Gala Opening!

I am completely exhausted...after many many hrs at work and on my feet all day...my body is not used to it yet. After 1 week of work, my body will adjust...it always does! Right now I am too happy to sleep. The restaurant's gala opening was a HUGE success. My chef and the owners of the restaurant told us at the end of the night how great everything was. We had 5 different magazines there...along with countless celebrities. Too bad we were too busy in the kitchen to see who they were...I'm sure we'll find out via gossip magazines! I did hear that some of the cast of Grey's Anatomy was there!

The E! crew came in and filmed us preparing for service with Chef giving us a prep talk. It was really great. Everyone worked so well together, we were so happy to be working for such a great restaurant and with Chef D and Chef C as our leaders...what more can we ask for. I'm feel so lucky to have this job because of the people I'm working with.

One co-worker gave me a great complement tonight. We were talking about 1st kitchen jobs and he was surprised this was my first kitchen job. He told me I was great tonight...he was really shocked that I hadn't worked in the kitchen before...I felt great.

Once service started it was like we were on productive excellency mode. Since desserts didn't need to go out until at least 9:30pm....I helped out with the line. I can now talk about the menu. Everything was bite size...Eggplant Churizo, Oyster shooter with Yuzu gelee, Lamb lollipop with Mint caviar (I helped with that, I was happy to learn how make them...I really wanna use it in a dessert someday) Steak braised in butter with a mushroom truffle sauce...it was to die for! The scallops was my favorite. Lastly a gourmet Ham & Cheese sandwich. Of course none of these are as simple as it sounds. I wasn't part of preparing these dishes so I can't really explain them in detail. I know a lot of work was involved with preparing each dish. The spices and the detail that went into each dish is like love!

Ok...now to something I know...desserts. We had Saffron Chocolate Mousse which is one part of our Taste of Chocolate Dinner Dessert. It was a rich chocolate flavor with a hint of saffron. One of the best chocolate mousse I've ever had. Then comes our glory dish. Pina Colada Float topped with a pineapple chip. It is innovative and one of the best desserts I've ever had in my life. The flavors go so well together and it's surprising to people when they see how cool it looks! I love every minute I was working...helping each other out...plating, creating and just enjoying being part of this amazing restaurant.

After we were all done, Chef came in to talk to us. Gave us a great talk...talking about our success for the night and our future successes. Our goal is to get 4 stars from LA times and at least 1 Michelin star! Pressure? Nah...I know our team can do it. We are all dedicated to the success of this restaurant.

A Change

Today we were at the restaurant to start cleaning some of the new equipments and get ready for the restaurant's opening. The restaurant is coming along beautifully. The decor is ultra cool. Everything is natural. They chose to use wood, marble and leather as the theme thru out the restaurant and it is really amazing.

I had a private meeting with my chef today. I was on a natural high to know what she thought of me. I think one of the best compliment I've ever received was when Chef said I reminded her of herself when she first started out. I am also honored that she wants me to be part of the team for years..for the long run. Esp. for the next restaurant they want to open. It's such a big honor for Chef to believe in me like that. By that I know I have to change the way I think and trust myself...I just need to boost my confidence which I know will come with experience. I know I will give Chef everything I have, not to impress her but to show her my respect because she believes in me and my abilities.

I'm super excited about the restaurant and really can't wait for it to be open.

1 More Week...Hopefully.

Today was very exciting. We had a meeting and I met everyone from the restaurant. The entire Kitchen team. It's was great to finally meet everyone. The feeling was light and happy. I think everyone of us were really excited and glad to be apart of Abode. I personally can't wait to get into the kitchen. I think it's a wonderful idea to have a dinner together before we open. Next Thursday we are all meeting up for dinner and drinks. It's going to be fun. I think if we are all sorta friends, the kitchen will work together a lot better.

I think by next weekend we should be able to get in and start organizing where all the equipment should go. Labelling and just work out our space. It's going to be great. Just waiting for the health department to ok the kitchen.

There is a dry opening planned where we can invite friends and family to the restaurant. The grand opening is still scheduled for April 7th. Pressure is on!!! All my friends have already started asking me about "getting on the list" for the opening. I think I've created a lot buzz within the few friends I have here. My landlords Kelly & Patrick are so excited about it. We've become really good friends. Roger wants to bring Wendy & also his sisters. There are others but I'm not going to list everyone!

The interior design of the restaurant is amazing. The furniture and decor are all natural material. I think the chairs and tables are all handmade. They cost a fortune and I'm so glad the investors are really serious about this restaurant and want the best all the way thru.

At the meeting, Chef talked about the high expectations since our restaurant is almost classified as super fine dining! It makes me nervous but at the same time very excited. I am nervous because I don't have alot of experience in the kitchen but I am excited to see how much I can push myself to succeed. I want to be able to meet the expectations of Chef and I want the restaurant to be known for the entire meal. I mean most restaurant reviews talk about the highlight of a meal...usually the entree or the dessert stands out. Our goal is for the entire meal to stand out and be balanced. I want to make sure the dessert is going to be as fabulous as the main course. I do not want to disappoint Chef in any way. This will be the pressure I put on myself to make sure I succeed.

To add to the pressure, the James Beard Foundation has a newsletter which will talk about the opening of Abode as well. The PR firm hired to promote the restaurant is one of the best. They are sending out press release packages, etc. Therefore, the pressure is starting to stress me out and I'm not even in the kitchen yet!! People who knows me well knows how anal I can get with making things as perfect as possible. I think my chefs at school knows how much pressure I put on myself for everything I make to be 100% perfect. At least this anal side of me will aid me with making sure I can live up to the standard of Chef.

We worked out the lunch menu and I'm dying to learn the steps to making the entire dinner menu. Lunch menu is stemmed from Dinner...just to start and make it easier for us. I don't know the Petit Fours or the pre-desserts yet. I'm sure Chef will let us know very soon. She also told us that the tasting menu will be different everyday which means that the dessert for the tasting menu will be different everyday. Which means a HUGE challenge for us. I'm really excited about that! Where is there a job that will push your creativity to the limit? I still can't believe that I am part of something so special.