PEELING POBLANO PEPPERS IN THE KITCHEN

As part of my "Cross-training" at work, Yesterday I spent the better part of the day working in the kitchen.
Having been in the restaurant business for a long time, I have seen, heard and experienced everything that there is to experience about a working restaurant, except the kitchen part of it. I have never been a cook, a prep cook, a grill man or nothing like it, not even in my previous job, where I supervised a whole kitchen crew.
Until yesterday.
I spent at least two hours peeling Poblano peppers, which are used for Chile Rellenos. You stand at this one spot and your back aches, your fingers burn, your throat burns and you are constantly coughing, because of everything that gets released when you are peeling and de-veining peppers. I am sure that people that do this day in and day out get used to it, but what a chore. My next "assignment" was to fry 3 huge bags of tortilla chips. Sounds simple right?, just throw the chips in the hot oil and fry them, yeah, right!
The chips get hot and steamy and "heavy" with the oil they are being fried on. You have to stir them with a large slotted tool, so they don't stick, break and burn. You have to get the right crisp in them and when you are turning them, they are heavy, then you fish them out of the oil carefully
your wrists, begin to hurt, your shoulders ache from the turning and lifting. After filling about 12 large pans, I was done with my assignment and my arms were just hanging my sides limp and in pain.
Kitchen workers are hard working people.
Next week I will be working at the bar, that should be fun, untill the tickets start spewing lots of tickets with all kinds of different complicated drinks..

First Day at Work

Yesterday was my official first day at my new job.
There were plenty of faces I've seen over the past year and some new. I am still looked at as someone who is new and therefore, like an alien out of space, some keep their distance and some are not shy to introduce themselves. It is a job that I have done before so the whole thing is not new to me. Everyone is curious as to what I have done before, where I came from etc. The questions seem funny because as I had said before, I have worked with the company for over a year and a half and I have seen most of them, but they do not remember me.
That is an advantage I suppose.
Not a bad day, only a long one and they are bound to get longer because of the weekends being so much busier. The place turns into a night club after it closes for dinner.
Till then..

WEEKEND OFF!!

So this is what it feels like to be off on the weekends. Calm, relaxed and with plenty of time for a nap (Not that I've taken one, but Melissa did). We went to get lunch at a great Mexican place here in town, Lindo Michoacan a place that has been around for more than a decade in Vegas. Funny to walk into the restaurant and run into Senator Chris Dodd, from Connecticut. Here in Vegas?.. Of course here in Vegas,
Lately we have seen lots of politicians make their way into our state.
Over the big weekend of Cinco de Mayo during a big event in town, the likes of John McCain and other "heavy weights" of politics will be here.
Anyways, I was saying how nice it was to be off on the weekends, I just came back from getting a haircut and later, or soon, we'll be going bowling...
And we still have Sunday...
Maybe we'll go to the Logandale Fair tomorrow.
It is good to be off on the weekends!-Though I think this might be my last one...

NEW JOB

So this Monday I start my new job, same company different department. Lateral move with a small raise, not bad after only being with the company for about a year and a half.
My last day at my current place will be this Saturday.
Busy busy busy, no wonder I haven't posted for over a week. Family had fun during their trip to L.A. and San Diego over Easter. While they were away, I got to work and work and do some house cleaning...
Till next time.

A Picture from the past

The year was 1992.
Gorbachev was already out of power and was traveling the world to raise money for his foundation. There was one held were I used to work and was attended by the likes of; Oliver Stone, Barbara Streissand and some other Hollywood types. We were asked to line up in the lobby to "receive" the dignatary. It was actually quite an emotional moment to be shaking the hand of someone who held so much power during his time as Premier of the former USSR (Soviet Union) and who also steered the world into a different direction by his actions.
On the picture there is another current "celebrity chef"-Thomas Keller of
French Laundry and Per Se. At the time he was the Executive chef at the restaurant that I worked at in L.A. 14 Years ago....
How time flies...