Diaries of a Lodge Owner
Episode 49: Chef Garrett
Ever wondered how food can transform an entire experience, especially in the tranquility of a remote fishing lodge? Join us as we sit down with Chef Jarrett Michetti, the culinary genius behind Nordic Point Lodge, who shares his incredible journey from Fort McMurray, Alberta, to becoming a celebrated chef in the North. Chef Michetti's Italian and Ukrainian roots play a pivotal role in his culinary artistry, and he gives us an inside look at how he brings a touch of magic to the serene beauty of Ear Falls, Ontario.
Chef Michetti shares the thrilling chaos of professional cooking and the vital role a skilled team plays in making sure every meal is unforgettable. He also opens up about the challenges of managing kitchen staff, tackling issues like substance abuse, and the critical importance of work-life balance. We discuss the unpredictable nature of the job and how having backup plans is crucial, especially in a remote setting. From stories of kitchen chaos to heartwarming moments of camaraderie, Chef Michetti paints a vivid picture of life behind the scenes at Nordic Point Lodge.
Tune in to hear how Chef Michetti's passion and dedication turn even the toughest days into memorable experiences with his exceptional culinary skills. Discover the ethos of hospitality at Nordic Point Lodge, where guests are treated like family, and learn about the importance of knowing and valuing each guest personally. Plus, there's a special treat as Chef Michetti shares his favorite recipe—his grandmother's spaghetti and chicken, a dish rich in tradition and love. This episode is a sensory-rich celebration of food, community, and the joys of outdoor living.
Ever wondered how food can transform an entire experience, especially in the tranquility of a remote fishing lodge? Join us as we sit down with Chef Jarrett Michetti, the culinary genius behind Nordic Point Lodge, who shares his incredible journey from Fort McMurray, Alberta, to becoming a celebrated chef in the North. Chef Michetti's Italian and Ukrainian roots play a pivotal role in his culinary artistry, and he gives us an inside look at how he brings a touch of magic to the serene beauty of Ear Falls, Ontario.
Chef Michetti shares the thrilling chaos of professional cooking and the vital role a skilled team plays in making sure every meal is unforgettable. He also opens up about the challenges of managing kitchen staff, tackling issues like substance abuse, and the critical importance of work-life balance. We discuss the unpredictable nature of the job and how having backup plans is crucial, especially in a remote setting. From stories of kitchen chaos to heartwarming moments of camaraderie, Chef Michetti paints a vivid picture of life behind the scenes at Nordic Point Lodge.
Tune in to hear how Chef Michetti's passion and dedication turn even the toughest days into memorable experiences with his exceptional culinary skills. Discover the ethos of hospitality at Nordic Point Lodge, where guests are treated like family, and learn about the importance of knowing and valuing each guest personally. Plus, there's a special treat as Chef Michetti shares his favorite recipe—his grandmother's spaghetti and chicken, a dish rich in tradition and love. This episode is a sensory-rich celebration of food, community, and the joys of outdoor living.
This episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner is brought to you by Nordic Point Lodge a luxury outdoor experience with five-star service.
Speaker 2:That's what I love about this business it's the same thing day in, day out, but it's never the same thing ever. It's the same thing day in, day out, but it's never the same thing ever. There's so much. You have to be able to think on your feet. You have to be able to adapt. That's the appeal to me for this job. You have to be light on your toes, yeah and yeah. Everybody's different. You have to be able to hit every single taste bud all the time.
Speaker 1:This week on the Outdoor Journal Radio Podcast Networks, diaries of a Lodge Owner, we get to talk about one of my favorite topics, food, and I believe that food is something that transcends the acquisition of sustenance. It's an experience, one that brings families together. It can ignite romance. Just the smell of it can trigger memories in one's mind lost in the fog of the past. And when you understand that food is an experience, you can then harness its power in so many amazing ways. And I am so excited to invite into our Diaries family this outstanding person and king of cuisine at legendary Nordic Point Lodge, chef Jarrett Michetti.
Speaker 1:On this show we talk about the experience of food, how critical it is in business as well as day-to-day life. We also find out how he became one of the most respected chefs in the North and the path he followed to get there. And maybe, just maybe, he shared one of Nona's most precious recipes. So listen, folks, if you love great recipes, outstanding stories about everything, food, grab your seat at the Diaries kitchen table, pick up that knife and fork baby and give a taste to this one. Here's my conversation with Chef Jarrett Machete. Thank you so much for joining us all on Diaries of a Lodge Owner. Thank you so much for joining us all on Diaries of a Lodge Owner. I'm here on location at Will Palowski's beautiful Nordic Point Lodge. We're sitting on the dock overlooking the water, and it's actually not the dock, it's the deck of the main lodge and I got to say it is one of the most beautiful views that I have ever seen.
Speaker 2:Yep, thank you very much, steve. Happy to be here and, yes, this is the view from my office. Oh, every morning this is where I have my morning coffee. Yeah, and it makes it real tough to have a bad day after that.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm having a affectionately known Ang introduced me to the Hoor's breakfast and that's the cigar and coffee black, and I'm enjoying that right now and actually the last, I don't know four or five days it's been Groundhog Day because it started every morning right here, and so if you hear any blackbirds chirping we had one just squawking at us on the corner of the deck and all of this other sound that's because we're sitting outside in Mother Nature, in the township of Ear Falls, yep, and in Ontario, I gotta say this is probably as far north as I've ever been, and there's still a third of the province north of us.
Speaker 3:Not roads. We're pretty much at the end of the road.
Speaker 2:Not much road after this.
Speaker 1:And I, actually Ange and the boys, we did a shoot and they drove basically well, it's about 19, 19 hours, but they always split it up pulling the boat. But I was lucky enough that well, lucky in a sense I didn't continue on on the second leg of the shoot. But I flew to Winnipeg and then got a will sent Dennis his wonderful I would call him and then got a will sent Dennis is wonderful, I would call him his limo service. But Dennis is way more than that. He's the everything man.
Speaker 2:He's the concierge.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, concierge of everything and the business here. The model is wonderful. The staff is second to none and that's rare and we'll get into talking about that later, because I've had lots of experience with staff in remote resorts like this one but it was a pleasure to be here. The fishing was outstanding, even though you know and you can watch, there's an outdoor journal live on location podcast coming out here and we had gale force winds. I think this is the day that is the nicest day so far and Ange and Pete are on there. It was the leaving day, yep, but the fishing was great. We made it happen again.
Speaker 1:It's never easy, but you know we got her done and now it's a beautiful, relaxing day for me and I'm jumping on a plane again tomorrow and heading home. But just for all you folks out there listening to paint you a visual picture, I thought it was important to let you know what we're doing and where we're at, because I feel blessed to be able to sit here with wonderful people like you. So you're a chef, yes. Now, how did that all start? Like? Did you go to? Where'd you go to high school and when did that bug to cook? Because I'll tell you, it's not and from hiring chefs and seeing it from the backside out, it's one of those occupations that is very difficult.
Speaker 2:It's a calling it's either love it or you can't do it. It's that simple. My background I'm from Alberta, a small town in northern Alberta called Fort McMurray. That's where we keep all the oil. Yeah, I grew up there, always loved cooking. My background, my father's Italian, my mother's Ukrainian, so my entire life I grew up around fantastic food. Oh, yeah, part of the culture.
