St. Louis Chefs Community

The Chef Instructors constantly talk about the Chefs community. How everyone knows each other, they keep in touch with one another, the networking, and on and on. They weren't telling stories. These chefs knew each other professionally and personally. The camaraderie between them was like the brotherhood in my motorcycle club. I was extremely impressed. These people had enormous respect for each other and they had no problems showing it. Everyone knew Chef Jack and Chef Skip. Chef Skip was referred to as the Grand Pumba because he had been a part of the Taste of St. Louis the longest.

I worried about my decision of going to school in this field. Am I going to find a job, will this work for me, am I capable in my abilities, will I be accepted, etc. I now have no worries and am re-energized and exited about the future. St. Louis has some of the best Chefs that will go out of their way to help you grow and to help you succeed!

Day Two Taste of St. Louis

After an amazing and over whelming first day, the second day would be just as exiting. I arrived to a make shift kitchen full of activity. I asked Chef Jack what I could do to help. He looked at me and said that he hated to do this to me, but he needed the dishes done. No problem I told him and right to work I went. I knocked the dishes out and the hustle and bustle quickly slowed to standing around. The other students and chef's had already completed all the prep for lunch. I took this opportunity to talk with the other students and chefs. I made some new friends and learned more than I could post here.

I had to leave early due to a prior engagement. Before I left, I had a chance to meet Chef Chris Lee, I seen him on Fox 2 days prior doing a demo, and Chef Will. I had one final conversation with Chef Jack, gave him my card and told him I would love to work for him and mentor under him. He gave me his card and told me to make sure that I called him.

I set out with an open mind to learn and rub some elbows with the big boys and I have to say it was successful. What a great time and I can't wait until next year. Hopefully I am employed with Jack Macs!

Day One Taste of St. Louis

I left the house around 1100 am in the morning. In good order, I get lost in downtown St. Louis, finally find a place to park, and get pointed into the right direction of where I am to go. I find Chef Skip, Goutier (I know I spelled his last name wrong), and he takes me over to the VIP tent where he introduces me to Chef Jack MacMurray, III Executive Chef and owner of Jack Mac's Distinctive Taste. I am then introduced to Chef Bryan (chef instructor at AI), and Chef Vito. Then I am immediately put to work. I started my day grilling hamburgers and brats.


There was only one other student from L'ecole, Bryan. Not to sound hubris, but we rocked. I quickly noticed all the students from AI did not seem confident in their culinary skills. I noticed, and I think the chefs did as well, that before I had even been there an entire hour, it was Tom this and Tom that or the same with Bryan. It was awesome. After talking with some of the other students, a lot of them were still fairly new. Those AI students were an absolute pleasure to work with. I have a lot of  school spirit and am proud of my school, however, I would loved to have seen us out number the other schools, but we were out numbered by AI and Le Cordon Blue. No matter though, Bryan and I set the bar!

Someone to look up to

While I was attending the taste of St. Louis, a student from AI (Arts Institute of St. Louis) and I were talking about a fellow student of his that he looked up to. This guy was retired Airforce. He felt that they were very close and always had each others back. He stated that at anytime he may be doing something wrong, this guy was always there to get him back on the correct track. When he was finished with his story, only one person came to mind.

Dana Waley is that exact student. She served thirty-two years in the Army. Since day one of school, she has always been there to help everyone she comes into contact with. She is apart of the student mentorship program, as well as the culinary competition team. A big thing in our class is about who is number one or the best. Dana, hands down, is the best. Her attitude towards the other students, along with her grades, make her the best. She is like a mother to the other younger students, and they all look up to her. Dana always goes out of her way to help anyone. This is someone to look up to!

Time to Eat

When I eat, I eat good. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, when I eat, I am going to get full. Today I went to the restaurant at school and had an outstanding meal. I started  with a small, but tasty, salmon cake. Then I was brought a cup of cheddar broccoli soup. It was very good and had great texture and taste. After that my entree arrived. A med-rare cheese burger, with lettuce, tomato, and onion, pomme frittes, and au gratin noodles (fancy for mac and cheese). It was a great meal and I left filled to the gills. It was a very good experience and I really enjoy eating at the restaurant.

Toys for Tots

This weekend, The Armed Forces M/C put on a poker run to benefit the USMC Toys for Tots. It is an organization that raises money and toys for the unfortunate children in the country, so they may have a toy for Christmas. All moneys and toys that are donated stay in the St. Louis area. We, Armed Forces M/C, raised a substantial amount of money, and had an amazing amount of support from the community. The band we hired, Psycho Magnet, donated a large amount of money as well as played an awesome night of music and entertainment.


