Dinning experiance

Dining experience

Last night after dinner was finished, the usual question was asked – “how do you make this dining experience look so casual and easy?”
Well, I said I usually sit down, have a cup of coffee, a few Amaretti biscuits and start to think.

First I plan a three course menu I would like to prepare and then I write down all the ingredients I require. Preparation takes the longest time. Three days before,I do the purchasing and when I have everything together I start off with the one preparation that takes the longest to produce, usually this is the sauce - you actually can produce them three days earlier. Second is the dessert. If it is a cold one it will require refrigeration and can be prepared two days prior, if the dessert is hot start the preparation on the day in the morning, place relevant (mixtures) ingredients into containers, then twenty minutes prior (or whatever the required time is to bake) place them in a baking dish / ceramic / crust / tray in the oven for cooking.

Having your first course part prepared and your dessert ready as this will remove a lot of stress on the day because all you require is to just finish them,

For the first course and main preparation.

On the day, get all the products for your first course and assemble to make it easy, make the first course a cold dish.

1. If the first course it is a hot dish like ravioli, the sauce is ready, put the water on, the sauce is ready just warm it up,

2. Duck liver Venetian style - you only require butter and onions in a pan, fry for ten minutes, add sage, then add liver and cook on high for two minutes on one side and one minute on the other side, plate.

3. For stuffed Mushrooms, they only require baking.

4. Asparagus, blanch, strain, add soft butter and grated Parmesan on top. After all the preparation is  done to finish these dishes on the night takes only ten minutes, so while your guests are having a drink, you can produce this, serve the first course.

 At the same time take out of the fridge what you are going to prepare for the main course and leave it out as the products will go to room temperature while you are eating your first course.

When the first course is finished, clear the table and start your main.

 

For the main course

Prepare all your vegetables ready for cooking the night before, refrigerate.

Prepare on the night two hours before you guests arrive your main course, searing your meat, fish or poultry, placing them in a roasting dish ready for the oven,

Blanch or bake your vegetables prior to the main course being placed in the oven.

Put the main and vegetables in the oven 180c for 10 -15 minutes. If vegetable are larger pieces they will take longer to cook, so put them in the oven earlier .

When main course is ready, mushroom, red wine, or other sauces are also ready,  place them on stove to simmer, plate main course, add sauces and vegetables, serve. The system is the same with dessert.  

Good luck, Giuseppe.

Blogger in Draft: New feature: Geotagging

Blogger in Draft: New feature: Geotagging

Situation

People that have problems in restaurants in bad time? and the solution providers.

Understanding the art of confusion, it is always the unknown that drives people forward or backwards and there is always someone out there that has a solution for you. If that person knows how to fix the problem why do they not use it? They will inform you about their expertise, like restaurant consultants who come in, write down all your problems and produce a file of solutions. Anyone can do that.

I was approached by the proprietor of a restaurant in regards to this theory. I stated that it sounded good and that they would be paid after they make their theory work - the consultants disappeared. In hard times difficult decisions have to be made and these decisions are all different, depending on the circumstances – in my experience the high end of the market, catering for approximately 20% of the general public, the middle which caters for 30% of the market and the lower market has the rest.

In recession times the top restaurants usually has a 30% drop because they are the first to feel the pinch. The mistake we make is - we don't believe that. You have to be careful as spending is not as free as in the good times, if you push a little harder for sales on the high market, you will lose them. The middle market will automatically drop the high cost products. These are some of the problems that should be looked at in regards to profit and sustainability of staff.

Be realist the general public wants to spend less, this is were experience has the advantage, by producing excellent product that are cost effective, and rearrange the staff roster that suits best, this is done by management.

Professional waiter, the real way to learn

Is the understanding, of knowing what you are doing, and expressing it correctly, giving a lot of explanation that only confuses you, is not necessary, the minimal literature with pictures is the best way, accompanied with the right and knowledgeable advice to start with? If you break down what has to be done during services in a dinning room, you can learn this between 2-4 weeks depending on how much time you put in to it, (means ready for work) the largest amount of waiters around started at this level and after six months they learned while working, about all the food that they are serving in that particular restaurant that they are working in, and as they move along from restaurant to restaurant they learn more, only about food and wines, the basic service remains the same every where you go, if you want to find out all about restaurant training go to. www.Training-4-Hospitality  you will find it very worth while.

Basics

All my life I have managed and owned restaurants and function centres. In my early days I was a fanatic in the art of French cooking and for twenty years I studied French cooking, then a few years later I went back and invested time in only Italian cooking as this is my background.

I worked in Hotels and restaurants and managed them; I was in demand because of my abilities and knowledge in the kitchen and dining room. In my restaurants I always trained my own chefs; I gave cooking demonstrations, one of my main regular clients was AGL - Australian Gas Light Company – They continuously came back as they were very impressed with my skills and knowledge in the field.

When I started the demonstrations I actually spoke to the audience and invited them to join me or ask advice/ comments on the topic at hand; the questions were never ending and in mt audience there were always chefs.

Preparation

It is important to be ready when applying for a position in hospitality, always look clean and tidy, full of life happy and with a smile, when questioned regarding your ability and your knowledge, it is vital to have the right answer. Don’t try to fool a pro, as I have been there; so have many others and they will see very quickly you do not have the knowledge required.  

I have produced a manual with the knowledge of the complete art of service, not just bits and pieces to confuse, more so to teach. I have all the elements required e.g. setting tables, creating serviettes, how to understand food and menus so that you can explain food to your guests.

Wines, the varieties  are easily learned if explained properly. Through grape variety it is easy to understand what all wines are so that you can understand when people are ordering wines, you know what they are asking for and why.

Manual for waiters

I have just finished editing my manual on training waiters/servers and bar service, it is a manual that will teach everything a professional waiter/ barmen needs to know. I received hundreds of thousand clicks and emails from all over the world, the number one discontent is classes and how much they cost and it teaches to little. They are correct.

To teach a person how to set a table and carry plates takes two hours, to teach how to explain food i.e. specials, they need to have the knowledge of basic food production, which in my experience doesn’t get taught enough. As a student in the hospitality industry, if you are not taught the proper way and method to explain food, anything else you may have been taught previously is rendered useless. My complete manual is $1.00 in total, have a look at my website 

www.training-4-hospitality.com.au then leave me your feedback.