Speaker 1:That's where all of the love happens. You know, all of the get-togethers are around a meal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and growing up we were kids, we'd go to school and Mom and Dad worked and everything like that, but every day we were back around the kitchen table having dinner and talking, and you know that's where the family was. So, yeah, I was brought up around that environment and that headspace. Yeah, and I've just always loved cooking. I've always loved food.
Speaker 1:So are you self-taught or did you take culinary?
Speaker 2:I went through my apprenticeship yeah, apprenticeship, yeah and uh, I got lucky, uh with, with all that. Uh, like every, like every other culinary student I came out of, came out of school thinking I'm, I'm ready to set the world on fire here and, uh, my very first job, I was working with this. Uh, this, uh, fantastic, uh, fantastic chef. His name was bruce years and years and years ago and uh, he basically let me know that, okay, you got your journeyman certificate. That's fantastic. That paper is a certificate for you to know how much you don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you went through school. Now it's time for the education. Yeah, and yeah, that's. I've always been very humble in that respect, for I'm the very best at being humble.
Speaker 1:Wow. And hey, listen, I've seen it and that's a great point, because that's one thing that I think today more than ever. I've been telling my kids because they're getting to the age now where they're thinking about university or college and I've told them listen, I honestly don't believe that college and university is the best route for 60 or 70% of the people that are there Because they're not getting what they need.
Speaker 2:I would agree with that.
Speaker 1:And I think, and I've always and I've encouraged my kids to look at different routes my oldest son, he's chosen to apprentice as an electrician Nice, and in high school he did two four-credit co-ops and started real young with that apprenticeship. And you know, the key thing I'm going to say to people out there listening is it's very important and probably the most difficult thing you're going to encounter in your life, and it starts at an early age. It starts at, you know, 11, 12, 13, 14 years old, where you, at that point in your life, need to be thinking about what you love and what you want to do and start asking questions and researching. And that's something that I don't think we're getting in our school system at all anymore. No, and to take those paths, to apprentice under people who do the jobs is also a very important thing. And I'm not saying that universities and colleges are bad or wrong. No, absolutely not. But it's a certain profession that you need it. And now everybody says, wow, you got to have college just to make minimum wage and get a job. Well, I don't believe that's true. Being somebody that's hired people, I think that you need a wonderful attitude and inside that attitude needs to be a hunger to learn and work and when you cut your teeth doing those things, like I mean.
Speaker 1:I worked on a farm from a very young age and I did go to college. I never used it hey, listen, it was the greatest party of my life, right? But back in those days it wasn't as expensive as it is now and I ended up just feeling my way through life and following my heart and passion and I think that's what you did as an apprenticeship under your mentor I'll call him and I can think back. I had many mentors growing up. First and foremost, my parents and grandparents yeah, you know, they were farmers and then Bill Durkin Wild Bill Durkin. He hired me on the farm.
Speaker 1:Boy oh boy, did I fuck up a few times there. And you know I got proper, proper shit a few times and you need it because it hardens you. And the great thing about Bill was, I remember many times because I was a kid. I was I was 11 to 18 working for Bill and I would catch shit for doing stupid things. And the worst part is most of those stupid things that I caught shit for I was already told two or three times how to do it right and you just, you just forget, or you eat whatever. But the key with the way Bill was is some days he seemed like a tyrant while we were working and the way that I worked there. He was just down the road, but every day ended with dinner sitting in Bill and Beth's kitchen to a home-cooked meal with Beth, and it didn't matter how difficult the day was for both of us. When we sat down for dinner, that was gone, yep, and it was always a wonderful experience.
Speaker 2:That's the beauty of a good meal it heals all wounds. Ah, that is a wonderful experience. That's the beauty of a good meal it heals all wounds, Ah that is a wonderful thought.
Speaker 1:I wasn't even going in that direction, but you're absolutely right, because when I think about those meals it brings back. I remember getting shit, but the best parts were those meals. But you know, the best parts were those meals. And Beth Durkin bar none made the best peach cobbler, oh my God. And she only made it once every week or whatever, and it was like. You know, that was the day. I always looked forward to it. My first question in the morning, when I saw Beth out there and she was a hard worker too She'd be out driving the baler and everything else. But, beth, did you make that peach gobbler? I learned how to drink beer there too, to be honest.
Speaker 1:But yeah, meals are such a. It's one of those things that your memories are reinforced by sensory situations and those flavors and meals are such a wonderful experience. And you know, it's a great time to actually talk about, in my opinion, with this business. My opinion with this business, one of the most important things in the business bar none is the chef and his meals. Because and I want to let you go on that tangent and tell me a little bit about how you feel about what you bring here, because I, I know from my point of view, and we'll talk about that, but what? What is your passion? And and and, and and what. What does it bring here? What is your goal? Ah, my goal.
Speaker 1:Well, the passion that brought you to this place? Ah well, um, because I'm sure you've worked in restaurants, restaurants and hotels, all over the place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, before we get to that, what do I bring? The way I approach this entire position is I want to be able to help provide something, and just help provide. Nobody comes here for dinner. They come here to go fishing. So I'm like the garnish on the plate or the cherry on top of the sundae, kind of thing. I just want to provide a great meal.
Speaker 2:You can't get anywhere else, which you do Just to add that little bit of luxury to the experience. Yeah, and that's for everybody, that's including the staff. You know we're out here, like you said, northern Ontario we're secluded. There's a highway that goes by us, but we're a long way from anything. You know the staff we all work hard. And you know the staff we all work hard. And you know all we get is a decent meal and a warm bed at night. And if the decent meal falls off, then what do you get? What are you doing here? Right, well?
Speaker 1:Jarrett, I think you are and this is no disrespect to you but I think you are severely underselling the value of what you do, and this is why I've had the pleasure of enjoying your food for the last five days, and the business model that I had and I learned it evolved. I always knew I had to have good food, and simply because the owner before me had good food. And, yes, people come here to fish, but some people come here to experience the north and you can't always control the fishing, nope. And as a lodge owner, there is one thing that will, and myself can, control, and that's the experience. And when you, when you have a day, um, uh, like those couple of days it was extreme, like the wind was extreme and the fishing was tough, because you know you couldn't get to the places that you wanted to get because the waves were just so big and you couldn't effectively fish, and you get the shit beat out of you all day, or you know it's cold or whatever the weather conditions may be, or whatever the conditions for each individual that's here may be, if they're feeling um, down or defeated, um or upset over something that happened throughout the day, and they come in something that happened throughout the day and they come in, they hit the dock and they're they're, they're in that, that negative feeling.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when and I and I had the luxury too that every person that came to my resort came through the dining room, we didn't do a lot of a lot of the house, housekeeping, the housekeeping and you look after yourself. That's a totally different thing. I'm talking about what you do in a full American plan situation and that when those people walk through the front door of your lodge and they smell your food, all of a sudden all of the shit from the day melts away and it goes back to what we talked about. It goes back to that whole situation where food brings back wonderful memories and a great meal erases all negativity. Yep, a good meal can save a bad day.
