Ein Fotograf wurde zum Abendessen mit Freunden eingeladen und nahm ein paar Bilder mit, um der Gastgeberin zu zeigen. “Diese  fotos sind sehr gut!”  kommentierte sie.“Du musst ja eine gute Kamera haben.”

Am Ende des Abends dankte der Fotograf der Gastgeberin auf dem Weg nach draußen und sagte: “Das war wirklich ein köstliches Essen! Sie müssen ja sehr gute Töpfe haben.”😜😄

trying to hold on to my thoughts, knowing all too well that if I stall, I’ll lose my hold on the situation. What do I need to do again? Oh, yeah, “Nelson, I need a gin martini, straight up with a twist.”

“Do you know what kind of gin?”

“Nah, they didn’t specify.” I know if the boss heard me say that, she would get crazy concerned and upset. But, I also know that Nelson, the bartender, has it under control. I ring up a regular martini on the touch screen computer, knowing that it will cover the cost and profit of whatever concoction he makes. Send. Log out. What now? Oh, yeah. I stick my head in the food window, and the heat assaults my eyes. “Heinz, the guy on table 24 wants his Tilapia cut in half, and then blackened on one half and broiled on the other.”

He gives me a look of irritation instead of complaining & says,” Okay. Does he want anything else? Does he want me to eat it for him too? “no” “Okay.” “Thanks.”

Then Hugo, the busboy,

touches my arm and says, “Table eight wants their check.” “Alright. Thanks.” “Also, is table ten having anything else?” “I don’t know, but table one needs more water.” “I’m on it.” he speeds off before I even have a chance to say thanks.

What now? Oh, yeah, Table 31 needs to place a food order, and table four hasn’t even been set yet. “Leah!” calls Naz,( the boss,) ” Yes ma’am?”

“Are you ok?”

No. I want to scream and make a b-line for the front door, but my reply is automatic a defense against panic. “Yeah, I’m fine.” “Okay.” She replies to walk off, but I ask, “Actually, will you take table four’s drink order?” “Sure,”  She says, “Thanks.” I start to walk out to table 31 but hear, “Hey Leah! Where’s this martini going?” I check my notes. “The guy on table 24…position two.” Nelson speeds off. “My table needs a refill on their coffee,” says the new girl, “ Alright, just grab the pot and pour.” I wipe the sweat off my brow. What am I doing? Oh, yeah. Table 31 needs to place their food order. I walk out of the kitchen and suddenly remember table eight. I back up, go to computer one, and print out their check.

“Leah, your foods up,”

says Shan, the other boss, “Oh, crap.” I start to walk over and I hear Nelson say, “I got it.” Thank god! “Thanks, Nelson!” As I walk out of the kitchen to go to tables eight and 3, Naz walks in and orders the drinks for table four from Nelson. I look back and see he has my plates in his hands, looking at the ticket to figure out who’s having what. “Okay, I’ll do it in just a second. “ I make a mental note of the drink order, dropoff the check with a smile and a thanks to table eight, and got table 31 to take their food order. Thankfully, they are easygoing and order their food just the way it comes. As I walk to computer one, table 27 stops me, “Miss, Miss!”

“Yes Sir?”

“Can we get some extra dressing?”

“Sure.”

Crap.

I completely forgot about this table. Should I change them for the dressing? Yes. Uli would definitely mention it if I didn’t. Okay, to the computer one I go. Crap! The new girl’s on it with Shan. Thank god Shan’s training her instead of me.

As I speed off to computer two, I grab Hug, the busboy, and say, “This is too much for me to handle. I need you to go around and make sure that everyone has what they need.”

His stare turns into recognition, and he’s off again as I barely remember to say, “Thanks!”

I punch in the order for the dressing, and then the food order for table 31. Now what? I go to the kitchen, run the dressing, and got to table four. They haven’t even looked at their menus yet. “Could you give us another five minutes?” says one man.

“Sure.”
I stop by all my other tables and ask, “Is everything alright?” or “Can I get you anything else right now?”

