05.29.07
L-O-L-A Lola
(The title of the post should be sung to the Kinks tune…..in case you were wondering….probably not though…
So…..some new news, finally. Not about my business ventures, but still fun. The good folks at Bar Lola are going to allow me into their kitchen for a temporary gig. I figured I didn’t have much going on with ladle and building a new restaurant, so why not?Â
How psyched am I? I haven’t been in a professional kitchen in over a year, and a few years prior to that, it was only my own kitchen at Bandol. I’m extremely excited to work with these guys and gals. I enjoy their food, as well as the folks creating it….It has been a while. I hope I can still cook…..Â
of course, cooking is one thing, but working the line….gracefully…..is a whole different ballgame. You really gotta move. I’m almost 31 for god’s sake. Stuff starts to break down at my age, so I certainly hope I can keep up…..I don’t have the knees and back I used to have.Â
 What I’m also missing are busted-up, burned and calloused hands. My little “vacation” from Bandol has rendered my hands useless as a line cook. I used to be able to submerge my entire hand in boiling water, or pick up a searing hot tray with my fingers….now, I can barely stand to carry a hot coffee from Java Net to Ladle (a distance of maybe 30 feet),, without switching hands and whispering “Ow…ouch….o ow….oooh….” and quickening my pace. Embarassing but true. The knife blister is still there though. Those things never go away. Back to the old days of taking 4 Aleve a day for preventative maintenence!Â
So, beginning next week, come see me at Bar Lola. You can point and giggle…maybe throw stuff at me. Watch me flail. Plus, the food there is delicious anyway. So, there you go…..