Speaker 1:And I always would tell my chefs, boys or girls, you're my last line of defense, you're my last line of defense and what you do is so important for me as an owner, but, more importantly, it's so important for them, and they are the people that make all of this possible. And there were so many days at Chaudière on the Upper French where we'd have rough days. We'd have rough days, and I quickly learned that, when it comes to Mother Nature, people are very forgiving. But if we have bad days on the water and people come in and the dock isn't tidy and there's nobody there to catch them when they're bringing their boat in and they go back to their cottage and it's not cleaned properly or we miss something and they come in and they have a mediocre meal, all of a sudden those negative vibrations, they grow exponentially and if you let that happen, it's very cancerous. But you can so quickly erase it, and being the last line of defense is so important. And that's what I love about what you do.
Speaker 1:And you've got one of the and I'm not sure all chefs know this ingredient. Okay, but in your food you have one ingredient that truly transforms your food, and that one ingredient is love. Yep, and when you love your food and it comes through to the person that's eating it, it's magical, and I'll tell you, all of your food has been so. It truly has been outstanding. But do you know, the one thing that was when I think about this trip was the thing that stood out the most. What's that? You remember that dish that you made? It was the fennel and the lettuce and the grilled fennel salad. Grilled fennel salad, I have never had it. It was a flavor profile that exploded in my mouth and it was greens and it was, and actually, if you don't mind for everybody out there listening, I feel it's a very simple recipe. Could you explain, if it's not a trade secret, what you did there?
Speaker 2:Very simple. I just shaved the fennel nice and thin, put it on a hot grill. In this case I used a flat top. Yeah, if you cut it thicker, you use your grill grill like your barbecue that kind of charbroiler.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I just shaved it thin, put it on the flat top, get some color on it, caramelize the sugar and the fennel yeah, a lot of sugar in the fennel. Cool it down, did a chiffonade of some romaine lettuce and the dressing is just olive oil, orange juice, a little bit of salt and pepper, that's it, and then finish it off with some chopped mint.
Speaker 1:Oh nice. So the fennel is the only part of that that actually gets warmed and grilled, and then the lettuce and the dressing and the mint. Like I say, I tasted the fennel right off the bat, but the combination of the orange I missed it altogether. It was a familiar flavor but I couldn't put my finger on it. And that is a little nugget that I'm going to take back home with me.
Speaker 2:Orange and fennel go really well together, because fennel it's got that really well the really pungent anise flavor, yes, and the sweetness from the origin, the city, from the orange. Just cut right through that, yeah, and smooth it all out wow, and it totally did.
Speaker 1:It was, it was wonderful. And not to mention your, everything, your prime rib, your, your steak, your and I must mention as well, we did prime rib at Chaudière, but I was always a little leery about doing prime rib the proper way, and we did it on a carving station as well, to avoid, you know, people don't like well, I shouldn't say people, some people like meat burnt, yep, and and your prime rib, uh, was basically blue, almost it, it was, it was, it was perfectly cooked and um, and when, uh, when I I saw it come out, I was like, oh my God, this is beautiful and that to just about everything you created was wonderful, and it's those things like that salad and I've operated a business like this with wonderful chefs and world-class food, I believe, and I've never come in contact with that anywhere. Well, thank you. And it's those little things where the love comes from.
Speaker 2:The secret ingredient to love. That's going back to that chef that I learned under Bruce. That was. That was a saying no matter what you're making, there's just three. Three ingredients that make good A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper, a little bit of love.
Speaker 1:A man after my own heart, exactly. That's great, yeah. In every angler's heart lives a fishing paradise With stunning scenery and wildlife on a trophy, multi-species fishery, having outstanding accommodation and a food experience to die for. They treat you like royalty, tailor-making a package that works for you. Nestled in northwestern Ontario, nordic Point Lodge is that paradise, and Will and his team can't wait to show you a luxury outdoor experience and five-star service. So follow your heart. Book now.
Speaker 3:Back in 2016, Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world. Our dream was to. Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world.
Speaker 4:Our dream was to harness the knowledge of this amazing community and share it with passionate anglers just like you.
Speaker 3:Thus the Ugly Pike podcast was born and quickly grew to become one of the top fishing podcasts in North America.
Speaker 4:Step into the world of angling adventures and embrace the thrill of the catch with the Ugly Pike Podcast. Join us on our quest to understand what makes us different as anglers and to uncover what it takes to go after the infamous fish of 10,000 casts.
Speaker 3:The Ugly Pike Podcast isn't just about fishing. It's about creating a tight-knit community of passionate anglers who share the same love for the sport. Through laughter, through camaraderie and an unwavering spirit of adventure. This podcast will bring people together.
Speaker 4:Subscribe now and never miss a moment of our angling adventures. Tight lines everyone.
Speaker 3:Find Ugly Pike now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1:So now you've lived in the North, you've obviously worked in a ton of places. I know, like I say, from looking from behind the scenes, from being that roadie watching the band from the backside. You know the band from the backside, yeah. Can you tell me a little bit about how difficult and some of the more difficult situations that you've been in as a chef? Because I'll share some of the difficult situations I've been in regarding food and chefs and everything from the perspective of somebody who's not a chef, who relies on them but tell people who are not in a kitchen what it's like and how it can be.
Speaker 2:Well, on a good night it's just a, a symphony. It's a symphony but it's organized chaos, you know there's. You know, here I'm lucky the dining room is small, so I've only got at max 30 to 40 guests at a time. Yeah, but you know, I've worked in hotels and restaurants. You have, you know, 150, 160 people out front and you're trying to. A la carte.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a la carte, and it's not just me. I always try to surround myself with the best people I can and they really make me look good, so I really have to take good care of that. But yeah, you know, you're in the middle of it all. You're trying to coordinate the appetizers and the desserts, along with the entrees and who gets what and how is this done, and that kind of thing. Yeah, it's organized chaos, but when it all comes together on the inside you see the chaos, but from the outside it looks like it's like a ballet, absolutely yeah, yeah, it's, you know, those nights there, those are the nights I love that make it worth it. Yeah, it's, you know, those nights there, those are the nights I love.
Speaker 1:That make it worth it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, at the end of it you come out the other side, you just kind of look back at the night and like, wow, we all just nailed the hell out of that. Yeah, we kicked tonight's ass. Yeah, and everybody left with a big smile on their face and thanking everybody in sight. And it was, it's fantastic.
Speaker 1:So over the years, how many? Years have you been?
Speaker 2:cooking, cooking yeah Geez. I started making dinner for my family when I was like 10, that kind of thing being paid professionally. Being paid professionally, let's see, I started when I was 16. I'm 54 now, so I don't know Decades.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, how have you maintained your sanity? Um, because I'm going to be honest with you. I've hired a lot of chefs and all of them, in their own way, have been crazier than shithouse rats and and it might've been the the place where I was and the people that came, but it was always amazing to me at how dysfunctional some chefs can be.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:We are a weird bunch. Now my question is is this common throughout the industry? Or yeah, I figured.
Speaker 2:Every chef is. Every successful chef is a little bit out there. We've all got our own pressure release valve and we maintain it. Some, yeah, the ones that last do, yeah, yeah, we've all. You have to find that balance and once again, that comes back to it being a calling. This is what you want to do. How do you maintain that? Yeah, and you know some people. I like to go kayaking, I like to go fishing, that kind of thing. Some people drink yeah, and I'm no. And, by the way, I should point out that you've only seen the good side of me. You haven't seen me blowing off the steam. So, yes, that's the thing. I like a good whiskey every now and again. I'm a hop head. I love my beer, but, yeah, we all find our own way to vent.
