Fresh Tea from your Garden

Years ago there was an herb farm somewhere in Saratoga, Ca. The couple offered tours and my favorite mother daughter day, was when we toured their beautiful gardens. They were completely edible and the woman made an herb tea, very Martha Stewart"esk', just picking, boiling and straining, lightly sweetened powerful flavor profile.

I used to own a house and it took me 18 years to have a fully functional backyard with so much to choose from, vegetables, citrus, flowers and herbs.

Recently, I planted a smaller version in my parents backyard and Today, Tuesday March 27, 2007, I made the most perfect cup of joy, love and peace. To know me is to know this is not arrogance, I am harsh on myself and when it comes to cooking I keep trying until the combination has the "IT" factor.

The combination is equal parts spearmint, lemon verbena and pineapple sage leaves (I would definitely add the blossoms if they were in season). The a small handful of fresh orange blossoms. The peel, not zest, of one fresh ripe lemon and a perfect orange( no pith). I added 3000 mg of vitamin "C". Bruised all the items together with the back of a knife and poured boiling water. Let it steep for an hour, strain and serve hot of cold with your choice of sweetener.

Chef Mary's Live Sourdough Starter for Sale with Detailed Instructions

This is a 25 year old Sourdough Starter available for $20.00 plus shipping. I live in Austin, Texas now so shipping will be overnight rates. Lactobacillius San Franciscus. It is mellow, not overwhelming. I will come with my Artisan Free-Form Sourdough Bread Recipe, variations and detailed instructions. Easy to follow and maintain and delicious! You will also get my private line for product support. Order at Chefmps@aol.com.

It is Spring!!!! and time for Planting

My favorite time of year is now, taking a chance on the winter or am I betting on the Spring. Being a native of California, here in Silicon Valley, I know two things for sure. First, we have only two seasons each year and secondly that they are summer and winter. Spring is a terrific idea, but it is more of the revelation that there is no more winter ahead.

I took the gamble and planted my favorites, tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes. Why you might ask, here it is. No chef can resist the sensual smell of the tomato vine, even before I pick the fruit, I inhale deeply and close my eyes to enjoy. Nothing tastes better than a vine picked ripe tomato, still firm but sun sweet. Sometimes just a dash of sea salt. I enjoy them until the very last one makes it over the finish line. This year it is Sun sugar (cherries), Vintage Red and Scarlet Red.

Cucumbers, thin skinned Armennian varieties, why, because my most favorite sandwich year round is a cucumber sandwich, in the summer, with vine ripened tomatoes. You mush begin to see how my mind works.

Lastly, it is a very childish thing that I plant potatoes, mostly the waxy ones but for me it is like an Easter Egg hunt that I impatiently wait all summer for. It is always a surprize as to what I will find. Yes, I know I grew them and yes I know they are there but I just can't wait for the burried treasure. Not even my daughter, Meagan, has as much fun as I do. My parents have just given up and wait for my visits during their harvest because they are afraid a fourty year old child will cry if I don't get to be the one to pick.

Ok, stay with me... this is day one....in 60 more we will see if we have success. (May 16th)

The Irony of the Word Hospitality

Reflecting on a Career with Passion:

Yes this may sound like the ranting of an insane raving lunatic female, and that would be indeed correct.The question is was she always that way or did 22 years in this industry push her over the edge.

When we join the American Culinary Federation, we take an oath of sorts to pledge ourselves to the advancement of this profession, to support each other in our successes and failures. We are to respect each other and never do anything to undermine a fellow professional in their career.

This to me was the most exciting part of my graduation, aside from my degree of choice, I was to be apart of something noble, honest and true. This is a career of many passions. I would remember each day that I am to protect the integrity of this profession, always speak the truth, and I truly believed that other members of this very large fraternity would "keep to the code" as well.

With each progression of my career, my education of this industry continued to grow. My first job out of school actually began during my freshmen segment. I was an apprentice with a brilliant chef, full of honor, a family man, strong, passionate, educated and to this day a the professional I admire most.

He was truly my mentor and professional soul mate. I worked for and with him for three years. He is indeed the reason I succeeded in school and his integrity and belief in excellence to this day motivates me to continue the good fight.

I moved on after I gave birth to my daughter, needing a more regular schedule allowing me to be a mother and support her knowing my divorce was inevitable.
This was a move to a management company, these businesses take over the food service operation in Corporate America.Here was my first look at the reality of my new life, divorced in a new endeavor still believing that all who serve in this fine profession hold to the standards that we had promised.

My first task, to fill in for vacationing and ill chefs. Interesting, each entrance to a new kitchen the same. I come in and address the kitchen staff; they mock me and make sure I "prove" myself before I can have their support. I gain their trust and watch my back. After many of these moves I learned one line in Spanish. "I have one rule and one rule only, the tallest person in the kitchen makes the rules" then I walk away. I stand 6'2" in my clogs and can keep a straight face better than most. It worked. Or so I thought...

The frustration is that this would never change. From restaurant to corporate to Catering to hotel and my final step as a culinary educator All 20+ years, even at the top of my game as a female chef I was still disrespected and working harder than any male counterpart.

Education began with an all day try out, proving I had the skills to teach. Then a meeting with seven different chefs to evaluate me and then an offer. It would of course, be given a low ball financial offer, based on my introduction to this new segment of the industry, But this is what it takes to teach what I love.

