Jiminy, for the past 6 years I've worked with chefs....many are nationally known, many have cookbooks, many run multi-restaurants, many are just chef/owners of a small restaurant.
There is pervasive trait amoungst 95% of them.....they don't have recipes ready for print, 4-6 servings, easily used by a newspaper or generic homecook friendly. Nor notes on how their stage demo works....equipment, various stages of mise.....
Our local daily paper wanted recipes for Wed., the one chef they wanted to write about didn't have his recipes available....so we featured one of the others....this is huge PR, huge....hard to put a price tag on a feature article with pix and recipes written by the daily of a large city newspaper.
This week is crunch week. 5 chefs are showing up from around the country...some are bringing in their food, some want me to prep, most say they can work with whatever I throw at them.....MOST have not given me all their recipes, 2 have given me equipment lists, 1 has given me notes on the demo.
Right now we have six 8'tables.....I've got to stock a prep area and a stage....there are no dishwashers, there are no ovens.....it's all tabletop burners.
Normally, I have a good working relationship with local chefs, they know if I've called and they haven't given me their recipe I'll show up at their kitchen with a pencil and pad.....or threats of I'll make shtuff up. They are wonderful! Most will show up for the Tomato Fest, or come demo at the market....gotta love um. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything they do.
BUT why oh why are they not looking out for their basic self-interest?
How many of you have recipes ready to go, bios, photos, ready....notes if you do television or stage demos?
*If this came off as exasperation, that's pretty much the emotion around here....sorry for fussing.
There is pervasive trait amoungst 95% of them.....they don't have recipes ready for print, 4-6 servings, easily used by a newspaper or generic homecook friendly. Nor notes on how their stage demo works....equipment, various stages of mise.....
Our local daily paper wanted recipes for Wed., the one chef they wanted to write about didn't have his recipes available....so we featured one of the others....this is huge PR, huge....hard to put a price tag on a feature article with pix and recipes written by the daily of a large city newspaper.
This week is crunch week. 5 chefs are showing up from around the country...some are bringing in their food, some want me to prep, most say they can work with whatever I throw at them.....MOST have not given me all their recipes, 2 have given me equipment lists, 1 has given me notes on the demo.
Right now we have six 8'tables.....I've got to stock a prep area and a stage....there are no dishwashers, there are no ovens.....it's all tabletop burners.
Normally, I have a good working relationship with local chefs, they know if I've called and they haven't given me their recipe I'll show up at their kitchen with a pencil and pad.....or threats of I'll make shtuff up. They are wonderful! Most will show up for the Tomato Fest, or come demo at the market....gotta love um. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything they do.
BUT why oh why are they not looking out for their basic self-interest?
How many of you have recipes ready to go, bios, photos, ready....notes if you do television or stage demos?
*If this came off as exasperation, that's pretty much the emotion around here....sorry for fussing.
