Good-Bye Summer, Hello Fall

Summer will be over in a few weeks, soon there will be the passing of some fresh produce like tomatoes and cucumbers just to name a few. It makes me think of what I should be doing with all of my fresh herbs before they go bad....I have basil, I could make a basil oil, or even pesto, I have parsley, thyme and chives, all of these i can make into herb oils and vinaigrette's. I can then give them as gifts to friends and family, something that can be used until next spring and summer. Please note that when making your own herb oils they must stay refrigerated. If you want to know more on this subject, please email me and i will gladly give you more info. However it opens the door to a new harvest if you will the fall harvest. The smell of a freshly picked apple, pumpkins, spaghetti squash and potatoes to name a few. With these new, fresh produce almost upon us it opens the doors to open our minds and become creative once again. I get so excited with this new in season produce, you see, its not the same as buying it from a grocery store, it doesn't taste the same and most of the time its covered in a thin layer of wax to preserve it, doing this inhibits the true flavor of something picked right from the vine our dug out from the ground.

I was able to cherish some of these fruits and vegetables from my own garden, a Caprese salad in the summer with your own tomatoes never tasted so good, the tomatoes were still warm from being outside in the sun. One of my favorites is a cucumber sandwich...mmmm.....two pieces of bread with mayo, salt and pepper and sliced cucumbers. This is were most of my cucumbers ended up, not in salads, but in a sandwich, a comfort food to me, food so simple, yet so delicious. I believe alot of people get lost in food, they end up masking the true beauty and flavor of food and yes some restaurants do this and others don't.

I had the privilege of going to Carnivale in Chicago which focuses on Neuvo Latino Cuisine a few weeks ago and it was the best meal I have had in a long time. The food was simple a flavorful, all of the proteins came from a sustainable farmer who focuses on free range and or grass fed. All of there produce comes from the Green City Market in which Executive Chef Mark Mendez revolves his menu around to bring you local, simple, fresh food that is to die for.

At the resort that i work at, we have a garden there as well, and its huge and alot of work to maintain this garden but it is well worth the rewards. The garden does not produce enough to feed large groups, however, we do use the produce for special functions in the Chef Office. We also are planning on canning some of our harvest for others to take home as gifts. this is our first year having a garden at the hotel, so we have been able to see what we like and what did not work for us so we don't plant them again next year. We may even expand the garden next year to have more, especially herbs and other produce so our resort can become more sustainable.

I recently received an award, something that i have been striving for and set out to do in the beginning as a goal. I won leader of the quarter as a supervisor. To see a gaol of mine accomplished was great, it showed me that all of the hard work that i have been doing is paying off and being recognized. Now i need to set a new goal and work just as hard to show not only myself but others that I do deserve this award. My new gaol is to become a sous chef, this goal is in reach, however I myself need a few more things under my belt before I take this position in the near future.