I have witnessed so many different practices when it comes to handling product in restaurants, and I know that every restaurant is unique and comes with its own historically accepted operational standards. I have also been witness to or involved with many health department inspections at several restaurants, and I know that although the regulations are meant to set standards for minimizing the risks of food born illness/cross contamination, some of the regulations are over compensating hoops to jump through because of cover your ass paranoia on the part of the local health department, and are simply impractical and a pain in my ass when it comes to meeting the demands of a busy restaurant and being ready for service everyday. That is not to say that I don't monitor and train my staff on safe food handling practices, but on my last inspection everything met the approval of the health department except that I did not have plastic wrapped plates on top of the stack of plates above the line. Instead of receiving 100%, I got a 97 because of a minor violation that I had never been cited for before in my current kitchen or anywhere else. I have also been witness to some flagrant violations in previous restaurants when I was working as a line cook, with product sitting out for HOURS after delivery because we were so busy trying to keep up with lunch service and prepare for dinner that no one stopped to store it properly. I knew it was wrong, but the chef and owner did not seem to be concerned about it and I was instructed to just keep putting the tickets out. I have also worked at restaurants that did not provide the kitchen staff with adequate or properly maintained equipment. I fully believe that with an experienced chef,a well trained/educated staff, and cooperation/support from the owner/management, any restaurant should be able to create, prepare, and serve great food for their guests, and has an obligation and assumed responsibility to ensure that the products served to their guests are received, stored, handled, processed, and presented safely. I consider it a blessing to serve my guests, and deeply respect the trust they have placed in me. It is an honor and privilege to nurture the body, mind, and spirit of anyone that sits at my table, and a truly humbling experience to work with everyone who helps me, from the line cooks and dishwashers to the servers and hostesses to the farmers and fishermen. We are all an individually big part of the collectively small world, children of God, sons and daughters of mother nature, brothers and sisters to one another, and we all gotta eat! I am always reminding my guys that whether it is a fruit, vegetable, grain, egg, honey, or protein, it was once a living thing, and in a sense of reverence that living thing sacrificed it's life to provide life for the rest of the world. I hold that belief very highly when I consider how I will perform my duties as a Chef and how I will influence the culinarians and staff working with me. Knowledge is one of the most integral parts of safely handling and preparing food, but love, respect, and passion for service before self are absolutely necessary for me to be happy in my chosen profession.