Celebrity chefs, move along.

"It is our duty to give meaning to the life of future generations by sharing our knowledge and experience; by teaching an appreciation of work well done and a respect for nature, the source of all life; by encouraging the young to venture off the beaten path and avoid complacency by challenging their emotions" - Paul Bocuse

I shouldn't use my own experience to measure, compare or criticize other chefs or professionals in any other field, I only use my memories and experience to somehow also free some of the demons and frustrations I have. 

It's not a secret that the food and beverage industry in the US is a misogynist industry that allows by omission and/or permission sexual harassment, prevents career advancement or avoids female chefs altogether. It is a racist industry that will have non-white dishwashers cleaning the entire restaurant, piles of dishes and prepare food for less than a $9 x hour and will prefer not to teach them basic culinary skills because their employers think, truly think that they cannot learn. It's an industry with food writers connected with the best chefs in the city but avoids amazing chefs from traditional Mexican restaurants, or from Pakistan, or India, or Ethiopia. At least in Milwaukee we have great food from other countries with great chefs that have zero voice in local newspapers, blogs or trendy online magazines. We have a Top 10 best tacos in Milwaukee that went viral and not a single one was a business owned by a Mexican, and instead by white male who exploit Mexicans with a miserable salary. Trust me, they're not the best tacos, and I'm not saying that because I'm a bitter Mexican, you start your taco from the corn in your tortilla, you have to know your corn, your mother ingredient and the essence of Mexican cuisine. Just like sushi, another minimalist dish, respect your grain. 

Just like in any other industry or creative field you'll have people who "steals" ideas from other people without giving that person any credit. A self-proclaimed artist who probably spent few hours staring at a clown, asked the clown to make a balloon dog for him, scanned that balloon dog and sent the blueprints to China, then forced a legion of underpaid workers to fabricate that big-ass balloon dog and to polish it for days and days while the "artist" didn't move a single finger, then that guy sold the stupid sculpture for millions because guess what? his personal network facilitated the transaction while minimizing his lack of creativity and integrity. Same thing happens everyday in my industry. At the top of the food chain we have the NRA (National restaurant Ass) and other cartels that set the standards for the industry, along with them monsanto, cargill, US Foods, Sysco, Dole, Ecolab etc. They decide wages, trends, laws and even tell local authorities how to operate (looking at you Health Department) They lobby congress and sell everyone the idea that today's standards are necessary and unavoidable. In order to justify their corrupt practices and monopolies they need good PR, they need to distract the public with shows, celebrities and trends. 

Restaurant owners especially in competitive markets in larger cities have the wrong idea that they most balance their budgets before offering their workers a living wage, it's an abusive practice that is keeping the culinary and service industry at 1912 levels. How much is too much? If chef/owners are really not making that much money and that's why they can't pay more to their workers, then something is wrong with the system, and we have to fix it, just like we ask chefs to fix everything ASAP without excuses. 

Let's begin with our food sources. Where does your food come from? How far and how sustainable? Was it out of growing season? Did your produce was collected by migrant children? Did the children use protection in order to work surrounded by toxic pesticides? Is that tomato from a conflict zone like Sinaloa Mexico? 

Just a reminder, in the 90s NAFTA destroyed Mexican family-owned farms, causing one of the biggest diasporas humanity has ever seen and parallely quiet/shamed. Forcing farmers to sell their lands to huge companies like Dole to then migrate to the US and work without any safety or stability for Dole. A cruel ironic game. 

Fishing villages in Russia, Peru, Japan, Mexico and even in the US are disappearing, along with their traditions and knowledge, and we also have more fish joining a scary big list of endangered species. 

Your chicken doesn't come from a red-barn-farm, let's be honest about it, it's a tortured chicken from the second it opens its eyes, and it's killed and processed by thousands of immigrants with incredibly painful injuries caused by repetitive motions, when the factory farm decides not to cover the medical expenses they call ICE and starts the vicious cycle all over again.

