Storming...
Wednesday, December 6
So, today our team came in exhausted, discouraged, frustrated, and cranky. We had an all day class on Friday Night Dinner costing, which was about how to cost each individual item in each dish so that we could cost out how much it is per person and how much the overall cost would be. It was more of a free flowing class with the instructor coming in now and then to guide us and assist us. The only thing is that we couldn't help obsessing about the results yesterday and why we needed to change our menu, and then started thinking of different options, but without much energy or enthusiasm. We went for a nice Indian lunch that our person of Indian descent thinks is the best Indian food in town called Dimple (11 West, 30th Street) and focuses on vegetarian cuisine. It's one of those very casual diner type places with cheap and cheerful food. So we had the buffet ($8/per person), which was all vegetarian, and then ordered some things a la carte such as huge dosas (large crepes filled with things) with chutneys. Yum and comfort food for all of us. We came back and the two people who stayed behind said that they thought about our entrees and thought we should go back to the beginning and redo our entire concept and meal. We were tired, from the meal and day, and surprised and frustrated. So the story begins of what happens in brainstorming with teams and the good, the bad and the ugly. There was anger, frustration, crankiness, and a general stormy nature to the team as we battled out different ideas. However, I believe we were always quite respectful of each other and listened. Then, building on each others ideas, we came up with a great entree solution.... a banana leaf on a plate with a tasting menu of small samplers of things from India and Japan... a small portion of chesnut and burdock rice with forbidden rice (a black rice and I'm not sure why it's called that) that will be layered with it... portabellos grilled with a teriyaki sake reduction (my idea)... a small vegetable medley with the red curry sauce... broccoli rabe and spinach sauteed in garlic as another... a traditional Indian fruit chutney as another. We were stuck at one point because a few people didn't want the teriyaki mushrooms as they thought it didn't go with the Indian chutney (a cilantro base), so they wanted this changed or the entire entree changed. All of a sudden my cafe latte kicked in and I thought why not a fruit chutney because fruit goes so well with teriyaki sauce. And, then there was this moment of "ah ha" with the team and we were off and running. Our teacher for the day, who is opening a restaurant and has worked in management for restaurants like Union Square and Grammercy Tavern, liked the entire concept for the entree and said this is exactly what happens when chefs work together on a menu. One mentions an idea, another builds on it or changes it, and you come up with something really great if you can stick through it. In this team work and brainstorming you really begin to confirm where your strengths lie. For me, I believe my strenghths lie in coming up with many new ideas and bridging the gap between two opposing thoughts to find common ground, which is exactly what I do in facilitation work. We brought in our chef coach for the dinner and he thought it was great too. So from losing our balls to storming to the calm and a new journey, all within 24 hours...
So, today our team came in exhausted, discouraged, frustrated, and cranky. We had an all day class on Friday Night Dinner costing, which was about how to cost each individual item in each dish so that we could cost out how much it is per person and how much the overall cost would be. It was more of a free flowing class with the instructor coming in now and then to guide us and assist us. The only thing is that we couldn't help obsessing about the results yesterday and why we needed to change our menu, and then started thinking of different options, but without much energy or enthusiasm. We went for a nice Indian lunch that our person of Indian descent thinks is the best Indian food in town called Dimple (11 West, 30th Street) and focuses on vegetarian cuisine. It's one of those very casual diner type places with cheap and cheerful food. So we had the buffet ($8/per person), which was all vegetarian, and then ordered some things a la carte such as huge dosas (large crepes filled with things) with chutneys. Yum and comfort food for all of us. We came back and the two people who stayed behind said that they thought about our entrees and thought we should go back to the beginning and redo our entire concept and meal. We were tired, from the meal and day, and surprised and frustrated. So the story begins of what happens in brainstorming with teams and the good, the bad and the ugly. There was anger, frustration, crankiness, and a general stormy nature to the team as we battled out different ideas. However, I believe we were always quite respectful of each other and listened. Then, building on each others ideas, we came up with a great entree solution.... a banana leaf on a plate with a tasting menu of small samplers of things from India and Japan... a small portion of chesnut and burdock rice with forbidden rice (a black rice and I'm not sure why it's called that) that will be layered with it... portabellos grilled with a teriyaki sake reduction (my idea)... a small vegetable medley with the red curry sauce... broccoli rabe and spinach sauteed in garlic as another... a traditional Indian fruit chutney as another. We were stuck at one point because a few people didn't want the teriyaki mushrooms as they thought it didn't go with the Indian chutney (a cilantro base), so they wanted this changed or the entire entree changed. All of a sudden my cafe latte kicked in and I thought why not a fruit chutney because fruit goes so well with teriyaki sauce. And, then there was this moment of "ah ha" with the team and we were off and running. Our teacher for the day, who is opening a restaurant and has worked in management for restaurants like Union Square and Grammercy Tavern, liked the entire concept for the entree and said this is exactly what happens when chefs work together on a menu. One mentions an idea, another builds on it or changes it, and you come up with something really great if you can stick through it. In this team work and brainstorming you really begin to confirm where your strengths lie. For me, I believe my strenghths lie in coming up with many new ideas and bridging the gap between two opposing thoughts to find common ground, which is exactly what I do in facilitation work. We brought in our chef coach for the dinner and he thought it was great too. So from losing our balls to storming to the calm and a new journey, all within 24 hours...
posted by Caroline at 5:02 AM
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