Archive for the General Chef Talk Category

ChefUniforms.com at the 2009 ACF Convention

Posted in Chef Uniforms, Food Events, General Chef Talk on September 22, 2009 by UA

ACFThe American Culinary Federation, established in 1929, is one of the largest professional chef’s organizations in the U.S. with over 20,000 members. One of the most notable accomplishments by the ACF organization is working with the U.S. Department of Labor to raise the status of an executive chef to a professional category, which attracted many new people to the culinary profession. Every year ACF holds a national convention full of competitions, events, exhibits and more. This year, Chef Uniforms.com exhibited at the 2009 ACF National Convention hosted at the Orlando World Center in the Marriott. However, we did not stop there! We also provide chef coats to the Johnson & Wales University Jr. ACF  team who were competing in the ProStart competion. They chose our popular Women’s Chef Jackets style 83113 with fabric covered buttons.

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With the ACF being “The Authority on Cooking in America”, it’s easy to see why many flock to this event. There were plenty of laughter and the smell of good food. This event was clearly all about education and development in a fun environment with the culinary demos and exhibitions taking place all around.

83515Over the course of five days professional chefs, students, and industry experts attended 32 seminars, 24 culinary demos and 8 competitions. One such competition was The Pastry Chef of the Year competition which took place with top chefs from different regions in the U.S. This year’s winner Heather Hurlbert was all smiles in a women’s traditional chef coat with piping similar to our Women’s Traditional Chef Coat featured above.

 There was so much more to see and smell at the Sweet Decadence dessert party sponsored by Splenda. The mood was festive with all of the themed deserts, treats and fruit on display. It was amazing to see all of the top chefs and culinary masters dressed in traditional chef clothing, all mingling with each other and sharing tips and advice on being a culinary professional. One can truly see the dedication it takes to become a great chef and how much one can enjoy cooking.

At the 2009 ACF convention, there were many companies present and displaying their services to these culinary leaders. ChefUniforms.com was one of the top uniform companies in attendance presenting our new line of coats and pants for both Men & Women. We didn’t hesitate to outfit many of the professionals who enjoyed the fabric, fit and coolness of our garments. The feedback was positive and inspired us to continue to take interest in providing top quality chef uniforms at an affordable price.


Not only did we have fun but we learned a lot about the culinary arts, all while eating great food. Next year’s ACF National event is in August 2-5, 2010. We hope to see you there!

~ Contributing Editor
Tamara Taylor

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Live from the 2009 NRA Show!

Posted in General Chef Talk, Uncategorized on May 19, 2009 by UA

The team at ChefUniforms.com just completed a very successful trip to the National Restaurant Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. The show was an excellent opportunity to connect with some of our existing customers. It is so nice for us to meet them face to face after spending months of only knowing them over the phone or via email. We used the time to express our sincere thanks for their business and to catch up on how they and their families are doing.

Of course, the NRA is also a great place to meet new people and learn about their unique uniform needs. We were definitely struck by how many schools were in attendance. Many of them brought dozens of students with them and it was truly exciting to meet the future Chefs of this country as they are just getting started on their careers in the Culinary Arts. We are very excited about the prospect of providing uniforms to many of these schools next year.

Besides the schools, there seemed to be a very large contingent of international buyers in attendance this year. Latin America was especially well represented and we at ChefUniforms.com were grateful to be fully bilingual. (Ok, we had two really excellent native Spanish speakers and one hopeless gringo who only pretends to understand la lenguage). We look forward to strengthening our international customer base in the coming months.

The highlight of our trip came on Sunday night when we hosted a dinner for some new friends at Gibson’s, one of Chicago’s finest steakhouses. The meal was extraordinarily good and was only overshadowed by the quality of the conversation shared at the table with our guests, James and Victor. We were truly blessed to spend the evening with them and hope to count them among our friends for years to come.

Back at our booth, we received a steady stream of visitors. Many were drawn by the free Chef Baseball Caps that we were giving away, in part because they were such a cool item to own, and in part because we were offering a free restaurant uniform makeover for one lucky winner each day. Stay tuned to this space for news on who we selected as our contest winners!

All in all, the NRA was a great experience for ChefUniforms.com. We were grateful to be there and got to enjoy some wonderful food. Now that we are back, it’s time to nurse our sore feet and hit the gym to burn off all those extra calories we took in.

~ John Janenda
Contributing Editor

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Interview with Executive Chef: Adam Gottlieb

Posted in Food Events, General Chef Talk, Interview with a Chef on February 27, 2009 by UA

Adam Gottlieb is the executive chef at Seagate Beach Club in Delray Beach, Florida. He was the runner up at the 10th annual Delray Beach Garlic Fest Competition. As busy as he is, Adam was gracious enough to sit down with us and let us in on some of his experiences as a chef.

