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OT Italian and seafood ft Lauderdale

caneinorlando said:
Waste is the single worst thing a restaurant has to endure...Your food cost should NEVER exceed 15%....The restaurant group I work for has been alittle Lax in that Dept...and it ****es me off..another reason I'm retiring next yr...Nobody wants to pay (chefs..Linecooks..etc) what their worth...hence problems with not caring and waste...The smaller your menu...the less spoilage and waste there is...Another example of why high cost items aren't on alot of menus except for weekly or monthly specials...The restaurant business is a MFer...and has been for many yrs...
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Couldn't agree more. There were 3 guys that started Grand Western Brands. They had been in the restaurant business for many years and were fed up with not being able to find high quality foods at the local level. Jess Gistanelli - thus the G in Grand - was over sales and marketing. **** Wheeler - thus the W in Western - was over operations. Jim Beranek - thus the B in Brands - was the money man (finances). We catered to many of the finer restaurants and many others in Dade, Broward, and PB counties and eventually expanded farther north and west. A couple of years before I left, they became the exclusive provider to TGIF's for entire state of FL.
Jess and Jim had no kids and **** had 2 girls that had no interest in the business. So they hand picked 4 of us - 1 for sales, 2 for operations, and 1 for finance - to mentor in hopes we would eventually be able to run the business for them. I was one of the 2 for operations. Biggest mistake of my career was leaving them. The other guy in operations is now co-owner and CEO. As they say, hindsight is 20/20.
 
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Lol....Been there...I now just oversee back of the House operations...Can CaneinOrlando jump on a Line till this day??...Absolutely...but I became burnt out many yrs ago....I grew up in a family of Chefs and restaurantuers...but I finally had to say enough was enough yrs ago...I worked with some Amazing Chefs in my Lifetime...Chefs that got MAJOR publicity...
But not one of them had the creativity that Executive Chef Tim Creehan had at Marina Cafe in Destin Fl in the late 80s and early 90s....Other Chefs get the Notoriety...but Tim was the MASTER of Fusion food in Fl at that time...I worked side by side with him for 1yr...and was absolutely FLOORED at what he was able to do...especially with Seafood...
Lets put it this way....He absolutely DESTROYED the Top Chefs in Fl at the Governors Challenge in 88...89 and 1990...Layed waste to all of them...He still has some places in the Panhandle...but things aren't the same anymore...Dude had The Panhandle by the balls for 15+ yrs....There also was a young guy at the same time with the last name Prescott...this is from circa 87-91 in Destin...Kid was so Badazz, that when he left the Restaurant he was Exec Chef at (named Prescotts in Destin) he couldn't Chef within 50miles from where he left (signed agreement with Prescotts owner at time of hiring) he was Super Young...and Tim Creehan himself told me he was absolutely Incredible....
 
caneinorlando said:
Lol....Been there...I now just oversee back of the House operations...Can CaneinOrlando jump on a Line till this day??...Absolutely...but I became burnt out many yrs ago....I grew up in a family of Chefs and restaurantuers...but I finally had to say enough was enough yrs ago...I worked with some Amazing Chefs in my Lifetime...Chefs that got MAJOR publicity...
But not one of them had the creativity that Executive Chef Tim Creehan had at Marina Cafe in Destin Fl in the late 80s and early 90s....Other Chefs get the Notoriety...but Tim was the MASTER of Fusion food in Fl at that time...I worked side by side with him for 1yr...and was absolutely FLOORED at what he was able to do...especially with Seafood...
Lets put it this way....He absolutely DESTROYED the Top Chefs in Fl at the Governors Challenge in 88...89 and 1990...Layed waste to all of them...He still has some places in the Panhandle...but things aren't the same anymore...Dude had The Panhandle by the balls for 15+ yrs....There also was a young guy at the same time with the last name Prescott...this is from circa 87-91 in Destin...Kid was so Badazz, that when he left the Restaurant he was Exec Chef at (named Prescotts in Destin) he couldn't Chef within 50miles from where he left (signed agreement with Prescotts owner at time of hiring) he was Super Young...and Tim Creehan himself told me he was absolutely Incredible....
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No doubt the restaurant business is a tough MFer. I was on the wholesale end but saw a lot of the **** that went down. GWB was all about quality and customer service. Hand-cut, never frozen steaks and chops and all top of the line brands. We were available 24/7/365. Each one of us on the staff took turns being on call. If one of our restaurants - and even one of our competitors customers - ran out of something, they could call and we would be there with what they needed in 2 hours or less. Best 7 years of my career. I've taken many of the lessons learned in that time throughout my personal and professional life to this day.
 
