BAP

While much of the public is still fascinated with the locovore movement, and one can easily see why, it’s an easy sell, buy based on proximity it will solve the worlds problems. Spending money in our own community is very positive, but otherwise environmental evidence points out that it may be far worse, twenty farmers driving their ford f-150′s up to the back door of various restaurants is hardly a sustainable solution.

The more interesting discussion, one that actually presents a real opportunity at change is what folks across the food system are starting to call, Best Agricultural Practices.  The beauty is that in the BAP scenario transparency is a vital component, and as more and more farmers are accepting that consumers want inside warehouses, and chemical storage units, we actually are starting to be able effect what is in the box upon delivery.

The measure is by what actual practices that farmer can demonstrate that she is using.  This concept is quickly gaining traction in fish farming, it is conceivable that in a couple of years you would be able to choose your fish based on not just that it’s tuna safe, but that the farmer can demonstrate for example a 3 on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being best environmental practice.

The down side is that a resto like ours that demands transparency has realized that some of our most used vendors through the years are not as transparent as they should have been.  In one case, a local fish vendor that I had used since moving here is on the outs, they simply refuse to be transparent.  “Trust me”, isn’t an answer that I can give my guests anymore, especially when it turns out that serious watchdog groups are sounding alarms as it relates to widespread fish fraud across the country.  It simply isn’t responsible for me to sell an item that I can’t confidently claim to be what it is.

The upside is that we are actually starting to look at real information and be provided with actionable intelligence. With this information we can go after specific ag practices that are egregious, for example crate gestation, or feed lot abuse (we will get into that next week).

If enough people can get behind BAP labeling we will really get somewhere, somewhere for real this time.

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Black-balled

Anthony Bourdain gave a very honest assessment of celebrity chef endorsements, here.  Tom Colicchio measured in on “cooking competitions” this way yesterday, “The whole idea of competition with chefs is foreign and alien to me. I understand the irony of that statement since I judge a competitive cooking show, but prior to doing Top Chef the concept hadn’t really occurred to me.”

Bourdain also talked about the Golden Clogs:

What about The Golden Clog Awards? Is there any chance you’ll be bringing those back?

Oh my god. Poor [Michael] Ruhlman. I suckered him into doing that with me and he was like black-balled in the industry for like two years. He’s still smarting in the perineal region from that experience.

Having a little experience with being black-balled by a person here or there, I can attest to the fact that it’s not all bad.  In the end those that engage in such behavior always come off looking petty-sure some folks will go along for a while, but the pay back is a real bitch for the types that seek to use their positions to control, as they eventually get cut off by the very hands that feeds, for every action their is an equal and opposite reaction.

Kudos to Bourdain for once again pointing out that this type of behavior exists in the industry.  Nobody has spoken more openly and honestly about the industry than he has through the years.

Any parting words or last thoughts?

Just that I honestly believe that a desire to cook at all, but specifically a desire to cook well, to excel, to feed other people, is really and truly a noble calling. It is rarely a high art, but I think it is a good and noble thing, a good and noble calling, and I think it is, generally speaking, wherever you are in the world, no coincidence that it is done by good people.

The changes to our industry in the last few years, the celebrity, and the exposure has been great for a work a day chef like me.  Most of us didn’t get into this because we think it will lead to celebrity, or money, or what have you.  We got into this because we love cooking and creating dishes that make other folks happy. On balance the celebrity thing- even on a small scale like ours, has been great for raising money for charity.  Certain people (bankers) take my calls that would have scoffed at me before, and that’s been helpful.  But make no mistake about it, the work has to be there 100% of the time for it to have credibility.

The folks that want to black-ball, the folks that seek to dominate others can’t do anything about you performing at a high level.  Every night we fill the joint, cause the folks that matter the most, the ones coming in to eat only want the same thing as us, to eat well and celebrate life, no amount of posturing, no amount of press positive or negative can take away your hard work.

If you seek to build a business that has integrity, you build it one person at a time, one plate at a time, no amount of celebrity will ever change that.

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How to Serve Safe Food

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You Don’t Have To Be Rich

Mugaritz chef Andoni Luis Adruiz on some of his dishes,”“There was a key moment in the evolution of Mugaritz when we realized that we were serving certain things that, objectively, weren’t ‘good,’ but which had great emotional power,” he writes in the book. “What it comes down to is: You don’t have to like something for you to enjoy it. Pleasure is not only found in the mouth … In the end, it isn’t only about eating; it’s also about discovering.”” From Grub.

…and now apparently it doesn’t have to be good either.

Some will tell you that Adruiz is among the great chefs, but then again for too many the goal isn’t to have great meals, it’s to collect as many “discoveries” as they can. Thus the great divide, those that make the who more important than the good.  In other words those that posses the intellectual capacity to distinguish between make-believe and reality.