The price of the food recently harvested/collected/processed is set by speculators, "The Market". They predict or forecast droughts, wars, social crises, strikes, snow, hurricanes, you name it, and they have a bank with reserves and tells farmers how much they must keep, sell. How much they need to grow. At this point you already have big companies micromanaging farmers, in order to keep their farms (owned by generations) they must sign a lease/contract with a middleman.

At this point it gets inevitably corporate, it becomes part of your food cost at any restaurant. 

Then you need to pick your favorite purveyor, the romantic idea of chefs going to the market and hand-picking tomatoes and fish is a lie and you shouldn't believe what Food Network is telling you, you should change the channel right now, try PBS. You must have a purveyor if you want to survive as restaurant and be competitive, they'll open you a healthy credit line that you'll never be able to pay as a person, but remember "Corporations are people, my friends" so you don't have to worry about your personal credit, if you do things "the right way" of course. These other middlemen will send you a sales representative that will find you on linkedin, and he'll persuade you on what to get and when, be careful. Just think about this, how many guacamoles, chicken wings and pineapple salsas will the US consume during the next Super Bowl? again, are avocados in season? it's all frozen and that's something the market forecasted long time ago and set the price and predicted the profitability of your menu months in advance. You didn't decide the menu or its food cost. Fresh avocados are difficult to find, but they also traveled a long distance. I'm not saying you shouldn't get them, I'm talking industrial levels, like tons. 

Finally, we get to the heart of the Food and Beverage industry, its workers. An average line cook earns approximately $9 x hour, and with seniority and years of knowledge around $13, definitely not a living wage, not a wage a century ago workers fought so we could enjoy 8 hours of sleep and 8 for what we will, it's enough to give you access to a $2000 line credit card, a comfortable apartment, Netflix and $10 x night to go out and drink PBRs, That's if nobody else depends on your income, and that's why we have workers on their feet for 16 hours a day, working double shifts, avoiding meals, going to work sick, and being eternally tired, upset, stressed-out and poor.  You have a glass ceiling being imposed by an unfair market and it will try keep you down no matter what you do and how much you fight in order to break it. We have created a work culture that forces managers to learn Spanish for obvious reasons rather than training their immigrant workers and give them an income and time so they can learn English themselves. 

I've seen comments like "They should go to school if they want to earn $15" ETC, Sorry, but knowledge is knowledge and you have to pay for it, a cook is a skilled worker and that skill is learned, so I would love if people could stop calling immigrant workers in kitchens "unskilled" I would love to see some people on their feet all day, at 125F environments, cutting with a 10" knife without looking, knowing how to perfectly sear a protein while your sauce is reducing and knowing when and how to fire food so the entire line pulls finished product at the same time. While listening to loud music, your chef expediting tickets and stressed-out servers who want their food NOW, NOW, NOW.

Chefs, from farm to table, you need to acknowledge your sources and the people behind your creations, specially your team, SPECIALLY YOUR TEAM. And I mean EVERYONE in your team: Servers, bartenders, managers, dishwashers, line-cooks, prep-cooks (if you have the luxury) and with your Back Of The House team, teach, teach, teach. Not because you're freaking Paul Bocuse or the best chef in the world, but because you're the goddamn chef of that restaurant and you can share your knowledge, don't be condescending, give credit to your people, they're already making you look good when the food comes out right. Explain the food to the Front of the House, share your passion, pretend that they're listening and maybe one day they will, the smart one at least will write things down and will be selling specials like crazy while the rest will wonder why they just can't do it. Be patient, you learned how to use the knife, remember every time you looked stupid when you cut your finger because you didn't listen to the chef or your mom. If a cook burns a beurre blanc or it separates, take a break outside and explain to the cook why, there's a science behind it, but allow your team to make mistakes and oversee from far away, you already know what's going on and you know cooks can't lie to you, you can smell when something is wrong, you know when they try to hide it, but you also know when that person is trying to make it better the second time, and that's when you need to jump in and explain why it works that way. Lead by example, you also made horrible Hollandaise sauces the first time, your aspic looked like shit when you thought Julia Child was wrong, and you also overcooked steaks many times before you nailed it. 

