Author: traleeculinarygangsters
Chef, food truck owner, Gardner, forager, blogger, author , columnists,
Tralee advertiser
chef shortage my thoughts
a lot has been written about this topic,and most of it is pretty much the same most saying its the young people, who either don’t want to come into the industry , or wont take a job which is hard work and long hours
both maybe true but neither is the reason for the shortage in my opinion.
I have seen others blame collages, for not giving them a real sense of the kitchen life, and that the training does not match reality of the everyday kitchen again maybe some truth in it .
for me there is two reasons behind the huge fall out of people who enter the industry,
two at fault.
and that’s the government and the head chef/restaurant owner ………
I know a lot who read that will go yea the government but me no no no cant be,
well I’m afraid yep you are, and for quite a few reasons too, but before I write about that. we will take government .
cost cost cost driven up by them to the point no restaurant/hotel/etc wants commi chefs(trainee) because they cant afford them. every place wants ready made fully trained experienced chefs.
when I trained (yes many moons ago) all hotels had several commi chefs and training programs . but the cost of employing someone has been driven up and up ,
the cost of having them is now to much,so less places for trainee chef, less chefs
high costs vat, tax,prsi, insurance, public insurance,maintance, rent,rates, water, income tax,
that’s just the start of it before you buy gas, food,wages,linen, beer licence, wine licence (yes they are different),music licence,esb and it goes on.
the restaurant owner/head chef.
nobody and I mean nobody gets into the culinary scene to open boxes of premade/pre cooked/frozen crap , that’s a fact you can take to the bank, and a lot of places run their kitchens like that buying in premade/precooked/frozen produce its a joke.
wearing a chefs jacket does not make you a chef , cooking fresh seasonal produce does.
a lot of chefs no longer have any idea of the seasons at all.
you will find the better the restaurant the easier it is for them to fill jobs.
the head chef ,yes me and many others are to blame,if you roar and shout at your team you are a big big part of the problem , if you team cant produce the dishes the way you want under pressure then your to blame for poor training.
if they cant keep up during a busy service, then your training is not good enough, and I think it is here most head chefs fail . it is part of your job to train young chefs.
most of my training wasn’t in collage, it was what I learned from my head chefs the time they showed me how they wanted it.
sure the hours dont help but I don’t think it is the biggest factor.
I hear people mention money again it is quite good if you are same as every other industry.
now don’t get me wrong for all I have said here …… I love it and wouldn’t do anything else.
I have enjoyed it for the most part over the last 25 plus years.it has allowed me to travel while working and had a blast.
and there is the other side, the best and hardest part come at the same time, a busy service where you put out the plates you create to a full dinning room yes there are standard dishes steak etc but it is the other dishes maybe seasonal or one off special like last weekend where we got razor clams that morning and had a staff tasting at 5 o clock as the menus were already done and sold out because they had tasted it.
the customer sending back compliment’s.
we are part of special events all of them good and bad weddings to funerals all revolve around food.
Twitter @chefnoelk @instagram @chefnoelkeane
culinary gangsters demos
the Tralee culinary gangsters will be doing two cooking demos in the coming months
the first is a double part first off is noel @chefnoelk (twitter) @chefnoelkeane (Instagram) doing a solo cooking demo live in Tralee town square for the Tralee food festival @traleefood (twitter) followed by a three man demo a first for the Tralee food festival with paul @chefpaulcotter twitter and Instagram kevin o connor and jams McCarthy MC by chef noel on the day . Saturday 24th September
chef noel will follow that with a cooking demo at the listowel food fair on Friday 11th November in the listowel town square in the middle of the farmers market
james on industry life
The difference for me between working in the kitchen and other jobs
.as chef in my last job I used to start at 11.00 but I’d be there for 10.30 not because I had to for the sake of it but because I wanted to. coming in that bit early could be the difference from a smooth prepared calm service to trying to catch up with yourself all night
. This could lead to the kitchen going down because there wasn’t enough prep done. it was that mutual respect from all the chefs to turn up a good 30 minutes before u started. in other jobs that I’ve worked in it would be a case of coming in two minutes before hand which was so weird for me to get used to
.when you’re a chef and you have to finish at say 5 o clock, you’re fully aware that you more than likely wont actually finish at 5. Service mightn’t even slow down until the end of the night and time would just pass you by.
Even if you do have to stay all night you wouldn’t be upset or angry, simply because those people around you are not just workmates.
They’re more like a second family due to the amount of hours you spend together. The difference between being a chef and other professions I’ve worked in is in other jobs you clock out when you’re day is supposed to end without a care in the world, even though there could be a shit load left to do.