Why did you want to become a chef? 

21 years of working in the culinary field brought me to the point where I am today.  It’s the only field I could ever see myself in.  It’s my passion!

 

What education would you recommend for aspiring chefs?  

A good culinary program is great if it is affordable.  If not, hands on training in a strong culinary environment under a great chef can be an extremely valuable opportunity.

 

What do you recommend for on the job training? 

An open mind, positive attitude, and strong work ethic.

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Do you see any changes in food trends? 

Definitely…  Molecular gastronomy is getting more and more popular.  Smaller portion sizes, bite-size desserts, local produce.

 

What is your greatest challenge in getting the ingredients you need? 

The price of product has sky rocketed along with the rest of the economy.

 

Has the price of energy affected your industry? 

Definitely, it affected everything from the number of guests going out to eat as well as the cost of needed product.

 

Do you see any dining trends within the US or abroad; including types of food today? 

Yes, smaller portion sizes, bite-size desserts, local produce.

 

How much of the recipes you create is corporate and how much is your own?

Our company doesn’t have a big corporate end. Original menus and recipes are my own creations since we are a new entity and I didn’t have any staff to turn in the beginning for input. Moving forward, I do accept feedback from my kitchen staff on certain recipes and my Sous Chefs assist me greatly with ideas that get placed on regular and seasonal menus as well as giving me their professional input on future creations. 

What fabric and style of uniform do you enjoy wearing most?      Pima cotton & Egyptian cotton. 

What is your method of developing your Sous Chefs? 

Giving them freedom to explore their knowledge.  Challenge their skills and lead by example.

 

Do you try to create a team spirit and environment with the kitchen staff? If so how do you accomplish it? 

Definitely.  I don’t want my staff feeling as if their job is a job.  I believe in allowing my staff to explore their talents and skills.  Giving them a bit of freedom with creating new dishes, specials and ideas allows them to challenge themselves as well as make mistakes which they usually learn from.

 

When preparing your menu do you consider health and try to prepare foods that are healthier? 

Yes…  My menu consists of a lot of fresh produce, low calorie items with an emphasis on fresh seafood and proteins. I don’t use much cream, thickeners or butter on my menu. 

 

tofu1Do you notice any resistance to unhealthy dishes? 

Yes.  Guests are definitely more health conscience when they come into my restaurant.  Therefore, salads and seafood definitely top the list of dishes I sell most on my menu.

 

 

Do you enjoy dining out in your free time?  

Yes, it is always nice to be waited on once in a while!

 

Do you try to experience the food at your competitors? Do you ever get ideas from competitors? 

Yes, I enjoy seeing dishes competitors are creating.  I wouldn’t necessarily say I get ideas.  I would say going out to dine sometimes gets my wheels spinning when I see ideas that interest me.

 

Do you think it is important to visit the markets rather than just have standard orders?  

Absolutely, quality of product changes like the wind.  Unless you check out what is new regularly, there is a lot to be missed out on.

 

How do you test a new recipe without putting it on the permanent menu? 

As a “special” or weekly feature.  Whether or not it sells or not, or I get positive or negative feedback from a dish lets me know if it is a good creation.

 

Do you pick the wines or is there a separate beverage manager?  There’s a separate manager who deals with the selected beverages.

 

If so, does he try to pick wines that work well with the type of food that you prepare?

One of the owners of the company is a leading producer of beverage alcohol brands so our wine list consists pf many of his products.

  

We thank Adam for his time, and as an added bonus, he shared a delicious recipe for his take on grilled Atlantic salmon. Sounds like a winner to us, thanks again Adam!

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Newly Update Home Page for Chef Uniforms

Posted in General Chef Talk with tags , , , on January 21, 2009 by UA

ChefUniforms.com has just updated its Web Site home page and has added some great new deals on chef coats, chef pants, chef aprons, and more.  We are also featuring a great shot of Sous Chef Brad Phillips. He was gracious enough to pose for us on location at the Marriot Harbor Beach Resort and Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida early last year.  Chef Phillips appeared on the cover of our Fall Chef Uniforms Catalog and is now on our home page.  Check Him out by going to ChefUniforms.com. 

If you are a Chef and would be interested in having us feature your restaurant or staff in our next Catalog, please contact us through the comments section below.  We would also love to have you contribute to our blog with an article, interview or recipe. 