caneinorlando said:
Lol....Been there...I now just oversee back of the House operations...Can CaneinOrlando jump on a Line till this day??...Absolutely...but I became burnt out many yrs ago....I grew up in a family of Chefs and restaurantuers...but I finally had to say enough was enough yrs ago...I worked with some Amazing Chefs in my Lifetime...Chefs that got MAJOR publicity...
But not one of them had the creativity that Executive Chef Tim Creehan had at Marina Cafe in Destin Fl in the late 80s and early 90s....Other Chefs get the Notoriety...but Tim was the MASTER of Fusion food in Fl at that time...I worked side by side with him for 1yr...and was absolutely FLOORED at what he was able to do...especially with Seafood...
Lets put it this way....He absolutely DESTROYED the Top Chefs in Fl at the Governors Challenge in 88...89 and 1990...Layed waste to all of them...He still has some places in the Panhandle...but things aren't the same anymore...Dude had The Panhandle by the balls for 15+ yrs....There also was a young guy at the same time with the last name Prescott...this is from circa 87-91 in Destin...Kid was so Badazz, that when he left the Restaurant he was Exec Chef at (named Prescotts in Destin) he couldn't Chef within 50miles from where he left (signed agreement with Prescotts owner at time of hiring) he was Super Young...and Tim Creehan himself told me he was absolutely Incredible....
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Hope I'm not boring you to tears but our conversations just brought back a lot of great memories. Thought you might get a kick out of this. My first "real" job was as a dishwasher in a W.T Grant restaurant in Hollywood. Got "promoted" to fry cook and then again to short order cook. Left there to a Ranch House for 50 cents more an hour as a short order cook. Went to being a breakfast cook were we had a 2-2-2 special - 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, and 2 pancakes for 99 cents on Sat and Sun. I'd have them lined up 20-30 deep outside waiting to get in. The biggest perk, besides the free food, was the waitresses!
 
423Hurricane said:
Hope I'm not boring you to tears but our conversations just brought back a lot of great memories. Thought you might get a kick out of this. My first "real" job was as a dishwasher in a W.T Grant restaurant in Hollywood. Got "promoted" to fry cook and then again to short order cook. Left there to a Ranch House for 50 cents more an hour as a short order cook. Went to being a breakfast cook were we had a 2-2-2 special - 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, and 2 pancakes for 99 cents on Sat and Sun. I'd have them lined up 20-30 deep outside waiting to get in. The biggest perk, besides the free food, was the waitresses!
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Look Man....I have the upmost respect for short order cooks...Hardest Cook job there is...I even hired a few Waffle House cooks in my day...those Dudes Rock it without any ticket in front of them...Lol...Line Cooks in Higher priced restaurants/Fine cuisine have more time to get their product out...they also have a Sous Chef/Expediter to help as well....not to mention a Pantry (salads and desserts) person too boot...And don't get me started on Dishwashing...Lol...God knows I've done my share (Dishwashers calling out)
At Marina Cafe on average in 89, we were doing 250 covers and another 100 walkins during the Week...and 350 covers with 100 walkins Friday and Sat Nights....Very difficult to turn tables over quickly, when your dealing with 3 course meals...People who are paying $25-$30 dollars a meal...with an average Ticket at $100-$125 Dollars (Gratuity added) aren't wolfing down their food...and hauling *** in 30mins....
 
