Friday, January 7, 2011

I worked days again in the Lobster Grille. It was just myself, Clif and Roy. I worked on the hot line with Roy, but he seems to like to do most of it himself, so I didn't argue, just helped where I could. Unfortunately, he kept disappearing so had to pick up the slack at odd times. The kitchen was very warm today and he kept complaining about how hot it was (I agree!) and I think was going outside to cool off. The more I work there, there more it seems that the people there don't really like each other. I don't know.....I just do my work.

The evening kitchen staff is all freaked out because Iggie's is closed tonight for a buy out so everyone will be eating at the Lobster Grille. We'll see what actually happens. I put two pigs, which someone had sawed in half, into the ovens at noon today for tonight's buy out party. Should be interesting! I was talking to Laura in the gift shop and she told me business usually picks up the middle to end of January and that they are busy thru April. This is the first time someone has actually put a time frame on the busy and slow times. I heard different things from different people. I will soon need to discuss leaving in March so I have time to get my "stuff" back to Reno and go to my Personal Chef class in Denver the first weekend in April. I am doing a lot of reading and taking some online classes in an effort to figure out exactly what I want to do when I finish here. I like cooking but I love baking, so will try to fit that in.

I'm at Iggie's tomorrow, 9am to 4pm. Should be interesting (my new favorite word, lol). I think I'll eat at the bar tonight and forgo table service. Currently I am in the conference room on my computer. I've added a few more pictures if you get a chance to take a look back thru my entries. It rained cats and dogs for about 1/2 an hour-had people scurrying all around to get out of the rain. It was very humid today so hopefully the rain will improve the air! I think I'll go check my schedule for next week. It comes out at 5pm every Friday, no sooner and no more than one week posted at a time. Also a very interesting way to run a business....

Thursday, January 6, 2010

I had the day off today. It was sunny and warm, too. No rain! After breakfast, I spent some time by the pool, worked on my online classes, then had lunch at the bar of the Lobster Grille. While I was eating my BLT, along came one of the big iguanas and sat by my car. I gave him some of my lettuce and he took it right out of my hand! Amazing. He also likes French fries, lol.he moved to sit under my chair but when I moved my foot, it startled him and he ran under the chairs next to me. Unfortunately, the lady next to me is from the city and thought it was a rat and it startled her, she jumped, and just about had a heart attack! She was not happy. She moved soon after that, to sit by the pool. But not before asking if iguanas swam, lol. The bartender told her they did but not well! I told her I've never seem iguanas in the pool. I "captured" a picture of him after he jumped onto a palm tree.
Poor lady!

This evening was the employee Christmas party. From 6:30-10:30pm. Open bar, food buffet (Janee and Ryan did the cooking, we did most of the prep yesterday). There was a green salad, roasted potatoes, glazed ham, lasagna, curried mahi, mixed vegetables and assorted cookies (packaged but not bad). They gave away prizes-dinners, cruises, a local airline ticket and gift certificates to K-Mart. I didn't win anything, but that's ok, the people who have been here a long time won and that's the important thing! Shortly thereafter I left. I have to work tomorrow at 6:30am and that comes nightly early! It was a nice party and a nice gesture from the owners.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

We were awoken last night at 2am by what sounded like a gunshot! Then the power went out. Eventually the generator kicked in and the fan came back on. I later learned that a transformer blew and knocked out the power to the Lobster Grille and The eat wing, where I live, the generator ran most of the day before it was fixed. Jordan took a taxi at 5:30am (the only time available if you can believe that!). Sad to see him go! I did go back to bed though and got up at 8:30am and had breakfast. Janee texted me and asked me to start at 12 noon instead of 11am. I'm suppose to be prepping for banquets (the Rotary Club dinner, the employee dinner tomorrow night and the buy out at Iggie's Friday. A buy out is when a person or company is willing to pay enough money to Bolongo that they will not lose money if they shut the restaurant to the public.). Once I caught up with Janee, she started me out making three mixed green salads, a total of 11 heads of romaine worth of salad! Once those were done and plated on the appropriate platters, I was told to make 200 cookies. Now don't get too excited for me, that means taking pre-formed frozen Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough, pitting it on a cookie sheet and baking it. It's all they use!! While waiting to do that and in between batches, I cut up red potatoes so they could be roasted tomorrow. I also got nine pork butt roasts ready for roasting tomorrow and Friday. Unfortunately, they were still frozen (although Gene had assured Janee they were thawed and ready to go)! So they will sit out overnight to finish thawing but they are ready to roast. I chopped onions for sauce for lasagna. Looks like Janee and Ryan will be cooking dinner for the staff. I didn't think they would give at up! They are too attached to the Lobster Grille! The Grille will be closed tomorrow for the employee party. The managers wait on the employees, which Paul says the staff loves, lol.

