Friday, January 28, 2011

Not the Way I Would LIke To Start the Year

So after a tremendous 2010, doing a couple million dollar months and hitting the holidays running we come into the new year only to find a slow start to the year.  This is when I have hunker down and take a step back and reevaluate my management skills. My time management and my scheduling is under a microscope for good reasons.  A couple months ago, I was doing any where from $60,000 to $100,000 on any given business day.  Now I am looking at maybe a tenth of that. Layoffs! Not on my watch. Schedule changes... That is a must, even with the impending union greivances.  I now spend my days forecasting labor and overtime.  I single handedly costed out 3 seasons worth of catering menus based of the presumed market flucuations that are going to happen during this new year.  (How the he'll could I forecast that limes would hit $73  a case in January 2011). Well I have the daunting task to drop my 31% food cost 5 points.  Not only that, I have to slash my labor line by half while trying to maintain the building,run a conference center/banquet facility and executive dining room.  They say cut overtime... I say let me hire a second shift to cut overtime. They say make more money, I say tell the sales team to book more business.

They say volume forgives all sin.

Oh boy, is this the truth.  During those million dollar months I had cooks doing 40 hours of overtime with no questions from the top.  Now 5 minutes of overtime is frowned upon and 10minutes needs a director's approval.  But, all in all this just makes me a better manager and chef.  Not every night is a good night and not every month is a great month. Now it is time to hone my skills at managing my time and employees.  As I sit in front of my computer, staring at multiple spreadsheets and action plans,  all I have to say is...

I MISS MY KNIVES!!!!

Well enough with the complaints, onto the food...

Here is a dish that I created to help get a $300million dollar endowment for Columbia University.  BTW I will probably never see any of that $300million.


Truffled Chantrelle Bisque, Vanilla Poached Lobster with Petite Dow Mui, Squab Confit with Blueberry Gastrique.

squab


If you want a recipe Post a comment and I promise to add the recipe!