Refrain.

Ah. A day off.

I needed it. I can check off things on my list, reconnect with people, think about the Dart's issues to be fixed, run errands, etc, etc. It was a long week, where a lot happened. I thought a lot about who I am as a chef, why I'm doing what I'm doing, and my future. I was severely tested, and had not been under as much stress and fatigue as was last week in a long time; I often wondered how/why I had gotten myself into the opening project.

But it's the food. The gorgeous ingredients are uncompromisingly sourced. And that is incredible. I have said it before: there will be other restaurant with perhaps a finer end product, honed and presented with more aptitude than I can do, but it is not possible to start with a better foundation of products. And so one doesn't need to do much.....

I am also learning to become a better line cook; I am rusty somewhat. My memory has never been good for things like memorizing a ton of orders at once- my mind doesn't work like that. And then there's the expediting of orders: I am too nice. I need to form a persona that is outrageous and uncompromising, like if the Macho Man was a drill sergeant. I say extraneous things like "please" according to my boss....I am the yang to his yin in this regard during service.

Anyways, I don't need to extoll these facts here, I have done it waaaaay too many times in my head. It's sorted. For now.

The Wedgewood Broiler awaits tonight with my peoples!

(This post is dedicated to Ryan)