Heartfelt Ramblings

I find myself in a bit of an awkward position. I have a part time job that I do really enjoy. It's by no means because of the food. The food is pub fare and to be honest not really all that stunning. There are so many little things the owners could do to improve the quality of the current menu without having to change prices it astounds me. I do have to give them a chance it has only been a month or so since the owners took ownership and they are still trying to get their feet under them so I will let it ride for now.

The staff and owners at the pub are super friendly and gregarious. It's hard not to like them, my dilemma comes in that I have accepted a full time position at Cafe Presse as night saute cook. High volume and French food, not to things that normally go together but is a truly brassiere setting. Pretty laid back service and straight forward food. It pays a bunch better than the pub and has benefits, so that it is a plus for me. No insurance is the bain of most restaurant workers.

This is the dilemma section, I don't want to give up the pub job. I would still be working less than 60 hours a week but only get one day off. That means Lydia and I get less time together, one big negative. On the other hand we are getting married in 7 months and that is really pricey. Plus our landlord has informed us he wants to sell the condo. So now we have to look for a house, we don't really want to move into another rental, so that is another chunk of cash we have to find. Now I was fairly content to work weekends at the pub and do some catering through Cochon but I wasn't able to put much cash away for either thing.

My dream of La Bocca was slowly drifting away before my eyes. I have to say and be perfectly honest I was really depressed. I have never in my life been so dependent on someone else. My parents don't count, I'm here because of them! (LOL). I was feeling adrift and very lost. I usually have my emotions in check and can control myself pretty well but I was, to be brutally honest a prick. I couldn't be nice and I really didn't want to do anything but hide in our house.

Luckily for me I have Lydia, she didn't judge or push or harp at me about what was going on. She was encouraging, told me she loved me and that we were a team and it would be alright.

The Cafe Presse job has really brightened my day. I still feel that La Bocca is a bit out of my reach but I can at least still see the prize before me. To everyone who has listened, allowed me to cook or just gave a damn about me I say thanks. Hopefully good things will come to he who waits.

We shall see and I will try to blog or tweet a little more often. Thanks for listening- P

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

As a cook or chef, you have to be able to think fast on your feet, use whatever you have on hand to make something great and satisfy the guest. With my recent career development, I have rethought my situation. Of course I need to have a job and make a living. We are getting married and I do need to support my family. However do I need to spend every waking moment at in a restaurant kitchen for someone else? I think not, and not what I want for my family or just my own life. Someone recently wrote to me that I should follow my heart and take informed risks. Everyday is a risk of some sort so why not make the best out of every situation, improvise, adapt and overcome any obstacle thrown in your way.

So with some inspiration from our friend "The Quigg"- Bridget is one of Lydia's friends and has become one of mine and truly my greatest supporter outside of Lydia, we put together a website and I applied for all the necessary licences and the correct insurance. We are now working as Cochon Catering. Cochon is the French word for pig, no surprise for those who know me. We are trying to market this to people who like great food, are looking for something unbelievable prepared in their own home kitchen, with no real stress from shopping, cooking or cleanup. We are going to try and keep this project as green as possible from the reusable packaging to the green cleaning products.

We will be tailoring menus to each clients needs and wants, so will be holding true to the ideals of La Bocca. Hopefully the clients we acquire with Cochon Catering will also be willing to visit us one day at La Bocca.

This new direction is only a small part of what I want for my family's life. Yes I would love to open LA Bocca, but will I sacrifice my family or my health to struggle with no hope in site? NO! We are going to continue to work towards the ever present dream of La Bocca, but Cochon will be our focus for the time being.

Thoughts on a new chapter

It has been just a few days at Artisanal. Lots of the usual open routine.I have opened or been a part of opening about 12 restaurants over the years. I am accustomed to the speeches of managers and the chef/owner about what is the focus or vision of the restaurant. I have in fact given the speech myself and hope one day to be give it again. But for me this is a bit more intense. Chef Brennan is bringing a two Michelin star staff to Seattle to open this restaurant. I have worked at two highly rated French restaurants, Pappillon in Denver and the Palace at the Cincinnatian in Cincinnati. Although both chefs were very good and I respect them Chef Brennan himself is very approachable and engaging. He appears to have a great passion for hand crated ingredients, his personal definition of Artisanal, and a great respect for the kitchen, the physical plant, that he personally walks through the kitchen at the end of the shift to make sure the kitchen is perfect.

