest is not so inclined to search for them.

Just to clear the air on the surcharge piece...half of my vendors were putting a surcharge on our deliveries 4 years ago during the summer months. The cost per invoice of those surcharges never went over 3 dollars. It was only during the summer months and our menu pricing to this day has never changed because of it at any of my places of employment. In fact, those charges, at the 4 restaurants I have seen it occur in, never put it onto the food cost. It's not food...why would we charge it as such? Such low expenses don't get lost by any means, but they do get eaten up by the profit of a restaurant when 2 sodas are sold, for example.


The person also went to point out that with the rising costs, most chefs are trying to utilize any and every product of food that comes into the restaurant. Maybe she was trying to say that chefs are using bad food? Or trying to use the same types of food in multiple dishes? I don't know, she really didn't explain herself too well on that one and I will point out that any idiot that cooks wants to use every bit of the food they have. I was taught in culinary school to use the scraps of almost every vegetable for my stocks and bases for my soup. I wonder where someone would get the idea that this is something new???

Captain Morgan

So Sunday I enjoyed a nice and relaxing day off while passing along the idea with friends about where we are going to be on July 4th. That day, The Mad Chef should be cooking and enjoying time well spent with my peoples. Or at least I'll start cooking, get lost in some conversation, drift away and The Brain or my man Wes will end up finishing the meal. Uh, yeah, my bad fellas.

But anyway, I was also thinking about a former chef I used to work with. This particular chef I attempted to emulate in every way during my tenure at Passion Foods restaurants. His name is Ryan Morgan, who learned the ropes and ran through the gauntlet two years before I did. We enjoyed working side by side in the trenches on busy nights. It was always fun, even when we did exchange words I always knew to back down...he was my chef, but he was also taking me under his wing to show or challenge me in all the right ways when it came to cooking.

I digress as usual, I recieved a phone call from him 2 weeks ago saying to call him back. I got back to him and he sent me a text saying he needed to talk, that he was looking for good people. Ryan is about to open a restaurant at the Liaison Hotel on New Jersey Ave. on Capitol Hill. Now whatever position Ryan may be looking for me to fill, no doubt I wouldn't take it unless it was that of another Sous Chef.

But with that comes the responsibility of opening yet another restaurant in my short career. That would make 3 within 10 years...not bad I think. If this is what I am being offered, I have much to think about. Have I become too comfortable with having my Sundays off? Yeah, that would definatly change with it being a hotel. Not just Sundays, but Sunday brunch...YUCK! That has got to be the worst shift to have to work, I did it for years and I feel like it added an extra year on to my life.

Opening a restaurant isn't a joke or a game either people. When I worked at Zola, I put in 100 hours in my first week there...we werent open yet, and there wasn't any gas in the restaurant or Spy City Cafe. I would come in at 5am and get home around midnight, 7 days a week for my first month. Good if not great experience, but am I cut out for this/do I have the drive to do such a thing again??

I know how Chef Morgan works, I know what he would expect of me. That is why he is considering me, and I'm proud that my work has been up to his standard. It's a great thing to be looked for by other chefs around the city for your work ethic. Sometimes hard work does pay off I guess. Except on early Sunday mornings. Hells no.

Blonde Ambition

Friday was pretty busy, like most of the people in the restaurant figured it would be. Tonite promises to be more of the same with 290 reservations on the books to start, meaning by the time 5:30 rolls around we should be somewhere in the mid 300's for the evening. With several large parties going on throughout the evening it should get interesting.

I myself will be parked at the raw bar for most of the evening. Can't complain about that part, something about working in a open kitchen where I get to interact with guests always bring me a little bit of joy, even on the busiest of evenings.

Last night I had the pleasure of working at the raw bar and opening about 400 oysters before 8pm. Not bad considering we didn't start until 5:30. What the total was by the end of the evening is anyones guess. My freakin hands hurt, I'm only 27 and I swear the arthritis is already kickin in sometimes. Aleve, all day strong, all day long is the way to go!!!

It wasn't all bad though. Last night while I was at the raw bar, the cook captain from the DC101 Chili Cook-Off and her friend just so happened to grab two seats in front of me. Remember how I said I was a sucker for blondes? Well, yeah. Even though I was a little to busy to actually hold a conversation, after a dozen oysters or so her friend talked her into getting some hot food too. No complaints from my end, I would rather be cooking then shucking.

