Realizing that my published books could be viewed, used and enjoyed repeatedly by other culinarians, I created two recipe collections – The Pillar House Cookbook (1988) and A Taste For All Seasons (1990). These were followed by The Sauce Bible (1993), The Hors D'oeuvres Bible (1995), The Professional Garde Manger (1996). Through these published works, I was able to pass on the torch of my passion, via the photography, illustrations, and writing that inspired other practitioners.
There is a stereotypical image of crusty old chef standing in the demanding environment of a commercial kitchen, where he is subjected to the wear-and-tear of glaring light, scorching heat, simmering caldrons of stocks, splattering fat, and a broad spectrum of ego-driven personalities both in the kitchen and among the dining room service staff. After years and years of operating in this harsh environment, no matter where he places himself on the Larousse Creative Gauge, he may find himself drinking alcoholic beverages to excess at the end of his day, not only in an effort to unwind, but to alleviate the buildup of stress and strain – the result of working many years in that rigorous environment. That picture is not appropriate in our time, though the elements of that environment still exist – both the harshness of the physical plant and the stress of the emotional interaction. It is just the nature of the beast – and eventually the beast is going to exact some flesh.
So what does this mean to students of culinary arts, who are leaving the comfortable confines of an educational environment and heading out into the kitchens of the world? First, it is essential that students understand the harshness of this environment. Whether male or female, first career or second, the kitchen is a very demanding environment. It may be likened to a battlefield, where the Chef de cuisine is the general in charge, and all parties on that battlefield are required to express their allegiance to that Chef, and follow orders without hesitation. In my youthful idealism, when I first entered the field, I believed that the kitchen was at its best a democracy, where all the members of that microcosm of a community had a vote and a say in what happened there. But it was a flawed and naïve concept. In practice, the kitchen is an autocracy, which when operating at its most enlightened, is a benevolent autocracy. Teddy Roosevelt's talk softly, and carry a big stick credo epitomizes that environment. It must be an autocracy, since the responsibility for the successful operation of a production kitchen falls upon the shoulders of the Chef in charge, not the rank and file.
The darker side of this is totalitarian rule, where the chef's ego-mania – often driven by a deep, personal insecurity – colors the working environment. I worked for a chef who had such a serious drinking problem, even during the daylight hours, that I had to leave the kitchen during one of his deranged harangues. The Manager dismissed him on the spot, and I took over the operation of the kitchen until a more-seasoned executive could be found.
Second, culinarians need to consider where they stand on the Larousse Creative Gauge. If one possesses the temperament to work more in the mechanic mode, they can be assured of endless opportunities in the trade, for good mechanics are essential in every food service operation. If they lean more towards the artistic side, they must be steel themselves, and be prepared to work many long hours, until they find the appropriate place to express their creativity.
And finally, one must adopt and maintain a regular regimen of physical, emotional, and spiritual maintenance. During my school years, when I met chefs who had succumbed to excesses of alcohol consumption, I made a life-long rule that I would never consume alcohol while in the environment of the kitchen, and that has been a wise decision. I have also separated the physical exertion of a ten-hour shift in a production kitchen from physical exertion for the purposes of fitness. Bicycling has always been my primary mode of keeping fit. At the same time, the martial arts has been another vehicle to help keep myself fit and grounded.
In conclusion, at its core, culinary art is not an art, but a craft. The culinary practitioner's audience for the most part does not want art, they want something to eat. The art does exist, though we must keep in mind that it is in the eye of the beholder. When the eye of the beholder is able to, and ready to perceive well-prepared victuals as both a creative art form and a form of sustenance, and all the other elements of service and ambiance are in place to allow this to happen, then the culinary offerings may rise to a level of art. The important thing for the student of culinary arts, and all current practitioners, is to be aware of both the art/craft dichotomies and the danger of working in a transient medium. With this awareness, one is free to express culinary practice at its highest level. And this is one of the qualities that makes the culinary profession at once exciting and fulfilling.
Appendix A
Peter van Erp’s Á la Carte Kitchen Dinner Menus
The following menus are from Peter van Erp’s Food Preparation à la Carte Kitchen, CIA, which I attended in March 1973. I have transcribed these menus as they appeared, though I did correct several minor typos and removed the typewriter lines used to separate the item sections: hors d’oeuvres, then soups, entrées, vegetables, salads and desserts. (I inserted a double-space to separate these sections.)
Van Erp used a mix of French and English, to add some Euro-elegance to the menu, but still allowed it to be readable for those not fluent in French.