He states that everything must be straight, everything from the sani bucket to the digital scales on a shelf. The idea is that if your station is set up perfectly and you work clean helps to make everything clean. From walk in to plates going out to the guest, no detail is to small or too insignificant to not be done perfect.

Chef Brennan believes that if you start with this idea the box of romaine is put away in it's spot with label and date forward to have it is cleaned to how it is dressed then plated that if everything is perfect from the start it will be perfect out the door.

As for me I know in my own kitchens that there are times when I have not been so precise. I get busy, there isn't enough staff, it's the end of the week, what ever and you break concentration. This is sort of like a virus, it spreads and pretty soon the place is a mess, the plates start not to be as crisp. Then something will happen and I will get upset at myself or a coworker, then I realize I have not been diligent. I have let this happen, I'm the chef I lead by example. Of course things are not how they should be the staff is following my example. Then I have to refocus, get things back on track. This is a vicious cycle I wish to break.

Hopefully in the weeks, months and yes years to come under Chef Brennan's employ I will train my mind and retrain myself not to fall into the cycle of poor concentration. I hope to take the wealth of knowledge and experience. Chef Brennan is offering up a way to help hone my dedication to the sucess of La Bocca.

How things change

To everyone who has been following us either through twitter or facebook I would like to say thanks. For all the folks who have come to our tastings and been part of La Bocca so far, your input has been beyond value.

If you have seen our twitter from a few days ago you will realize I am leaving my present position and taking a job as a sous chef for Terrance Brennan. He owns several restaurants in NYC and is opening an outpost in Bellevue. To some this may seem to be a step backwards but it is an opportunity to help open a huge fine dining restaurant and continue to hone my skills.

With the recent engagement to Lydia I found myself thinking of the future and my responsibilities as a husband and one day as a father. I have lived the majority of my life being only concerned for my own well being. Now that has changed. I will have responsibilities to my family. This position offers benefits, health care, vacation time and sick leave. Most restaurants can't afford these but for a few key employees.

We are not giving up the dream of La Bocca, in fact this delay will give us a better chance to save for a down payment and perfect our business plan and the format. I would be content to open La Bocca on a shoestring but the likelihood of failure is greater than I can accept for my soon to be family. Restaurants will always be a risky business but with proper preparation we will have a better chance of success.

We will continue to blog, tweet and experiment with menu ideas but our opening will be delayed for a bit. Unless we hit the lottery and don't have to work for other people we will be patient and get things as ready as possible. We will continue to search for a location and investors as time allows, but we won't be rushing the opening.

Again we thank all those who have followed us and given support. Have no fear La Bocca is coming, it is just at a slightly slower place.

Why open a restaurant?

Why open a restaurant is one of the first questions you get when you start to. travel down this road. The question comes mostly from industry insiders, restaurant owners and people in the financial/lending industry. Restaurant owners ask why would you want to give up the paycheck and security for the workload and headaches of ownership. The financial folks will tell you that the restaurant industry has a fairly high failure rate and getting funding will be difficult and making a realistic profit will be a challenge. These are the realists the people who know what it takes and in all reality are the ones who truly don't want to see you fail.

And yet people with little or no experience still take on all the risks everyday.

What outsiders don't understand are all the things that go into a successful restaurant. I'm going to put this out there not to be cruel or nasty. Just because a family member or friend tells you that, "you are a great cook you should open your own restaurant, I'd come every day!"

This business is not for the faint of heart. You need the physical stamina of an athlete and the mental/ emotional fortitude of a death row inmate still contemplating escape. You also must have the commitment and devotion to preach the virtues of you restaurant to anyone who will listen, in a way like a missionary making dinning converts where ever you go.

I know anyone reading this who isn't in the business will think I am full of s**t, but spend one week in a busy kitchen and you will begin to understand at least part of what it takes to make a restaurant work. Since I have spent the majority of my life in a kitchen I will give you a sample of an average work day, something you will have to deal with day in and day out.

If your restaurant serves lunch you will have to be up shortly after the sun, if you do breakfast well before it is up. Upon entering the kitchen you will have to light all the fires, turn on the hoods, check all the coolers and make sure they are at temp. Check the line, refill anything that is low and do prep to get ready for basic service. Now if you are lucky and the restaurant is large enough and does enough business you may get a prep or a line cook to help out. If not you will probably be by yourself and may or may not be able to afford to have a dishwasher to do dishes for you.

