Chef Walter Scheib Cooks With The Celebrity Chef Tour

Once again I have the opportunity to share with you a very informative interview with a top American chef. This time with Chef Walter Scheib, an extraordinary person who was the previous executive White House chef for President Bill Clinton and President George W Bush. Not only did Chef Scheib give interesting responses about his time in the White House, he also offered incredible insight to anyone thinking of going to culinary school and entering the food industry. He also provided some great tips for home cooks who are afraid of trying new ideas at home. Read the interview here.

The Celebrity Chef Tour

Like my previous interview with Chef Marc Vetri, I was given the opportunity to interview Chef Scheib by the folks marketing The Celebrity Chef Tour, an organization that showcases the talents of James Beard Award Winners by presenting them throughout the country to prepare award winning dinners to raise money to benefit the James Beard Foundation. For those of you who don’t much about the James Beard Foundation, its mission is to "celebrate, preserve and nurture America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence."

Chef Scheib will be the "celebrity chef" this Thursday, April 23, 2009 at The W Hotel in New York City. The event takes place at 7 P.M. and costs $185.00 per person. You can contact them for more information at 720-201-1853.

The event menu will include Mojito Spiked Sweetwater Prawns, Avocado & Pin apple Salsa with Plantain Chip, Chorizo Wrapped Scallops with Pepper Relish, Maryland Soft Shelled Crab, Corn and Bacon Chowder, Pepper Seared Duck, Glazed Shallots, Short Grain Risotto, Crisp Cactus Sorbet, Smoked Angus Beef Tenderloin, Green Chili and Hominy Casserole. The dessert will be Triple Chocolate and Espresso Ice Cream, Banana Rum Compote & Short Bread Cookies. Wow, what a menu!

More About Chef Walter Scheib

Author of White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen, Chef Walter Scheib is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and as he says, ""For the last eleven years, I have had the honor of doing daily what most chefs would be lucky to do once in their life time. That honor was serving the First Family of the United States.”

He was chosen to be the First Family executive chef after he impressed First Lady Hillary Clinton with the spa menu he developed while working for the Greenbrier resort. She personally hired him in April of 1994. Chef Scheib is a big fan of incorporating American products into his menu including local bread, artisan cheese, seasonal produce, US breed meat and local fish. He says, "America is rich in amazing produce, meats, and fish, using just a few excellent ingredients, anyone can make a perfect meal with very little formal training.”

Chef Scheib’s new corporation, The American Chef, allows him to share his knowledge, experiences and cuisine to audiences across the country. The American Chef offers team building courses using cooking a process to bring business leaders together as well cooking demonstrations at our nations culinary schools. Chef Scheib also teaches classes on how to throw a White House Birthday Party.

To learn more about Chef Walter Scheib, I recommend you read my Novice2Pro Interview with him and also check out his web site, The American Chef.

The Importance of Good Service

I always say that a mediocre meal can be saved by great service, but mediocre service can ruin even a great meal. I’m more likely to revisit a restaurant where the service is spectacular but the food is merely good than I am to revisit a multi star restaurant that offers lousy service. And it starts with first person who greets you at the restaurant especially the maître d’.

I specifically remember an experience here in Philly at one of the top rated restaurants where the maître d’ was a jerk and said he couldn’t find our reservation and treated my wife and me like second class citizens. When he finally took the time to check his book more closely and found our reservation, there were no apologies. Almost like he was doing us a favor to be able to eat at the restaurant.

Even though the food was fantastic and our server was perfect, I was so annoyed by the rude maître d’ my evening was ruined. I emailed the owner and told him about my experience and to his credit he made the rude maître d’ call and apologize. Didn’t matter, I have never been back to that restaurant since. There are just too many great restaurants out there who want our business, especially in this economy, we shouldn’t stand for mediocre service.

Being a Waiter Is Not An Easy Job

There are many distinguished culinary schools and restaurant management schools around the country but have you ever asked yourself where do restaurant waiters and servers learn their craft? Most of them learn by experience and are taught by the various establishments where they are employed. Many higher end restaurants require their wait staff to have a number of years of experience before offering them a position so I guess we can say waiters and servers work they way up with on the job training.

I can imagine that being a server is not easy, but I often wonder why there aren’t more good servers or more restaurants that demand good service. So, when “Sarge”, a young man who is a server trainer joined The Reluctant Gourmet Cooking Forum, I asked if he could tell me what it takes to be a great server. After reading his response, it is now clear to me that being a good server takes a lot of time and attention. Just like a football player must memorize the playbook, a server must know the menu and all the ingredients in all the dishes. He must know the numbers assigned to each table and be able to perform every server function in the manner prescribed by his/her restaurant.