Speaker 1:Vent and you have to. And the funny thing that I learned at Chaudière was, you know, when I was interviewing chefs the first year, I thought I could get away with my buddy cooking, you know, and thank good Lord that didn't happen. And the folks out there know I've mentioned Ray, my buddy, ray Poole, on a number of occasions and I thought that and Ray is not a cook he operated a printing press and he made good spaghetti, awesome. And I thought you know, okay, ray, you can cook, can't you? And he's like oh well, steve or Jesus, I don't know, I've never cooked for more than just you guys, but I'll give it a shot. But you know a good buddy of mine, dean Barrett. He said, geez, buddy, I think maybe you should at least interview some chefs.
Speaker 1:And that first year I found a wonderful guy, daryl, who was out of school and had a little bit of experience at a high-end restaurant in North Bay and he come and worked for me and did a fantastic job. And it would have not been what Ray could pull off, you know, than what Ray could pull off, you know, but it's for and when I would enter. So that was just. I fell into it. He did a great job and I saw a little bit of what went on in the kitchen. We weren't busy at all. Our maximum capacity was 44. And I think probably my busiest week of the year my first year was about 20, right, and. But after that, interviewing chefs, I would tell them okay, so we've got a maximum of 44 people and we know how many people are going to be with us for the week. So your numbers are there and um this and that, and they'd say, oh, that's easy, no problem, I can. I what you mean? I'm going to know how many people are coming and I'm going to know in advance what I'm making. No problem, famous last words. Famous last words because I quickly found that the external situation of being on an island and having chefs that have not experienced that in particular, but guys would burn out so quickly doing it and it is very stressful, um, going back there and even when you know what you're doing and who's there and everything else, um, timing was always a thing and I I found that in my kitchen I would run with a head chef, a sous chef and an assistant chef, and for quite a, because he was phenomenal.
Speaker 1:He was a phenomenal baker and did all the desserts in house. And, um, people loved hearing that we had a pastry chef. He was not a pastry chef by trade at all, but you know what I figured when I'm on, when I'm on my Island, I can write whatever, whatever certification I want, and he got it. Island, I can write whatever, whatever certification I want, and he got it Exactly, exactly. But, um, it was. It was very, and for me not being a chef, interviewing chefs and hearing that line over and over again and and me explaining it's not that easy, um, um, I don't believe that it's going to. And hey, listen, if you can prove me wrong on that, that's great, but don't come into this job thinking that it's going to be easy, because it's not.
Speaker 1:And you know some of my best chefs, going back to the vices, I had a lot of them, uh, but one of one of my best chefs was was an alcoholic and I didn't even know. But, um, um, we got in a situation at the end of the season, thankfully, um, where something happened, um, and uh, um, he, he fell off the wagon hard and I'm going to have him on a podcast. I've already talked about it, but the thing that I found that the best way for me to deal with chefs who were on pills, like you know, the Tylenol threes. Um, because you, you stand for God knows how many hours in a kitchen. Um, so you're, you're popping Tylenol threes like candy or alcohol. Um, the best thing that I could do was love them like brothers, right, and I did have a fairly.
Speaker 1:I was fairly lenient on all of the things that happened behind the scenes, as long as we could maintain the quality of our food, and that is why it's so very important to have a couple of people. And you need one great chef like you. You need one mentor, the chef you're talking about, because you can find a sous chef and you can put that person under the mentor. And when I was interviewing, that was always one of the traits that I looked for was somebody who could work with people, somebody that had that, um, that demeanor, because if he goes down and I had, I had one of my chefs had, um, uh, kidney stones. We had to fly them out, brought a helicopter in, didn't know exactly what was wrong with them and we flew them out to North Bay. And then what do you do? Right, I'm not a chef and everybody out there knows, in the Diaries family, I had a situation where I had a chef and a sous chef Actually, it was Daryl and Kyla.
Speaker 1:In my first year I didn't know how difficult the job was and they burnt out right, because when you've got two people, it's a two-person job and you've got seven days. Every day People need to eat. Now there was times in that first year where we would have a day or two mixed in in a month where we had no guests. So there were days off, but I was green and and and Daryl was up for the challenge, and there were there were times when they would work three weeks in a row without now and people think that, well, 16 hours a day, three weeks in a row. It wasn't quite like that, because you come in, you do the breakfast, then you get a two hour break, and then you come in, you do the lunch and you get another couple of hours, and if you prep properly and you get breaks throughout the day, but even those breaks, they're just breaks. Yep, right, it's not. It's not that time off that you talk about, to vent, to kayak, well, and you know that that comes down to you, to the individual.
Speaker 2:You have to turn your brakes into time off. Yes, my first job working in a lodge, it was 100 12-hour shifts in a row, all summer, no days off. So, yeah, you have to learn. When you're down time, you grab it with both hands and you cherish it. Yeah, you make sure you're getting your rest, make sure you're sleeping properly, make sure you're eating properly. Absolutely, and you have to, and it's exponential out here. But even if you're working at a restaurant in downtown Toronto or Montreal, wherever it's, the same still applies you have to have that work-life balance or else, yeah, you end up a pile of ashes. You just burn right out.
Speaker 1:And and it and it happened to me and I'll never forget it. It turns into one of my fondest memories. But after breakfast I walked into the kitchen and I was used to seeing Daryl and Kyla and they'd have stuff prepped and everything else and there was nothing going on. And as I come out the back door I saw them. They were dressed like they were leaving and I said, hey guys, they were dressed uh, like they were leaving. Uh and um, I said, hey guys, what's going on? And uh, daryl said, uh, we're heading to North Bay. And I said, oh, okay, what time are you going to be back? And he said, well, we're not sure we're going to be back.
Speaker 1:And I and, and it was my busiest week of the year and uh, and I, like, I say I was green, I, I, I wasn't. I could cook for myself, but there there's a huge difference between cooking for, you know, 25 or 30 people. And um, I said, what, what, what do you mean? What like dinner? And he said, no, no, I'll tell you what. There was a pizza joint in the town of Doquese and it's just a small native reserve, and it was called Eat at Mama's. And he said, if I were you, I'd call Eat at Mama's and order pizza for dinner and I said, no, I'm not doing that. He said, well, we're going to North Bay, you can figure it out. And I said to them and at that point in my sheet metal tradesman brain I wanted to just tell them exactly what I thought. But because I was bent over a barrel half of a barrel, like low, and you know bent I said well, are you going to come back? Like they said, well, we might be back, we may not, I don't know. We're going to go to North Bay and think about it. And off they went.
Speaker 1:And at that time I had my great aunt and uncle there and, um, aunt Beth and uncle Barry. They heard that I was severely understaffed and about a month prior to that, aunt Beth gave me a call and she's this God rest her soul this beautiful, slight woman, very religious, and she said Stephen, you know, I heard that you might need some help up at the lodge and she's giving me an interview. She's telling me her credentials. You know, I was an accountant for Armbro for years, kept their books and I could maybe help you there. And you know, uncle Barry's a class A mechanic. I said Aunt Beth, I know all of this.
Speaker 1:She said, well, we thought we might be able to come up for a week and help and we were wondering if you would mind. I said, aunt Beth, when you coming? She said, well, we've already got our bags packed, we'll be there in four hours and they come over. And they came for a week and stayed for three years is what happened? Nice, oh, and never asked me for anything.