Once again,

I thank God that everyone has pulled through and filled in all the gaps. Everything’s fine, and table eight doesn’t need any change. I go to get one of my smokes, grab Hugo’s attention, and show it to him. He nods and goes out with the other new girl to show her how to re-set a table for new guests and to keep an eye on my tables.

I slip out the back door, light my smoke, and sit down to ease the throbbing in my feet. Three minutes later, I’m back in the kitchen washing my hands. What now?

“Naz, I call-

“Yes?”

“What drinks are table four having?”

“Two white wines, one Cosmopolitan, and a Dewars on the rocks.”

I punch in the drinks, drain my water glass, and go back out onto the floor with a smile.

THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS SURELY IS A VERY UNIQUE TYPE OF BUSINESS!

story by Leah C. Walden-Hurtgen

was invited to dinner with friends and took along a few pictures to show the hostess. “These are very good!” she commented.

“You must have a good camera.”At the end of the evening, the photographer thanked the hostess on the way out and said, “That was really a delicious meal! You must have very good pots.”😁

of bananas that grow on bushes that can reach 30 feet in height in one year. (THERE ARE NO BANANA TREES!) In the US alone, 96 percent of all households purchase bananas at least once a month, with an average American eating 28 pounds of bananas each year!

We don’t know the actual per capita consumption, but they make and sell BANANA BEER in Eastern Africa

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In Deutsch

Es gibt 500 Sorten

von Bananen, die auf Büschen wachsen, die in einem Jahr eine Höhe von 30 Fuß erreichen können. (ES GIBT KEINE BANANENBÄUME!) Allein in den USA kaufen 96 Prozent aller Haushalte mindestens einmal im Monat Bananen, wobei ein durchschnittlicher Amerikaner jedes Jahr 28 Pfund Bananen isst!

Wir kennen den tatsächlichen Pro-Kopf-Verbrauch nicht, aber sie produzieren und verkaufen wirklich auch BANANENBIER in Ostafrika

Researchers at the Scripps Clinic of San Diego found that people who at half of a grapefruit or drank a glass of grapefruit juice before every meal lost an average of 3.5 pounds over a three-month period, even though they did not diet or increase their exercise rout

Researchers attribute the loss to enzymes in grapefruit that help reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss.

But watch out:

grapefruit can interact harmfully with certain medications!

The world, I am sure, will never agree upon the exact origins of the word “bistro!” The most often quoted explanation is that bistro! bistro! is what the Russian solder shouted as they made for the cafes after seizing Paris in 1815. However, since the word really did not enter the French language until 1884, other explanations are more plausible. Some suggest the word comes from “bistrouille” or “bistouille”, which in the north of France refers to a mixture of coffee and eau-de-vie, or to a poor quality eau-de-vie, both drinks one might find in a “Bistro”. Going one step further, we have the verb “bistrouiller”, which refers to the preparation of an ersatz wine made with water, alcohol, and other products, which of course might be passed off as wine in a low-quality “bistro”.

Whatever its origins, everyone agrees that whether it’s a café, a small simple unpretentious restaurant, or simply a place to enjoy a glass of wine and a simple yet hearty sandwich, or burger, a bistro is a place for good times with friends.

Most simply a bistro is a small neighborhood restaurant serving home-style substantial fare for lunch and dinner

The chinaware is almost always thick and plain white,

the tables are covered with sheets of white, crinkle-edged paper, the floor peppered with sawdust. The menu – often an illegible mimeographed sheet encased in clear plastic- is brief and changes infrequently, save perhaps for the ritual plat-du-jour. if this is Tuesday they must be serving crab cakes.

In bistros,

people do not whisper, they shout, and diners are not on a first-name basis with the harried waitress wrapped in a frilly white apron. In bistros, you might not even get to choose what you eat and drink. The “patron”, or owner, may usurp that right. And in bistros, you will often find yourself chatting across tables with perfect strangers, friends, actors, famous personalities sharing their platter of  French fries or paté while you wait for yours to come sizzling from the kitchen at the end of the room.

In days past,

in Paris in particular, the bistro served as an extension of the family room. Apartment kitchens were small (in fact almost nonexistent), and many Parisians took all their meals at their local café-style bistro. In some cases, they even stored their own napkins there.

