Chef Mil
Berkeley, CA
Female, 49
I have been working in restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years (two of the restaurants had been in the SF Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants). I have cooked mostly Mediterranean food, but have some experience with Asian food. I went to cooking school, and worked my way up from being a prep cook (think--prepping 3 cases of artichokes, de-boning 100 quail, and juicing a case of lemons!) to being a chef at a well known restaurant in my area. And no, I am not the yelling type! :)
Jason, I'm beginning to think that food critics matter less, especially since newspapers are getting less play. The food section in my area has gotten small; it used to have its own section every week. In a way, I think Yelp is more democratic and pretty accurate, although I know it does solicit money to give restaurants more coverage and to remove any bad ratings.
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Hi Some, No, it's usually the case. I sometimes feel sorry for waiters as they have to get the brunt of the customer's ire. Hopefully, they give them something a little extra to smooth out any ruffled feathers.
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Hi Wannabe, I had to think about this...Of course all the ones we know Ferran Adria, Thomas Keller are great just for their innovation. But when it comes to chefs whose food I have eaten consistently, it would have to be David Tanis and Chris Lee who both used to work at Chez Panisse. They both make AMAZING food. I wonder how they do it. Who are your favorites?
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Hi manamana, That is a very hard question to answer! :) I've had so many great restaurant meals. One that stands out is some very simple, but delicious steamed vegetables (yes, you read that right) at Michel Guerard's small place, not his three star, in France. I once had a meal at Chez Panisse where everything was just so out of this world. With some cook friends though, at a get together, everyone brought food. The food was excellent, yes. But something about that evening...we were eating outside someone's beautiful home, on their patio. It was a summer evening, and just everyone laughed so much, shared great stories; there was a camaraderie born of all the stars just lining up that night that made it so magical.
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Hi Colette, A good, sharp knife!!! That actually is a less commonly owned piece of kitchenware in homes. Otherwise, a microplane, a benriner, mortar and pestle, a knife steel, and a Vita-mix blender. I had to look in my kitchen. Plus, a sense of humor!
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Hi jason, Well, the main food critic here, not many people know what he looks like. They know that he hangs out with one certain cookbook writer, and sometimes her presence tips the restaurant off. We know when a high-end restaurant opens that he will be coming around, but otherwise, no I don't know. If I knew he was there, I would just make sure to serve up an awesome version of any dishes going to the table. He doesn't really like it when something off the menu is made for him.
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Hi singh_r, Sorry for the delay. I was in Europe. The sign is to remind employees. Here, the restaurants must have by law, a special hand-washing sink complete with soap and available hand wiping facilities. This sounds sort of gross, but many people are not in the habit of washing their hands even at home. I always wash my hands first thing when I get to work. Sometimes when I tell folks how stringent I am at home with the family, they think I'm mean. I also counter their protests with, "Oh, so you don't want a restaurant chef to think like this?" That usually quiets them!
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