Sous Survivor

Ramps!

soussurvivor — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:23:26 +0000

Press

soussurvivor — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:16:25 +0000

So over the next week or so NYmag and Time Out NY will be printing articles about Rucola. Here’s an article and some photos of the place so far….

Off to a cocktail tasting! See you all soon!

So where have I been?!

soussurvivor — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:42:24 +0000

Working has taken up much of my free time, and motivation to keep this blog going, unfortunately. That was the last year and a half at least…..

Ive left a position at my old place, Gilt, and am currently helping a good friend open up a small restaurant in Brooklyn… called Rucola.

What will I be doing?

Among other things, Ill be making the bread for the restaurant. This small obsession a few years back has now turned into a really bad habit. My freezer can barely close, there’s so much bread in it. I need an outlet for this, so I shall bake at Rucola.

Recipe testing is in full swing over here…. some things Ive been working on:

Ill post some more later, as things get moving….

James Beard Dinner

soussurvivor — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:34:00 +0000

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Beard House to do a 5-course dinner. Here are some photos of that great night. Small friggin kitchen, but then again, there were 11 or so of us.

Jumping on a full bandwagon

soussurvivor — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:38:09 +0000

As a cook, knives are not only a necessary tool, but an extension of myself. Literally and metaphorically speaking. The knives I choose to spend my hard-earned money on are extremely special to me, and any cook who has learned how to get his/her knives razor sharp knows how great it feels to slice a tomato or mince a shallot, and then say, FUCK YEA.

So it has taken me awhile to post this up, and I have no idea why. Every one now knows about the Mugaritz fire. Shitty. Really unbelievably shitty. I’m not going to go on and on here, but my time there was amazingly inspirational, and I look at the team there as one of the finest crews I’ve worked with thus far.

So my bud Greg was there when the fire took place, and beautifully wrote an account of what happened during and after the fire.. After the shock of finding out that the kitchen had burned, there was an added kick in the nuts: complete destruction of all of the stagiers’ knives.

John and Mike set up an account to donate to help these cooks replace a much-needed part of their lives. Lets help people get back on track. Then go to Mugaritz’s re-opening.

James Beard Dinner

soussurvivor — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:32:10 +0000

Tonight. Gilt is cookin for 80 lucky folks at the Beard House in the village. Anybody out there cook at the bead house before?

If I can get someone to take some photos, Ill post em up here.

Been Workin

soussurvivor — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:31:23 +0000

So I started a new job here in manhattan at Gilt. Great job, amazing food. Ive had a chance to get some pictures of some of the food; there will be more to follow.

For Sale

soussurvivor — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:15:14 +0000

I’ve got 2 aprons from Mugaritz. I bought em for 65 euros. One is still in the plastic, brand new. The other was minimally used and very clean. $35 each. Email me or leave a reply with yours (millerino at gmail dot com). He wears them well, no?

End of one chapter, start of another

soussurvivor — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:47:24 +0000

Well, the farm internship is over. I’m amazed it went by so quickly, but I’m definitely happy to move on.

I now work here.

All I need is a place to live…

Taza Chocolate – Ridiculously Great Chocolate

soussurvivor — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:49:52 +0000

I was lucky enough to be invited to a Slow Foods meeting the other day at Sheldon Farms, in Salem, NY. It was a wonderful group of people. Made up of food lovers, farmers and friends. One of them, a fellow farmer, runs the Top of the World Farm and restaurant. She mentioned how she managed to get away, while her husband manned the kitchen. She said that one of their new desserts,uses a new and unique chocolate. Taza chocolate is located in Boston, and their small (and I mean small) operation is exactly what this country needs. Right down to the batch number on each bar, the process is watched over and perfected. Its stoned milled by hand, which means each bite is different. The 70% has a mouthfeel that is incredible, and a taste to match. The 80% is for hardcore chocolate lovers… i mean chocolate, chocolate. It aint nestle, folks. Not to mention that its organic to boot! Finally a chocolate bar that America can be proud of. Just think of the possibilities…

Charcuterie

soussurvivor — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:56:43 +0000

I’ve been dabbling in charcuterie and such for awhile now. Some things turn out, like the chorizo i wrote about, while others have suffered through one manner or another. I made a batch of calabrese soppressata which suffered its demise through overheating. My last batch of salumi, however, succeeded. Pancetta and guanciale. From 2 pigs heads I got for free from Adams Fairacre Farms. “We were just gonna throw em away” the meat clerk said… ugh. Why dont people get that chops/loin aren’t anywhere NEAR as tasty as cheek or head meat?? The pancetta was not rolled; I was feeling saucy.

Tomato Season, finally

soussurvivor — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:35:07 +0000

Well, it has been awhile since I last posted, but I have been working like a dog. Waking up at 6 and working until 6 or 7 is not that different from a regular kitchen workday in terms of hours but the labor is really different. You get dirtier. You smell. Not like garlic, or a fryer, but like chicken poop. Or tomatoes. Speaking of tomatoes, late blight has been a huge issue. Almost every other farmer who Ive met since being up here has lost them. We spray our tomatoes with copper (yes its an organic practice) which keeps the spores off/away. So until that time, Im enjoying my brandywines, of which I just got a 29.6oz tomato, green zebras, purple cherokees, san marzanos, and wapsipinicon peach tomatoes. Gazpacho has been a mainstay when its hot, and jose andres has a bitchin recipe/ratio (too bad it wasnt served at “the Bazaar”)….