So you have to have your soups up to temp and your starches ready. Also your are going to have salesmen coming today or your order is going to arrive and you must be ready for either. Either it is placing the order or putting it away you will have to make time because it will happen when you are cooking for a customer. If your rep is any good he/she will stand at the end of your line and do your order asking as few questions as possible. If your driver is behind he/she will come in the middle of the lunch rush have 2,000 questions and pile all you purchases in front of the cooler door with the most perishable on the bottom of the stack.

If you have a not so great rep they will be in your apron pocket and never shut up. Placing an order is always time sensitive. the rep has to have everything from all his accounts in by a certain time and fresh meats and seafood have a very early cut off, usually before noon so you must be ready.

Now your lunch service is over. Your big push is done. Now you can clean up, do some dishes and get ready for dinner. Now as the owner/ chef you will be answering question from customers, getting phone calls, fielding questions from staff and countless other non cooking jobs during the day.

Hopefully you are busy enough to have a cook and a dishwasher during dinner service. During the afternoon lull you have made some calls, set up the dinner specials and reset the line. Now you may or may not get time to do banking or other managerial duties, so if you have a FOH manager or a partner hopefully they can help you with these tasks. Otherwise you will have to make a midnight bank drop.

So now you have a few minutes, sit down, gobble down a sandwich and get mentally ready for a few more hours of dinner service. You are not going to get to many random phone calls once dinner start, telemarketers don't cold call businesses after 5pm usually. However yo will have a few more people on staff to be concerned with. A couple of servers, a dishwasher and a cook. Now the only true way to control costs is through payroll. So if it isn't to busy start cutting staff. People will be pissed but it's your money so don't back down.

Now you have gotten through service and the kitchen is clean. All the employees have gone home and you are ready to leave. You make a quick run through the kitchen, bar and wait station to make sure everything is shut off. You collect the days recites and bank, and head for the door. You have been in the restaurant since before 9am and it is just past midnight. It was a relatively smooth day, a victory in most respects, if you are lucky all your planning and experience might earn you two more of these this week but that isn't a guarantee.

In 8 short hours you will be back at the stoves cooking, answering phones, problem solving and putting out proverbial fires.

SO YOU WANT TO OPEN A RESTAURANT?

I have 25 years in the restaurant business and a true passion for food and customer service, I am terrified of doing this but it is a passion and what I have worked the majority of my life to achieve.

Here in dwells the dilemma

As of late we have been looking a little bit more for a space to open La Bocca. This in and of itself is a bit of a daunting task, not to mention working 60 or so hours a week myself and Lydia's 40, plus the occasional work at home. We aren't able to get out to as many possible spots as I would like.

In addition to this, we both have a responsibility to our employers. I was reading the July/August issue of Food Arts (on news stands now!) And I came across a quote that struck a bit of a nerve. "Dining out is a dynamic, interactive, and holistic experience, hinging on three principles: the environment, the interaction, and the food. Ultimately how you handle your food has everything to do with success or failure."

Now, I work pretty hard and my days are long for the most part, but I'm not putting forth my best effort -- trying to be creative within the framework of the menu I am working with. I am letting down my employer, myself, and my cooks. My employer isn't at fault for my aspirations to open our restaurant. Nor is the blame to be placed on the shoulders of my young line cooks, whom I have offered to teach.

The fault is mine. I have looked past my current opportunity to the dream of my own kitchen. I owe more to my employer and co-workers. They deserve my best effort. The dream Lydia and I have for a restaurant needs to be at the pace we can accomplish without our work or private life suffering.

So all of this being said, I will be redoubling my efforts to make my current employer's restaurant a success, give my cooks the best education I can, maintain the best loving relationship with Lydia and when time allows, finish the business plan, find some investors, blog and tweet whenever possible and make our dream a reality.

Marketing Group Tasting Dinner

Our Sunday tasting was a success I believe. We had great, honest comments. I was worried folks might go easy on us, but they all seemed to be paying close attention to the food.

Quality comments about all courses helps me to refine seasonings for a wider group and hopefully for the general dining public. Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos with Lydia running food, clearing plates, doing a few dishes and moderating the conversation and me chained to the stove. Maybe we'll have to enlist some enthusiastic shutterbug friend of ours to document the evening next time.

