Leaving The Jones

I put in my notice at The Jones. My last day will be in mid September. I'll begin the search for a new job soon, probably in a big hotel downtown. I made this decision because after 2.5 years working more or less the same station I've started to resent many of the things like chopping romaine, making crustini, making Caesar dressing, slicing tomatoes, and making fritter batter that I find myself doing almost every day. I realize that endless, often mindless repetition is a major portion of being a professional cook but I need a new set of prep jobs that I have to do all the time corresponding with a new set of dishes on a new station so as to broaden my skills and such. That can really only happen at a different restaurant. What's more, the chef who has taught me virtually everything I know is leaving at the end of the week and the kitchen will simply never be the same without him.

It occured to me yesterday that I've been working at The Jones for about a 10th of my life. which is weird.

Free Cake!

One of the best perks of my job is getting to take home cosmetically damaged or barely unserveable deserts. Just the other day Joe made the ganache for his Boston cream pie too thick so he had to spread it on rather than pour it so instead of being perfectly smooth and glossy like it is supposed to it was full of rippples and matte. Basically it looked like a cake that someone's mother had made rather than a cake produced by a professional kitchen. That is very important. Jason made a new one the next day and I got to take home the ugly one.

When you make a chocolate ganache for a cake be sure to make sure that when you put it on it is just thin/warm enough so that you can pour it over the top of the cake and it will fall over the edges but still cling to the sides. Ugly things just never taste quite as good as beautiful ones.