Whole Foods Market
Denver/Nashville 2007-present
Production Chef, Team Trainer, Executive Chef
For the past four years, I have worked for Whole Foods Market. I started at a Denver store called Belmar. I presently work in Nashville at the Green Hills location. I work in the Prepared Foods department, where I was the team trainer in Denver for two years. I had also been food safety liaison for that time too, improving our inspection scores as much as thirty percent.
I planned production lists for the Prepared Foods department. I developed recipes designed to utilized free product from the produce department. I took part in large scale production of high-end prepared fare. I developed a training outline for new hires that would streamline the lengthy process for our very large team. I have grown a lot working for this company, both professionally and personally. I have developed a bunch of new skills. My favorite would have to be temperance.
Le Central, The Affordable French Restaurant
Denver, CO 2006-2007
Sous Chef
This was my first job in Denver. I was one of two sous chefs for this restaurant, and I was in charge of running a very busy lunch. Every morning, I came in and wrote the menu for the day. I would plan the menu based on what was left over, what was coming in, and the season at the time. I came up with four lunch specials, and two soups every day.
We started seating people at eleven o'clock in the morning, and we were very busy. I ran the line during lunch service. I expedited the orders, and plated the food. I managed eleven employees, and trained the new sous chef that would replace me. I didn't do any ordering, but I did most of the receiving. I learned an indispensable set of dos and don'ts at this restaurant. The most important one . . . don't believe everything you're told.
White Way Cleaners/Compass Realty
Laurel, MS 2005-2006
Owner/Operator
After hurricane Katrina, we moved from beautiful Crested Butte back to Mississippi to help with the cleanup. For the first couple of months we cut trees, we ground stumps, we picked up limbs, etc. Then my dad got real sick. He had a mild stroke, but insisted on getting back to work soon after. I couldn't blame him. We had a large dry cleaning operation that my grandfather had built back in the mid forties. It was an iconic kind of place on the south side of our small town. He definitely needed help down there with that.
So, we went down and helped with the laundry . . . lots and lots of laundry. His second stroke was a bad one. Suddenly, and without any briefing, I had to take over everything. That included the large property management operation he had in addition to the dry cleaners. It wasn't pretty, but I did it. I managed seven employees at the cleaners. I was in charge of payroll/taxes. If someone didn't come to work, I did their job.
I also had to make sure everyone was paying their rent on all of dad's rental properties, and there wasn't a list. I had to go off his old receipt books because he was unable to speak clearly after the strokes. I arranged for repairs, I performed evictions, and I participated in civil suits regarding delinquencies. This experience was a proving ground, and the worm was on a turn for me. I realized my capacity for adaptation.
Timberline Restaurant
Crested Butte, CO 2003-2005
Rockstar
This was a truly awesome job, in a truly awesome place. Crested Butte is a gorgeous little village nestled deep within the Rocky Mountains. The town is very small (2100 year round residents), and the ski hill is remarkable. I spent two summers and a record setting winter there. Besides, summertime brings a spiderweb of gold-medal trout waters to Gunnison County, of which I took the fullest advantage of.
I worked for Tim Eglehoff at the Timberline Restaurant right on Elk Ave. Recognizing the talent of his kitchen crew, Tim gave Drew and I free reign over the menu. He fondly referred to us as "team takeover". We did chef tastings, wine dinners, beer dinners, wild mushroom menus, and special banquets. During the summer months, we would do at least one wedding party each weekend out back . . . sometimes as many as three. We even designed a menu around a bunch of cans of food this rich second homeowner had brought back from France . . . truffles, liver, stuff like that. I was dreaming in food again. I left that job with a deep sense of pride and trust in my craft. It was here I realized the caliber of cook I had become.
The Porthouse Restaurant, Beau Rivage Casino
Biloxi, MS 2001-2003
Commis, Saucier
I started working for a fancy casino in Biloxi after I had reluctantly left Charleston. I was a member of a "jump team" that was opening a new fine dining room at the crown jewel of the Gulf Coast casinos, The Beau Rivage. The restaurant was to be a surf and turf kind of room, and there was a 10,000 gallon saltwater fish tank on each of the four walls of the restaurant. It was an opulent restaurant with an expensive menu. In addition to the fancy menu, every guest was treated to an amusé at the beginning of the meal. We featured three types of caviar, Kobe beef rib-eyes, lobster twelve different ways, an ever-changing selection of exotic seafoods, dry-aged beef, goose liver, and an assortment of whimsical desserts.