We were given lots of great input on how and why people choose certain restaurants to frequent along with their biggest restaurant pet peeves. Knowledgable staff topped the pro list -- servers who are able to answer questions and make informed suggestions without being "preachy" or overbearing. Noise level was a frequent topic in terms of turnoffs. Our diners also offered suggestions on menu size as well as selection. We also briefly touched on price point. On that note, Lydia and I tried to beat the heat this week by going out. We settled on a favorite Italian spot. Great food and service but most of all a steady stream of air conditioning.

We both had a drink. To start, Lydia had a caesar and I had an oven-roasted tomato crostini with goat cheese. Then, we both had pasta entrees. $80 was the total. Now, I won't complain. We knew the cost before we sat down. But, $19.95 for gnocchi in vodka sauce is a little pricey. We both were full without being stuffed at the end of the meal, but it did bring up the question of price. I've been looking at some other top Italian spots around Seattle, too, to check out menu prices, and the restaurant we went to the other night is a bit on the high side.

Although both dishes were excellent and seasoned well, they were sort of small in respect to their cost. Maybe it's my reaction because being a kitchen guy, I know what they paid to create that meal in terms of food cost. And, they must be making a really nice profit per dish. I don't blame them or think less of the meal we had. They are very successful, and the food is delicious.

However, with La Bocca, we would like to appeal to a slightly larger audience by having our offerings fall in the $13-$15 range. Obviously, if we are using an expensive ingredient, we will have to price accordingly (e.g. dishes with more protein content will have to be nearer $20 most likely), but we are looking to keep the prices really affordable across the entire menu.

Our basic premise hasn't changed from the beginning. Give our friends, family and neighbors the highest quality product we can while making La Bocca an affordable option for everyday dining, all while providing a living for Lydia, myself and our staff.

Question: What price range do you look for in an Italian restaurant?

Nutmeg in Lasagna?

So, we went out to dinner last night, in a desperate search for air conditioning. It's so rare we have to face intensely hot days in Seattle, but apparently this week is one for the record books -- near 100 degrees almost every day.

Our first stop was Kingfish Cafe. I'm a sucker for their catfish and crab cakes as well as their coconut cake. And, I hadn't been in ages. It turns out that AC was not on the menu. It was sweltering inside. So, we headed back to the car to continue our quest. Patrick thought ordering some Dick's burgers and driving around in the car might be a viable option, but then I remembered Cafe Lago.

Cafe Lago has some incredible Italian fare and I just knew they had to have air conditioning. Happily, I was right. We stepped inside the doors and breathed a cold sigh of relief. Patrick ordered the gnocchi in vodka sauce and I defaulted to my favorite dish on their menu -- the lasagna. Cafe Lago has the lightest, most unique tasting lasagna I've ever head. The bechamel is creamy and scrumptious and the tomato sauce is wonderfully sweet. After one bite, Patrick announced that one of the things that set this lasagna apart was the inclusion of nutmeg. Nutmeg? Not being a chef, my ability to pinpoint exact ingredients is significantly less developed than Patrick's, but I couldn't taste even a hint of nutmeg. We asked the waitress next time she swung by, and she was flabbergasted. Apparently, many people ask about the ingredients, but no one has ever guessed nutmeg. And, he was absolutely right! I'm tempted to give Patrick a blind taste test to see how refined that palette of his is. How does he do that?

Next time I make lasagna at home (or, let's be honest -- next time Patrick does), I'm pulling out the nutmeg.

A Curious Thought

We were on a rafting trip last weekend with some of Lydia's college friends. Sunny, beautiful day and great company. Just a perfect day. They had all the usual questions -- how did Lydia and I meet? Where was I from? What did I do? Curious, protective friends -- another reason I love Lydia. She has friends that truly care.

Over a short time, the subject of the restaurant and food came up. Again, the usual questions -- Where is the restaurant going to be? What style of food? How long before it's open? Where do we like to eat when we go out for a meal in Seattle? The last one started me thinking. Lydia and I eat at the same few restaurants. We have a favorite Chinese place, a favorite Italian place, a favorite sushi place, etc.

So, why the lack of adventure? Because of our work schedules and the fact that I only get one day off per week, we want to be completely happy with the choice we make, because it will be an entire week until we get another shot to go out.

But, what makes these few restaurants our fall-back position? Well, I'll tell you. We ordered sushi from Rain on Monday night. We called, and I could tell they were a little busy. So, when we showed up and Jen, the owner, realized our takeout order wasn't ready, she bought us a drink and sent us a small sampler of sashimi to hold us over until our food was ready.