March 13, 1973
Hors d’Oeuvre Variés / Harang à la Crème
Artichauts Frais, Sauce Mousseline
Potage Parmentier / Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée
Quenelles de Fera à la façon du Chef
Côtes de Regards Tante Elise
Fricassée de Veau, Jardinière
Bitôks à la Russe, Sauce Smitane
Risotto / Pommes Purée
Macedoine de Légumes / Broccoli Polonaise
Salade de Saison
Crêpes Parisienne
March 14, 1973
Hors d’Oeuvre Variés / Suprême de Poulet, Armagnac Dressing
Clams on the Half Shell / Fonds d’Artichauts Quo Vadis
Consommé Alexandra / Potage Cressonaire
Homard Thermidor
Poulet Sauté Forestière (en Cocotte)
Grenadins de Veau Anglaise
Brochette d’Agneau Syrienne
Riz Nature / Pommes Biarritz
Broccoli au Gratin / Courgettes Piemontaise
Salade de Saison
Pudding Diplomat
March 19, 1973
Hors d’Oeuvre Variés / Clams Casino
Avocado Norvegiènne
Crème Argenteuil / Consommé aux Profiteroles
Rouget à la Venitiènne
Suprême de Volaille Florentine
Boeuf Wellington
Escalope de Veau Chasseur
Choux-fleurs Polonaise / Haricots Verts Amandine
Pommes Fondantes / Riz Étuvé aux Fines Herbes
Salade de Saison
Crêpes Normande
March 20, 1973
Hors d’Oeuvre Variés / Cocktails Fruits de Mer
Croquettes de Volaille
Crème Chabrillon / Consommé Tricolore
Sole de la Manche Colbert
Poulet Sauté Madras
Longe de Veau Dubarry
Émincée de Boeuf Stroganoff, Riz Sauvage
Pommes en Robe de Chambre / Riz Nature
Endive de Bruxelles au Gratin / Légume Frais du Jour
Salade de Saison
Pâtisserie du Jour / Orange en Surprise
March 21, 1973
Hors d’Oeuvre Variés / Crevettes au Pernod
Pamplemousse au Kirsch
Crème Mulligatawny / Cockie Leekie
Homard à l’Américaine
Poulet de Grain Garci aux Nouilles
Carré de Porc Rôti Normande
Carbonades de Boeuf Flamande
Pommes Sautées / Pommes Duchesse
Choux Rouge Braisé au Vin Rouge / Broccoli Frais, Hollandaise
Salade Coeur de Laitue
Pâtisserie
du Jour Omelette Soufflée
March 22, 1973
Hors d’Oeuvre Variés / Hareng à la Crème
Artichauts Vinaigrettes / Crêpes Farcies Toulousaine
Gulyas Soup / Essence de Celeri
Scampi à la Pescatora
Blanquette de Veau à la Reine
Chapon Rôti, Sauce Périgordine
Gigot d’Agneau, Rôti au jus Tomate
Riz Pilaf / Pommes Bataille
Petits Pois à la Française / Legume du Jour
Salade Césare
Soufflée au Chartreuse
Appendix B
LIST OF THE DISHES
Small Dishes
Broiled tomatoes with anchovies (Tomate grillée aux anchois)
Shrimp in Beer Batter, Chutney Sauce (Crevettes en pâte, Sauce Chutney)
Fried-bread Scrambled Eggs
Soups
Egg Drop Soup (Soupe aux oeufs tombe, à la Chine)
Mushroom Bisque (Bisque Champignons)
Cuban-style Black Bean Soup (Soupe aux haricot noir, à la cubane)
Gazpacho, Summer of Moon (Gazpacho, à la lune)
Kænemælkskolskål (Swedish Chilled Buttermilk Soup)
Salads
Excellent Potato Salad
Arugula Salad for Serious Arugula Lovers
Cole Slaw
Sauces
Larousse All-Purpose Industrial Strength Tomato Sauce
Sauce Rémoulade
Demi-glaze, Summer-of-Moon-1974-style
Larousse Internationally Infamous Mustard and Parsley Emulsified Vinaigrette
Creosat Relish
Vegetable and Side Dishes
Tomate Clamart
Creamed Leeks, Gratinée (Poireaux à la Crème, Gratinée)
Potatoes Florentine (Pommes St. Florentine)
Mélange de riz sauvage (Wild Rice Mélange)
Braised Red Cabbage, Normandy-style (Choux rouge braisée, Normande)
Braised Belgian Endive (Endive de Belgique, Braisée)
Pasta
Cannelloni, Great Electric Underground Style
Drunkard’s Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
Spaghetti Caruso
Spaghetti Loretta
Spinach Linguini Yasamin
Fettuccine Natalia
Linguini Leonardo
Fish and Shellfish
Lobster American-style (Homard á l’Americain)
Basic Bread Stuffing for Baked Stuffed Schrod, Shrimp and Scallops
Baked Stuffed Schrod
Baked Stuffed Shrimp
Baked Stuffed Scallops
Boiled Lobster
Jules Bond's Best Scallops
Shrimp in Beer Batter, Chutney Sauce (Crevettes en pâte, Sauce Chutney)
Chicken and Duck
Kohta Yahni (Greek-style Braised Chicken)
Crispy-Fried Duck, Sweet and Pungent Sauce
Roast Duckling with Brandied Peaches (Caneton rôti aux pêche de Cognac)
Simca’s Chicken Roulade
Chicken Marengo (Poulet Marengo)
Bachelor Blue’s Chicken
Chicken Galli-Curci
Game and Offal
Pheasant Pâté, Cumberland Sauce (Pâté de Faison, Sauce Cumberland)
Venison Stew Burgundy-style (Venaison Bourguignonne)
Roast Pheasant, Strasbourg-style (Le faison rôti à la strasbourgeoise)
Sweetbread Salpicon, à la GEU
Beef and Pork
Pork Tart, GEU Style (Tarte Chaud de Porc, à la façon du Grand Souterrain Électrique)
Sweet and Pungent Pork
Salaison de Boeuf
Desserts
Grandma Anne’s Apple Pie (Tarte de pomme à la grandmère du chef)
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake (Gåteau chocolat, à la Vermont)
Vin Blanc Sapphire
Tarte Tatin
Pear Tarte (Poire aux Poivre)