Bistro cuisine

is French home cooking at its best, which we have adapted to American and Swiss palates by infusing, adding, or changing ingredients according to the availabilities of the local markets. What we love the most about cooking and eating bistro food is its sense of generosity, of wholeness, of copiousness, simply good food, reasonable prices (maybe not anymore!) good portions, and no foofoo or gimmicks!!

Bon Apetit!

your blogging friend Ulrich Koepf

Tanja Grandits ’delightful contribution to International Women’s Day:“ A power bar, feminine, pink and powerful! ”.

Tanja Grandits, 19-point chef at «Stucki» Basel, also makes her own power bar. For your customers in the small “Lädeli”. And for her daughter Emma. “Honey, butter, or oat flakes are always included,” says the boss, “and nuts, dried fruits, and spices are added depending on your mood. Ideal for hiking, at school, or at work. “

THE LATCH FOR WORLD WOMEN’S DAY.

Ringier has successfully launched an initiative: “EqualVoice”. The Goal: More visibility for women in media coverage. Tanja Grandits sits on the Advisory Board and says, “I’m more of a doer than a speaker. So I’m drawing attention to the topic with a new power bar. ” Ingredients: cranberry, amaranth, and hibiscus!

«TABLE SET YOURSELF». From March 8th, there will be a «Frauenpower» bar in her shop, in the webshop, and at www.paketidee.ch. One Swiss franc per bar goes to the “Tischlein deck dich” organization. Baking bars yourself is also a possibility. Tanja reveals her recipe to us below:

ingredients:

70 g almonds

40 g sunflower seeds

150 g honey

120 g butter

125 g oat flakes, coarse

125 g oat flakes, fine

60 g cranberries

40 g amaranth, puffed

1 tbsp hibiscus, ground (9 g)

1/2 teaspoon salt (2 g)

Stucki / Tanja Grandits, Bruderholzallee 42, 4059 Basel – +41 61 361 82 22

Restaurant Stucky, Basel, Switzerland

Preparation

1. Roast the almonds in the oven at 160 degrees for 9 minutes and the sunflower seeds for 7 minutes. Roughly chop the roasted almonds. Reduce the oven temperature to 130 degrees.

2. Briefly heat the honey and butter in a saucepan. Mix all dry ingredients. Stir in the liquid honey-butter mixture and knead everything together well. Spread the mixture 1.5 cm high on a rectangular baking sheet lined with baking paper and press firmly until it is really compact. Bake in the oven at 130 degrees with convection for 35-40 minutes. Press the whole thing again firmly, let it cool down, and cut into bars. They are kept tightly closed for a few weeks.

as quoted by Gault-Millau of Switzerland, March 7th, 2021

For many years I believed that the best way to consume protein was by eating meat!  Of course, I also knew that beans and nuts are a good source of proteins.

A few days ago I watched, together with my family, a Netflix documentary called “The Game Changers”.  As a chef, I have slaughtered a few animals myself during my cheffing career, from disassembling a cow during my Officer Schooling in the Swiss Army as Corporal Head Chef, and also all kinds of birds and eatable creatures stipulated and, necessary on my menus. There was also a range of exotic meats, from Alligator, Hippopotamus, Lion, and Antilope, of course, I didn’t slaughter those animals, I just purchased the meat. 

 I suppose when one reaches a certain age, one becomes a bit more aware of what you should and shouldn’t eat in order to extend the remaining years we have to live with, or at least live a less painful life during old age.

What causes type 1 diabetes? 

It begins when something disrupts your body’s ability to turn the food you eat into energy, and also when your immune system, the body’s system for fighting infection, attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.  Some scientists think type 1 diabetes is caused by genes and environmental factors, such as viruses, that might trigger the disease; the part about genes is being disputed by many other professors and doctors. I am proof of the fact that diabetes is not hereditary, as I am on my father’s side, therefore also have his genes, (I look like him too) he had diabetes and so did his brother, both smokers, drinkers, and meat-eaters! My last physical results were “in good shape”, just a bit too much blood in the system, so I shall donate blood in order to get rid of some! I don’t smoke, nor do I abuse alcohol consumption.