So as they ordered a few apps off the menu I scrambled back into the kitchen to reach into my bag of goodies and see what I could come up with. A few bites into the amuse and I could tell they were pleased with the result. I'm glad they were able to take the time out of their day to come in and get a taste of what I am able to do. It's not everyday I have people come in just because I am here, so I have to take every opportunity and make the most of it.

Or maybe it was just that bottle of 03' Cuvaison Chardonnay that I sent out for them that did it? Either way, mission accomplished. It may take a long time to get some recognition in this city, but if it has to be one customer at a time I will make it happen. So come in and be that next customer.

Day Off, Off Topic

So,

The Mad Chef has a day off today, no time to waste though, as I begin to try and identify what I want to do with this "Mad Chef" entity and its evolution. I mean, the name "Mad Chef" only comes from my first catering gig when I was maybe 18 years old. I thought it was a cool name until I Googled it and saw 1,000 other "Mad Chef's," so I needed to take it one step further.

The Mad Chef of M Street is my path, my Projectivity, my own evolution into becoming a top chef (I hate that show...). I mean, anyone can call themselves a chef. Look at these TV shows that are on today. Do you really think Rachel Ray or Giada or any of those other TV food people could really run a multi-million dollar a year restaurant with all the issues and random bullshit that goes on on a daily basis? Possible, but not likely.

What about the guy that from Ace of Cakes? I met him at Olive's in DC when I was there, OK he probably could. Alton Brown? OK, that guy knows his stuff. But can he do that at 8pm on a Saturday night two line cooks down? I digress, this is not about anyone else but myself and what I want to do.

It takes a lot to get where I am now, but this is just the beginning...I am in the process of turning the kitchen in my condo more into a lab than a kitchen. With all the toys I have on my list, I may be able to start my own small catering business too. I mean, I am already doing a few small gigs here and there, and have plans for when football season comes around to really put myself out there for my beloved Skins.

I cant wait for that, I'm gonna tailgate in a different section each game and just throw down with everyone around me in the name of simply having a great time and handing out some business cards. If I can gather some other friends that cook here in the city, ha, just wait and see what we can come up with. The Chili Cook-off was a big success for me, especially for letting me see what I am capable of doing in the elements.

Sorry, just pondering the world of options that this great career has opened up for me, and hopefully before too long you'll get a chance to see what I can do for your event, party or dining experience!

Jaime, En Fuego

I was remembering some good fire stories in the kitchen today.

I don't mean fires like "instances where a problem needed to be solved," I'm talking about actual fires in the kitchen. You would think that sometimes when a grease fire (for instance) pops up, most people would know what to do. Well people, think again.

One night when I was a line cook for one of my former "haunts" of DC (hint hint), I was working saute and it was nearing closing time after a very busy night. I stepped off the line to grab a product from downstairs in our walk-in. I was only gone for maybe 2 minutes when I hear my chef start screaming my name, in vain mind you. Followed by the words "what the @#$% is your deal Chase!!"

So I ran back up the steps only to find several tiny fires. By tiny, I mean about 1 foot tall flames in several areas around my station and underneath it as well. Interesting looking to say the least. So there's my chef scrambling past me up the steps to get out of the kitchen, my GM cursing from in front of the line because it was an open kitchen, and myself just staring in amusement at the whole scene. I mean, come on...this was the "SS Minnow" of kitchen fires.

The other cooks on the station were somewhat confused. One handed me some towels calmly and said "get to work Jaime." So, what else was I going to do?? I grabbed several towels and began patting them out one by one, only to find grease puddles under one of them, since someone had spilled the olive oil I keep at the station in the ruckus.

So while I am putting out the fires with several towels, my chef slips back into the kitchen with a huge fire extinguisher. My station was covered from one end of the stove to the next within seconds. Open kitchen, mind you, my first reaction was "What'd ya do that for??" My second was "Look at how many people just saw a fire in the kitchen!!" My third was...interrupted by the immediate scolding I got for letting such a thing happen at my station.