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caneinorlando said:
Look Man....I have the upmost respect for short order cooks...Hardest Cook job there is...I even hired a few Waffle House cooks in my day...those Dudes Rock it without any ticket in front of them...Lol...Line Cooks in Higher priced restaurants/Fine cuisine have more time to get their product out...they also have a Sous Chef/Expediter to help as well....not to mention a Pantry (salads and desserts) person too boot...And don't get me started on Dishwashing...Lol...God knows I've done my share (Dishwashers calling out)
At Marina Cafe on average in 89, we were doing 250 covers and another 100 walkins during the Week...and 350 covers with 100 walkins Friday and Sat Nights....Very difficult to turn tables over quickly, when your dealing with 3 course meals...People who are paying $25-$30 dollars a meal...with an average Ticket at $100-$125 Dollars (Gratuity added) aren't wolfing down their food...and hauling *** in 30mins....
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Wow! That's incredible. Never had the opportunity to work in a higher priced/fine cuisine restaurant but visited many when I was on the wholesale end. The Old Man as I affectionately called him, would send us out to at least 2 restaurants a week to visit with owners, managers, and always as many of the staff as possible. I'd get to go into the kitchens and watch the magic take place. Never ceased to amaze me at how they put those dishes together. One that stood out was Le Dome - 5 star at the top of a hotel in Bahia Mar on Ft Laud beach. Reservation only and as I recall, 2-3 weeks wait.
 
423Hurricane said:
Wow! That's incredible. Never had the opportunity to work in a higher priced/fine cuisine restaurant but visited many when I was on the wholesale end. The Old Man as I affectionately called him, would send us out to at least 2 restaurants a week to visit with owners, managers, and always as many of the staff as possible. I'd get to go into the kitchens and watch the magic take place. Never ceased to amaze me at how they put those dishes together. One that stood out was Le Dome - 5 star at the top of a hotel in Bahia Mar on Ft Laud beach. Reservation only and as I recall, 2-3 weeks wait.
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It's a tough line of work....From the Broilerman...to the Saute man...to the Deep fry man....ESPECIALLY the saute station....6-8 eyes going at once is a MFer...Worst job in a kitchen might very well be Pots and Pans....Jesus....Lol...Pots have to soak...and Saute pans have to be scrubbed quickly and returned to the line....
 
Tad Footeball said:
I'll fight you in the parking lot of the new Quarterdeck over your Gilbert's slander....although Charm City IS legit but Deerfield ain't exactly a short walk from Lauderdale.
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Lol. Gilbert’s sucks. Go eat a Tucker Duke original then come back and talk to me.
 
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Tad Footeball said:
I'll fight you in the parking lot of the new Quarterdeck over your Gilbert's slander....although Charm City IS legit but Deerfield ain't exactly a short walk from Lauderdale.
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OP missed the thread topic. And I'm your second in this fight. Gilbert's is my fave burger joint in SoFla.
 
sfbomber said:
She makes the cookies herself. They are stupid good.
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1000%. Soooo good. One of my boys is a travel/food writer and he'll sometimes just stop in there for the cookies by themselves. I'd say it's a little ghey if they weren't so good.
 
TrueFloridian said:
Lol. Gilbert’s sucks. Go eat a Tucker Duke original then come back and talk to me.
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Haha. I wanna say you're insane but I'm gonna withhold total judgment until I actually try Tucker Duke's (which I've been meaning to do anyway) since we're in agreement on Charm City.
 
423Hurricane said:
So they hand picked 4 of us - 1 for sales, 2 for operations, and 1 for finance - to mentor in hopes we would eventually be able to run the business for them. I was one of the 2 for operations. Biggest mistake of my career was leaving them. The other guy in operations is now co-owner and CEO.
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Why did you leave? ... if you don't mind me being nosy.
 
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For_The_U said:
Will you be going to Montalcino? My only experience with Tuscany was there.
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Definitely doing some hill towns. Therefore, since it’s one of the best examples of them..it’s quite likely.

My plan is like 2 days in Rome, and then taking a car and driving my way up through Florence, then Venice and/or the Dolomites over 10-11 days. Very ambitious schedule.

Haven’t taken two consecutive weeks for vaca in forever because of work, but not denying myself anymore.

Just hope I don’t end up like Gandolfini.
 
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OriginalCanesCanesCanes said:
Definitely doing some hill towns. Therefore, since it’s one of the best examples of them..it’s quite likely.

My plan is like 2 days in Rome, and then taking a car and driving my way up through Florence, then Venice and/or the Dolomites over 10-11 days. Very ambitious schedule.

Haven’t taken two consecutive weeks for vaca in forever because of work, but not denying myself anymore.

Just hope I don’t end up like Gandolfini.
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Awesome trip! I will shoot you a PM about the eye opening experience we had in Montalcino. I wish I figured out the truth before it was the second to last day I was there. Like most, we wasted the first couple days hitting a lot of the big name wineries. That was enjoyable too, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't until the end that we found the true magic of that place.
 
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