Speaker 1:And Aunt Beth had come around while Daryl and Kyla had left and I went up to the office and I was, you know, just, my guts were in knots, yeah, because I knew that I needed to make an experience for my guests and if I don't come through for them, in my mind I'm thinking they're never coming back. And very well, it could be true, you just don't know. And in that turmoil in my mind, aunt Beth walked into the office and she knew right away there's something wrong. She said, stephen, I can see something's bothering you. What's going on? And I told her what happened and boy oh boy. I've never seen a religious lady say the things that come out of her mouth, and she was one that, like I mean the relationship between Daryl and Kyla. I had to hold Aunt Beth back and put a muzzle on her for the rest of the season because they did return. Okay good.
Speaker 1:They did return, but we were left with the task of lunch and dinner. And she said well, you know I haven't cooked for a whole lot of people, but when we have family Thanksgiving, you know I'm cooking for, you know, 30 people. So I know how to do Thanksgiving dinner very well and you know for for lunch, one of my favorite lunches is grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. So why don't we will? You can figure out how to. Will figure out the kitchen and we'll make grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch. And we're going to make thanksgiving dinner. And, uh, we went down into the kitchen and got the uh, all the buffet chafing dishes out and figured it out. We pulled out a couple of turkeys and did a whole Thanksgiving dinner buffet spread and nobody knew the difference. Excellent. And from that point, on Thanksgiving dinner on Sundays, uh, that wasn't a uh, a Thanksgiving dinner in particular. That it wasn't a Sunday, yeah, uh. But when Daryl got back, I told Daryl every Sunday is going to be Thanksgiving dinner at Chaudière and to the day that I left, sunday was Thanksgiving dinner and that tradition was born out of that.
Speaker 1:But those situations with chefs were difficult and exposed me and it goes back to that, blowing off steam and managing people and, from my point of view, I was always managing something, whether it be alcohol or pills. I had one chef. I found that one of my dock hands was dealing, uh, I had a, I had a side gig, uh, dealing Coke. Um, out the back door Right and um, uh, one of my chefs, who was a wonderful chef, he was, uh, his specialty was breakfast, um, and his breakfasts were, were outstanding and um, he was Italian and uh, the Italian cuisine that come out of the man was was second to none. It was. It was right up there with nonapia, you know, and um.
Speaker 1:But as the year went on, um, there were certain situations that he got trigger things and you know relationships that happen when you're locked on an island and you've got, you know, anywhere from 10, well, no, for me it was 15 to 20 people on staff at any one time and you know, out of those 20 people, 15, 16 of them were living in the staff quarters, in tight quarters. Now, everybody had their own room, but there were common bathrooms and tight quarters. You always have relationship issues, ones that start there, and uh, something along those lines happened, and and uh lines happened, and again he wasn't sleeping properly and cocaine was his preferred method of performing his performance enhancing drug and he had a. It was readily available. And it was readily available and the commerce for the person providing was good.
Speaker 1:And I noticed personality changes. And I'm not one I've never done Coke. I've had friends and seen them do Coke but I didn't even put too into, I didn't even know until after the season was over. And this chef he turned into like he was never physically abusive but he was verbally violent to the point where to a couple of the servers it was so, so over the top and I was a little scared.
Speaker 1:But when you're in my position and you're looking at a situation that starts slow it was a slow boil, right you see certain things that happen that are kind of out of character from the person that you knew for the first three months and then it starts to snowball and all of a sudden you find yourself in a place where your girls are a little scared and I'm in a position where I really should fire this guy, are a little scared and I'm in a position where I really should fire this guy, but I can't, I couldn't. Yeah, they got you by the short hairs. Well and absolutely, and this is like a. It was a moral dilemma and it got to the point where I basically worked shoulder to shoulder with the girls when I was in his presence and the one day that was over the top, my mom and dad, they would frequent a little bit and it was toward the end of the season and they were up helping kind of tidy things up. And my mom is a strong personality, she's young too. She had me when she was 16 and she was going through the kitchen and she heard him talking to one of the girls and she let him have it. She was like that is a fucking most disgusting thing I've ever heard.
Speaker 1:And he went at my mom and I was standing there and it almost come to the point where where I I've never really been physical with anybody, but I stepped, I stepped in and I said to him I said, buddy, I don't know what's going on in that melon of yours, but listen, it's not me you need to worry about, it's you, because you're really treading in areas that will get you in serious trouble. That will get you in serious trouble. Like, if not for me being in the position that I'm in, you already would have been there. So you really need to take and he was high as High, like I mean, and that was the first indication I knew there was something wrong. Yeah, and the rage that I saw in his eyes, that was the first indication I knew there was something wrong.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and um, and and the, the rage that I saw in his eyes. I said you've got to really get this under control. And and uh, the guy that was working under him was a good friend to him and I went to him and I and I said, listen, and that's when, that's when I I I found out what was going on. I didn't know where, what the source was, but I found out what was going on. I didn't know what the source was, but I found out what was going on. And through that fella, we managed to manage him right and after the season come to a close, I sat down with him and had a heart-to-heart and said you know, I don't know where your life out, buddy, because you're going down a very slippery and dangerous path. Yep and um, and it's those things that you encounter, and that was, that was one that was probably one of the most extreme. Um, but you know, I also had another, another chef, who, uh, who really uh, uh, had me bent again, but he was one who would, uh, I, I started with three in the kitchen and and he made it very, he made life very difficult and I guess in some senses it was my fault, because he was hungry for money, like everybody is, and and I don't, and I don't uh, I don't uh, hold that against anybody, because that's what, what you need to do, and at that time I couldn't afford really to pay more than he agreed to the contract.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, but the, the what was happening was he made it very difficult to, to, to work with the other people, yeah, and then the first, the, the assistant, come to me and said, yeah, no, I'm out of here, I can't work here anymore. Why, well, he didn't come out and say it, but he told me, like okay, and then, when I was I, I talked to the, to the head chef, and I and I asked him listen, I'm going to interview for an assistant, but I want you to review all the resumes so that you can, you can choose your person, cause I figured, okay, he brought the assistant with him, or, um, uh, uh, the Sue with him and maybe I'll let him choose his guy and things will be okay. But that wasn't the response I got. I got I don't need that person, I don't need that position filled. But I'll tell you what you're going to pay that guy, I don't know $1,000 a week. You keep 500 and give me the other 500 and everything's going to be great.
Speaker 1:And I thought, and being in that position to try and hire somebody for two months is a difficult position and to try and find it could be, you know. So anyway, begrudgingly, I agreed. Well, two weeks later, then the Sue come to me with the same story, same problem, and he left. So now I was just left with one chef and you know, at that time we were busy, we were averaging a slow week was 25 to 30, and most weeks were 30 to 45. And yeah, and he said, no problem, it got the same fucking story.
Speaker 1:And, uh, again begrudgingly, and not only begrudgingly, it was, it was a, it was a um, a tactic that had the hook, because in the back of my head, knowing it's not the right move, but being greedy, thinking I'm saving money doing this and if he's good doing it, well, you know what. That's okay. So anyway, a month rolls on and now we've got six weeks to the end of the season and I'll never forget it was after breakfast, it was a beautiful day out on the water and our dining room had glass all across the front, beautiful old traditional windows and they all fold up like it's really beautiful, and I was sitting there enjoying the view.