Thanks, I really meant to do that chef. The dining room was silent, with about 100 people staring intently at all of us. We left the kitchen immediately, laughed it off, got a lecture, and began cleaning...it took me an hour to clean my station that night, it usually took about 15 minutes.

Lesson learned...NOT.

You ARE the Weakest Link!

[Chili Cook-off Tangent]I completely forgot to write about Mothers Day!!!

Well, not really, my restaurant is closed. Yeah, that's right we are closed. I am spoiled and I am damn proud of it. It may be foolish/selfish for a restaurant NOT to be open on Mother's Day, but guess what, mine ain't and you wont hear a peep out of me over it. As for my momma, she got a nice present.

[/Chili Coof-off Tangent]

Onto an email I got from our "cooks captain" today...hope I see her again next year!! I am now convinced that my chili was replaced, went missing, switched by accident whatever have you. But something was amiss.

I stated yesterday that my chili was 1st through the first 2 rounds they put it through. Great comments and only one negative comment through all of the rounds being that the beans were top mushy. No sweat right?? But turns out I didn't even come in second or third...or even fourth or fifth. Basically, from first to off the charts.

How is that possible?? I mean it's all good either way, but man do I feel like I got my butt kicked. When I saw the email I was thinking, "Yes at least I came in second or third, this would be great to write about." But alas nothing of the sort came out of that email. Better luck next year, kid. Thats OK, next year I will have something new for all of them.

So for those of you who made it out to the cook-off I ask, what'd you think of the chili?? Let a brother know!

Cooked

What more can I say? Yesterday was one helluva day at the cook-off. My team and I got there around 8am, greeted by our, ahem, "cook captain," and were told where we could park and set up.

As we pulled up it was obvious we weren't the worst setup, but far from the best. The team that parked directly behind us had a smoker the size of a hot dog stand you see on the streets of downtown DC and a vat that looked as if it could hold about 40 gallons (no exaggeration) of chili.

It was great from the start, with exception of not being able to have a beer until almost 11am. It was a travesty. Even funnier was it was held up because the retarded DC security and police couldn't figure out where to start and end the line.

Thousands of people in attendance, all likes of people. I don't even remember seeing any of the bands, basically because I only heard the faint sounds and the hoards of people coming in between sets. As for my team and I, we had a great time and I even had the extra help of some friends/fans of my cooking. I can't thank anyone enough who was there to help push my name to the masses yesterday.

I believe over the course of the entire day there were only about 3-4 people who gave the chili the "ehh" grade. We even caught a few on camera with some really pleasent looks on their faces. Hopefully most of them really enjoyed the chili and weren't just playing it up! All in all, once I am able to get the footage from the cook-off that we took it should provide some insight into what people really thought about the food they had though the course of the day.

Although I didn't win any of the awards, I did give out a ton of business cards, greet lots of people, and got some video footage of the masses enjoying great food. I did at the end also get to read the many comments the judges had specifically of my chili.

It looks like there were 3 rounds of tastings. As far as mine went, I got thru the first 2 rounds with the most points overall, getting comments like: great heat, nice texture, can't name spice but tastes great, what is that spice, nice heat, and beans too mushy (no baked beans next year, btw). I got one or two overall "extraordinary" comments also.

Although on the last round of judging it looks as if something may have happened because I got absolutely no points and the winner got 4 extraordinary comments, so go figure. Seems to me that the "chili professionals" (LOL at that anyway) who judged the last round may not have liked it, but the people gave their stamp of approval, which means more to me anyway.

Oh well, I wont complain. Many of the other competitors who had been doing so for years told me it was awesome, and that I needed to join the ICS so I could play with the big boys next year. We will have to see about that one, but if my competition is using a smoker and 2 grills with a 40 gallon vat to make chili, I may have to start preparing now for next year's budget.

So as promised at the cook-off I will now tell you the simple goodness behind what everyone got a taste of and hopefully enjoyed.


