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Jerry Risner
Portland, Maine Journal
Day 1 8:30-3:30 Monday
Worked in the smoke house with Ken the smoke master, for half of the day
- Talked about new health guidelines
- Process used by Browne for smoking and curing their products
- Discussed equipment used
- Talked about the different products they have, and recipe development
Next, I was able to work with Andy who purchases the fish for Browne Trading. Andy and Luke, who is in charge of sales, met in the morning take an inventory of what they have and what the restaurants order, and see what they need to buy to fulfill the order. Andy and I purchased lobsters for Browne and sea urchins. The next stop was the auction, which was a block from Browne Trading. Andy took me around and showed me what fish they need and what was good enough, for Browne’s standards. Then they sat in a room and bid on the fish up against all types of companies, from large scale to specialty. It was great to see this because it helps me to get a better understanding of what market price really means.
Day 2 8:30-4:00 Tuesday
I found myself in the Caviar room working with Richard. Richard has been working in the caviar business for over twenty years. First, he explained to me how they store and rotate the caviar. Then he told me about the different types of caviar, let me taste eight different varieties, and talked about the history. He also explained different practices, such as how they harvest the caviar and what causes the cost of caviar to be so expensive. Then I was put to work packing caviar.
Day 3 8:30-3:30 Wednesday
I got to work in the cooler today with Gregg, who is the master cutter. It was awesome to see so many different types of fish all at one time. I could really see the differences and compare the fish. Gregg showed me around and talked about each fish. In all, there were around 30 different types of fish in the cooler. I helped him put orders together most of the day. These orders were going to some of the best restaurants in the country. I also got to see Gregg break whole tuna which I’ve never seen before. It was amazing how easily and fast he would break fish down, and the fillets would be perfect.
Day 4 8:30-4:30 Thursday
I worked in packaging today. There are four stations set up to pack the fish. Every order is hand packaged, the number of each product is recorded, and shellfish tags are rewritten. The boxes are iced with packets or if they’re local orders, just ice. Thursdays are their busiest day due to not really being open on Friday or Saturday, so all the big orders go out on this day. Halfway through, I was working by myself doing orders. It was a long day and I was really surprised at all the different places this fish was going.
Day 5 1:00-11:00 Saturday
Staged at Hugo’s Restaurant and I enjoyed it very much. I helped prep for dinner service, and got to help during service by doing what ever was asked of me. It really was a great experience.
Day 6 9:30-3:00 Sunday
I picked scallops today for about four hours; they were gorgeous and were still moving. I did 10-18lb canisters, then I weight out 240 2-2.5 oz scallops for Per Se. Then it was off to receiving where John’s job is to take temperatures of every fish that comes in and weigh it to make sure it is the correct weight. He also takes core samples of the tuna and grades it. He explained how they grade fish and determine what kind of shelf life it has. He also explained to me what effects mishandling have on the fish. Finally, he talked about the shelf life on some fish is different depending on different variables.
Day 7 8:30-4:00 Monday
I finally got to meet Mr. Mitchell! He got back from the international fish conference in France. He brought back some products let me try them. Also, he showed me a lot of Jean-Louis Palladin menus, and talked a lot about Jean-Louis; they were very good friends. Jean Louis was really the first chef that wanted specialty products. Next it was off to the caviar room to package some more caviar, then a short break to watch Gregg break down another tuna. Then back to the caviar room to package. It was a good experience because I got to try each caviar that I packaged.
Day 8 8:30-4:00 Tuesday
Today I got the hands-on experience of the smoke room. I made the cure mixture used for salmon jerky, and then I made the cure mix used for all the salmon. We began the cure process on about 50 sides of salmon and trimmed up a bunch of salmon sides which were already smoked. It was then that I got to use the $60,000 slicer, we portioned sides of salmon for the rest of day.
Day 9 8:30-4:00 Wednesday
Today I worked in the cooler with Gregg. At the end of day, I actually got to clean some cod. It was the end of the month inventory, so we had to reweigh and ice everything, which took a little bit of time as you can imagine.