In my opinion this is because there is no real passion in other jobs, and definitely not in comparison to the culinary world
picked crab apple
this is something I have made in the restaurant so the volume is quite large but it last a very long time so worth make it in volume for this I use unripe crab apples
wipe your apple with a clean damp cloth and cut off the base just a little bit it helps with the pickling of the apples and it is not the nicest piece to eat
1 litre of cider vinager
600 ml of honey
600 ml water
I cinnamon stick
1 wild bay leaf or store bought one is fine
bring the liquid to the boil and reduce to a simmer
place the apples in and leave for five minutes
remove from the heat and leave for ten minutes
remove the apples and cool both
place the apples in a spotless clean jar and pour the liquid over the place in either the fridge or larder for about a week before use but for up to a year maybe more it doesn’t last in the restaurant
you can follow me at @chefnoelk on twitter and @chefnoelkeane on Instagram
wild billberries by paul cotter
Wild billberries (fraughans)
These little berries are ingrained in my childhood memories as being little juicy delicious balls of sweetness coming into season in July/ August. They are found to me in marsh land, roadsides and forestry trails. They make beautiful jam and are best served simply with a dollop of cream and a sprinkling of sugar. But enough of the anecdotes.
Bilberries
They found growing in acidic hilly ground throughout ireland. They are best described as a wild blueberry.
They begin to flower mid to late summer. The flower looks like a little red lantern not much bigger than a pea
They are ripe for the picking at the moment varying in size from bush to bush depending on the age of the bush and if you get there before the birds do. Average size again is about the size of a blueberry.
They are ripe for the picking at the moment varying in size from bush to bush depending on the age of the bush and if you get there before the birds do. Average size again is about the size of a blueberry.
They are ripe for the picking at the moment varying in size from bush to bush depending on the age of the bush and if you get there before the birds do. Average size again is about the size of a blueberry.
What can I do with these
There are a variety of recipes out there for billberries from jams to fools even a bilberry gin
Jam recipe
750 g bilberries
750g sugatr
* Wash and dry all the berries ensuring to remove any stalks
* Place into a wide based pot on a medium to low heat
* Allow water to start to evaporate
* Add sugar and allow to dissolve and come to the boil
* Allow to simmer for 15 mins
* Allow to cool
* Pour into clean dry jars cover when cold.
Enjoy with toast or some homemade brown bread
Coming next are blackberries and the berry from the hawthorn (sloe) and of course elderberries watch this space for more information and pictures. Also Twitter and Instagram @chefpaulc
gangsters profile
Keith moroney
Name: Keith moroney
Nickname : the kid
Position : commi
Place of work: the mill cookhouse
I started last year in June. After looking for a passion to pursue and finding that it was food. The best highlight I have as a commi was getting a small dish on the menu of the restraunt I worked in called the lazy lamb.
One of the best things I find about food is its cultural. Every culture has there own cuisine. Most of which are still widely unknown
kevin life as a manager
There is a big difference you know between front of house and cheffing. When I go home and rest my head I like to feel like I’ve done a good job. When I enter the kitchen as a chef wearing my whites I do it for the food, I love the food. I respect that I respect the environment and I love it. It doesn’t matter how much time it takes just a matter how much effort I have put in I always get the food out. When I’m front of house I love the hotel I love the business I love the learning and I love the passion. From the moment cross the front door to the moment exit the front door I love what I do. Which is the same as when I’m in the kitchen. We pass on our stuff too, to educate the next generation. To fill their minds with knowledge
. In the kitchens it’s about love and respect for the food, for front of house it’s for the smiles, the gratitude, the humility. Someone comes to your house for dinner, then it’s time to show off what I got and who I am. Over time I become the foundation, customers know me by name, I know them by name. You know what they like. I read people, my intuition starts to fly. I then become almost invisible but also seen when needed. If there’s a problem then I am the solution, if there’s a complaint then I am the apology. But it’s only ever real if meant. You must believe in what your doing in order to succeed and you have to be happy too. Boil it all down and you’ll find its survival and passion. Two basic things you need but without them you’ll struggle
james on salmon part 2
Salmon follow on blog
so I’ll start be just a quick brief on more detailed stages of the growth of a salmon
Stage 1 ova. The rate of egg or “ova” development is dependent on water temperature
Stage 2 alevins. When their sac is absorbed the alevins become increasingly active and begin their journey up through the gravel of the riverbed. When strong enough the small fish must rise to the surface of the water for air. they fill their swim bladder to making it easier to swim and hold their position in fast flowing stream
Stage 3 fry The fry have eight fins, which are used to maintain their position in fast flowing streams and manoeuvre about in the water during the Summer months
Stage 4 parr Over the Autumn the fry develop into parr with vertical stripes and spots for camouflage they all start to change to the sliver colour and start to adopted to sea water.
Stage 5 smolts In Spring, large numbers of smolts leave Irish rivers to migrate along the North Atlantic
Stage 6 adult salmon Salmon that reach maturity after one year at sea and full growth at about 2 year mark they return home to the river from the north altantic by the use of smell.
Id like to give a quick and easy recipe for a salmon dish
Salmon fillets marinated in Irish whiskey and honey
Ingredients 2 tablespoons honey
cider Irish whiskey
teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
teaspoons grated lemon zest
2tablespoons vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Mix together honey, vinegar, whiskey, thyme, lemon zest, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over salmon and marinate for 4 hours refrigerated.
Preheat oven to 220 .Remove salmon from marinade and place on a a roasting pan. Bake for 10 minutes, basting once with the marinade or until golden and white juices are just beginning to appear.
traleeculinarygangsters 