Speaker 1:Everybody had left. The dining room in the main lodge was quiet and he'd come out to me and he said that's it, I'm done. This is just, it's too much, I can't do it. I'm out of here. And for the first time I got a little I gonna say vicious and and it come from that that gut feeling and a disappointment in myself really for letting for, for, for putting myself in this situation. Yeah, because I could have avoided it, right. But I looked at him and I said you're going to leave. Yep, I, I, I, I can't handle it. I said, listen, you were the one that told me to do this, you were the one that got the extra money and I know where you live and I know where you work in the off season and I'm going to go to every place within a hundred miles of where you live and I'm going to tell all of those employers what you did to me. So we can take a minute and figure the situation out, or that is exactly what I'm going to do. And he looked at me and he thought about it for a minute. He went back into the kitchen.
Speaker 1:I stood in the dining room, actually, I think I went out to the front porch and sparked up a stogie, because that was one of the things that helps relieve a little bit of stress and I was sitting there with my stogue and I saw him coming back in. I set it on the ledge and went back into the dining room and he said I'm sorry, I'm stressed, you're right. Um and uh. And I said okay, so what are we going to do? And he said okay, I've thought about it. All I need is a, a breakfast guy so that I can sleep in in the morning. Because he was doing it seven days a week, yeah, like he was taking some time off with three in the kitchen. You, you can give guys a day off, right, and you need that day off. Like I mean some, uh, and you know more camps than I ever knew, because I didn't do a lot of these. These, uh, american plan camps before I bought it, american plan camps before I bought it and more than I ever knew. That's like the norm. Like you just hire your people and they work seven days a week and you pay them on a salary and you know and and and it always creates tension at some point.
Speaker 1:So Dave said I just need a guy for breakfast. And I said Dave, who? Dave? What am I going to do? It's only six weeks. I'm going to do my best. And he said no, I've got that figured out. And I said, oh, okay. I said what are we going to do for breakfast? Who's going to cook for us? And he leaned a little closer and he said I'm looking at him and I thought about it a minute and I thought the first thought that went through my mind was is he talking about me?
Speaker 2:Somebody behind me, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then obviously it set in and he was talking about me and then I thought you know I've done at this point. I know how my dock runs, I can work on engines. I've gone through the crash course with my beautiful, awesome housekeeper server manager who's been with Chaudière for 45 years. She taught me, you know, the hospital corners and she was harder on me than she was on all of the other staff combined and I worked with her. I apprenticed under her doing that. I had that in the bag.
Speaker 1:This is at least midway through my tenure and the only place in the business that I was still in the dark was really the kitchen. And I thought, I looked at him and I said, dave, that's brilliant, I love it, I'll do it, no problem. And that's what we did for six weeks. He showed me how to make breakfast and he said listen, we're going to do buffet for you and at night I would go in and you set all the bacon on the trays and you roll it up in the stuff and you get like six or eight of your wax paper with the bacon all in it and it's all preparation and you proof your buns and make the stuff and go in in the morning and you get it all ready and you know what? It was one of the most wonderful experiences and to this day I still thank him for it. And and if you're listening out there cause I know and I'm not going to mention his name because I know that you, you're probably listening I I totally appreciate how that all went down and he was with me for years after that.
Speaker 1:But a funny inside story in in that I got good, I got good at doing breakfast, um to the point where I got cocky. And one day I'm doing this, uh, had all the prep done for the buffet and it went out and everything else. And I said to one of the girls I said tomorrow morning we're going to do a la carte, pull out the menus. She said and she was in the industry for years Young girl, I know and love her Jen and she looked at me and she said and she was one of those girls that I really respected because we had our we butt heads. But I'm gonna be honest, 95% of the time we were butting heads. She was right.
Speaker 1:You know, that could be a typical man woman relationship. Maybe I don't know, because I think that happens with my wife a lot. But anyway, she looked at me and she said Steve, I don't think that. She nicely said, I don't think this is a good idea. And I said, jen, I got this, don't worry, I've seen it, I got it. So she said, are you sure? I said yep, pull out the menus. So I had a look at the menus. I already knew the menu, right, pulled them out and it was fairly well. I'm not going to say basic, but you know the, the. It was. I thought and and in that moment knew in my heart that I was a breakfast chef and by God I can do this.
Speaker 2:Well, next morning.
Speaker 1:I got everything prepped out, you know, set up the way that I'd seen it done before, and the first chits come in, and at Chaudière the thing was we had fairly tight eating windows because it's structured for fishermen, right, yep. So breakfast was 7.30 until 8.30. Lunch was at 12 until 1. Dinner started at 6 until 8. So it was fairly tight.
Speaker 1:So you know what happens when it's fairly tight Everybody does what they're supposed to do and they show up all at the same time. Yep. So the first four chits come in from the first table and I'm like, oh yeah, okay, boom, boom, boom, they're all in that. We had that double stacked heating table and I'm behind it with the grill behind me and I've got my chef coat on and, dude, I look the part, I look the part and I pull those chits off and I'm getting them done and I'm working away and working away and then all of a sudden I feel like there's people looking at me and I turn around and all four of my servers are standing there looking and when I looked at the little clip thing on the back of the thing, I had like 25 chits and I'm like, holy shit it happens quick eh oh quick.
Speaker 1:and now in my mind, just seeing all those chits, instead of just taking a deep breath and trying to deal with it all as as reasonably and calmly, in an orderly fashion, I go into sheer panic mode. And now I turn around and the sunny side up eggs that I had for that plate are now not sunny side up. So then you know, you try and take them and flip them over to a corner where it's not so hot, and then maybe I can use those for burnt.
Speaker 1:Maybe, somebody's going to order, right. And then I've got this. I'm trying to plate and all of a sudden I realize I'm in so far over my head that I am not going to see the surface, nope. So I dropped my tools, I run out the back door, I run up to the chef's door and I'm banging on it, and he was already up. But you know, he's just in relaxation mode. I'm like buddy, I really messed up. He's like what I said. I messed up, man, what he said.
Speaker 1:I said to him I told Jen yesterday with confidence that we were doing a la carte today. He said you dummy, what are you doing? I said I know, I know, I really know I need you. So he throws on his pants and runs down and between the two of us we got it all out. We weren't really late. I think we went maybe 15 minutes longer than normal. Oh, that's not bad, yeah. And I learned a very, very valuable lesson Breakfast is one of the most difficult meals to cook and when you think something's easy, boy oh boy, you get kicked right in the ball sack.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that's life in the kitchen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like I say, I felt it. It's one of those things where I think, probably for me, anyway, if I was a chef, it would be more about controlling my emotions than anything and staying calm. And I know, once you've got 20, 30 years under your belt, those situations you know, you've been there, yep, and things come easier. It's like anything. But to think it's easy is so off base, it's not even funny.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the kitchen teaches you the difference between simple and easy. Yes, it's a nail. Look at a nail. It's a piece of steel that's pointing on one end and flat on the other. Very simple, make a nail Not so easy.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, 100%, absolutely 100%. In every angler's heart lives a fishing paradise With stunning scenery and wildlife on a trophy, multi-species fishery, having outstanding accommodation and a food experience to die for. They treat you like royalty, tailor-making a package that works for you. Nestled in northwestern Ontario, nordic Point Lodge is that paradise, and Will and his team can't wait to show you a luxury outdoor experience with five-star service. So follow your heart. Book now.
