FRIED COFFEE

It’s 3:00 p.m. and prep is in full swing as the chefs de partie bring their mis en place up to par for evening service. It was very busy last night and there is much work to be done. Nobody wants to be in the weeds during the rush. It’s a time of clattering pots and the rat-a-tat cadence of knives on cutting boards. Energy levels fueled by glasses of coffee are climbing and, as in most kitchens, some sort of radio or cd/tape player is cranking out audio ranging from driving rock to Debussy. Discussions of the revelry following the closing of service the night before float through the air; this is no place for the timid.

I’ve worked in kitchens that allow music and some that don’t. It is the whim of the Chef that determines the availability of music in a kitchen. Generally, if allowed, it ceases at the onset of service because this becomes a time for intense concentration in order that our attention be directed toward the perfect execution of our culinary skills. We must send into the dining room exquisite examples the mastery of our craft.

While I enjoy the motivational qualities of good rock including – Little Feat, Professor Longhair, TheTubes, Hoodoo Rhythm Devils of ’70s fame, ( check out All Tore Down & Too Hot to Handle), my personal taste for kitchen music is Jazz. Django Reinhardt is right at the top of that list. There is a growing interest in the “Gypsy guitarist” these days. If you aren’t familiar with him, and his work with Stephane Grappelli, you might give it your ear. Here’s another link and a video.

Daniel Willem and Jean-Luc Ponty are always in the queue as well.

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“Next to jazz music, there is nothing that lifts the spirit and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili.”
Harry James