Hells kitchen fiasco

ED BUCHANAN · #1 09-09-2009, 08:31 AM

Last not I watched the latest Hells Kitchen episode. I could not believe what I was watching. I could see the failings of some of the participants, but this guy Andy floored me. With all the wonderful credentials on his web site. the guy is lost behind a line, he can't handle more then 3 task at a time, hasn't a clue, and has an excuse for everything he does. Not only cutting himself on mandolin,( not using a guard or mesh glove) but not even being capable of a crepe. Unbelievable. Why they did not grab a large saute pan and make a crepe, I don't know? Ramsay did the right thing in sending home the people he did.
Also while highlighting French Cuisine the fold they made of the crepe was not true to french cuisine. There's was more like a pocket or packet envelope of some kind. Real French crepes as I have ever seen or made are opened at both ends.

KYHeirloomer · #2 09-09-2009, 08:56 AM

Andy hadn't shown me much of anything from day one, Ed.

I know there are some here who think he's a great chef and restauranteur. And that might be so in an environment he controls. Credentials? Does anybody really thinks his blog is anything but self-serving?

All of which is irrelevent. What counts during a competition is how well you perform playing by the contest rules (as silly as they may be). And Andy has been less than steller in that regard.

Ramsey has his own agenda, of course, and anyone who thinks they can guess who's going home based on performance is kidding themself. Look at how long he carried Amanda, who should have been chopped long before that. And, while I do think Andy didn't have what it takes, instead of chopping Suzanne, who really deserves to go, he cuts Andy, and then penalizes the men by giving her to them as a reward for doing what they were supposed to. That might make sense to Ramsey, but it sure doesn't to anyone else.

I agree with you that what they were making were not French style crepes. But, again, if you're going to play you have to play by the rules. And the rule was, Ramsey said "this is how it's to be done."

That's how Sabrina blew it last night. She hasn't learned rule #1: The Chef is always right! It doesn't matter how she feels the frog's legs should be seasoned. What counts is how Ramsey said they should be done. If that way did, indeed, overspice them then the ball is in his court.

What gets me most, with that whole crew, is that if you look at their job titles you should reasonable expect great things. Then you look at their performance and have to wonder if any of them have ever been in a commercial kitchen before.

No doubt in my mind. Give me six short order cooks and I'll take on that entire cast, and spot them two challenges in the bargain.

ED BUCHANAN · #3 09-09-2009, 09:42 AM

"Ramsey has his own agenda, of course, and anyone who thinks they can guess who's going home based on performance is kidding themself. Look at how long he carried Amanda, who should have been chopped long before that. And, while I do think Andy didn't have what it takes, instead of chopping Suzanne, who really deserves to go, he cuts Andy, and then penalizes the men by giving her to them as a reward for doing what they were supposed to. That might make sense to Ramsey, but it sure doesn't to anyone else."
You are 100% correct, seems like the mens side won the boobey prize, but I think they will run her through the Robo Coup. Also do you really think any of them are capable of running a place. Dont know about anyone else but would any one with an investment of millions in a place allow one of these people to run it??? I sure wouldn't

KYHeirloomer · #4 09-09-2009, 11:13 AM

Run the place? H*ll, I don't think I'd even let them in the kitchen---it's an environment they're obviouslyi unfamiliar with.

Just Jim · #5 09-09-2009, 11:32 AM

I think that there are many cooks/chefs that we each know and respect that would struggle in this environment.

shroomgirl · #6 09-09-2009, 12:37 PM

Andy was a guest chef for the Food and Wine Show a few years ago. He'd just flown in from Thailand and was working with jetlag. The guy was spot on. He did 4 demos in 45 minutes totally interacting with the crowd from the stage. Probably 1000 people in attendance.
Anyway as the stage director/manager I'd work with him again in a heart beat.

I have no idea how he works at his restaurants, but on stage he rocked it....his cookbook is interesting....and that's from someone who gets bored with the same ole' same ole' shtuff.

Frankly, I can't figure out why he'd put himself up for public humiliation.....must have seemed like a good idea at the time.

I've also worked with CMac, who's from STL and worked for a couple of my friends in their restaurants as she was laying low after taping/prior to the season's finale (& win).
She was a bright newby out of CIA.....mid-20 something....PLEASE. Smart savy girl, just needs some experience to lead a crew.

ED BUCHANAN · #7 09-09-2009, 01:15 PM

Maybe he is good at demo's, but certainly not underfire. I hope and pray he has good sous chefs running things for him. If he went on HC for publicity, he sure got it. Keep him off the line and out of the kitchen and the place most likely will run better. Theory and planning is a great thing, but if you can produce it and make it happen is another question. Mushroom Girl would you let any of them run your place if you went on vacation????

DuckFat · #8 09-09-2009, 01:53 PM

I was really shocked by Andy's performance from day one. It's like there was zero motivation there. It's pretty sad when a Chef with experience gets run over by a one handed cook.
The last episide was about as funny as it gets with the show giving us a shot of Andy's pierced tongue and then Gordo yelling at him for standing around sucking his own ****.

greyeaglem · #9 09-10-2009, 04:15 AM

I met a guy at a food show who worked with Ramsey. He said so much of it is for the entertainment and that there was a girl on last year's HK from Florida that he knew to be very good in the kitchen, but looked like a ditz on the show. He said there's a lot behind the scenes that we of course don't know, and that they keep certain people on there for entertainment value. Like that pouty girl from last season whose name I can't remember. I often wonder how I would do in that environment and don't think I'd have the guts to really find out. You can be really good, but if you have idiots around you, it's like any other team sport. You can't win, or even look good. For some reason Suzanne rubs me the wrong way. The smugness on her face when someone else gets reamed out or booted out bothers me because I don't think she's all that. I also saw an interview with Ramsey after the girl still in culinary school won where he was asked if he would really put her in as head chef and he more or less said "Are you crazy?". Said he might put her in charge of the chef's table or something to that effect. Would be interesting if they would bring back previous winners to see how and what they are doing now. I think there's a reason they don't. The whole thing would be too much stress for me. I know that.

DuckFat · #10 09-10-2009, 05:08 AM

In all fairness to Andy I think sleep deprivation is a big part of these shows. This is a young persons game and is probably pretty tough when your a bit older. I think a lot of these people go on some of the reality shows expecting to get a bunch of free publicity for their restaurants. The pseudo culinary instructor from last season was a good example or perhaps Eve from this years Top Chef.
overall IMO HK is just a bad joke. I can't imagine why any serious Chef would go on that show. A few of the winners never really received much. The young lady who is the Sous Chef for the women's team never wound up as the Executive Chef of any thing. They created a position for her like "senior Chef" working under a few other Chef's.
OTOH I hear Ramsey is very good to work with IRL and that a lot of his staff has been with him for many years
I can understand the appeal of Top Chef. Great Prize and it's getting a lot more prestigious especially after the TC Masters show.

shroomgirl · #11 09-10-2009, 09:03 AM

oh Ed, there are a small handful of available people I'd trust to put out my food without me. Some of the people that have worked with me through the years are/were execs or culinary instructors. I'm giving up a dream invitation to Madison to hang with "celeb culinary guests" because there's a lunch for 200.....just can't justify leaving....though I'm still running alternative scenerios in my head.