I worked every station on that line including an intimidating double decked broiler and the dreaded fish station. I was responsible for nightly fish specials, and I was in charge of most of the sauces (Saucier). As Commis, I trained the new guys . . . including several French interns. We won two distinguished awards while I was with The Porthouse, and both times the shopper dined on an entree that came from my station.
The DiRona Award (Distiguished Restaurants of North America) was captured in part by a blackened Snapper special of mine. It featured grilled baby bok choy, and a roasted pepper butter sauce. The Four Diamond Award was ushered in by my braised lamb cheek special. It had been marinated in yogurt and mint for 24 hours, and then slow braised. At service, the cheeks were dredged in flour, and browned in hot duck fat. They were served with roasted fingerling potatoes, and a rosemary-mint demi glaze. I found it a little discouraging though that all the credit went to the chef that really didn't do any of the cooking (or imagining for that matter). Oh well, lesson learned.
Earlier Experience:
Charleston, SC 1999-2001
I moved to Charleston for culinary school right at the end of the millennium. I spent three years there, and I worked in many fine (and not so fine) restaurants. While in culinary school, I worked in as many of the local spots as I could. I waited tables at a wing joint to pay the bills, but I kept sidecar jobs in the kitchens to learn, and practice.
I worked in an open kitchen, and that was fun. It was a Mediterranean fusion restaurant called Blossom Cafe, and the kitchen was right in the middle of the dining room. I learned how to hand toss pizzas, and work a pizza oven. I also spent a lot of time at the grill station, and I worked a saute station with 10 burners . . . that was intense. I was also given more freedom making nightly specials at Blossom. This is when I started dreaming about food.
I also worked in an indulgent steakhouse called High Cotton. The cuisine overall was French, but the chef was kind of a rogue. We made our own sausage, and we served foie gras. We made tender duck confít, and rich pork rillete. The chef used a lot of local farms to source some interesting ingredients. We used everything. I learned the art of stock making, and the secrets to a world class demi glaze. The chef was a hard ass that demanded professionalism and precision at all times. This job taught me humility, technique, and focus.
I spent some time on the grill at an upscale "lowcountry" joint called Carolina's. It was an exceptionally busy line, but we were making shoes (bad food). The people that ran that place were jerks too. I didn't stay there long. I learned I didn't like working for jerks, and I'd rather not make shoes.
Atlanta, GA 1996-1999
I moved to Atlanta shortly after graduating from Ole Miss to try my hand at in-home sales. It was my charge to sell vinyl siding jobs to people with crushing debt loads. The idea was we would sell them the siding job, and consolidate their debt for them in one fell swoop. What a scam that was. Thank God I sucked at that.
I decided to cut my losses, and go back to work in kitchens. I first found work at this quirky little restaurant called Agnes' and Muriel's. We specialized in upscale home cooking, and the menu never changed. We did a rockin' brunch, and laid claim to "best collard greens" in Atlanta. The place was goofy though. The kitchen was run by a bunch of inner-city black dudes, while the front of the house boasted trans-gendered hostesses, a teal main theme, and an impressive collection of Barbie and Ken dolls. Despite it's wacky demeanor, it was busy . . . really busy. I learned all about cooking good food fast.
The next place I worked was a rock-and-roll burger joint called The Vortex Bar and Grill. It is right on Peachtree St. in midtown Atlanta. This place was busy too, and Fridays were nuts. By the time I left this place for culinary school, we were cranking out close to 500 burgers every Friday lunch. When I started, it was more like 350. Due to a "hotside" expediting technique I contrived, we boosted Friday lunch sales over $50,000 over the course of a year. It was here I realized culinary school as a foregone conclusion. I knew how to be busy. I was good at that . . . and it suited me. Now I just needed to know how to make the fancy food, in the fancy places.