The Mad Chef's Almost Famous Chili:

2 of each red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper - small chop
1 bunch of celery, small chop
4 roma tomatoes, small chop
6 ounces of tomato paste
16 ounces of crushed tomatoes
2 each white onions, I use vidalia, small chop
3 lbs of ground beef
3 lbs of ground pork
24 ounces of each - black bean, kidney bean, baked bean
1/2 lb of light brown sugar
1 16 ounce jar of pickled jalepenos - hold liquid, small chop jalepenos
dry seasonings in no particular order:
cumin, coriander, chili powder, ginger, mustard, kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Saute off all of the vegetables, add meat, add tomato paste and crushed tomatoes.

Before adding the beans (and when the meat is cooked) begin adding all spices except brown sugar and the jalepenos.

I do not measure any of my spices (sorry)...be generous, it's chili and your taste buds will tell you how much you need to add.

Drain all the beans and add, season one final time and add the brown sugar and pickled jalepenos.

Let this cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

Chili Cook-Off Roundup

The Mad Chef appeared in today's Washington Times in a story about the Chili Cook-off. See below:

Area chefs came to 11th Street and New York Avenue Northwest, the site of the former Washington Convention Center, to simmer their stuff. James Chase, a 27-year-old chef at Sea Catch restaurant, was taking part in his first chili cook-off. He and his friends were not competing for the top prize, but mainly came out to support the National Kidney Foundation. Still, they were determined to give the chili fans something to remember them by.

"We have a friend who's traveled back from Asia and imported some spices," Mr. Chase said, adding that he used some in his freestyle chili.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080511/METRO/630541248


The Mad Chef's Almost Famous Chili was #1 in preliminary judging, but finished out of the money in the finals. So basically, the professionals went a different direction, but the people loved it. I think we're plenty happy with that result.

We'll have more reaction, pics and hopefully some video up shortly, so stay tuned!

Chili Eve

Happy Friday People!!!

Last day before the DC101 Chili Cook-Off, can you tell it's all I am thinking about? I had to be at work early this morning and have 2 different parties to prep for, as well as a lunch special to put together. Not to mention about 200 lbs of fish to fabricate. Yup, that's right 200lbs, fish coming in from Hawaii, Senegal, and our regular stock. When my chef told me how much he was ordering I was telling him it was too much. Then I realized I am off tomorrow.

Kind of funny if you look at it through my eyes. I would treat myself every bit the same way. "Hey kid, your off tomorrow and even if I have enough people in the kitchen, why add the stress of cutting all that fish tomorrow when I can make you do it today." So, I understand chef, work smart not hard. So while I sit here and bust my ass for the next several hours I will do so without a peep of bitching or whining because I won't be here tomorrow.

I intend to be drinking before noon and making a kick ass batch of chili. I can't complain at all actually. I have all of my produce and meat for the event. I am leaning on some friends to bring the pots we are making the chili in and the stoves we are cooking them on. Yes, it's more then one pot and stove...we are talking around 14 gallons of chili when it's all said and done. I ain't messin around with this, the Mad Chef is doing this to get his name out there and if ten gallons won't cut it then I'm going to just pull out all the stops for this. It's gametime.

I'll have pics and info up here on Sunday, so wish me luck!

Pop-Up Problem

What a fuckin day...

The lunch speed hump threw a real wrench in my day today. Soon as I walk thru the doors I learn of a pop-up party that scheduled itself after I had left yesterday. Thanks for the heads up guys!!! My chef is off again, conveniently. Can't complain about that though because I get off on Saturday!!!

The party is only for 25 people but it must have gotten busy last night, because as I arrived I also signed for about 150 lbs of assorted fish to fabricate. Special to be done, party to prep for, and don't forget about making that menu by 3pm...and of course it got busy during lunch so I spent most of the shift dancing between our raw bar, out front and the hot line here in the kitchen.

So at around 2pm when things began to calm down, the party finished, etc., it was time to cut all of this fish and begin thinking about my special. At least my chef got me some Carolina Black Grouper to play with today. This fish sells really well for some reason, even though it tastes like every other grouper, so maybe it's the name???

Anyway, with all that said and done and my special for the evening done in a flash, literally, I need to take a moment to speak about the cook-off meet & greet last evening. First of all, let me begin by saying that I can no longer be upset with the "cook captain." Don't ask me why...maybe I'm a sucker for blondes?? (Yes, I am.)