That one small act of offering us a drink and a snack is why we are so loyal. Not because it was free or a substitute for anything, but because of our relationship with the people there and the fact that we feel cared for every time we eat or pick up food at Rain.

With La Bocca, we want to cultivate those same feelings so that each customer feels cared for. When you walk into La Bocca, you are home.

A Duet

Two concepts have been eating at me of late. First, the more provocative -- why we should give a damn. Second is the characteristics of a good chef.

The first was spurred on by a brunch at the Portage Bay Cafe. Mostly organic but all busy and delicious, it was, to be honest, more than we could eat in one sitting without suffering all day long. They had a small pamphlet on the table titled "Eat like you give a damn." Even the staff shirts were emblazoned with it. Their vision essentially is to care about what you put into your body -- where it comes from, what impact it has on the planet, whether it's creating the least amount of waste possible.

From our first sampling, and what we witnessed of their business during that busy brunch, they are getting it right. The food was abundant and delicious. And, yes, we may have paid a touch more than your average breakfast spot, but at this point in time organic and sustainable products have a higher price tag. That's just the way it is.

We have also gotten caught up in the concept of seasonality. This would have been a foreign concept to diners a century ago. Seasonality wasn't a buzzword or selling point. It was the way things were. You didn't eat tomatoes or strawberries in January. Many chefs who come to these shores have a bit of trouble adjusting to the American expectation that they should be able to have "tomatoes" in January, especially when those same customers then complain to the restaurant staff that the tomatoes are bland. Some American chefs are more flexible and will give us, as consumers, what we want no matter the quality. Hopefully, in time, diners and chefs alike will embrace a seasonal way of cooking and dining.

Please don't misunderstand me when I say "some American chefs." The celebrity chefs with high-profile restaurants, those we see on TV or in print, obviously are the exception. Because of their persona, we are willing to follow their suggestions as to what is best. However, for every celebrity there are 100 chefs out there who are just in it to do a job and give the customer exactly what they ask for -- good or not -- not create an experience. The tide is turning, but we have a long road to travel to where we were a century ago.

Secondly, I would like to speak on the characteristics of a good chef. There is an old saying that you are only as good as your last meal. Recently a long time restaurant did a "Top Chef" style contest to choose the new chef. The winner was selected and is now running the kitchen. Now the first reviewer has visited and voiced their opinion. It was published in a local weekly paper, and let's just say the meal had some flaws.

A good or great chef needs not only to be able to cook amazing food consistently. He/she has to be able to inspire their staff, teach and console them as needed. Discipline and friendship are as important as food or labor costs. No guest should ever know the chef isn't in the kitchen. The chef has to train and have confidence in their staff that they will cook the recipes faithfully -- the same way the chef does time after time.

As the chef you have to smell, taste and touch everything that comes in the back door or goes out the kitchen window. A chef that lets burnt sauce or under-seasoned plates go out is letting all chefs who are striving for perfection down. You are building walls that we are having to knock down to get people through the door.

A good chef knows the devil is in the details and everything is the details.

Thanks to lots of folks

First of all I would like to apologize for not blogging for so long life gets in the way a bit some times. Secondly I would like to thank Bonnie and Jon Marsh for having us down for the 4th of July weekend. It was an incredibly relaxing weekend we both needed thanks again. And lastly I would like to thank the folks at Lydia's job that helped out with the tasting. We appreciate your candid answers and comments.

We have been looking at a few different spaces for La Bocca. We have seen something nice and something not so great. We have seen affordable and the ridiculously expensive. We are being patient and trying to find the perfect space.

We have also been watching several big name restaurants close their doors. The economy is very tough right now if you don't keep things under control. We are also seeing some encouraging signs that things are turning around but we are being cautious and trying to be as well prepared as possible.

We are planning another tasting in the next few weeks. We're doing it at the house so that I can have a little more control over presentation and portioning. Lydia did a great job at our first one but I was helpless to answer questions or help put it out, so we are doing it so that I can be there. We are also going to try and work in a marketing/ fundraising brainstorming session with the meal.

I have a tentative menu but it may change depending on what the market has to offer.