Speaker 5:As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Jerry Ouellette and I was honoured to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as chaga, a tree conch with centuries of medicinal use by Indigenous peoples all over the globe.
Speaker 5:After nearly a decade of harvest use, testimonials and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession and I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of the strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places, meet the people. That will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. Find Under the Canopy now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1:What other places have you worked and I'm not asking you to name any of them unless it's in a good light, but what are some like I? I mean I've kind of shone a light on some of the situations that I've saw. Are there any memorable situations like that, whether you were the chef or you were working under somebody or you had to step up, like a lot of times that's that's how I found some of my best chefs were the crazy ones. They just lost it. And, and I remember I had a chef I called him crazy Dave because, uh, he lasted for about three weeks and, uh, he interviewed wonderfully, um, and then, when he come in, uh, I, uh I always told the chefs, um, listen, uh, you do what you do best, you make the best of what you make, and we'll adjust the menu. And I showed them what we had.
Speaker 1:And I come in one day and we had veal sandwiches on a bun. And my idea of a veal sandwich on a bun is you have veal, you cook it nice in a sauce and you make it tender and you put it on a nice Italian bread, a ciabatta, yeah, a ciabatta, whatever, and that's a veal on a bun. I walked into the dining room one day and I had like Shopsy's hamburger buns with the frozen veal patties oh my God, like it wasn't even up to par for a pub. And I went and talked to him and the reason that and it gets so busy, but I had I don't tolerate complaints about food Like if I get a complaint about food there's something wrong. And I went to him and I said, hey, listen, I've had three complaints this week, mentions of the quality of the food. And he looked up at me and he said, oh well, that's not bad. And I said that's not bad. I've went three years without a complaint. Yeah, you know, and and and it, it, it.
Speaker 1:That situation led to just what I was talking about. He left because, you know, while there was that whole situation, which was enough, and then there was a relationship situation in the back where he got the short end of the stick and started punching holes in the wall of the bedroom. Oh Jesus, you know, so Crazy. Dave's tenure at the lodge ended pretty quick, yeah, but it was my sous chef that stepped up and ended up working for me for three years doing that. And so there must be those situations where you've either stepped up or you've seen the craziness, and so if there's any out in that memory bank of yours, I'd love to hear some.
Speaker 2:Oh God, yeah, One restaurant I worked at years ago I wasn't even I ended up being the chef, I wasn't. I was there just kind of in between things. I was helping out a friend.
Speaker 2:He owned the restaurant and I was helping him out and I'd worked with him previously. We got along really well. He liked my food, liked my cooking, liked my cooking and we worked on a New Year's Eve menu. So put it together we had three seatings of 155 people per seating, yep as well as a winemaker's dinner for 75 people in the middle of it, all in the middle seating. So the winemaker's dinners we did. We contacted a distributor, brought in a line of wine. I did a five course meal for them. I put together that menu. That's why he brought me in to do this five course dinner in the middle seating and help out with the other two. So we're getting ready for it. And the chef that was there, he had a problem with the owner. He blew a stack. That's it. I'm out of here. Takes off. You know 3 o'clock on New Year's Eve and yeah, it's like.
Speaker 1:And you were Aunt Beth.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everyone's in a panic. I'm like, no, don't worry, we got this, we got this and we did. We pulled it all off. Everything went out fine. New Year's Eve was a big, huge success. Yeah, you just got to keep your head about you. That's the biggest thing in the kitchen. You have to stay calm. Nobody appreciates anybody feeding off their emotions and it doesn't accomplish anything.
Speaker 1:Unless they're good emotions.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah Right, Calm positive.
Speaker 2:If you're just going to stand in the back and scream at people and throw things around. Yeah, you're going to be working by yourself a lot. Yeah, yeah, it took me a while to learn that lesson. Yeah yeah, another. Oh, this one was hell.
Speaker 2:It was a private catering this couple back in Edmonton. They get me to come in and do their Christmas Eve dinner every year and they were great people, the money was good. It was a nice relaxing night. It was the second year I did it. I walk in and their kitchen. They just had a household kitchen Very well appointed, very well laid out, so it was easy to work there. But just a household kitchen, electric, well appointed, very well laid out, so it was easy to work there. But just a household kitchen, electric stove, everything like that.
Speaker 2:Go to fire the first round of hors d'oeuvres, turn on the oven and the oven explodes. There was a short in the element, blew a hole as big as a grapefruit to the back of the oven. Oh, no way. No oven, no stove. Huh, okay. So how am I going to do this? So I thought about it. And it's Christmas Eve, it's in Edmonton, it's like minus 40 outside, so we've got a barbecue. It's like, yeah, that's not going to work. Unless we bring it inside, it's not going to work. So, yeah, I ended up doing a three-course dinner a hot appetizer, which is agliolotti it's an Italian pasta, it's like a stuffed pasta, like ravioli A prime rib dinner and a dessert out of a microwave and a toaster oven.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, no way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know how I pulled it off, but yeah, it was tense there for a while. I earned my money that night and it was hilarious because the hostess, her sister, came back and she got a guy. I know how you're doing. This is just fantastic. I'd be so drunk and in tears if I was, you Believe me.
Speaker 1:that's the way I feel on the inside right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as soon as I get home I'm hitting the hard liquor. That's awesome. Yeah, that was. That's what I love about this business. It's the same thing day in, day out, but it's never the same thing ever. There's so much. You have to be able to think on your feet. You have to be able to adapt.
Speaker 2:Here at Nordic Point last year we had this one group came in there from Oklahoma and they showed up on rib night. I gave them the ribs and the ribs for the most part the ribs I do fairly basic. I season them well, they taste good, but I make them appeal to everybody, that's right. And I didn't know they were this group from Oklahoma. I knew they were coming in but I didn't know where they were from. Come in, they order the ribs, send them out.
Speaker 2:And I went out and I was talking to people and you know, helping clear plates and that kind of thing, and this one gentleman he hardly he ate two ribs. I said, oh, did you not enjoy the ribs? He said, no, I'm sorry, I didn't. I said, oh well, what was the problem? Please tell me. He says, well, see, we're from Oklahoma. I said, oh, got you. And the only reason I knew that is because, once again, back in Edmonton, where I was from at the time, there's a smokehouse I used to go to all the time, just a block or two away from where I lived. It was called Smokey Joe's Oklahoma Pit Barbecue and it was incredible, it was fantastic.
Speaker 2:So as soon as he said he's from Oklahoma, I'm like, oh okay, I know. So I started saying it and I explained that to him. You know, this is why you don't need to go any further. This is why I know he goes. Really, you know, joe, I'm like, pardon, he goes. Yeah, he packed up, he moved back home and yeah, we go to his place three or four times a week. I'm like, well, so they build that rapport. And you know, three days later he's in the dining room, he's loving everything, he's happy. Yeah, it was fantastic.
Speaker 2:And that's the appeal to me for this job you have to be light on your toes, yeah, and yeah, everybody's different. You have to be able to hit every single taste bud all the time, and that's not easy. No, it's not. I've been working as a chef for about 35 years and I'm just getting to the point now where I I can say with with confidence that I can do it. Yeah, you know, yeah, and even now it's, uh, you know, sometimes you know like, well, just the other, the prime rib. We're talking about the prime rib and how. Yeah, you know, oh god, I don't know. Like you know, most of the people are gonna love this. Other people gonna look at it go. Oh my god, it's still raw.
