You want a party where you can relax and enjoy your mom’s 90^th birthday.  You make sure every detail of that night is memorable and intentional.  You hire a chef for the meal.  But there’s a big storm outside and traffic is overwhelming.  You tell the chef that your guests are going to be an hour late.  Your chef, huffing and puffing is inflexible.  “We must eat now or my food will be ruined!”

Your guests arrive and your ego chef wants it to be all about him.  You spend more time avoiding him or arguing.  You definitely don’t make sudden requests.  Ultimately, it ruins the energy of the evening.

The next day (or even year), when you look back on that moment, you remember equally your mom’s milestone birthday smile and the anger you had.  You insist you’ll never hire anyone again!

You thought this would be smooth.  But in the end it wasn’t.  I’ve been at those types of events or hired those types of people to do work in my house.  The contractor that complained more than worked.  The garden designer who argued with my landscapers and didn’t listen to my wants and needs.

I understand – so here’s the plan

I recommend at the very least, get to know your chef.  Do you click with them?  Would you want this person as a guest at your event?  Will they represent you well?  Are they passionate about their profession?  How do they react when things don’t go as planned?

You want this to reflect on this memory positively – it’s a milestone event

Imagine if it’s like a wedding or if it’s your best friend’s birthday, or an anniversary, whatever the reason for having the event, its important moments, marks in your life that you want to celebrate… to remember.

“ You want your chef to make it a day to remember, not a nightmare.

And it’s even more important if that person is going to be, not just doing some work in your house but now interfacing with your family and your guest, it’s even more important that you click.

You need someone to be adaptable and flexible when plans change

When people show up late, when plans change, you want a chef that has the mindset of, “I can deal with this.  I can go with the flow.”

You want a chef that has empathy from your perspective.  You’re upset the plans changed.  So you need someone who can work with.

The last thing you want is a chef that gives you more stress when you already feel stressed from your party.  You need a chef that’s going to stay calm, have a glass of wine with you, and say, “It’s okay.  Just don’t stress, we are here for you when you are ready.”

A good chef will help the client relax and make it feel like you had an angel for the night.

You want a relationship – not a one-time transactional event

It’s all about relationships.  A chef makes a difference with somebody else lives and cares about the relationship.  You don’t want somebody waiting for the end of the night to get your money.

Here’s how to apply this

To be able to get to know your chef, use some of these questions.

1. What was your favorite event and why? Listen for what the chef likes about his profession.  Listen for passion and examples.  You may also ask about least favorite.
2. What kind of people bug you? Or What stresses you out?
3. How would your friends describe you?
4. Have you ever had a time when you had to deal with personalities that didn’t click with your own? How did you handle it?
5. Do you have a reference I can call? You may not call those references.  But see if they can give you a name in 48 hours.  That means it was easy to find a client that the chef has built a relationship with.

In the end, it’s a gut feeling.  You either click or you don’t.  You either connect or you don’t.  And to me knowing the person in your kitchen serving your food is someone that can make you smile (especially if you need it) is all worth it.

The post The single most important tip when hiring a chef or caterer appeared first on European Personal Chef, Inc..

Modernist cuisine has become more popular each year among serious foodies.  Intrigued myself, I’ve been researching modernist cuisine this year.  Modernist cuisine is a specialty of food science that examines the physical and chemical changes of ingredients that occur in cooking.  Some chefs also call it multi-sensory cooking, molecular gastronomy or culinary physics.

Here’s my latest modern creations that perhaps you may be interested I prepare for your next event, if so inclined.

Turkish Bruschetta
(Eggplant puree and carrot pearls on a toasted baguette)

Russian Beet Salad
(Roasted beet and prune puree, cucumber and herb coulis and roasted tomato puree)

Cuban Lobster Bouillabaisse Deconstructed
(Lobster, saffron broth, pickled cucumber, butternut squash and fresh jalapeno)

Northern Italian Roast Duck
(Seared duck breast, tomato-ginger agrodolce, fennel-apple puree, chanterelle mushrooms and gremolata)

Belgian Bacon Pudding
(Bacon-porcini pudding, walnut financier cake and spiced dried fruit compote)

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The post New Hors d’Oeuvre… Seared Peppered Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Cream Cheese, Red Pimento & Wasabi Caviar on a Multi-Grain Toast [Photo] appeared first on European Personal Chef, Inc..

I’ve been busy with research and development of new, modern recipes.  This one made my mouth water while shooting the photos.

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The post New Dessert… Bacon-Porcini Pudding with a Walnut Financier Cake and Spiced Dried Fruit Compote [Photo] appeared first on European Personal Chef, Inc..

Starting at age 18, in Portugal, I learned how to fill restaurant tables to rotate a 1,000 people a day.  From there I was a headwaiter on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and then was asked to be the captain’s waiter on Crystal Cruises – an elite cruise line.  There, I learned the high-end service dining style.  Then I owned my own restaurants in Portugal and moved to the front and the back of the kitchen.

Now, when I eat at a restaurant, I really appreciate excellent service and food.  And I’ve got a good sense for when I’m being “sold” to sell certain items on the menu.