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Week in Hindsight

The week didn’t start or end how I thought it would.  Firstly big changes to Bh on Monday, and then more on Friday.  News to follow in the coming days and weeks.  Construction is going very well.  I am not sure what is more unsettling the feeling that things are somewhat beshert, or meant to be, meant to unfold in a certain way.  Or the feeling that I have no apparent control other than to surrender to the winds of fate–my job is just to smile and go along with the “plan” apparently.

Speaking of winds, did I mention that we had a beer tasting of Harriet Growlers this week, holy shit is their IPA stellar out of these snuggies (which is a very good thing, especially now that we have a stadium–Yeah!!!).  Next we should push for a public funding bill to fund a street car system/light rail system, yes we seriously can afford it, and we can’t afford to not invest in our future.

Great week at Heidi’s, I had a chef table on Wednesday of some old regulars, “just cook for us”, it was a blast, dishes I hadn’t made in years, geeked out fun.  Yesterday we got some baby artichokes that I am braising Ducasse style, with EVOO, coriander and sherry vin, we are pairing them with a bison skirt steak and fennel mashers.  The bison steak has so much flavor, it’s a little gamey, and old school, I could eat a ton of it.  We debated the sous vide-ing of it, sometimes sous vide can go too far and the texture you lose, the toothiness must be retained to the extent that you feel like your eating meat, and not lunch meat.

Bon Weekend…

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Burger Nation

For years Presidents have been lining up to prove that they are average Joe in one form or another.  When it comes to food, Barack Obama has been ordering and proudly eating fast food for years, saying while placing his order at Rudy’s last, “Mustard, onion, chili sauce sounds just right… a little cheese on it, nothing wrong with that.”

What’s his message? I get that he likes fast food, and some fast food is OK.  But what is some?  Realistically what amount is that for someone who leads a relatively sedentary life?  Once a year?

Estimates put half the country obese by 2030, economy wide the costs of that extra weight are astronomical, what kind of army could we rouse when and if we need to?  What kind of resources are we committing to being obese?  How much of our future are we investing in us being very over weight?  It’s estimated that currently we burn a billion dollars more in gas a year than we would if we were at the same average weight we used to be in the sixties.  That is not a renewable resource.  Yet leaders the country over are loath to set the example for fear of appearing elitist.  I guess I didn’t get the memo that explains why it’s elitist to give a rat’s ass about our country, it’s people, and their future.

Of all the Presidents in recent memory ours has a professorial air, he comes by it honestly, ain’t noten’ wrong with a lotta learnin’, and he’s a good man to boot, why just yesterday he proved that again.  So why the bullshit appeal to the burger nation?  Would it kill him to model behavior that would help the average fella in the long run.  Whenever he’s ready to stop posing as an average guy, and pick up a celery stick, will there really be anything wrong with that?

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PSA

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Are Food Trucks Passé ?

Top Chef contestant Stephan Richter (I’m not sure who he is-but I guess all one needs to do these days is be on TV to be an expert) said this of food trucks to NRN, “It was exciting two years ago,” he said. “Now it’s super boring.  Who wants to have lunch next to a dumpster by a truck in a shady alley?”

Super boring?

In this video it looks like excitement about great food, there is nothing “super boring” about that.

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The People Republic of Minneapolis

Just when you think that Minneapolis has improved, we spend weeks chasing our tails cause some fella is on vacation, it’s a good thing we don’t need to put people to work in our community, cause city hall certainly doesn’t seem to give a hoot.

Wanna know what it’s like to open a restaurant mentally.  This video explains it all.

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BOYB, MSP, MSC, BAP, FOX

This morning I played a little game of spin the bottle, which one of the above topics would I write about.  The bottle choose MSC, bummer, two of the others could have made things a tad sexier this weekend.  But the bottle has spoken, and one must adhere to the will of the all wise spinning bottle.

MSC, stands for Maritime Stewardship Council.

If you buy fish, and care about how it was caught, harvested, or farmed, you will need to know about the MSC, and MSC certified operations.  Soon I’ll be visiting an MSC certified wholesaler and videotape it for this site.  If you’re in the biz, whether writing about, making stuff, or otherwise knowing things, when folks ask you how you came about your salmon, you can look them in the eye and know with the greatest extent of certainty to date from whence it came.

Recap: Great week at Heidi’s this week, feels like the patio will be open for good soon.  Trish came up with a new cocktail.  It tastes like orange sweet skim milk, and I’m in love.  Birdhouse is going to have it’s kitchen remodel finished Monday, the equipment is in place. Jeff, the GM of Bh will start on Monday.  So Heidi and I will have a chance to turn over the reigns to what we think will be the core opening team: Jordan, Jeff, Steven, and Ryan.  They will have a ton of help, but they are the leaders we will follow into battle.

We’ll be calling them “The Fellowship of the Birdhouse”.

Bon weekend…

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