~Crostini with seared Albacore and Sicilian relish
~Heirloom cherry tomato caprese and herb salad with balsamic vinaigrette
~Pasta with crab and spinach spicy vodka sauce
~Seared Salmon on panzanella with speck vinaigrette
~Oxtail and chanterelle risotto stuffed tomato and grilled Flatiron with red wine sauce
~Fruit and custard tart

We are planning for 10 people again. Two chefs, a restaurateur, some marketing professionals, a fundraiser and all in all regular folks. Again we will be having a questionnaire about the food to help give it more appeal and plenty of Q&A about marketing and fundraising. Hopefully I'll be able to blog a little quicker this time and ad photos of the tasting. Thanks for reading.

La Bocca Lunchers - Tasting #1

We're just about 15 hours away from our first menu tasting. (Very exciting - and a little nervewracking to boot.) We decided to enlist my co-workers (and their stomachs) at the dot-com where I work to preview and provide feedback on some potential menu items for La Bocca. Patrick and I headed down to Pike Place Market on Saturday, followed by a quick stop at the grocery store, to select the ingredients we'd need. And, then Sunday, we set to work creating the dishes. You'd think that after working at a restaurant six days out of every week, cooking on his day off (even if it is for our little dream of opening our own place) would be the last thing Patrick would want to do. Not so. He would truly rather cook than pretty much anything else. And, on Sundays, it just means he gets to cook whatever he wants. The tasting menu for tomorrow consists of:

• Warm goat cheese and hazelnut salad with a puttanesca dressing


• Roasted mushroom lasagna (with porcinis, morels, and creminis)
  
• Handmade ricotta-stuffed ravioli with a spicy crab and spinach vodka sauce


• Mushroom soy marinated flank steak (yes, we revisited this tasty marinade)


• Flourless chocolate cake with raspberries

The challenge is trying to re-heat this all for tomorrow and transport it to my office. Fortunately, I don't have a long commute. So, I'll be making a mad dash home around lunchtime to warm everything up and get it back to the La Bocca Lunchers while it's still nice and toasty. Somehow, I don't think the Easy Bake Oven we call a microwave in our office kitchen is going to do the trick.

Hoping this first round will be a hit.

Sunday Dinner and the Porcini

We just finished eating one of the most tender steaks I have ever cooked and I am going to tell you about the preparation.

You will need a few items that you may or may not have in your kitchen but they are easy to locate if you don't have them.

Coffee grinder: I keep one for coffee and one for herbs and mushrooms.

Mushroom flavored soy: Most good grocery stores will carry it. The Asian markets will have 4-6 different varieties, experiment to decide which one you like best.

Dried mushrooms: You can find these at almost any grocery store's produce department. I like to use a blend but any combination will do.

Mushroom Marinade:

1/2 cup mushroom flavored soy

1 tablespoon finely ground mushroom powder

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients in non-reactive bowl and mix well. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. Rub on desired protein and refrigerate for a few hours.

I purchased some porcinis at the Pike Place Market from Frank's Produce and a couple of tenderloins from Fero's also at the PPM.

When you are ready to plate, get a medium saute pan fairly hot. Add some olive oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the saute pan, we don't want to deep fry the steaks. Let the oil heat up and then sear the steaks. We like ours medium rare. So depending on the thickness of your steak it could be a couple of seconds each side or a couple of minutes. How you like it is how you should have it done.

Put a small amount of risotto (or whatever side you choose) slightly off center on the plate. Add the tenderloins on the side of the risotto slightly overlapping or on top of each other depending what suits your fancy. We have some red wine demi glace in our freezer so that along with some sauteed porcinis made for a beautiful rich sauce. Then to really take it up I mounted the sauce with foie gras mousse and black truffle oil.

I hope you get the chance to try it out and like the new pics we posted of the meal.

An Obssesion

No this will not be an advertisement for perfume, there will be no man with six pack abs fawning over an anorexic female in black and white.

This is a peek into my obsession with food. Flipping through a food magazine , I found an article on Porcinis. Now I love mushrooms almost all of the edible ones to be exact. Not real fond of shitakes for some reason. They taste to much like dirt for me. Just one of those things.

Well on Sunday, my day off, I'm thinking of porcinis and how I can really up the mushroom component of or Sunday dinner. It's Wednesday and I am already planning the Sunday supper. Now I call Frank's and find out the price of the prized fungus. A good price for the Pike Place Market, but I'll get a little discount, remember relationships. I'll swing over to the meat market for some beef tenderloin or flatiron, something tender that will be the perfect foil for the mushrooms. I'm thinking risotto, herbs and wine or maybe some of the porcinis to this. We have some foie gras mousse in the freezer. I'll probably use the mousse to mount the sauce. Oxtail jus reduction with lots of red wine. As I'm working all this in my head I remember using a mushroom flavored soy with some pork that was delicious. What about a paste with mushroom soy, garlic and mushroom powder. Really push the flavors. Now for the vegetable and salad components. Lydia loves salads, especially Caesars. Maybe I'll do something with goat cheese. I saw a recipe the other day that really got me juiced up.