She answered most of my questions in a meeting with the other cooks before I could even begin to ask such things. I also learned that I cannot submit a salsa and a chili, so I may only do a chili since that is what I did a test run for over the weekend. Looks like a bunch of the cooks who signed up in my group have been doing this for years and years, so it's gonna be a bit of a challenge. That said, I can tell it's going to be a good time no matter what when the first question asked is "when will you guys start selling beer???"


Having all of my questions answered and even letting me get additional tickets (after they have sold out) made the evening worthwhile as far as I'm concerned. I also learned that 10 gallons of chili usually sells out before 4pm. My batch size was going to be 6 gallons. Shit, now I have math to do.

The Earth Moved...

Really.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/06/AR2008050601840.html?hpid=moreheadlines

This doesn't happen here very often. That said, maybe it was just Obama finally knocking the wicked witch of New York out of the Democratic race tonight....

Down A Cylinder But Running Strong...

At the end of the day when its all said and done, just another day at the office...errr, kitchen. That new cook popped in here around 7pm...and with the way that GW Hospital operates I'm pretty sure he hadn't even gone home, he came straight here. He was still in his kitchen uniform, which was a touch too clean for a day of work, with 5 stitches hidden somewhere underneath the bandages of his thumb.

One, I can't wait to give him shit for cutting himself in the first place because that's what we do in the kitchen. Two, I respect him all the more for even stopping by to say that he couldn't work again until Friday. Fine by me, he only is supposed to work Thursday, Friday and Saturday for me. Only reason I wanted him here tonight was because it was supposed to be busy, which leads me to my next point...

246 covers on a Monday night, not bad for any restaurant in the city. I would go so far as to say it would be a damn good shift anywhere in the city for a Monday. My entire crew, dishwashers included, got to throw down a helping hand tonight. Not just in the usual sense either. My dishwashers could do prep at the very least, but they went even further. They helped me plate each of the 3 parties that rolled in while I simultaneously worked the expo, plated the party, and even plated 2 tables from behind the line with my other cooks.

We all knew we were in a tight spot and everyone stepped up. THAT, is a team. I am fortunate to have those guys in my kitchen. We are all in this together...can't describe it better than that. The chef always gets the credit, but the line cooks and everyone else are the engine that makes a good restaurant run.

Afternoon Delight

Great day. My newbie cook cut himself at his other job this morning, 2 of my ovens weren't working for lunch, and I was shorted several produce items which as of 3:45pm have not arrived yet. We are still sitting just over 200 reservations for the evening. I tried to call in another cook but he was still asleep when I called. The host is a friend of his, and when she called him he immediately picked up (grrrr). When she asked if he would be willing to work tonight he replied he was "too far away."

Uh, OK dude, I see how this is going to be, thanks. I really can't blame him, in my younger days I wouldn't have picked up the phone on my day off either. If it had been anyone that works with me, they know the only thing I respond to is text messages on days off...gotta be smart if you are going to try and avoid work for a day. So as Chris Rock said, I don't agree with you, but I understand.

So after the speed hump and all the prep for these parties going on tonight, I'm getting dissed by a line cook. Fantastic. Then I have to turn my attention to the ovens that didn't want to work. I am far from a technician when it comes to making things like this work. I will tell you this though, it's not hard for me to take something apart, but putting them back together always ends up with me staring at a few extra parts. But hey, the ovens work now, so screw it. I may have to call a technician in tomorrow to put them back together correctly, but as for tonight, we're good.

Of course, I'll have to work the line tonight while also running expo, and I'm still short on produce, so I'm not out of the woods yet.

Test Run

So, 190 on the books tonight with 3 banquets, 33, 22, and 27 people each...so it should be an interesting night as my chef is off. I have some Branzini filets to work with, which is a European Sea Bass that can be fun to work with. Not a clue what I will be coming up with for my special though...my mind has been stuck on chili recently!

My test batch of chili went over well, all things considered. It took me less then 30 minutes to dice up about 2 gallons of different vegetables, sorry no recipes given for this just yet. After an hour of playing with the taste and everything cooking, the flavors started to come together pretty well. By an hour and a half, the 2 assistants that made it over and I were happy with what we had, so it was time to walk it over to a friend's house for some tasting.

