Breakdown

Tuesday...

Another week has come and gone faster than I can blink. I have made several phone calls across the country in search of the best ham and grits to bring into this restaurant. As I type this morning, the Micros systems are being installed and only my chef and I are here. We are about to lay concrete in the basement of this place to make it suitable for food.

I am person who could not paint before entering this place, or spackle, or put up dry wall. Yet I have found myself doing all of the above since coming on board. That seems to be an everyday occurrence, then around 5 pm heading over to Sonoma on Capitol Hill to cook some of the best food I have touched in years. I broke down a baby goat last week with the chef there. It took him under 5 minutes...let's not talk about how long it took me, LOL. It did take less then 10 but that's a turtle's pace for him.

We did however have a run at breaking down chickens. Barton tells us all the time it should take about 25 seconds. Unfortunately neither the chef at Sonoma nor myself has seen this happen yet. My first one drew the kitchen's attention and not because it was lightning fast. 1 minute 13 seconds, and laughs all the while as I cut away at the bird. My chef cut his first one in 49 seconds.

Then we went side by side and I came in at 55 seconds, but he smoked me by 10 seconds again. As he walked away and let me cut 4 by myself I steadily got used to it and got my last one down to 43 seconds. That's still considered slow, so hopefully today when I head back over there I can get below 40, so by the time Blue Ridge opens its doors I am around 30 seconds or so on a regular basis...

Next time, I'll challenge him to a tuna or something I've been breaking down for the last few years now!