OK, so it's been like a hundred years since my last post... what can I say... been a little busy (depressed), busy...  ;)

So, moving to Austin in about a week.  My sissy (Renee.. bless her heart), has offered me a place to 'semi-retire' (yeah, right!)... 

I've sold off most of my belongings... am giving many of them to charity, and my 'beloved' sofa-bed and love seat is going to my 'pseudo' daughter Lynsey!  I've gotten a 'few' offers for them.... but not enough to keep it from Lynsey!  

Anywho.. hopefully she'll be by tonight to pick them up... 

Meanwhile... I found out from a little bird that the restaurant that I worked for... was grateful for the opportunity from... that ended up being a complete nightmare... well... they plan to sue me... because of this blog... the blog that only my sister reads... hell... she probably doesn't even read... 


Even if thousands read it... it wouldn't matter... there's nothing sue-worthy here... Any 'bitching' that I did or complaints that I had were completely valid and nothing was 'fabricated' or even 'over the top'... Granted... if I WAS still working there... they'd probably fire me for not saying how 'AWESOME' it was to work there... but whatever... I did them a favor by showing them what they COULD become if they got their heads out of their.... well... you know.  I know they have a job to do and a 'bottom line' they have to show... but SOMETIMES... just SOMETIMES... you have to let the people who actually KNOW what they're doing... allow them the chance to do it... and show what they can bring to your 'BOTTOM LINE'... and not criticize them the entire time... see what happens in a few months... THEN make your decisions... I never got that opportunity... I just kept getting thrown into the lion's den... so I left. You can't give a chef 12 hours notice that they are to 'sneak preview' and entire NEW menu on the same night that they need to cook for a catered event with 75 people!  It just doesn't work that way in the real world!  THAT is the stuff they pulled... a LOT... not to mention the fore mentioned (in previous blogs) 'lack of prep time'... which seems to be an ongoing theme... 

Anyway... 'RESTAURANT'... you want to sue me?  Go ahead... WTF... You don't want to pay the $10 an hour for necessary prep time... you really want to spend $250-$300 an hour for a lawyer who is going to tell you that I didn't say anything sue worthy?

I had considered removing the blog... just to avoid the hassle of a law suit... but after 'reading' what I wrote... there just wasn't anything there that I found overly inflammatory...  So... my blog will remain in-tact.  I know that my little birdie is probably working along side the restaurant.. but that's OK.. do what you need to do sweetie... I stand by each blog... I stand by my frustrations... and I stand by my final decision to leave based on the facts of the matter.


And Renee... the only person other than the folks at the restaurant who are reading this... 


Be there soon!!  Look forward to the 'Kid Chef' lessons that are already planned!


Muah!!!

In the immortal words of Bette Davis... "We're in for a bumpy ride.".... 

I have KILLED myself over the design of this new menu.  Make it such that the 'costs' would me minimal, 'execution' maximum... I planned everything on the kitchen that I know and the nights that I know....

I did not take into account a "broken refer door, a broken oven door, a broken fryer, and the continuing flooding of the kitchen anytime it rains.'

Although we have FINALLY been given the OK to have an extra person in the kitchen for busy nights, they expect MIRACLES in a kitchen where they have tied everyone's hands behind their backs!

We only have 'so many' plates, bowls, cooking utensils... if they don't come BACK to us... it doesn't matter if we have an 'extra' person... we have NO DISHES to SERVE on!!!  We don't need another 'cook'... we need someone to buss tables and keep us in dishes to serve on!!!

So far, we've been able to 'kinda' pull it off, but without a truly 'WORKING' kitchen environment... What do they expect??? PERFECTION.  The 'Bean' pushers here just don't get it... and I doubt they ever will.  I told Lynsey that they need to spend just ONE service in the kitchen to see what goes on so they can get the real picture.  Fat chance of that ever happening.  They don't consult me... they just DO.  As Tuesday showed.. that just backfires in their faces!!!

So... how long do I try before I say 'Good-Bye'??? Maybe tomorrow.... maybe a month... who knows.... 

All Righty Then...
I'm 3 sheets to the wind.. my grand kids are gone and work is NOT the distraction I've been counting on!
I am ONE SICK PUPPY DOG!!!
After this last week at work, and some of the 'new' things I've come across.. I'm thinking... I'm done.
Maybe some of it is loss of grand kids... maybe it's a wake-up call... either way.. I seriously think at this point... I'm done.

So, it's been a bit since I've posted.  Been pretty busy and pre-occupied with my family's move back to Cali.

The new menu I've created has been approved, and is scheduled to launch in the beginning of April. Yeah me!

As all this was happening, my family decided out of the blue that NOW would be the best time to move... But... not EVERYONE at once.  Josh, Tat, Beans (the dog) and Aiden went.  I had Phoenix (thank goodness)...  as it was agreed it would be too hard to move EVERYONE at once.

To say that I bawled my eyes out would be and UNDERSTATEMENT!!! I actually threw up because even though he had only been gone a few hours... I missed Aiden so much... it made me sick.

OK... so I have to hold it together for the Phoe-Cat... at least for a week, till Dad gets back to take HIM to Cali.

In the meantime... I've got this Tasting, Menu... Blah, Blah, Blah going on at the restaurant.  Then Phoenix comes down with the Flu From HELL!!  He has been puking for a WEEK!!!  The doctor says that this is a bad bug and this is what is to be expected.  Poor little dude!!

