food matters

I just finished my first shift at Food Matters (FM) as one of the back of the house (BOH) staff. Not quite sure what my title is, but something to the effect of a prep cook; I'd like to think. My tasks included, but were not limited to:

-dicing sun-dried tomatoes
-making chicken stock (A whole lot of it. And needless to say, I burned myself with the stock while taking out the chicken. Those grooves on a tongs' handle is the perfect aqueduct for scalding liquid to run its way down to your hand. I knew I should have insured my hands!)
-roasting winter vegetables
-draining the fat from the duck confits (Who doesn't like duck that has been cooked in it's own fat?!)

Once the doors opened at 5 pm, I became the cheese and meat station girl. "Firing one cheese platter!", "one cheese!"; "Firing one meat platter!", "one meat!"; "Firing one nut", "one nut!" (It just means a bowl of spiced pecans. People and your dirty minds.) The sous chef, Russ, would call an order and I would yell it back. It reminded me of the good ol' days when I used to work at Starbucks. Now I actually have to pay to drink coffee there.

So what is FM anyway, you ask? It's not your typical restaurant. It's a more homier, smaller version of your Wegman's or Dean & Deluca. Hot & cold foods, menu o'-the-day, a wine bar, gourmet merchandise, and a private dining room. Click on the link above and you can learn more about FM.

As for me, I'm looking forward to this opportunity. So, come on by, take a look around, eat good food and drink some great wine. If you're lucky, you might get a glimpse of me in the kitchen; I'll be the tiny Asian girl swimming in the over-sized chef's coat yelling ,"ONE NUT!"