I am often asked “How do you do it? How has the Townsend been recognized for world class service for so long?”
The short answer is that we have always placed the right people, in the right position at the right time to take the hotel and everything we do to the next level.
It is the people of The Townsend who create the “Wow” experience for the guest and it is the people that create the “Wow” experience for the owner and investor. “Wow” comes from the heart and “Good” comes from the brain. We select people to work at the Townsend who have heart and are smart. We teach them to be good but they choose to be great.
The other thing we do is recognize that “Wow” to day is not going to be “Wow” tomorrow. What this means, to use an analogy, is that we needed Rough- Carpenters yesterday to lay the foundations and make it strong but we need Finishing- Carpenters tomorrow to make it look beautiful. It also means that we work really hard to understand what tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities will be so that we can always be working in the future and at the head of the curve.
We believe that smart people with big hearts, if given the freedom to do so, become highly motivated people aspiring to excellence. We find that the greater the expectation and the greater the achievement, beyond what is expected; the greater the pride people have in themselves and their accomplishments. The more people we have with this motivation and skill, the more often we get it right the first time. The greater the achievement the less the cost…..and. the better everyone feels about themselves. Go figure.
One more thing; Managers can’t make this happen but leaders can…

This Article Written By Peter Wilde, Managing Director of The Townsend Hotel

Last monday I had the honor of eating at the James Beard House. For those of you who don’t know James Andrew Beard (May 5, 1903 – January 21, 1985) was an American chef and food writer. The central figure in the story of the establishment of a gourmet American food identity, Beard was an eccentric personality who brought French cooking to the American middle and upper classes in the 1950s. Many consider him the father of American-style gourmet cooking. His legacy lives on in twenty books, numerous writings, his own foundation, and his foundation’s annual Beard awards in various culinary genres (I plagiarized the last part from Wikipedia). A great friend of mine invited me to New York for the dinner. The beard foundation hosts dinners many times a week celebrating great food and friendships while doing charitable work. It all started when James Beard pasted away. He had a large mortgage left on the house so his friends’ started hosting dinners to pay it off and viola you have a foundation. The first notable chef (although not at the time) was Wolfgang Puck in 1988. He traveled from the west coast to do the dinner; now the foundation had legs. Chefs from around the world cling to the hope that one day they will be asked to cook in the original kitchen of James Beard yes the whole dinner is actually in his home). I was lucky enough to taste the passion of Aaron Butts executive chef of Joseph Decuis(Roanoke, Indiana). While we were enjoying our 5 course meal from heirloom tomato salad to the waygu short ribs I was able to talk with the owners of the property as well as the director of programs at the beard house. In a nut shell we were asked to do a dinner there.
Ahhh but there is a catch, we have to pay for everything, and I mean everything. According to the owners it cost about 20k. All the travel, labor, and food expense add up quickly. The big question” is it worth it”. From my perspective hell yes!!! From an owner’s perspective, where is my return on investment? A legitimate question, but how to you touch the intangible? I was told the Joseph Decuis had a huge surge in business due to all the extra press. But it was more of a feeling of pride that they had doing the dinner, the whole staff was beaming with pride over the success they had that night. When is the last time you beamed with pride at work??? I have to find a way to go, if not for me for the boost it would give my staff and the entire hotel. I want it, the Beard foundation wants it now I need the funds. Any thoughts?
“There is absolutely no substitute for the best. Good food cannot be made of inferior ingredients masked with high flavor. It is true thrift to use the best ingredients available and to waste nothing.” James Beard

Last Thursday evening Hour magazine hosted and event with DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS), a night of cocktails and appetizers all set to raise money for a noteworthy cause. They asked 25 top area restaurants to provide appetizers or dessert for the 600 guest that were attending. They promised to have judging of best table and best app. I can tell you from past experience that such a promise rarely comes true. Sometimes they judge but it’s rare to get a true to life food critic (I guess that gives the first place a little more credibility). Molly Abraham went around having great discussions with all the chefs and tasting the food. My thanks to Ryan Esker my Banquet chef for filling in as I had a last minute emergency. So after all the fun we ended up on top, best app!!! The best thing about it is that we just took one of the apps of our new menu and served it to 600ppl (we actually ran out with 15 minutes to go, I guess people came back for seconds). I knew that our food was first rate and now it’s been judged and proven!
-“A leader must know, must know that he knows and must be able to make it abundantly clear to those about him that he knows.”-Clarence B. Randall
As Hour posts Information about the event I will add it to the Blog.