Denver/Nashville 2007-present
Production Chef, Team Trainer, Executive Chef
For the past four years, I have worked for Whole Foods Market. I started at a Denver store called Belmar. I presently work in Nashville at the Green Hills location. I work in the Prepared Foods department, where I was the team trainer in Denver for two years. I had also been food safety liaison for that time too, improving our inspection scores as much as thirty percent.
I planned production lists for the Prepared Foods department. I developed recipes designed to utilized free product from the produce department. I took part in large scale production of high-end prepared fare. I developed a training outline for new hires that would streamline the lengthy process for our very large team. I have grown a lot working for this company, both professionally and personally. I have developed a bunch of new skills. My favorite would have to be temperance.
Le Central, The Affordable French Restaurant
Denver, CO 2006-2007
Sous Chef
This was my first job in Denver. I was one of two sous chefs for this restaurant, and I was in charge of running a very busy lunch. Every morning, I came in and wrote the menu for the day. I would plan the menu based on what was left over, what was coming in, and the season at the time. I came up with four lunch specials, and two soups every day.
We started seating people at eleven o'clock in the morning, and we were very busy. I ran the line during lunch service. I expedited the orders, and plated the food. I managed eleven employees, and trained the new sous chef that would replace me. I didn't do any ordering, but I did most of the receiving. I learned an indispensable set of dos and don'ts at this restaurant. The most important one . . . don't believe everything you're told.
White Way Cleaners/Compass Realty
Laurel, MS 2005-2006
Owner/Operator
After hurricane Katrina, we moved from beautiful Crested Butte back to Mississippi to help with the cleanup. For the first couple of months we cut trees, we ground stumps, we picked up limbs, etc. Then my dad got real sick. He had a mild stroke, but insisted on getting back to work soon after. I couldn't blame him. We had a large dry cleaning operation that my grandfather had built back in the mid forties. It was an iconic kind of place on the south side of our small town. He definitely needed help down there with that.
So, we went down and helped with the laundry . . . lots and lots of laundry. His second stroke was a bad one. Suddenly, and without any briefing, I had to take over everything. That included the large property management operation he had in addition to the dry cleaners. It wasn't pretty, but I did it. I managed seven employees at the cleaners. I was in charge of payroll/taxes. If someone didn't come to work, I did their job.
I also had to make sure everyone was paying their rent on all of dad's rental properties, and there wasn't a list. I had to go off his old receipt books because he was unable to speak clearly after the strokes. I arranged for repairs, I performed evictions, and I participated in civil suits regarding delinquencies. This experience was a proving ground, and the worm was on a turn for me. I realized my capacity for adaptation.
Timberline Restaurant
Crested Butte, CO 2003-2005
Rockstar
This was a truly awesome job, in a truly awesome place. Crested Butte is a gorgeous little village nestled deep within the Rocky Mountains. The town is very small (2100 year round residents), and the ski hill is remarkable. I spent two summers and a record setting winter there. Besides, summertime brings a spiderweb of gold-medal trout waters to Gunnison County, of which I took the fullest advantage of.
I worked for Tim Eglehoff at the Timberline Restaurant right on Elk Ave. Recognizing the talent of his kitchen crew, Tim gave Drew and I free reign over the menu. He fondly referred to us as "team takeover". We did chef tastings, wine dinners, beer dinners, wild mushroom menus, and special banquets. During the summer months, we would do at least one wedding party each weekend out back . . . sometimes as many as three. We even designed a menu around a bunch of cans of food this rich second homeowner had brought back from France . . . truffles, liver, stuff like that. I was dreaming in food again. I left that job with a deep sense of pride and trust in my craft. It was here I realized the caliber of cook I had become.
The Porthouse Restaurant, Beau Rivage Casino
Biloxi, MS 2001-2003
Commis, Saucier
I started working for a fancy casino in Biloxi after I had reluctantly left Charleston. I was a member of a "jump team" that was opening a new fine dining room at the crown jewel of the Gulf Coast casinos, The Beau Rivage. The restaurant was to be a surf and turf kind of room, and there was a 10,000 gallon saltwater fish tank on each of the four walls of the restaurant. It was an opulent restaurant with an expensive menu. In addition to the fancy menu, every guest was treated to an amusé at the beginning of the meal. We featured three types of caviar, Kobe beef rib-eyes, lobster twelve different ways, an ever-changing selection of exotic seafoods, dry-aged beef, goose liver, and an assortment of whimsical desserts.