I have to thank everyone who did come over and take a little time out of their day to see what I would be concocting for this competition. Everyone seemed impressed, and we all like it better with sour cream put in, so I did learn some things. Seconds and thirds were taken but to me that doesn't really mean much. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love watching people enjoy my food, but these people wont be judging me at the cook-off.

Those judges will be tough, and they're looking for perfection. Now, I hope I remember how we finished spicing that chili...

Showing Off

I closed again this Saturday and though I did not make the special, I had a friend come in that I have been waiting...let's just say a very long time to cook for. She brought in her boyfriend (she's like a little sister to me) and as soon as they sat down I was able to present them with a Williamette Valley Pinot Noir (it's moderately priced in the 70's on our menu). I next jumped back into the kitchen to begin preparing an amuse for them, because I just couldn't help myself...maybe it was the Red Bull???

My first amuse for them consisted of a iron cast seared scallop over jicama & carrot salad, tossed in a tarragon vinaigrette. I put a little port ginger glaze with it for the sauce and the scallop had the tiniest bit of this orange endive compote I love to use from time to time. Sounds like a lot huh???

OK, sometimes the Mad Chef can get a little technical, I'm sorry, like I said I couldn't help myself. I promise it wasn't more then 3-4 bites on the plate...it's an amuse after all. My second amuse...if there is such a thing, consisted of a cauliflower mash with roasted baby root veges (patty pan squash, baby zucchini and baby carrots) topped with a piece of grilled shrimp and sauced with a pesto butter sauce. Again 3-4 bites on a plate, gotta keep it small because I still needed these people to actually eat a meal following this. I believe they enjoyed themselves, whether it was because of the second bottle that was passed to them or my cooking...all that matters is that once this couple left they wanted to tell people how it was. Hopefully the stories will be good ones.

330 covers tonight, smooth as a babies butt, with the exception to the one guest in the dining room who returned a side of vegetables because a piece of the cauliflower was an "awkward" green. Yes, that is the word that they used, and the Mad Chef did not hesitate to go and explain what carnival cauliflower is. Dining in a restaurant is supposed to be an "experience," whether great, mediocre, or even poor from time to time...it's is still an experience. Well, it's supposed to be, and that's also part of my job too.

First test run on the chili tomorrow!!!

You Got (Wrongly) Served

For some reason this shift seemed extra long...a plate disappears in the middle of the black hole that is our dining room, the entire table went out, 9 items on the check, 9 people at the table...1 item missing???

Sometimes I can't control everything, it's at these times, to make it easier on all parties involved, (or I'm just in a good mood) I will say it was my fault. Yeah, it was my fault, but read that again, server. I could really care less, shit happens sometimes and someone has to take the blame so it will be me this time.

My only concern is getting that missing item out to the table as quickly as possible and in the correct fashion, i.e. not microwaving, frying, cutting the product in half, smashing it paper thin...all of which I have seen happen during my ten year career. None of which I will EVER let happen in my kitchen. The diner could be screaming in the dining room after a moment of not having food and the manager on duty could come back screaming at me, doesn't matter...some things just have to be done correctly and can't be rushed.

Get it right or don't get it at all, can't half ass things in a restaurant. The people who choose to eat here don't have to be here to eat, why risk screwing things up more then they need to be? Buy them their meal, a drink...have a coke and a smile and, well, I hope you know the Richard Pryor line because I luckily don't have to deal with customers.

I saw an angry one tonight, I couldn't even tell you what he was upset about. I tried to overhear the conversation with the manager but from what I could tell the guy couldn't even come up with a story as to why he was so upset...maybe he just wanted a free meal?? I don't know. 2 new servers on the floor ringing in checks wrong, other servers just forgetting to ring certain items in...thank goodness this new cook can move, or else the kitchen would have gone down in flames trying to correct so many mistakes at once.

It was great, all fun and comical when I look back on it. Not too much screaming on my part, but again, my cooks keep me up like kickstands when I need them too and thats what matters most. Sorry if this seems like a discombobulated post people...no days off can sometimes get to ya!! But hey, this is what it's all about, two more 12+ hour days and then glorious SUNDAY to do absolutely nothing...oh wait, I have to do a test run on that chili!