This morning, as a thanks to my chapter and the Brothers that came from around the country to support us, I got up early and cooked everyone breakfast. I made sausage gravy from scratch, scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits. It was a good thank you to them and a proud moment for me, as everyone was happy and full. It was the finishing touch to a great weekend and I cannot wait until Nov 16, 2013 to donate the money to the Marine Corps and their fine organization, Toys for Tots!

Right or Wrong

As children, hopefully, our parents taught us the differences between right and wrong. In the hospitality business we are taught this simple phrase, " the CUSTOMER is always right." There are times I would agree with that analogy, however, as I have learned, our pallets are not always right. People who try something new for the first time need to understand that things in our industry are made a certain way and the tastes, for the most part, are correct and consistent. Also, there are those customers who cook something at home and expect the same taste at a restaurant.

At work, I have been having a major issue with cooking salmon. My bosses and other staff say time and time again I have been cooking it correctly. However, day after day, night after night, they keep getting sent back. Last night, I received a ticket for a med-rare salmon. I cooked it to a perfect temperature. It was expo'd and sure enough it, came back. It was too rare. The manager came down, looked at the salmon and agreed that it had been cooked properly. Is the customer correct or "right" in this case? Did the customer receive what he asked for? Should the restaurant have had to eat the cost of that salmon?

I could go on and on but the burning question is, who is right and who is wrong?

Dangerous Kitchen

Organization is the most important part of setting up a kitchen. Everything needs to have its place and everyone needs to know where tools and products need to go. Look at your own kitchen in your home. It is no different in a restaurant kitchen. You should be able to go to a shelf, a drawer, or a rack and find the things you need, to do your job. When you become unorganized, or simply lazy, the kitchen becomes a hazardous place to work.

Look into your own kitchen. You have pots, pans, knives, forks, glassware, plates, etc. This is usually on a small scale. In an industrial kitchen, it is no different. It is on a large scale. The heat from the various stoves, ovens, flattops, etc., can be a major issue. Getting burned is another one of those dangers because of lack of attention. Caring knives can be extremely dangerous. Employees can easily be cut or stabbed by not paying attention. I was once taught that most accidents are preventable. Think about that. When the heat is on and hustle and bustle of the kitchen is in full swing, pay attention. Nothing in a kitchen is so important that you need to risk your safety, your life, or someone else's. Go home they way you came to work, ten fingers, ten toes, and all your body parts.

Technique vs. Knowledge

Technique is a set of steps taken to do a task, make a recipe, write a paper, etc. Knowledge is knowing how to do the steps and maximize the outcome with tips, secrets learned, short cuts, etc. For forty-two weeks, I have heard things like " My Grandma or Mom did it this way". " We do it this way at work". So on and so on. It is important to know that in the culinary profession, we are taught industry driven techniques along with the knowledge the Chefs possess. It is a way for them to pass on the information that has made them successful in their career, to help along in our success. My Mother and Grandmothers cooked great meals, most of the time for an Army it seemed, but not in the industry. The techniques and knowledge that has been passed on to me by the various Chefs I have had, has helped to enhance my abilities as a cook, and sharpened those skills I was taught at home.

Culinary School

I grew up in a large family. I am the middle child of seven. At meal time our house was a buzz like a restaurant. Whats for dinner, breakfast, or lunch? I can assure you my parents food bill was enormous. My dad was always the one grilling. His bar-b-que is top notch. He is never short of a lesson or a technique. My mom was always the "chef" of the house. She taught us how to cook for ourselves. I rarely seen her use a recipe book or even follow a recipe. Her brain had its own internal cook book. She taught us how to properly clean dishes, clean the kitchen, sweep and mop the floor, and properly store our food. As children, I never realized I would come face to face with just about every lesson that woman taught me.

In culinary school, I feel I am always on my game and ahead of a lot of the others. My mother prepared me for this kind of career before I ever knew this is the direction I was going to take. There are many times I would call my mom and we would discuss something we were doing in school, and by the end of the conversation I would inform my mom the proper terminology of the technique she had been using for years. It would make me smile to hear her laugh at the fact of knowing she was a "chef" and didn't know it. My moms lessons in cooking helped to prepare for the journey I am currently on.

