Changes

Changes- something that I have learned to embrace and I have found that change can lead to something even more than I once thought. We have had some changes as of late at Victory 44. Some of my previous cooks had informed me that they were leaving to start there own restaurant. In some ways this was not a shock at all since I knew my chef had once owned his own place and always dreamed of having another of his own. Some parts of me were upset but it was more in part because of how the "departure" went down. In the haste of their decision they had offered jobs to all of the current staff. Something that is pretty bad form in the restaurant industry- but in some ways they felt they had developed a crew, and in some ways they did. Yet they overlooked the repercussions of the decisions they made and the respect that may have been lost in the lack of communication and the soliciting of the staff. Ultimately two very good things came out of this...I was able to truly see how vulnerable one can get when giving to much freedom, creative influence , trust, praise, and in some regards control of the kitchen. But I also learned that change happens for a reason- I was not always happy at some of the aspects that had developed in the restaurant and now I was able to take control and regain what was lost. In my haste of trying to run to busy restaurants I lost focus on what I truly love-to cook! In some ways the departure of my cooks to chase their dreams help me realize how much focus I had lost of my own. I have since been able to hire some of my old cooks from way back in the day which has been a very exciting reunion and I now spend much more time developing and nurturing there food knowledge, and in return they do the same for me. It has been a pretty smooth transition and the entirely new staff that has been put in place is really doing a fabulous job. Don't get me wrong- my idea to get rid of all the servers and use only cooks has been quite ambitious and full of unexpected learning curves, but that is half of what makes it so fun. We are really on a path to truly develop this concept and really iron out all of the details......and to clarify- I have no bad blood for my previous cooks- in some ways its a little bit of karma (not that I believe in karma) but I did the same thing to my former boss when I was not certain of what the outcome could have been had I just told him my dreams. I wish them all of the best of luck and I am very excited for the future of Victory 44. We have really been developing some really exciting dishes.....so please stop by and give them a taste and stay tuned for all of the exciting developments of our really unique concept. Like we say every table is a chefs table.......

Here we go again...

Alright...I have started a new blog and I promise this time to be much better about posting what is happening in the restaurants. The postings will consist of photos and comments from me and my crews from both Victory 44 and The Kitchen. Stay tuned for updates of new spring menus and photos of dishes. There is a BBQ cook off this Saturday on the patio at The Kitchen in Stillwater from noon to 5. I have created a pretty sexy and playful dish that I hope brings home the gold.....or I guess wins the gold and keeps it at our restaurant since the event is taking place on my patio...... Hope to see you all there..........