Chefs, we have all read articles like "There's a cooks shortage" and yes, we can't find professional chefs fresh out of college with a $60K debt willing to start at $9 x hour (Remember the people who say cooks shouldn't earn $15 because of college, even with college you start at $9, sorry, no cutting in line, you start at pantry) I will say, if a person needs a job and that person is passionate about food, and passes your job interview, keep that person, that person, just like any other person has the same capacity to learn new skills, you're the teacher, that's why you're a chef. Teach that worker, if that person really wants to grow in the industry, that person will. Been there, done that. If it wasn't for the restaurant owner and my biggest mentor, I wouldn't be able to become a chef, I owe her pretty much my whole career, but it's because she had the vision, she invested in me and gave me the tools. I have also trained many workers with zero or close to none culinary experience and now they're fine cooks, some have bigger strengths in some areas than me already (bastards, they learn fast) so, don't tell me it is not possible, that's a lazy and stupid excuse.

The soul of your kitchen is your stock (veggie to chicken) you simmer it down, never boil it. You roast the buns first, you season it, filter it, cool it down, portion it out and freeze 75% of it because you always make a lot. It takes a while to make the perfect stock, so don't rush the magic of learning new skills and talent, your cooks need time, learning from own mistakes, some burns and cuts. Trust them as much as you trust humanity.

Celebrity Chefs. I'm not talking about Jacques Pépin. I'm talking about Food Network and company with their fake pretty faces and a legion of ghost writers, they're nothing more than trendsetters and the ambassadors of an unfair industry, an oligarchy and the cancer of the service industry. 

Do whatever you want, but I don't respect Top Chef wannabes. They think they know how, but they can't do it either. This whole post began hours later when I saw a Facebook post featuring a chef I trained for a month years ago, he was useless because he was arrogant, I've seen many of them before, and you can't and shouldn't force someone to learn something. Not even a year after it, he got an executive chef job, years before me, and he stole my personal journal with recipes, techniques and dramas. And even with that he can execute nearly as close as his own cooks he never gives credit. Also, in this industry the guys delivering your food will share with you the gossips of the entire city, so it's a smart decision to be friends of them. Anyway, this guy is a chef, that's great, but from all the people I trained, he's the worst cook, but it's a clear example of how some people don't have a glass ceiling, and that privilege can be misleading, sooner or later your sauce will break and you won't have anyone there to fix it for you.

This person spent his first paychecks as chef on the most expensive Japanese knives he bragged on Instagram before he cut his fingers several times while sharpening them, true story. A thousand dollars on cliché tattoos and expensive aprons (could you believe you can pay $150 on an apron?) Let me tell you something, if you're serious about this profession invest in a good workhorse French knife, expect to pay more than $100, keep it sharp with a stone, and steel. Get a nice bread knife. You'll need a garnish set, don't go crazy, a peeler is what you actually need, read books, knowledge is your primary tool, not only cookbooks but also memoirs and novels, get some books about farming, gardening, politics. Get a nice pair of shoes, don't be stubborn, get them, they are expensive but your back is going to  kill you and you won't get any younger, get those shoes. 

On the other hand, we do have a trend getting stronger. Everyday we have chefs who understand the politics from farm to table; the consequences and how to deal with today's issues. They understand the importance of locally sourced food, the importance of family-owned farming and how to wow people with fantastic no-bull-shit techiqunes, they've earned the badges with perseverance, they read, they listened; now we learn. We have chefs who collaborate with other chefs rather than compete against each other, they feature special menus with incredible imagination, and they explain to you why. Milwaukee is fortunate to have amazing creators, and not only chefs. We have tons of artist and geniuses.

I'm not going to fix the food world right now because I don't know how without replacing capitalism altogether, maybe I'm wrong but I rather be a maladjusted chef than a corrupt one. Knowledge should be public domain, cooking should be public domain. Just be careful with cultural appropriation too, there's a fine line.

There's nothing more beautiful than acknowledging that you're still ignorant.  

Birria.

You probably have realized by now that I hate writing recipes, and when I do I write 5 pages and at least 90% of the content is explaining the why of the technique. I also have to recognize that nowadays all you have to do in order to find a recipe is Google, just type the word "Papaya" and you'll get a thousand options from celebrity chefs (or their ghost writers actually) and I have no intentions to even try to compare myself to any of those people, or even amazing local chefs.