It's late spring early summer so maybe some zucchini blossoms with an asparagus mousse or a slightly grilled vegetable medley. I'll figure out some of the other components when I get to the market.

Even though I'm at work and doing a specific style of food my mind is always working on the next meal I'm trying to cook for us. Luckily I only get one day off or we would be spending every extra dime on extravagant meals.

Hopefully we can post some pictures after dinner Sunday night.

On Relationships

Whether it be family, friends, romantic or business, a good relationship is the basis for a successful endeavor. Any relationship takes work -- to build it with a strong base and a foundation of trust.

The partnership/relationship Lydia and I have formed is one that started out as a romantic endeavor. As we have nourished and worked at our relationship, love has blossomed and bloomed from two lonely flowers into a rose garden.

As for some of our other relationships, they may have begun as small friendships or business transactions, but they grew into unfailing devotion. Take Frank's Produce in Pike Place Market, for example. I started using his services while I was the chef at The Red House in Renton. We wanted to use more local and seasonal produce and the major supplier couldn't get local at a reasonable price. It started slowly -- a few things here and there. Then, I was making a trip to the Market each week to see what was fresh and in season. Soon, Frank was calling a day or two before I placed my order each week to let me know what was new and fresh. Even though I have moved on to a different restaurant, I still shop at Frank's for personal use and experiments for La Bocca.

I know we have spoken at length about using local, organic -- the small producer -- but I also have developed a relationship with Chuck P. from Sysco. Before you condemn me for using the "big guy," read the article in the April '09 Saveur by Indrani Sen titled "Greener Giant: Can an Emblem of Industrialized Food Also Stand for Sustainability?" This is a great piece and if you get a chance, check it out.

It points out several reasons for my devotion to this specific person and the company he represents. Chuck is not just a sales rep; he is a student of the restaurant business. He is always happy to show me new products or bring me samples of interesting food stuffs. If for whatever reason I need something on the fly or I ran our (or just plain forgot to order it), he won't hesitate to bring it out to me. Not all reps are as willing to go above and beyond, especially when it's my mistake, but Chuck never gives it a second thought to run me out something, even if it's small. Chuck has built this relationship and has earned my loyalty.

I'd like to tell you about my current kitchen staff as well. They are a couple of young men who have become an indispensable part of my daily life. We started out a little shaky, not really sure if we could trust each other. But, the three of us have grown into an inseparable team. We work as one with very little conversation. They know I'm not going to ask them to do something I wouldn't do myself. Our relationship is built on the trust that I will do what I promise and so will they. I will not let them get in over their heads and will teach them as much as possible, and in turn, I trust my boys to do their best, show up on time and do as I ask.

So, to bring this all back to La Bocca -- essentially, we want all who work with us, from the sales reps to the dishwashers to the front-of-the-house staff to feel invested in our unique relationship to our customers. We want our restaurant to feel like a family or maybe a friend's home where dad is a really good cook and there are always leftovers. We want to be able to greet our customers by name, to know their likes and dislikes. And, we want every new relationship we form to add to our ever-growing circle of friends.

New Network

We have been doing a lot more "networking" over the last few days. Not on purpose mind you but through happy accidents and social events with lots of folks who are friends of friends and new neighbors. It seems that lately we are in more and more situations in which we can talk about the restaurant. Whether we are being out in social settings more often or "WE" have a voice instead of just "me" having a voice, I'm not sure.

My other thought is that Lydia is such a huge advocate of our dream. This is not to say that I don't want the same things, but she has more of a voice. Her marketing ideas and sense are what is going to get people in the door and my food is what will hopefully bring them back.

I also would like to point out that Lydia helps to keep me focused. Working 60 or 70 hours a week in a kitchen that doesn't belong to you makes things a little difficult. Coming home to do research and work on the computer is not always the first thing I think of when I walk through the door.

With Lydia's encouragement it doesn't seem like such a daunting task. Plus with the growing community of people checking in on Facebook and Twitter to see what we are doing, I want everyone to get as excited as we are, so that when we do get open we will have everyone clamoring for our pasta.