You wear a lot of masks as a chef; one of the most critical is to be innovative. I am referring to a chef and not a cook. Anyone can cook, it ain’t hard. But to be a chef you must stay ahead of the competition, be the best, always. The moment you rest on your laurels the competition swoops in and steals your business away. If you are on top of your game the customers will come back if not they are gone and wondering why you closed your doors. It’s the same for the dining room as well. In fact it is even more important for them. We all eat out, we know what we like and dislike but one universal truth exists; if the service sucks we are not going back. Whether you’re out on the town, getting a burger, or having an intimate dinner with someone special the service has to meet or exceed your expectations. In a way the dining room or general manager is in the same boat as the chef. “What can I do to make this a memorable experience”? It’s a question that is answered in sweat and tears. We all work hard in the industry to bring a plate of food to the table and every plate has to be better than the last. It is always the last meal at a restaurant that we remember. I remember chefs telling me “you only as good as the last meal”! And that’s what I mean by chefs make it better. Every day at work I try to make something better. I don’t work a 9-5 job 40 hours a week I work weird hours and my brain never shuts off (just ask my wife). I am always thinking about the food, the staff or the customers. It simply is never good enough. I may be happy with a dish but that will change and something new will arise. As humans who are we if we don’t try to make it better?
“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them”. – Denis Waitley

Asian Braised Short Ribs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Chinese oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup sake (Japanese rice wine), Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 piece (1 inch) peeled fresh ginger, minced
• 2 scallions, white parts minced, green parts thinly sliced
• About 3 pounds bone-in individual beef short ribs

1. Place the sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sake, garlic, ginger, and scallion whites in a large, nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Stir in the short ribs. Cover the bowl and let the ribs marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
2. Place the short ribs on the grill until sizzling and darkly browned on the outside
3. Remove from grill and place in roasting pan. Braise short ribs in Veal Stock and Sherry till tender. About 2 hours.
Reduce marinade until thick and use as a glaze for the short ribs.
Reduce the braising liquid by ½ and use for a broth to keep ribs moist.

Quinoa Cakes Yield = 12ea
• 1cup red quinoa
• 1 cup quinoa
• 4 cups water
• 2 oz G.O.G. (garlic, onion, ginger)
• 3oz hoisin
• Soy sauce to taste
• ½ tablespoon siracha
• 2 eggs
• 2 oz A.P. Flour
1. Cook the quinoa with water in a rice cooker.
2. Cool quinoa slightly
3. Sauté GOG in sesame oil
4. Mix all ingredients together in moon bowl
5. Portion with ice cream scoop and sauté in a Teflon pan

To Assemble:

After you sear the quinoa cake place in a bottom of a bowl, pour in the broth and then place the short rib on top of the cake. Glaze the ribs with the reduced marinade.
Enjoy

My son is now 1 month old and I have refrained from using him in a blog but now is the time. As they say a picture is worth 1000 words so I will stop writing and let you decide just how freakin’ cute he is…

Milk Drunk

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 outside in 85 degree heat to cool off it’s hot, do you get the picture yet?
I’m not complaining just illustrating a point. Saturday night at the end of the rush we were all outside taking a break, I asked one of my cooks if she was ok because she looked off. She just responded “hot”, but based on tones and facial features I could tell she wasn’t happy. Then I thought back to other kitchens that I have worked in over the years. The worst was the Golden Mushroom. It was getting run down by the time I started my culinary journey but it still had a glorious reputation. Every day started by trudging through 2 inches of water until I mopped it up. I went through 6 pairs of Doc Martins over the course of two years because the soles got destroyed. Then I realized that these are battle stories that we can tell our future disciples. “You think this kitchen is bad you should have seen…” every new adventure brings us new experience good or bad. But in the end we all learn unless we keep our eyes closed.
“The process of becoming an empathetic, autonomous adult…is not unlike learning to walk; each step makes you stronger for the next one”. – Victoria Secunda

Jim asked me if I would ghost write his blog this week. I suspect the recent advent of fatherhood has precipitated a momentary shift in focus, as well as a longing for uninterrupted sleep. Please bear with me as I rant in his place. He’ll be back with you next time.
I find it very comforting to witness the return to basics in our industry. What was once viewed as old fashioned and dated has become new again. I’m not sure if this is a reaction to a troubled economy, which has triggered a nostalgic pining for the good old days or simply a rediscovery of the depth and beauty inherent in classical foods, techniques and spirits. Maybe, its’ just the cyclical nature of trends, but certainly the thrust towards local and organic are here to stay.
Molecular approaches to gastronomy have brought us foams, infusions and deconstructionism. The scientific method has brought us hybrids and hormones and fertilizers for bigger and faster and presumably better. It could be argued that we lost control of a fundamental facet of human life when we left the farm at the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Perhaps we regain a measure of control in our lives by exercising a keener consideration of what we put in our bodies. Certainly, during uncertain times, it is human nature to seek comfort wherever it can be found. All I know is that hearing a guest order a glass of sherry or a perfect Manhattan is like an old friend whispering in my ear. Getting seated at a sprawling group table at a place like The Publican in Chicago reminds me that eating is for social and spiritual, as well as physical nourishment.
So here’s’ to old school. Plant a small garden (or at least a window box of some favorite herbs). Make some home made ricotta cheese. Order a perfectly chilled sidecar from your local bartender and toast with friends. Stop by the local farmers market. Have dinner with the whole family. Buy a heritage breed of turkey. Read some poetry aloud. Take a deep breathe and give thanks.

“Perhaps the crescent moon smiles in doubt, at being told that it is but a fragment awaiting perfection” Tagore