For a full line of Chef Uniforms, Chef Coats, Chef Pants, Aprons, Hats, Shoes and more, please visit ChefUniforms.com.

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Get Ready for the Holidays

Posted in General Chef Talk on September 22, 2008 by UA

With fall already here and the year nearly done, things are beginning to heat up fast at ChefUniforms.com. Folks are already planning their travel, and making their reservations. After all, it’s the holiday season and a time for celebrating out on the town with friends and family. For Chefs, it’s time get plan too. This is the time of year when there non-stop activity in the restaurant and being prepared is the best way to ensure success. At ChefUniforms.com, we know how busy this time of year gets, so we have put together some really great deals to help make it easier.

Why not show some personality with our “Attitude T-Shirts”. These are very cool Chef T- Shirts that are simple and informal, yet outrageous and thought provoking. They will also show how Chefs really feel when they’re deep in the weeds and out of garlic! And at only $9.99, they make great gifts too. Need to stock up on some chef aprons? Then check out our “group orders” section and pick up some durable bib aprons as low as $5.99. You can never have enough of them. We also have some special deals right now on Chef Coats as well as Chef Pants; crafted from high quality fabrics and made for comfort all day in the kitchen or out on the restaurant floor.

With the deals and savings at ChefUniforms.com, we know that Chefs and restaurant staff will be looking and feeling great; and that makes for a great foundation towards an incredible, successful Holiday season.

Please visit ChefUniforms.com for a complete selection of Chef Coats, Chef Pants, Chef Shirts, Chef Aprons, Chef Shoes, and Restaurant Apparel & Accessories.

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Famous Chefs in History

Posted in General Chef Talk with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2008 by UA

Because of the French domination of the culinary scene since time began (or so it seems, anyway), it stands to reason the most famous chefs in history are – what else? – French, with the exception of one American woman (discussed later), who was, nevertheless, trained in classical French cooking.

Known as the “King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings,” Antoine Careme went from being an abandoned child left at the door of a restrauteur in 18th century Paris, to become the father of “haute cuisine” – the high art of French cooking – in the early 19th century. Chef to then-world movers and shakers such as diplomat Talleyrand-Perigord, the future King George IV, Czar Alexander I, and the powerful banker James Rothschild, Careme is noted for his voluminous writings on cooking, including the famed L’Art de la Cuisine Francaise (The Art of French Cooking), a five-volume masterpiece on menu planning, table settings, hundreds of recipes, and a history of French cooking.

Another Frenchman, George Auguste Escoffier, bridged the 19th and 20th centuries with a modernization of Careme’s elaborate cuisine by ingenious simplification of it. Escoffier lent his talents as a chef to open the Ritz and Carlton hotels with partner Cesar Ritz, and then went on to wow such illustrious passengers as Kaiser William II of Germany on the German liner Imperator. Besides being known for such famous treats at Peach Melba, created for Australian singer Nellie Melba in 1893, Escoffier penned numerous volumes on cooking and was largely instrumental in the betterment of conditions within commercial kitchens. A stickler for cleanliness, he demanded the same from his workers and forbade swearing or any type of violence, which at the time, was common as apprentices and other help were routinely beaten by older staff.

Charles Ranhofer, the son of a restrauteur and the grandson of a chef, goes down in the annals of great chefs as the first French chef to bring the grandeur of his country’s cuisine to America. Noted primarily as the head chef of New York City’s famed Delmonico’s restaurant, Ranhofer ran its kitchens for nearly 34 years. Serving such luminaries as President Andrew Johnson, President U.S. Grant,
Charles Dickens, and a host of foreign dignitaries, Ranhofer created such culinary distinctions as Lobster Newburg and Baked Alaska, among many others. He also wrote “one of the most complete treatises of its kind,” according to the New York Times in praise of his book, The Epicurean, published in 1894.

A discourse on famous historical chefs would not be complete without the inclusion of one of the most gifted chefs of all time: an American woman named Julia Child. Born to a prominent California family, Child did not begin to cook until the age of 34. It was after she moved with her husband to France that she had her grand epiphany: Good food is more than roast beef and mashed potatoes. She flung herself headlong into an education at the esteemed Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and later wrote mastering the Art of French Cooking with two partners. Child went on to become the first “celebrity chef” with more books, television programs, newspaper columns, and magazine articles. She brought exquisite French cuisine to America as much with her “have-a-good-time” attitude toward cooking as she did with her talent and expertise.

To all these great chefs, we owe a debt for their giftedness and tireless contributions that have truly turned cooking into an art form.