I do not know where Sarge works, but based on the server training, I would bet that it’s a great restaurant. I was amazed at the thoroughness of the training. Demanding a 90% competency rate ensures that only the best servers stay on, and I can bet that it shows in the service. Sarge, I will happily eat at your restaurant any time. Next time I’m in Texas, I will look you up!

Here’s what Sarge has to say about the training that servers and server trainers must go through at his restaurant.

Day 1 - Get Acquainted

Servers at the restaurant I work at go through several days of training before they ever hit the floor.  The first day is devoted to learning the way the Host Stand works, the rotation, and learning the map (the table numbers and how many guests can sit at each table). After several hours of this, the trainee is given a detailed tour of the kitchen by a manager, then a brief rundown of the rest of the building.  

Days 2 & 3 - Plates

The next two days are called Plates.  During the first Plate training, the trainee is in the kitchen with a plate trainer (I am one of three in the restaurant) learning the various items we serve, how they are prepared, and how they are correctly garnished.  The trainee has, at this point, a very basic idea of ingredients and such, as they are provided with lists of each item.  

The trainer points out each item as it comes up on the line (all training is done during an actual shift) and describes each one, demonstrates the way to garnish each correctly, and if time allows runs the tray out to the floor with the trainee.  We have three items that require special table-side service, so if any of these items come up during the shift, the trainer will either go out with the trainee, or send the trainee out with the server who ordered the item in order to demonstrate the correct service.  The second Plate shift is a reversal of this process - the trainee will name, describe, and garnish items as they come up on the line.  

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What Does It Take To Become A Professional Chef

I have asked many chefs over the years what it takes to be successful in the food industry and decided to compile a list of their answers for you. At the end of the post, I also compiled some of the traits they find important to be successfully in this field. What I find interesting from looking at the chef’s responses is the common thread of how important it is to gain some experience before applying to a culinary school.

What Advice Would The Chefs Give To Anyone Thinking Of Attending Culinary School?

Chef Ruth Gresser, owner of Pizzeria Paradiso

"Work in a professional kitchen full time for at least one year before you decide to invest in school. During that time you should be able to determine if the food business suits you. If it does, your experience should lend some help in determining which school best satisfies your food interest."

Chef Jeff Huff, instructor at the Culinary Center of Monterey

"Do your own homework. Work in the industry whenever possible, during school holidays, nights, weekends or during summer vacation. Get exposed to the environment, the pace. There is no better way to know than by actually trying it out before you commit to a culinary school. By this I don’t mean to burn the candle at both ends and let your scholastic experience deteriorate at the expense of going to school AND working. Rather, when possible, get a position at a local restaurant, hotel or golf club and just get a feel for what it’s like."

Chef Jennifer Field, creator of www.pastrychefonline.com

"My best advice would be to work in a kitchen before deciding to go to culinary school. While Orlando Culinary Academy will accept anyone, experience or no, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) requires 2 years of kitchen experience before they will accept you. I think this is a sound practice. With the rise in popularity of The Food Network and other cooking shows (Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, etc), many young people might romanticize what it means to work in a professional kitchen. Give it at least a few months to see if working in a kitchen will be a good fit for you."

Chef Martin Laprise, author of My Daughter Wants to Be A Chef

"Go try it out first, and that goes for any career. Don’t EVER start culinary school without having worked in a restaurant first. Do dishes, wash the floor, even just ask to observe the kitchen during service time. It may scare you away, or it may re-enforce your desire to cook for a living - either way, you should find that out before spending money and time!"

Chef Todd Mohr, founder of Savor Hospitality Cooking School

"Begin with the end result in mind. Determine precisely what career you want to develop based on your new education. While I was some 15 years older than most students when I went to culinary school, I was curious about the amount of students that didn’t know what they wanted to do after graduation. Find where your passion is and pursue it. Perhaps you have dreams of being an Executive Chef at a large hotel or upscale restaurant, or an institutional facility like a hospital, college, or business cafeteria."

Chef Bertrand Chemel, Celebrity Chef

"The main advice I would give the student is to be dedicated and love what he or she is doing. He or she needs to have a willingness to learn and lots of passion. You can’t be in this business simply because you are looking for a job. As a chef, you work hard to refine your craft and, while you may not necessarily be in school for as long as a doctor or a lawyer, you definitely need to work as hard in order to become successful. It’s similar to the situation of a painter or an artist; they work very long hours to perfect their talent and their art."

What Are Some Personal Traits Chefs Find Necessary and Helpful?

Chef Ruth Gresser - Organized, resilient, goal oriented, a little compulsive, an ability to handle stress, social.

Chef Jeff Huff - Professional, respectful, dedicated, hardworking, organized

Chef Jennifer Field - Passion for food, ability to work in fast paced environment, attention to detail, leader

Chef Martin Laprise - Good listener, speedy, sense of humor, disciplined, leader