I'll share some recipes here and there, but I guess I have to feel comfortable with that person, of course I like sharing, specially knowledge, but I also think cooking is a very personal thing, when you're creating something the last thing you need is an internet smartass judging you or telling you "That sounds good, but I would do it ..." and in the world of the foodies it's just as common as breathing. I could compare cooks with painters, and foodies with an opinion with art collectors, because it's easier to know everything about art, but they'll never get the most intimate part of the painting.

Basically, I like talking about food, restaurants and traumatic experiences, anything but writing specific recipes, but I will, eventually.

The problem I have with celebrity chefs it's how elitist they can be, they take dishes from all over the world, they appropriate someone's culture and then twist it and say "I did it, I'm awesome" not all celebrity chefs, because I respect many who actually spend time in different countries listening, learning and then sharing it just as is. But there's nothing more heartbreaking than (white) chef going to let's say, Peru, and tell Peruvians "Your food is amazing, mmmm, but.... " OK, at that point you need to go back to Brooklyn mi amigo, and take a seat.

In Latin America at least (and I know it's the same in Africa and Pacific Asia) food is a religious act, it comes from the soul, we are lucky enough to have amazing ingredients from fish to fruits and exotic spices, which are not exotic at all when you live there, there's nothing glamorous about food, but a lot of pride, and of course we like sharing our recipes and food with the world, but it really is an intimate act, you don't want a Food Network person who barely understands Latin America's history telling you "That looks good, but why do you cook veal with vanilla, gross, make a mango salsa ay, ay, ay, ay, ay "

We need to understand that the relationship between Europe/US and Latin America is an abusive one, we take your best ingredients (Thanks NAFTA), we take your ideas, we copyright them and then make you cook for us, but we take credit for it, and by we I mean them, white celebrity chefs.

One specific case I would like to analyze with you is birria. Mexicans have been eating birria and barbacoa for centuries, and before we cooked goats and sheep, we cooked jungle pigs and other creatures in an underground oven. Most barbacoas are cooked in modern ovens today, especially in the U.S. because local authorities think that cooking meat in dirt is somehow a barbaric practice (again, "I'll tell you how to do it better" attitude) but ok, it's still delicious, not like the classic Jalisco style, more like French, and trust me, there's a huge difference.

Anyway, we've been eating and cooking barbacoa and chivos for a long time the same way, and I don't have an exact number of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. right now, I mean I could Google it, but it's a fact I usually don't carry in my wallet just to impress, but we are a lot of Mexicans, since the era of the Braceros to today (and even before when half of the US was Mexico), you'll see food trucks or Mexican restaurants with "Birria, Barbacoa" you can eat probably 5 tacos and a soda for $10, and it's usually a once or twice a week lunch. Well, here comes the celebrity chef that one day had the great idea to "explore" the ghetto and eats in that "exotic" restaurant, picks something that looks "exotic" and it's not a chimichanga, because I still don't know who in hell invented the chimichanga, or the word, it's the most stupid word I've ever heard, But anyway, so this white dude goes to this place, picks something exotic and says "oh my God, this shit is so good" then he tells other white dudes, and these people work for a famous food magazine, they interview the cooks, not for publishing purposes, but just to get the recipe, so the cooks share the recipe.

Now you have an explosion of barbacoa restaurants in Southern California, New York and Chicago and I'm not making this up, but the new restaurants are now operated by rich white people, the cooks with humble restaurants now work for them, but the celebrity chef "owns" the recipe, they get more attention and now it's a thing, eating Barbacoa is the Ray Bans of food.

I wish there was a better way to describe this phenomenon, but it's Christopher Columbus "discovering" America all over again (what? brown people have souls?) and I'm glad that middle-class America is expanding their culinary frontiers, just remember, you didn't discover it, you didn't invent it, you can't reinvent it, you can eat it, you can ask for the recipe, you can cook it at home, etc. but you need to ask in a nice way, you know? stupid consent applies here too.

It's not black or white fortunately, food is universal and brings people of different cultures together.