It does make one wonder, however, if ever the temptation arose with any of them to ever dine secretly on a lowly peanut butter and jelly sandwich or to toast the evening with Kool-Aid and crackers. We’ll never know, but we’ll surely speculate – as we take another bite of quiche Lorraine.

Reprinted with permission from Author Keith Londrie II

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For a great selection of Chef Coats, Chef Pants, Chef Shirts, & Chef Aprons, please visit: www.chefuniforms.com

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Chef Schools

Posted in General Chef Talk with tags , , , , , , , on April 14, 2008 by UA

Are you looking for more information on how to become a top Chef? Is a Chef School in your future?
Culinary schools offer aspiring chefs the best shot at making it to the ”big time”, especially those Schools that are accredited by the American Culinary Federation(ACF). Many of the better restaurants base their hiring practices on length of education as well as where that education was obtained. Tuition runs from relatively inexpensive courses offered by local community colleges to the Culinary Institute of America’s $40,000 price tag. And the price usually covers only the tuition; everything from uniforms, textbooks, cutlery, and other necessary kitchen equipment costs extra.

It is important to note that course curriculum differs somewhat from school to school, but most of the student’s time is spent learning the fundamentals of cooking by actually doing it under close supervision. Participants not only prepare food, but also learn how to plan menus, minimize food costs, buy food and supplies in quantities, and how to choose and store food. Learning proper hygiene and local public health rules, along with understanding different types of chef uniforms also play a large part in a student’s education.

Most classes are offered for a full 8 hour day, while at some schools, classes are broken into morning and afternoon sessions. There are usually lectures, and then demonstrations followed by hands-on practice time with students applying the techniques demonstrated earlier. Some schools even offer part-time professional classes to accommodate working cooks wanting to increase their formal education. So many of you can learn as you wear your chef hats!

The following is a list of some scholarship opportunities and the number offered:

The American Academy of Chefs Chair’s Scholarship – Ten $1,000 scholarships awarded each year

The American Academy of Chefs Chaine des Rotisseurs Scholarship – Twenty $1,000 scholarships awarded annually

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) – Three yearly $2,000 scholarships for high school seniors and undergraduate students

To reach the level of executive chef in most well-paying restaurants takes years of training. Students that are serious about this profession have usually begun their training in high school through vocational programs, then go on to a two- or four-year college or university. Apprenticeship programs offer more training afterward, and are given by a personal mentor in a restaurant or from professional institutions and associations such as the AFC.

A three year apprenticeship is normal and is most often known as the years of “grunt work” – doing all the chopping, grating, peeling, slicing, and washing necessary to prepare the ingredients for the chefs. Even cleaning appliances, sweeping and mopping floors, and other seemingly unaffiliated work gets done by the apprentice as part of his or her learning experience. Often this “trial-by-fire” period separates the truly dedicated chefs-to-be from those who are merely good cooks.

Becoming an Executive Chef without formal education is possible, but in today’s world, most well-known hotels and finer restaurants will require some type of certification.
And by the way – Just because you do have some formal training, and can tout a degree, does not mean you are the next “Top Chef”; but it does go a long way in showing that you have made a strong commitment to your craft. So go out there and make it happen. You are only limited by the desire inside you!
To see a full line of Chef Uniforms, please visit ChefUniforms.com.

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ChefUniforms.com: A Chef’s Reasons

Posted in General Chef Talk with tags , , , , , , , on February 1, 2008 by UA

Welcome to our very first blog entry here at ChefUniforms.com. We hope you find the articles interesting, fun, and informative. We will be covering many subjects and topics. I encourage you to write to me and tell me your chef story, idea, experience, favorite recipe, etc. I will be reviewing all materials sent in and may even post yours, with your picture and restaurant name to boot! Have you ever thought about why you wanted to become a Chef? It may be surprising to learn that not all Chefs’ agree on even this most basic question. I recently visited several nice restaurants in the South Florida area and asked several chefs about what attracted them to becoming a chef. Many said it was the desire to create combinations of ingredients to come up with a unique flavor, color, or texture. Several said it was the challenge of creating unique meals in the kitchen. Others said that were just passionate about eating! Some even blamed their mom. I never would have blamed my mom, but then again, she was a darn good cook. It seems to me that no matter the reason, becoming a chef takes education, patience, time, and a burning desire to create dishes that tantalize the palate and cause your guests to roll their eyes up into their head let out that all too familiar noise. After all, what better compliment can a Chef have when their guest actually likes what they make? Send me your ideas and thoughts as to what helped you to decide to become a Chef. I am always looking for additional information to add. Stay tuned for next week’s article. Don’t forget to bookmark us!

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