Watch an explanatory video here, how diabetes 1 and 2 work

These associations seem to be mainly sponsored by major pharmaceutical companies, which are treating heart diseases and diabetes, but there are no sponsors of preventative companies, such as a farmers association, Bio manufacturers, environmental companies, etc !?

The Swiss Society of Endocrinology and Diabetology receives earmarked financial support for research, postgraduate and continuous education as well as infrastructure from the MSD, Sanofi Aventis, Roche Diabetes Care, and Abbott. As you shall see in the aforementioned documentaries, some of these associations even promote menus consisting of food items that are the cause of heart disease and diabetes in the first place!!

The cause and problems

of our health issues are in plain sight for us! But just as the people smoking know that it will eventually kill them, people continue smoking, and people continue consuming the wrong nutrients!

Below is a list of foods that replace proteins, instead of eating meats:

in addition Edamame, Potato, Kale, and Cauliflower are also high in protein

Like everything else in this world, it’s all about money! God forbid everyone should stop eating meats; what would all the cattle farmers do? what would restaurants sell instead of meat? what would all the pharmaceutical companies do if they couldn’t sell drugs to billions of patients?

your blogging friend Ulrich Koepf

Über die Hotellerie zu sprechen, ist jedoch mein Leidenschaft und Lieblingsfach. In den letzten Jahren habe ich den Erfolg mehrerer Menschen verfolgt, die ich während meinen 36 Jahren in Südflorida kennenlernte.

Es gibt, nach meiner Meinung, vier Leute, die es verdienen, hier erwähnt zu werden, obwohl es Dutzende von Leuten gibt, die genauso talentiert und entschlossen sind wie die vier, die ich in meinem Beitrag hier erwähne, aber diese vier kenne ich persönlich.

 Die beeindruckendste und talentierteste person für mich ist Lenore Nolan Ryan. Ich habe Lenore kennengelernt, als meine Frau Naz und ich 2007 in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea ein Gourmet-Delikatessengeschäft betrieben. Lenore betrieb damals ein Catering- Cookingschool  Geschäft gleich um die Ecke von unserem Deli. Sie kam immer manchmal vorbei, um Hallo zu sagen, und ich besuchte sie auch in ihrem eigenem Geschäft.

Lenore ist eine unglaublich talentierte Frau

ich habe nichts als großen Respekt und Bewunderung für Sie. 2016 beschloss Sie, ihr Geschäft an North Ocean Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale zu verlegen, wo sie ein neues, aufregendes Konzept namens „Grapes“ Wine Café & Market” entwickelte und vor wenigen Wochen wiedereröffnete. Sie weiß, wie man die sozialen Plattformen nutzt und optimal nutzt, um ihre Kunden zu erreichen und sie auf dem Laufenden zu halten. Sie überträgt Live-Streaming-Kochkurse, verschickt regelmäßig E-Mail-Updates von “Grapes“ und hat eine große Fangemeinde auf Facebook und anderen sozialen Plattformen. Die kreationen die Lenore zusammmen “whipped” können Sie auf Ihrer webseite bewundern.

Dann ist da noch Eleanor Hoh aus Miami, sie nennt sich den „Wok Star“, sie bietet Online-Orientalische-Kochkurse an, die alle in einem Wok vorbereitet werden, sie übertragt Live-Demonstrationen in ganz Südflorida und ist auch zu Gast in lokalen Radiosendungen.

George Mayo. Um 1992 eröffneten George und ich gemeinsam das „Bistro Mezzaluna“ in Fort Lauderdale. Ich traf George, als er mich im Cafe Spetmeber besuchte, wo ich Küchenchef war, nachdem er in den lokalen Zeitungen von mir gehört und gelesen hatte. Nachdem ich von 1987 bis 1992 als Chefkoch und F & B-Direktor von einem fünfjährigen Stunt in der Dominikanischen Republik zurückkehrte, haben wir uns nach meiner Rückkehr wieder zusammengetan, um Bistro Mezzaluna zu organisieren. In NewYorkCity half ich George und seinem Bruder Robert in ihrem Gourmet Deli in Manhattan, während das Bistro in Fort Lauderdale gebaut wurde.

