"A CASA" vs DINING OUT

Dad had this thing about going out to eat, "you never
know what you get on your plate if it doesn't come
from your own stove".Years to come would slowly
help me to understand his simple and experienced
philosophy-word by word!
It was incredible what went on in public kitchens!

I can’t remember what kind of “in” music was
playing at the time-my radio station was always
glued to 102,7 WBAB-Long Islands Favorite Classic
Rock Station.
As inspirational as the music lyrics were,it was even
more inspirational having the opportunity to open my
first restaurant during my early 20’s.
The location was perfect - on a corner of a main
intersection where Hicksville, Syosset, Plainview and
Bethpage town lines met.

I wont bore you with all the in’s and out’s concerning
“ the making of” but one thing is certain, there are
just as many pleasures of starting a business as there
are rules and regulations. We have to make the time to
learn more about them in order to pass those “surprise
inspections” which help to keep our establishments
open.

There was a time I didn’t understand why meat and
vegetables could not be stored together-or even cheese
and fruit on the same shelf. Who would think such a
thing? Six years prior, my life was a continuous
routine of arriving to Dantes Pizzeria, where we used
every square inch of cold storage space.
It was easy–keep it clean, wrapped and then sealed.
If it fit, put it in. If it didn’t, make it fit ! The
last thing on our minds was which foods could or could
not cross.I had a lot to learn if I wanted to go from working with flour to boiling pasta!

Lets face it; we all grow up with a frig/freezer full
of different foods, watching our moms cutting a variety
of ingredients from the same cutting board or allowing
the left over food to cool down on the counter before
storing it in a cool place. To ask someone to change
these habits at home is almost as likely to happen as
trying to make some one write with their left hand!
(No pun intended for all you gifted lefties)

Could some of these childhood memories be responsible
for the reasons behind the hate and discomfort we have
developed toward ASAE? Do we really need a machine to
chill/freeze food before storing, different colored cutting boards to separate the food groups or different
colored knifes for slicing and dicing ?
You might be wondering about the other food group-the sponge, soap, water and a little elbow
grease to get the smell out. As tough as it may be to
accept-all the elbow grease in the world can’t wash
away certain bacteria’s.

Things got tougher!

Every time a new food regulation was passed, our
mental stability of common practice in the kitchen
would sometimes become unbalanced. The simple change
of a plastic container could make some chefs have a
cow! It was almost like obligating some one to go from
canvas to wood.
Is writing with our left hand impossible, or are we able to manage with time and a little practice ?

The best thing we can do in order to make our
establishment more patron safe is easy. Start with some simple research and making time to read-this
means goggle and not your neighbor’s opinion.
You will discover there is some logic behind keeping
what we eat clean and as bacteria free as possible. If
you feel nervous about an inspection-chances are you
are doing some thing wrong. Try and fix it best you
can, so you may feel comfortable when some one visits your
"home"… both in the dining room and the kitchen.
We owe it to our public.

Don't worry all you mom's and "cooking lovers"- there
will always be a need for the “other food
group” … this is one group which will never become an
extinct species.

Chef Guerrieri