Day 10 8:30-4:00 Thursday
Today I got to go to the auction, watch the boats unload, and check out all the fish at the auction. Then I was able to go mussel farming with Tolvere Olsen. It was my first time on the ocean in a small boat; it was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. I got to help clean and separate the mussels. Next, we portioned them into 11-12lb bags. It sounds so easy, but when it’s 500lbs, it’s not easy at all. That night, I looked all over to try these mussels in a local restaurant and found a one with them on the menu. They definitely lived up to all the hype. They were the best mussels I’ve ever had. It was so awesome to know exactly were they come from and what course of action is taken to get the mussels. It sure was quite the learning experience.
Day 11 1:00-11:00 Friday
I staged at Hugo’s again, this time I prepped all the way to service, and then halfway through, Chef told me he was going to serve me. I was really excited, but a little nervous because I was underdressed. I sat at the bar and he sent me out six courses. Every single on was awesome, unbelievable! It was really hard to say which one I liked the most because they were all so good.
1st- Virtual Scallop Truffle Foam
2nd- “Soup Sandwich” Chilled Potato Ramp Soup& Corned Beef Tongue Rueben,
with Rob’s favorite Accompaniments.
3rd- Soy Glazed Heritage Pork Belly, Steamed dumpling, braised Shitake Mushroom, Sticky rice porridge.
4th-Lemon Sole& Peekey Toe Crab En Croute creamed spinach, toasted pine nuts, curry carrot jus
5th- Spice Crusted Duck Breast &Smoked Leg, Cauliflower coconut grits sweet-Sour Prune, Long Pepper jus.
6th Licorice Root& Crème Fraich Panna Cotta Rhubarb consommé strawberry Hibiscus froth
Day 12 Saturday
Staged at Hugo’s and prepped for service, then I helped work the pass, and fill in wherever they needed me.
May 10, 2007
To everyone involved,
Let me first start by thanking everyone involved with the JLP Foundations. I realize a great deal of “behind the scenes” work went into the planning of this trip, and I appreciate the efforts. Also, a special thanks to Ann Brody Cove, Rod Mitchell, Rob Evans, Tolvere Olsen, and all the staff at Browne Trading and Hugo’s for taking time out of there busy schedule to help me improve myself, in many different areas. I really was able to see a variety of aspects of how the business operates.
This was a great learning experience for me, overall. Getting to work next to such knowledgeable people in this field has only improved my skills as a chef. I really enjoyed working in the caviar room, smoke room, and in the cooler. In addition, getting to see and taste so many different caviars and comparing them side by side was a great educational experience. Also, working in the smoke room was amazing to see every step in which the salmon goes through, and getting to do each step really helped me to better understand the entire process. Working and seeing the many different varieties of fish was absolutely incredible. However, I was really impressed by watching how “effortlessly” the tuna was being broken down.
What’s more, I really enjoyed my time on the water. I spent a day helping Tolvere Olsen harvesting mussels. You don’t really understand what fishermen have to go through until you are out there with them for one day, and then you really appreciate the steps taken to provide a customer with the freshest mussels around.
I would also like to thank Rob Evans and Nancy Pugh for allowing me to stage in their restaurant. The food was amazing; the staff was very friendly, very modest and down to earth. It was a great experience to see how much passion and soul they put into every meal they served. My time there was well spent.
Last, but certainly not least, I was truly honored to spend some time with Rod Mitchell. He has so much knowledge of the fish and restaurant businesses. Rod is a living legend in my mind. He is a pioneer of fine fishery; he lead the way to bringing quality fish, caviar, and many other products to restaurants nationwide. He was also very good friends with Jean-Louis Palladin; who, without him, none of this would have been possible.
I really appreciated and enjoyed the time I spent in Portland, Maine working for Browne Trading and Hugo’s. This experience has provided me with so many skills I can utilize in the culinary world, as well as knowledge I never would have gained if I weren’t fortunate enough to have been chosen for this program. It makes me appreciate and understand what a company endures to establish such a high standard of customer satisfaction.
With gratitude,
Jerry Risner
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