I worked every station on that line including an intimidating double decked broiler and the dreaded fish station. I was responsible for nightly fish specials, and I was in charge of most of the sauces (Saucier). As Commis, I trained the new guys . . . including several French interns. We won two distinguished awards while I was with The Porthouse, and both times the shopper dined on an entree that came from my station.
The DiRona Award (Distiguished Restaurants of North America) was captured in part by a blackened Snapper special of mine. It featured grilled baby bok choy, and a roasted pepper butter sauce. The Four Diamond Award was ushered in by my braised lamb cheek special. It had been marinated in yogurt and mint for 24 hours, and then slow braised. At service, the cheeks were dredged in flour, and browned in hot duck fat. They were served with roasted fingerling potatoes, and a rosemary-mint demi glaze. I found it a little discouraging though that all the credit went to the chef that really didn't do any of the cooking (or imagining for that matter). Oh well, lesson learned.
Earlier Experience:
Charleston, SC 1999-2001
I moved to Charleston for culinary school right at the end of the millennium. I spent three years there, and I worked in many fine (and not so fine) restaurants. While in culinary school, I worked in as many of the local spots as I could. I waited tables at a wing joint to pay the bills, but I kept sidecar jobs in the kitchens to learn, and practice.
I worked in an open kitchen, and that was fun. It was a Mediterranean fusion restaurant called Blossom Cafe, and the kitchen was right in the middle of the dining room. I learned how to hand toss pizzas, and work a pizza oven. I also spent a lot of time at the grill station, and I worked a saute station with 10 burners . . . that was intense. I was also given more freedom making nightly specials at Blossom. This is when I started dreaming about food.
I also worked in an indulgent steakhouse called High Cotton. The cuisine overall was French, but the chef was kind of a rogue. We made our own sausage, and we served foie gras. We made tender duck confít, and rich pork rillete. The chef used a lot of local farms to source some interesting ingredients. We used everything. I learned the art of stock making, and the secrets to a world class demi glaze. The chef was a hard ass that demanded professionalism and precision at all times. This job taught me humility, technique, and focus.
I spent some time on the grill at an upscale "lowcountry" joint called Carolina's. It was an exceptionally busy line, but we were making shoes (bad food). The people that ran that place were jerks too. I didn't stay there long. I learned I didn't like working for jerks, and I'd rather not make shoes.
Atlanta, GA 1996-1999
I moved to Atlanta shortly after graduating from Ole Miss to try my hand at in-home sales. It was my charge to sell vinyl siding jobs to people with crushing debt loads. The idea was we would sell them the siding job, and consolidate their debt for them in one fell swoop. What a scam that was. Thank God I sucked at that.
I decided to cut my losses, and go back to work in kitchens. I first found work at this quirky little restaurant called Agnes' and Muriel's. We specialized in upscale home cooking, and the menu never changed. We did a rockin' brunch, and laid claim to "best collard greens" in Atlanta. The place was goofy though. The kitchen was run by a bunch of inner-city black dudes, while the front of the house boasted trans-gendered hostesses, a teal main theme, and an impressive collection of Barbie and Ken dolls. Despite it's wacky demeanor, it was busy . . . really busy. I learned all about cooking good food fast.
The next place I worked was a rock-and-roll burger joint called The Vortex Bar and Grill. It is right on Peachtree St. in midtown Atlanta. This place was busy too, and Fridays were nuts. By the time I left this place for culinary school, we were cranking out close to 500 burgers every Friday lunch. When I started, it was more like 350. Due to a "hotside" expediting technique I contrived, we boosted Friday lunch sales over $50,000 over the course of a year. It was here I realized culinary school as a foregone conclusion. I knew how to be busy. I was good at that . . . and it suited me. Now I just needed to know how to make the fancy food, in the fancy places.