(Picture taken by my club brother Stalker Steve)                                               

The Heat is On

Quiet. Calm. Peace. Serenity. The next thing you know, the kitchen is roaring at full steam for the dinner rush. The temperature on the line is roughly 130 degrees. The expo station is flooded with food and the wait staff is behind the expediter calling out demands to get their food. The expediter is working as fast as he can calling out the many items he needs to sell the tickets. He is quickly becoming upset with the wait staff and the fry station. The expediter is drunk. He loses his temper with one of the waiters and words are starting to become hateful and offensive. This type of behavior goes on through the dinner rush. No one knows the expediter is intoxicated, he is hiding it well and finishes service. An hour after service, the expediter and the waiter continue their battle of words and eventually it ends in a fight.

It is no secret, it gets hot in the kitchen. Temperature and tempers. Drugs and alcohol add fuel to an already stressful situation.  In a perfect world, our personal lives should be left at the door when we step into the kitchen. So should our habits. As professionals, we know it can get chaotic fast if we are intoxicated and not completely on our game. The heat is on at all times in the kitchen. There are many things in this situation that contributed to this altercation. As leaders, it is up to us to lead people in the right direction. However, as leaders what can we do to control the drugs and drinking in an already volatile situation?

Fresh Fried Chicken

I have always judged a meal by the feel of an artery tightening up or a skip in my heart. I love fried chicken and I have been all over the country in search for great, fresh made, "yard bird". In the little farm town of Gilman, Il, there is a truckstop right off I-57, exit 283, called K&H Truckstop. It is independently owned and operated. The setting is almost like sitting at your own dinning room table. Very homely and clean. Everything is fresh made and the smells of the place refleck it.  I always order the fried chicken dinner. It comes with three pieces of chicken, leg, thigh, and breast, your choice of potato, your choice of vegetable, and fresh made bread or rolls. The meal is always more than enough.

The chicken itself is amazing! Its color is a golden yellow and the skin is always crispy. The cook fresh makes each order and the wait staff always informs the customers it's at least a 25 minute wait. Well worth it! This chicken is juicy and always hot. It is breaded and seasoned to perfection. The last bite is just as great as the first. When you have finished your meal, if you can, the total cost is less than ten dollars. So, if your ever on your way to Chicago, or on your way back, stop in at K&H and enjoy a little piece of fired chicken perfection. Just like my grandmother and mom use to make!

9/11/01 I Remember

Today is a day of rememberence. We remember watching our fellow Americans die unexpectantly and horrifically. We remember how ordinary citizens become heros and we remember how a country of diversity and differences becomes a nation of one. I remember being on a training operation in southern Mississippi as a Naval Instructor. I had 86 students training them on how to properly fire and utilize one of our many weapons in our TOA (Table of Allowance). The towers are hit and reports start flooding the radio as we are waiting to be cleared for fire by Range Control. The only call we recieved was telling us to get off the range we had been recalled to our base. A student came up to me and informed me his dad was an officer in the Pentagon assigned to Ward D ( Ward D hit by the third plane). I felt my heart sink. I was at a loss for words. I instructed the young troop to get back to work, we would figure this out when we got back.

As in all emergencies, caos insues before there is calm. It was a race to get back to base and find out our duties and what was really going on. We led this troop to a Chaplain so that he could find out about his father. Luckily, his father had went to a different ward to make copies of some paperwork and was on the way back to D when the plane hit. He suffered a broken arm and collar bone. He was alive and to me that was mission accomplished.

We all have stories like this. For those of us who served, are serving, a firefighter, emergency medical responder, or law enforcement officer...I remember. Our country is free, that makes us a target. However, we will stay free because we remember! 

Being a biker has certain idealisms set around the word. Some terms come to mind; hardcore, ruthless, mindless brute, druggy, alcoholic, etc. I could go on and on of the things I have heard. One you may not associate me with is food. I love food in every sense of the word. The smell, the sounds made when it is being prepared and cooked, the tastes. Most don't know, but we use all of our senses when eating. Food to me is like a long ride on my motorcycle. I can feel the wind in my face, the smells of the air that is around the particular area I am in, the vibrations of the motorcycle through the hand grips, the sounds the bike and the road make at 90 mph. Again, I could go on and on.

In the next ten weeks, you will get a chance to see a side that is hard core, ruthless and yes a mindless brute....about food. It is important to know a little about me so that you can understand the passion I have for cooking and for the simple things we take for granted like food. I am simple. Food to me should be simple, easy on the eyes, and to die for (very tasty). I like to go to small venues, mainly mom and pop places. I am not a fan of chains and truly believe in the small bussiness proffessional who is putting themselves out there win, lose, or draw. I am Tom Moran. Right, wrong, or indifferent, this is what I think.