Chef Jim

If You Can Stand the Heat

If You Can Stand the Heat One thing is for certain kitchens are hot. It is not for the weak or feeble. You must not only be physically strong but mentally and emotionally as well. The Rugby Grille is by far the hottest kitchen I have ever worked in. We have a digital clock on the wall that tells the inside temp and all it reads during the summertime is ERR. That means it’s hot. When you have to go...

Chef Jim

Summer salad fun

Summer Salad Fun I was walking the dog with My Wife and mother to be when we ran into some friends. As always the conversation quickly turned to food.  He was trying to make a salad dressing to which my expecting wife said “I can’t stand prepared salad dressings any more”!  Her taste buds have changed in such a way that she can taste all the preservatives in bottled dressings.  I have been making...

Chef Jim

Rocket Ship Vs Pyramid

It’s amazing to me how young cooks are ready to take on the world (well before they are actually ready). Every time I turn around I am interviewing someone that wants to be a sous chef. They are confident that they can step up to the plate and knock it out of the park. When I was a younger more inexperienced chef I thought they could as well, funny thing though, they rarely do.The plebe was probably a...

Chef Jim

Every journey begins with a single step

The Rugby Grille has decided to join the blog race and I was deemed the captain. This isn’t an attempt to get a movie made about us (but that would be pretty cool), this isn’t an attempt to send you countless ads for products that you don’t need, this is an attempt to make a connection. Every morning, afternoon, and evening we “connect” with our customers, at the very least we try. Modern...