After work and a shower, I had a drink and an appetizer at the bar. Harry always takes good care of me! I ended up sitting with Richard, Paul and Paul's wife Colleen. They asked about Jordan and if he left this morning. Apparently they liked him! Nice to know! We had a very pleasant time talking, then they left to go home. I went back to my room. I have tomorrow off, amazing!

Tuesday, January 4, 2010

I have today off, so Jordan and I went on the BVI tour. We left Bolongo at 8am and headed to Red Hook. Instead of a private ferry like we took last time, we had to take the regular ferry. Once we got to St John's, we were met by Charlie, the same driver I had the last trip I took. Same joke about being a Charlie's Angel, lol. We got the botanical lecture, stopped at a bakery for a snack and they also recommended beer, but It was too early for Jordan and I don't drink beer. I had ordered Greek salad for lunch but what came out was taco salad, same as three others. But it was all good, so it didn't matter. We sat with a family who had spent two weeks sailing around the BVI on their own. The husband was retired from the State Dept while his wife stilled worked for the State Dept in Germany. They had three kids with them. They had a daughter who lives in Reno! Small world! Again, nice people, though the husband always seemed to be on the phone, so we thought maybe he wasn't all that retired, lol! Next stop was Trunk Bay, same place I lost my glasses on my last trip. I stopped by the ranger station, but they didn't have anything there so no glasses yet. Jordan snorkeled, I sat on the beach. Next stop was shopping but we didn't stop at the same place as last trip. Charlie took us back downtown so we would be sure to catch the ferry back to St Thomas. This ferry was a rickety old boat, and didn't seem like it could carry as many people as it did and we made it back to Red Hook in one piece.

We walked down to Iggie's for a drink when we got back, then took a shower and walked to Mim's for dinner. It started out to be a nice dinner, but dinner never came! So we left. Won't go back there I don't think. We walked back to the Lobster Grille and sat at the bar for awhile before bed. The weather was beautiful and the night peaceful. Jordan leaves in the morning :-(.

Monday, January 3, 2010

6am comes early!! I went into work at 6:30am (it's nice to just walk out the door and be at work) and found just Clif there. I asked him if it was just us and he said Millie would be in at 7. So I put bacon in the oven as well as sausage, pulled out all the breakfast things and put them in the breakfast station. Then orders started coming in and it was time to go to work. All in all, it was a discouraging day. I have to get used to the islander's way of talking, that they aren't necessarily "yelling", they just talk loud and fast. They also cook things to death! When I cook, I try to cook food they way we were taught. Sometimes the other cooks let me cook how I want, other times, they just take over what I'm doing and finish it how they want. I have been hearing a lot more complaints from guests that the service at the Lobster Grille is slow and that during the day the food is not good, that Iggie's does a better job of lunch than the Lobster Grille. Not good. I did talk with Janee at the end of the evening and they realize there's a problem. And it won't be fixed over night.

Dew went to XO Bistro for dinner. Some of the menu looked suspiciously like Lobster Grille, and I understand this is Janee's favorite restaurant. I had a goat cheese salad and Jordan and I split lasagna, of all things. It was quite good! Then back to Bolongo. We road there and back with a couple from Indianapolis who were there with their son. And the wife is a nurse! Small world! I've met some very nice people here.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

I was in bed by 9 pm last night and didn't get up until 9 the next morning!! We woke up to rain, so I really am happy our trip to the BVI was changed from Sunday to Friday! We had a leisurely breakfast of eggs and pancakes, then Jordan did some computing while I caught up my blog. I have to work at 2pm today at Lobster Grille. I've added a picture of a cactus we found decorated at our lunch stop on St Johns.

Off to work, lots of prep. Apparently there are only 60-70 people in the resort so they did not expect it to be busy. We ended up making about sixty dinners, most of which were ordered between 7:30-8:30pm! There was quite a crunch for an hour! I made lobster stuffing before the dinner start, as well as roasted corn avocado salsa. Then spent time setting up the appetizer station with Drew. Since we started the new menu, I have all different things to remember! I also mixed molasses cookie dough and put it in the walk-in. It has to chill overnight. I actually worked the line to night helping Drew with appetizers. I was ready for the evening to be done!