So I’m going to let you in on a few secrets about profit margins.

Know the margins

I’m sure you know that alcohol is marked up significantly, anywhere from 80 – 400%.  The cheaper the wine, the higher the markup.  Knowing this, I don’t buy wine that costs more because I’m getting a better “deal.”  I typically like a medium priced wine when in doubt or bring my own Caymus in, pay the corkage fee and tip well.

But did you know that soda is marked up even more?!  A $2.50 soda even with one free refill, only costs the owner about $0.20 MAX.  That’s an 1,150% markup!  That’s why the free refills are offered.  The profit margin is huge!  I think soda sucks to begin with.  But this makes it easier for me to just order plain tap water, which I know my body will thank me for.

Other items that cost less to prepare but are marked up more than a regular entree are the pasta and pizza.  The best values in entrees are seafood and steak.

Don’t even get me started on “The Special of the Day.”  Some chefs use the specials to either:

• Promoting ingredients they want to get rid of, or
• They’re experimenting with a new dish.

For me personally, I don’t mind the latter.  And when I know the chef I get excited.  But if I don’t know the chef, I don’t know for sure which option I’m getting.

So next time you go to a restaurant, 3 tips to remember…

1. Order a medium priced wine.  Or bring your own high-end bottle, pay the corkage fee and tip 20% minimum.
2. Forget the chemical-laced soda and order plain tap water.  In my humble opinion, tap is great.
3. Avoid the pasta, pizza and “The Special of the Day.”  If you’re eating traditional protein, order seafood or steak.

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I’ll admit it.  There are times our microwave looks nasty.  I’m not a fan of chemicals to clean things – especially in the kitchen.  I mean really, I’m trying to  intentionally buy cleaner food, not add more chemicals to them.  Growing up in Portugal with little money and a lot of kids, my mother knew how to clean with common items from the kitchen or something she could get on a day’s walk.

This is the chef shortcut I do to clean my microwave oven naturally after learning this trick from theKitchn.com.

1. Put 1/2 cup water into a bowl.
2. Slice a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the water.  Drop the lemon halves into the bowl.
3. Microwave for 3 minutes and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Finally, remove the bowl and wipe it down.

Extra benefit is that the oven also smells good.

I have a ton of lemons in my kitchen for all sorts of food and cleaning uses.  It can make almost any dish taste better and look brighter.  I LOVE lemon.  In fact, I swear I’d wear lemon juice as a cologne. 

Question: How do you clean your microwave?  Or where else have you used lemon to clean?  Share your answer on Facebook.

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Since my dad was a fisherman, we ate a lot of fish like sardines, mackerel, calamari or octopus – even for breakfast.  You might think I’d be tired of seafood but nope.  I love seafood!  Whenever I go to a seafood restaurant, I can’t decide between shrimp or scallops.  So here’s an innovative seafood menu that highlights all my favorites – lobster, shrimp, crab, scallops, smoked salmon and caviar.  Check out the 1-minute video to see the plating of each dish.

Lobster Tail Stuffed with Shrimp & Crab

• Steakhouse Bruschetta
• Asian Chicken, Pineapple & Bell Pepper Skewers with Plum-BBQ Sauce

• Smoked Salmon with Jumbo Sea Scallop & Caviar

• Lobster Tail Stuffed with Shrimp & Crab
• Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Fresh Thyme

• Mixed Berries with Mascarpone – Limóncello Cream

Watch the 1-Minute Video

Question: My favorite seafood is probably rock crab.  What’s your favorite seafood?  Share your answer on Facebook or LinkedIn.

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When I originally opened my business, I wanted the biggest kitchen I could afford.  And big it was.  So big that I needed roller skates to go from the fridge to the cutting board to the stoves.  I was exhausted at the end of the day.  There weren’t Fitbit’s back then, but I bet I was racking up steps.

I sold the kitchen and got one quarter of the size.  And you know what?  I was more efficient, more effective, less tired and happier.  I realized that bigger isn’t always better.

I understand why someone would think bigger is better, especially with lobsters.  However, I’ve learned differently from my dad (a fisherman) and culinary school.

The two most important tips for choosing a good lobster

Bigger lobsters aren’t better.  Let me tell you why along with one other important tip to choose the best lobster.

1. Size does matter – big is NOT always better quality

I prefer small/medium size lobsters.  Why?  Because they cook much more evenly and tend to be more tender as a result. In addition, they’re less expensive.

2. The best lobsters are chillin’ in cold waters

You might assume that warm water, like the Caribbean or Australia, is sweeter lobster.  But the sweeter lobsters aren’t from warm waters.  Instead, the more firm, sweet flesh lobsters are from cold waters like Maine, South Africa and New Zealand.  Most lobsters are labeled as warm or cold or the country they came from.  If not, ask or assume it’s warm-water.

Lobsters aren’t cheap to begin with.  So if you’re shelling out some cash, you’re now more informed so you’re more likely to be content and satisfied with your choice.

Question: Have you ever bought lobster to cook at home?  If so, did it turn out good or bad?  Share your answer on Facebook or LinkedIn.

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