Thoughts on a Menu

I have been thinking about posting some sample menus just to get some ideas about a menu up so that folks can see where my head is. But, the more I thought about it and the more I wanted to create, the more I thought about space, time, heat and storage. It's great to be able to create in a vacuum, but what is difficult is to create beautiful, delicious food that is easily finished ala minute (at the last minute) and efficiently plated, then reproduced quickly for the next order if need be.

You can formulate and plan, trying to figure out the best setup for your station, mise en place (how to place the ingredients within your reach) but until the kitchen is in place, putting it together in your head, without the true crush of service is an exercise in futility.

Another complication, albeit minor is the issue of storage/cooler space. The kitchen we are looking at is very small. The entire restaurant is, in fact, small -- just under 900 square feet. So getting small enough pack sizes that will still be enough to get by may be an issue we will need to deal with at some time in the future.

Bitter Twitterer

UPDATE: Kim to the rescue... You can now see La Bocca tweets from Twitter on the right side of the page. Thanks, Kim!
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You'd think doing something like adding a feed of your Twitter updates to your blog would be simple. I see other people doing it. Supposedly, I'm supposed to know a thing or two about social media and Web marketing, that being my profession and everything. For the life of me, though, I can't figure out how to get a feed of La Bocca tweets on this blog. I found a few options but none of them are really great in terms of format.

I know there's probably one out there that everyone knows about (except me). If you're a Twitter expert and have any ideas, give a shout. For now, I think I'm going to drown my social networking sorrows in leftover bolognese.

I do think I managed to get these blog updates to post to Twitter though. One success for the day.

Inspiration from the ingredient

So often we in the restaurant industry are sent by a supplier ingredients that are only adequate for our needs, the tomato that is still too firm and a little green or the salmon that has been "refreshed," frozen then thawed before shipment. In some cases we have little choice but to accept what is delivered -- for example, it's February and the tomatoes are crappy or fresh salmon is so expensive customers can't afford it at a price the restaurant can live with. So as the chef or owner you have to make the sacrifice and do what you can with what you are given or "86" an item from your menu. In the end you mold and coax all you can from the ingredient. It has been said recently by a famous chef turned writer and TV travel host that it is the greatest skill or talent of the chef to turn something mediocre into something delicious. I am on the fence with that statement and sentiment. Yes sometimes when the ingredient is not perfect a great chef can make it shine, usually not as the centerpiece but as a background performer. But personally I think a great chef can take a perfect or nearly perfect ingredient, do very little to it and create something sublime. Therein lies the true gift of a chef, knowing how to treat the perfect ingredient.

Still Waiting to Get a Peek at the Kitchen

Patrick and I were so excited when we woke up this morning. We were meeting a real estate agent to look at a restaurant space for La Bocca bright and early. We were like two little kids on Christmas morning -- a Christmas morning when Santa forgot your house. The agent didn't have the right key to get the door open, so all we could do was peek in the windows. It's kinda like shaking the present boxes. Not really as satisfying as ripping off the paper.

However, she was able to show us a space upstairs in the same building. It has some rustic charm, but the amount of renovation it would need is a bit beyond what we're hoping to put into this venture. I'm happy to grab a can of paint, buy a new door or even put down some new tile, but this baby would need some major overhauling, not to mention deep cleaning. I think we'll wait to see the more turn-key space downstairs. Trying again tomorrow.

Making Our Restaurant Dreams a Reality

Well, we've been working hard on finalizing the business plan for La Bocca so we can take advantage of some of the great deals on commercial leases floating around. It's usually rare to find leases at the prices we're seeing in some really great, bustling Seattle neighborhoods. Sadly, we know this means some foodie comrades likely came before us and didn't fare so well. The current state of the economy is both a blessing and a curse when thinking about starting up a new restaurant venture. I know I've slowed down a bit on eating out, but it's never something I would completely cut out. I love new and interesting food too much, and I feel the need (now more than ever) to support the independent restaurants I love and want to see succeed. Speaking of which, if you haven't been to Rain in a while (or ever), check it out. I know sushi traditionalists might not enjoy their twists on sushi rolls, but I can't get enough. And, the albacore sashimi -- like butta!

Some day I hope we have loyal fans who will feel about La Bocca the way we feel about Rain. Whenever we go in there, it's like going to a friend's house who happens to know how to make kick-ass sushi. It just doesn't get better than that.