Jordan and I had a drink then it was time for bed, I have to work early tomorrow.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

A new year! Looking back, as we often do on this day, I can't believe every thing that has happened in 2010! My dad died in April, I quit my rather well paying job to go back to school to learn Culinary Arts, moved to a new city to actually go to school, spent three weeks in Italy and France and finished the year by moving to St Thomas for an internship. If you had told me a year or two ago that I would have done all these things, I would not have believed you! And in between school and Europe and St Thomas, were trips back and forth between Reno, Denver and Washington, DC (to spend time with Jordan and Betty, respectively). Jordan has been reminding me how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place, with a warm tropical climate and little responsibility. I have to agree with him. I was thinking of cutting my stay here short because there didn't seem to be much happening, but Paul (one of the owners) took over (not sure if this is good or bad) scheduling and has me working what looks to be part time on days at the Lobster Grille, what looks like Saturday days at Iggie's, with some evenings at the Lobster Grille thrown in there. I am learning and that's what I came here to do, so I guess I'll stick it out til March, as scheduled. I am signed up and confirmed for a Personal Chef class in Denver the first weekend in April so will need to be gone from here before then. Now I just need to decide what to do when I grow up! There are many options, and this seems to be the best place to think some of this out. I have finally realized that no one expects anything out of me other than to show up for work when I am suppose to. This was a hard concept to grasp for the oldest child of six, a nurse, and for the last four years, OR manager! I think I'm finally "getting" it, lol.

It was hard getting up this morning for work! When I got to Iggie's, I found out I was working regular staff! It was just me and Mary and a young dishwasher. Wow! I set up and worked Pantry. Here at Iggie's that means you make all the salads and cold sandwiches and plate whatever desserts people want. It also means you do most of the prep for evenings and whatever special there is the next day. Mary gets there about 7:30-8am so she already had ribs, pork roasts, fish and three cuts of chicken thawing in the sink. I took the chicken wings and made a marinade of Paul Prudhomme's blackened seasonings, Old Bay Spices and EVOO. Those were stored in the freezer for another day. I put a marinade of half EVOO and half bottled teriyaki sauce along with a lot of black pepper on chicken tenders, then skewered them on bamboo so they could be served as Chicken Satay. Half the tenders were put in the walk-in for use over the next day or so, the other
half were placed in the freezer. Next came the chicken breasts, done in the same marinade after I butterflied them (so they would cook on the grill faster) then these were also placed in the freezer. Lots of prep! The ribs were placed in a hotel pan, then seasoned with salt and
pepper and garlic, wrapped, and will be cooked tomorrow for a rib and chicken special. The pork shoulder roasts (4 huge roasts) were placed in a hotel pan and roasted at 350 in the oven. I made BLTs, turkey club sandwiches-all using "Texas toast" (thick sliced white bread). I made garden salads, ceasar salads, grilled chicken salads, taco salads, mahi-mahi salads, and chicken wraps filled with lettuce, diced tomatoes, chicken of your choice (grilled or fried) covered with ranch drawing. Mary got swamped at one point so asked me to come help her on hot line, which I did. Deep fried oysters, chicken tenders, French fries, wing platters, crab cakes, plating and trying to remember which sauce goes with what dish. Nthe other thing I did today, speaking of deep fried oysters, was to take 1& 1/2 buckets of raw oysters, rinse them off, then bread them. Dredge them in flour first, dip them in an egg/milk mixture (a LOT of milk compared to egg) then roll them in a special seasoned coating of Panko or bread crumbs. Not sure who makes that or if they buy it ready made. Mary wanted me to keep the seasoned breading after I finished with it. I refused, saying it was contaminated and could not be reused. She didn't argue with me, which surprised me!

When I got off at 4pm, I found Jordan reading. We both read a while, then had an early dinner at Iggie's-spinach artichoke dip with tortilla chips and pita, then shared a steak ceasar salad. They have live music at Iggie's every night. They had a guy there that reminded me of Marc Cohen in style. Nice voice, I'll have to ask if he's there every week, I enjoyed his singing. Jordan thought all his songs sounded the same, lol. I was asleep in bed by 9, I was so tired!