It would include a three hour daily round trip commute and living with my parents five days a week so that someone could help get my daughter off to school, but the upside was t hat it was a 6:00AM start time and I could just make it to pick her up after school, having the evenings free for her homework and dinner as a family and to be the one who tucks her in at night.

Done deal. My goal was to teach, but, a tragic accident in 1997 had made my left leg a stump to drag along and a back that needed constant care, but my brain was perfect and I love to teach so this looked to be a natural evolution that would accommodate my disabilities. I would have a regular schedule, the sleep I need and the freedom to be the mother that I wanted to be. And the teacher I dreamed of. The call from The California Culinary Academy, The Cordon Bleu of San Francisco!
Sounds almost too good to be true...
On my way out the door, leaving my job as a fishmonger (fish cutter), I received a phone call. It was the Executive Chef of the school, in his thick French accent " yes he was georgious too, "Mademoiselle, there was to be a slight change, not to worry, only four weeks"

Oh My Gawd!!

I am waiting, thinking "for what?" He had recruited me for a an AM shift teaching Baking and Pastry, that was the hook, but come Monday I would begin a night shift, with a young Frenchman, yes, very Hot!, who I had not met before being assigned as his assistant.

The hours became 1:00 PM until 11:00 PM, phone calls to begin at 6:00 in the morning continuing until I was home and , sometimes until two o'clock in the morning. Why? because he had no personal boundaries or respect yet for an American female chef. We developed strong bond and I will say that, two years later our relationship changed and we became friends but not without eight months as a personal slave and many arguments. When I told him I had to get my life under control and transfer to the AM shift, it was as if we got a divorce, "I will vomit you from my brain" I guess he liked me after all. I have never been "vomited by anyone before" I always

This is the "French Way"

Which in retrospect, is smart. He told me the French will keep you at arms length, until you are measured and deemed trustworthy. The French way also reffers to the way to communicate, direct...very direct. Growing up in California taught me to be politically correct, never hurt anothers feelings with the truth. Of course since I am obviously a white American... never notices the differences in others. Well this lesson in working with Chef's from every country taught me that we are all proud of our heritage and it is fun and very ok to celebrate and make fun of our differences.

Well, four weeks became eight months, after being sleep deprived, falling asleep at the wheel of my car, earning a formidable DUI that still haunts me today. And a custody battle because of my hours and time allocated to my daughter.Why? because this industry does not recognize the personal lives of it's employees.
After that eight month period. I lost my house, using any profit to pay for the court battles for my parental rights, served time doing community service because I was too overworked to function paying for "that crime”, trying to do what was right and support my child.
My next attempt at education ended in the summers of 2006, a local school, a start up. This was risky business I knew that, but the goal was to hire only the best, the most experienced and with the most integrity. The American Culinary Federation would hold its monthly meetings there, and the facility unbelievable, so beautiful, like a television set, every toy we dream of as a chef and what can I say a dream come true. The Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell California...
It sounds almost too good to be true...
I celebrated one year of employment there, enjoyed time on the radio and eight guest spots on NBC channel eleven. Again I was to start at night, part time only, no benefits. This was the "rule" and how all were to be hired. Funny thing happened on the way through that year. My paycheck was always short, being given the excuse that we can only allow for six hours a day paid, even though eight hours a day was required to get the job done. 120 unpaid hours.
I was given a special project and again an overwhelming amount of work was required, I was to author class schedules for the weekend and the outlines for the courses, do marketing, work every Saturday but here was the rub, when I turned in my hours for payment, again the paycheck not only short but 50% of the amount owed. The reason from the top, it was too much money. A salary was negotiated at once, the orders, just to get things done. I was reminded almost daily of their amazing generosity. For the first month all seemed to be well, I was now full time with benefits and had an additional salary to cover the 30 hours a week of extra work. Wow, I know it took two jobs with the same company but my future was looking up, I could maybe soon afford a 2 bedroom apartment instead of the small one bedroom I shared with my daughter.
It sounds almost too good to be true...
Two weekends in a row the Saturday class was not full and therefore cancelled, but the work to promote the program stayed steady, oops! What is this another "mistake" in my paycheck, no second paycheck. Surly this is an oversight, but no, the man at the top made a new rule. Regardless of the time put into researching and writing new class material, or calling customers, or going door to door. If a class canceled or was preempted by a corporate event, I don't get paid for the week's work. Simple mistakes, I think not. Is it personal, no just a dishonest emotionally challenged employer?
Now, there is no human resources department, just the keepers of the gold making the rules and messing with the lives of their employee.

How do you register a truly honorable complaint when the person in charge of the company is the perpetrator. I will tell you what happens, you become a nuisance.
This was a quick spiral down, not enough sales to support a class, arbitrary tasks given out and a sense that I better act thankful at all times or the ax will fall.
The tension increases, a co worker is promoted who was a qualified chef but a miserable manager, with no training. I was told that all input was good and again I reverted to my personal oath and felt responsible to help this flailing young man. After all, he to had accepted out code.
Within two weeks, we disagreed over many topics but instead of an open exchange of ideas there was a wounded ego and venom dripping from the mouth. It was he who said "Villains are made, just remember, villains are made". I was assigned to work nights for the last two months with an occasional day thrown in. My daughter began to slip in school, my pain level was at an all time high due to the stress and hostel environment, my leg was giving due to my fatigue and financial stress and two days ago we parted ways.
I gave my best and died on the wrong hill. I learned that this industry is the same from every angle and the fraternity is a beautiful dream, like Arthur and the Round Table, but just a dream, ego and pride without a system in place to manage the troops, the establishment will rot from within.