FALL is in the air! and I love the Fall weather, my boys playing football, the harvest in Sonoma County.  You can feel the Summer days slipping away as dusk comes earlier and earlier and the tomatoes in the garden really start to pop off the vine.

Its time to start making the Fall /Winter menu changes in your restaurant too, as the fresh ingredients that are available change with the seasons so do the palate's of your guests. Everyone is talking about Kale! grilled or sauté it is a great topping on a wood fired Bianca pizza with prosciutto! so use your imagination and think "comfort food".

I was looking for some pics of my friends wood fired oven in Fregene Italy, Massimo's mom hand making gnocchi and stoking the fire in the kitchen so she could braise the lamb for dinner, the table in the basement kitchen huge and I remember sitting down to eat with everyone, great memories to cherish and re-live!  this couple and their kids were on Holiday from Italy and wondered in to Persona in SB, they were looking around and finally got in line, when there pizza's came out she looked at me and said  "It is just like home" and then the kisses and hugs started! its like that, its family and it takes me back to those memories of being in Italy with Clint, Craig and Curt, all our friends that are now family, sitting down and sharing a meal with everyone makes you smile! reminds you of HOME!

If you care enough to give your guests the best meal you can it does not matter if you are a fine dining or fast casual restaurant, they will know you care, they will taste the passion that you put into your service and they will remember to come back.

Make your Fall/Winter menu changes, it will keep your restaurant relevant and make your guest's happy!

Cheers,
Glenn

The International Pizza Expo

The 2012 Expo is in the record books and man it was a awesome expo! I met so many cool people and made some great new friends. My brutha Billy Manzo and I had some great time to talk about the future of Chefs Feeding Kids the Non Profit that he formed and that I am a Director of, also got to N9 Steak house with Billy's long time friend and Chef de Cuisine Barry Dakake and had a awesome dinner with another great Chef Leo Spizziri.

Up early every day for Seminars and Live food demos and also the run around and say hi to everyone I have not seen for a year! Pizza Today does everything right, this expo is one of the best, you cannot miss next year and I will see you there.

BEER BATTER so here is my video LOL not the best but hey check it out, and use the recipe cause it is great and while you are here make sure you "join it" ok? i need the followers :)

Enjoy the video

http://youtu.be/v_cxWCRADe8

Chef Glenn

Chicken coops!

Thats right, a blustery cold day on the North Coast is perfect for building a new Chicken coop, sure I could go just buy one but then where is the sense of pride in creating something that feels soooo good? we love our silly little chickens, they roam around our property in and out of the creek, up the hill in to the pastures dodging Red Tail hawks and the occasional bunch of Turkeys and of course they give us the best, brightest and tastiest eggs we could ever get.

So they get a new house! built of old weathered redwood we have saved for some odd reason and the chicken coop was the reason (I love that when it happens) after all there is a reason for everything. I get to share this with my kids and I know that some day in the distant future they will be talking about the time we built a chicken coop together and every one will smile.

These are moments that life gives us, ya I could just go buy one, but building it means so much more and is so much more fun, so Dad as you smile down upon us today and enjoy watching us having fun with our chickens it is because of you that I have such a passion for food and love for my kids, Thanks pops

This picture is priceless!

The year was 2009-place Il Pizzaiolo del Presidente on Via Tribunali, 120/121Tel. +39081210903 and Ernesto Cacialli arguably the best loved Pizzaioli in the world and the most talented in my opinion, but more importantly then that was his love of his guests, Ernesto was one of the most gracious host I have ever met and this picture is a testament to just that, this pic includes the best of in the business all enjoying a meal created and served by the master himself.

Thank you Ernesto, I will never forget you or what you shared over the years

Ciao

Gluten free what? Hmmm lets see where this is going

As a Chef and Restauranteur I cannot deny the outcry for Gluten free menu items, I can't deny it because I have so many guests asking for it. There are operational issues with providing GF products in a restaurant, cross contamination is everywhere! and my only choice at this point is to find a great crust to serve to my guests, but who has the best crust? can I use the recipe to make GF pasta and at this point the only binder of grain flours that seems to be working is xanthun gum, choices choices.

I am going to take the next week and dive into this issue and come up with some answers for myself my guests and post them up on the blog with pics so you can decide for yourself, let me know what you think, input is appreciated as this is the way we all learn.

Chef Glenn

Little Pizza People

Its late on a Friday night and I really want to write something brilliant! but I cant, and I cant even blame it on writers block, some weeks are just tougher than other, you know what I mean? long days writing new menu changes, building marketing strategies and making sure the restaurant is "fresh" and exciting takes its toll on ya! so tonight I was looking through my pics and found this one of a little Pizza guy in Naples Italy circa 2009 when the Food Network came to Naples with us and filmed "Glutton For Punishment" and as I was looking at this picture I remembered what this is all about

Just look at his smile, I see those smiles on the kids that come into the restaurant and that is why I do what I do, work the long hours, plan for growth, keep the restaurant meticulously clean and make sure the specials are the best that they can be, our customers love us, they really do, and after all the dust settles the customers are the reason we keep doing it,

its so worth it, crazy huh? but so worth it, I will see you at the restaurant, can't miss me, I have the big smile on my face

Night

Cleanliness equals success!

Ok it may not be that easy but what if you have a restaurant that is hitting its numbers I mean making a killing BIG NUMBERS! and it is the dirtiest place in town! well then I guess cleanliness is not answer is it?

It is and it isnt, I am going to explain that in detail later today, but now I am going overt to the restaurant the dirty one! the one that will be increasing sales by an estimated 30% when we reopen it!

Kitchen impossible? no

Kitchen challenge? yes and we answered it, posting pics of before and after, stay tuned

Chef Glenn