Leidenschaft

Ich habe noch nie jemanden mit einer solchen Leidenschaft für das Gastro Gewerbe getroffen wie George. Er liebte dieses Gewerbe so sehr, dass er es kaum erwarten konnte, jeden Morgen zu seinem Deli zu rennen! das ist der Grund, warum dieser Laden so viele Jahre lang so erfolgreich war; wann immer George nicht da war, kümmerte sich sein Bruder Robert um das Geschäft.

George Mayo

 Bistro Mezzaluna war viele Jahre lang ein großer Erfolg, bis es verkauft und dann an einen anderen Ort verlegt wurde. Es ist bis heute ein erfolgreiches Restaurant in neuem Besitz.

George ist im Ruhestand und lebt jetzt im Bundesstaat New York. Ich bin im Ruhestand und lebe in meiner Heimat Schweiz.

Eine andere Person von Interesse ist meiner Meinung nach, Steve Martoranos, Inhaber von Martorano in Lauderdale, Pittsburgh, Atlantic City und Las Vegas. Ich erinnere mich, wenn Steve gegen Abend zu  mir ins Hot Chocolates kam, nachdem er sein eigenes Restaurant geschlossen hatte, um ein Stück meines hausgemachten Entenleberparfaits zu genießen!

The hopping place to be in Fort Lauderdale

Er serviert Italienische Küche in Martoranos und hat sich einen verdienten Ruf erarbeitet, der ihn auf Pittsburgh, Vegas und Atlantic City ausweitete. Wie Lenore weiß er, wie man auf sozialen Plattformen eine stetige Anhängerschaft aufrechterhält. Ich weiß, dass er hart gearbeitet hat, um dahin zu gelangen, wo er heute ist. Nichts kommt von nichts in einem Gastrobetrieb. Er verdient daher auch meinen Respekt. Hoffen wir nur, dass es ihm nicht an Kontrolle über sein großartiges Essen mangelt, wenn er sich mit vier Restaurants zu dünn ausbreitet. Ich weiß aus persönlicher Erfahrung, dass niemand es so macht, wie man es selber macht, das heißt nicht dass ein anderer Koch es falsch oder nicht gut genug macht, es ist einfach nicht wie deine eigene Façon! Keine zwei Köche kochen auf die gleiche Weise! Und wie wir alle wissen, passiert es vielen talentierten Köchen, die die Kontrolle verloren haben, zu viele unglückliche Partner involviert hatten oder der brutto Gewinn einfach nicht aufzuweisen war und schließlich den Laden schließen musste.

36 Jahre Florida

Während den 36 Jahren in Südflorida habe ich mich auch in einige meiner eigenen kulinarischen Unternehmen gewagt! Das erste war das Truffles Restaurant in Miami, dann Martinis Bistro-Bar in North Miami, (ein Familienunternehmen), Pa D’s Gourmet Deli in Lauderdale und ein Griechisches Deli Take-out, ebenfalls in Fort Lauderdale. Ich habe mich auch an Partnerschaften bei Hot Chocolates in Fort Lauderdale und einem Themenrestaurant-Koncept  beteiligt tätig in Miami, Mexiko und Kanada,  beide endeten mit Enttäuschung für mich.

Kein hit and run

Man kann im Gastrogewerbe nur erfolgreich sein, wenn man die Leidenschaft dafür besitzt. Zu viele Restaurants gehen Pleite, weil dem Besitzer oder dem Koch die Leidenschaft dafür fehlte. Ich hatte einige enttäuschende Erfahrungen mit meinen eigenen Partnerunternehmen, neben dem Mangel an Leidenschaft, gibt es auch eine gewisse Gier im Spiel, und dann auch noch die falschen Gründe, überhaupt in das Gastrogewerbe einzusteigen.

Es gibt keine Möglichkeit im Gastrogewerbe schnell Reichtum und Berühmtheit zu verdienen, indem Sie in dieser Branche einsteigen. Dies kann nur durch Liebe für das Gewerbe, Leidenschaft, harte Arbeit, und Entschlossenheit erreicht werden. 

Gruss Ueli Köpf