NEW BEGINNINGS - MANY CHALLENGES

Well...I have not posted for a little while because I have been going through some major life changes. Actually...everything in my life is new right now; I have moved from the natural beauty of British Columbia to Toronto, Ontario - a huge, busy city. I have also taken on a new challenge as far as my career goes. I have assumed the position of Executive Chef of Eaton Hall in King City.

As the Executive Chef of Eaton Hall, my job is to help restore this beautiful and historically significant facility to its former glory. What that means to me is putting out the best food possible for the guests while building a strong team of passionate chefs in the kitchen. Hospitality is the name of the game as far as I'm concerned, and satisfying the guests of Eaton Hall is my top priority as Executive Chef.

Over the next couple of months I will be making changes to the kitchen to make it more organized and functional. I will also be improving the food quality by modernizing the menues and adding creativity to food preparation and presentation. This is where my personal passion and creativity will take over the kitchen and will manifest in a new style of food for the facility. I intend to share the process with you here at "Livingston Cooks."

There are two components to the food service at Eaton Hall - a la carte dining and banquets. A la carte service allows me to utilize my restaurant background to put out food from an a la carte menu. Banquet service, on the other hand, is quite different. It requires putting out a large quantity of plates "shotgun" style...or all at once. Two different types of service with two different sets of challenges.

Challenges require evaluation and re-evaluation in order to find the best way to handle them. There are seldom static solutions to challenges in the hospitality trade. This is due to the fact that we deal with real people who have different needs. One solution to a challenge could never apply to all.

I want to share with you these challenges and show you how a professional kitchen works as well as continuing to show you my recipes and plate designs. My blog will take on a more "formal look" now, but I will still be posting cooking techniques as I have in the past complete with photos from start to finish. They will be much more interesting however.

So, here's to new beginnings and to new challenges! And please drop in to Eaton to see me anytime!! Here's a link to Eaton Hall's website: http://www.eatonhall.ca/

Cin Cin!!!