Today I finally had my meeting with the management at Copper. After MONTHS of hard work, uncertainty and frustrations... they have decided to go with my ENTIRE new menu... the launch date for the new menu is April 1, 2012.

I'm not entirely sure, but I THINK they also agreed to the prep time.  Hopefully with the kids moving back to Cali, and me having to find a new place and move... I don't get too overwhelmed to pull off the launch date! (That would SUCK!!!).

I thank everyone for their support and well wishing.  Now, I just need to FOCUS... 

So, here it is... Wednesday.  The 'member tasting' was on Monday.  I worked 12 hours off the clock on Sunday, then 12 hours on Monday to make sure the tasting went off without a hitch... and it did!

After the 10th and final course went out... I went downstairs and was applauded (as I posted before).  When I returned to the kitchen, I turned to Andrew, gave him a high-five... applauded him and said he was a Rock Star!  "Great job Andrew!!!  We did it!  Lynsey bought me a bottle of wine to celebrate... would you like a glass of wine?"  Now mind you, I had been in the kitchen for 12 hours, Andrew for 6 hours.  He replied "No thanks! Yeah... we did it... but I gotta go pick up my son."... "Well, great job!" I said... then he left.

Apparently, the next day... he went to the General Manager Tim (I'll get to him in a minute)... and tried to get me FIRED for offering him, then myself partaking in a glass of wine while ON THE CLOCK.  (Funny thing is... I never clocked in... I just went strait to work)

This is a guy who has gotten away with doing the absolute MINIMUM of work for the last year, whom I have put up with, and on the days he actually DOES his job, gave credit for... You know what Andrew?  Fuck me once... shame on you... Fuck me twice?  Shame on me... guess what... it AIN'T gonna happen TWICE!!!


I was legitimately thanking him and celebrating what has been a major event... and he tries to get me fired for it!  What an ASS-HOLE!!!  OK Andrew... DONE with you!!!


So, after Lynsey filled me in on the Andrew trying to get me fired thing...  She proceeded to tell me that everyone loved the food at the tasting, but that TIM (remember Tim?... I mentioned him earlier in this post), and Jessica (what her qualifications are I STILL don't know)...  Could I change up the menu?  Could I reduce it?  Could I.....


I stopped her at that point and said... "You know what?  I'm DONE!  I'm not frustrated with you (Lynsey).  I have KILLED myself putting together a menu that is High-Profit and one day prep.  I have spent over 100 hours putting this shit together... not counting COOKING AT HOME off the clock... These people don't have a clue and have been jerking me around.  They WANT caviar, but they want to pay for deviled-ham.  Tell you what... tell them they can buy Stouffer's frozen lasagna... frozen everything... canned everything... throw it in the nuker... and put it on a plate.  I'm not changing the menu... I'm not compromising on prep time.  It is what it is... and if they can't accept it, then what the fuck-ever... I'm DONE!"

I told Josh and Tat about my evening... then asked them if I was being melodramatic...  at which point both of them about slapped me upside the head and said "NO!!!  This is what we've been warning you about for the last 5 months!!!  These people have NO idea what they are doing and they are TOTALLY taking advantage of you!!!  Kick them to the curb!!!"


So, in about 4 weeks, Josh, Tatiana, Phoenix and Aiden will be moving back to Los Angeles.  I will have to make a decision.  Do I ride it out here in Bartlesville at the Copper where the people making the decisions have no idea what the fuck they're doing?  Or... do I impose on my sweet sister and try to get a job cooking (I'll most likely start as a dishwasher at Arby's) and hope that I can get out of her hair fast enough to not damage the only family I have left???


Long post... I know... But any insight from people I know and love would not be a bad thing right now...
  

OK y'all... It's a little passed 10:30pm... I'm now home from the 'official member tasting'....

I've been cooking and prepping for basically 24 hours.  I'm exhausted!  Thanks to Andrew and Lynsey... (who's gpa passed away this weekend.. I'm SO sorry sweetie!)... The tasting went off amazingly well!

The final course of 'brie en croute', Lynsey had me take off my apron and help her bring the stuff down stairs... at which point I was APPLAUDED!!!  OMG... The people eating the food I MADE... APPLAUDED me !!!!  Now.. if ONLY we could get the management to understand the PREP time that is needed....  Seriously... DUDES!!!!!


There was one woman who specifically commended me on the vegetarian foods offered.  She mentioned that in Bartlesville... there aren't a lot of options for Vegetarians. I had to agree... there AREN'T a lot of options... That's kinda how the major food/menu/recipe modification started!
 
BTW Renee... I was introduced to the 'crowd' as 'Chef Lorie'... Pretty cool... huh?

Josh is insistent that I be 'Chef Auguste'... but I'm cool with LORIE.

I am SO glad this tasting is over... now I have to focus on MOVING!!! I HATE moving!!!  Josh and the family will be leaving in March... Sooner than we were planning... So I'm looking at April/May here... then I've got to find a new place... God Damn!!! I HATE moving!!! It SUCKS OUT LOUD!!!

OK... my ONLY needs are:  A GREAT kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 1/2 baths WITH laundry... 

OK all you in Bartlesville, OK... GO!!!!