Speaker 1:And you know. But again, you roll with the punches. If a plate comes back, you throw it in a pan and you brown it up and you send it back out. Yep, exactly, we had that all the time. And that's where the transition to carving it off, of doing the carving station my chef at the time said well, rather than sending it back in and plating it, why don't we just do a buffet?
Speaker 1:We did a prime rib buffet and then the chef would get all dolled up. He had the cone chef hat and we had him set up with a nice warming table with the big prime ribs set out, and he would introduce himself and make a show and say folks, for those of you who like your prime rib a little more, well done, come to the line first and we'll give you the caps, and then anybody that likes it rare and the way it should be. We got you too right and that's how we kind of dealt with that, because when I saw your prime rib, I'm like, oh my god, this is, this is the right way. But I know from being in the situation where you have people that come and like their meat, well done.
Speaker 1:Um, I was thinking well, there's probably one plate in this room that's going to come back, and I don't think there was. No, not one, I don't think there was, but there's always a fix for that. The fix that you can't fix is if you don't do it right in the first place and it's overdone to start. Yes, but no, it was wonderful and rolling with the punches.
Speaker 2:That's the line the chef has to. When you walk into the kitchen, you have to leave your ego by the door. Yes, because you can't do this job properly with that ego. As the chef, I can do whatever, make whatever dinner I want and go out afterwards how was everything? And there's that one gentleman and thank God he did because, like I said, I was able to save that one. But 90% of the people, 95% of the people, I'll ask them how was everything? Oh, it was fantastic, though fantastic. Oh, loved everything. That's what they'll tell me. Then the next morning they'll be talking to you over coffee going. So what the hell was that thing last night?
Speaker 1:So, yeah, and you know what, exactly what you're talking about? Leaving your ego at the door. That is something that transcends just chefing. Yep, because for me that is how I built my business. I approached everything, all of those difficult situations. In my mind, it was a learning experience for me. And when somebody would whether it was a problem with the food, whether it was a problem with the cottage, whether it was a problem with the boat one key element that you mentioned was you would walk in the dining room and you ask and you did all the time A lot of chefs, they don't leave the back room.
Speaker 1:No, I found, with my guys, I was the front man taking that information and then processing it, because I knew if I didn't approach the situation in the right way, it would be offensive to the chef.
Speaker 1:And then they shut down and they're like well, they don't like my food.
Speaker 1:Well, you can tell them to stick it right when you know you got to frame it different.
Speaker 1:But to be able to leave that ego at the door and approach every situation as a learning situation, I found that those people that are looked upon as being difficult, really, if you put yourself in their position, it's their experience yeah Right, and it's not up to me and my ego to judge you for what your experience should be. And the more that you can talk to those people, the more that you learn and the more that you become such a better person and a better it makes you so much better at your craft. You so much better at your craft, and that's the attitude that I always looked for and tried to lead with an, with example. And if you can take those people that are are being difficult or and they're not the that, take those, those experiences, you, you, you can turn that in, you turn them into your biggest advocate, absolutely, when you make them, give them ownership, yes, exactly Of what's going on. All of a sudden, they do a 360 and they're your best people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's exactly that's. You know, you said it right there. Yeah, here I'm working in Nordic Point Lodge. This is Will's lodge. Mm-hmm, you know, this is. Yeah, here I'm working in Nordic Point Lodge. This is Will's lodge. Mm-hmm, this is his reality. He's worked years to get to this point. Yep, I'm part of that. Yes, so my job is to interpret what he wants for this lodge and deliver it. Mm-hmm, you know I'm going to take that one step further.
Speaker 1:For me, as an owner, my verbiage was very specific and I learned this early and even to this day I have a cottage on an island up there. But my verbiage was very intent and I never, ever, called the lodge my lodge, because it wasn't. People would say, steve, your place is beautiful, and I would say, or whatever the situation, and I would say, it's not my place, I'm just the curator that pays the mortgage. How many years have you been coming, chris? Oh, this is my 38th year. And I would say, well, chris, oh, this is my 38th year, right, and I would say, well, chris, how can this be my place? I've been here for four years. You've been here for 38 years. This place is as much yours as it is anybody else's. Exactly, and with the staff, this is your place, this is our place, it's not my place, and our goal is to have the guests come in as guests and leave as friends and family. Yes, and if we can do that, that's it Exactly.
Speaker 2:That's you know. I don't. You know. I try to make a point of talking to every client that comes in, every guest that comes in. They sit at the table. I want to know their name.
Speaker 1:You know where are you from Name is the most important tool you can ever acquire.
Speaker 2:And, yeah, I want to get to know these people.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:You know, they're just on the face of it. They're paying my bills for crying out loud. That's right, you know. I should at least know their name and shake their hand. Yes, but I mean even more than that. They're allowing me to help make, they're allowing me to make their experience better.
Speaker 1:That's right and it's a privilege. It is. It's a wonderful privilege.
Speaker 5:It is.
Speaker 1:And now you're part of the Diaries family. So for all of our wonderful people out there listening, for all of our wonderful people out there listening, I would love to ask you for the recipe that is your most favorite, and this is not a recipe that you think people like the best. This is something that, if Jarrett has a wonderful evening and a little bit of time to think about it and you've got loved ones around you, what do you make? Spaghetti and chicken, my grandmother's spaghetti and chicken. And how do you do it? What is wonderful about?
Speaker 2:it. It's simple, it's Italian, of course. Yeah, and it's so simple. Italian food is peasant food and since the fall of the Roman Empire, italians have been peasants. Yes, it's peasant food. Yes, that's what makes it so good, because Tell us the nuances, it's.
Speaker 2:Well, okay, Love number one, number one, number one, love A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper on your chicken. You, number one, love A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper on your chicken. You brown it. My grandmother, she, always used tomato paste, not canned tomatoes. She made tomato paste sauce from tomato paste, homemade, homemade. So you brown your chicken, drain off the oil In the same pan. You saute off some onions and garlic, a little bit of chili, throw in a sprig of rosemary Olive oil, always To finish, not to cook. So what are you cooking with? Just canola oil?
Speaker 2:Okay, canola oil yeah, start off with canola oil just to do all the browning because olive oil's got too low of a smoke point. Yeah, it's hard to turn it into butter.
Speaker 1:But you could use avocado or whatever, but yes.
Speaker 2:So you sweat off all your onions and garlic and your herbs. You throw in your tomato paste. What herbs? Myself, I like just rosemary, a little bit of parsley. Yeah, that's it If you don't have rosemary you save.
Speaker 1:And that's all sweating off in the pan.
Speaker 2:Yeah, then you add your tomato paste to that In the pan. In the pan You've got to keep on stirring it, or else it sticks and burns. Yeah, it turns bitter. Keep on stirring it and it'll start off a bright red. And the more you cook it, the more liquid gets evaporated out of it and more of the sugars get developed and it'll turn a deep blood red. Yeah, you keep stirring it. At that point hit a little bit of white wine. You can just use water, because you're throwing the chicken back in there. So you thin it out with some water, throw the chicken back in, you cover it, throw it in the oven, 350 for an hour.
Speaker 1:In the same pan.
Speaker 2:Yep, all in the same pan, all in one pan. All, yeah, throw it back in the oven for cover it. An hour and a half, yep. So the meat is nice and tender, cooked, almost falling off the bone. And what kind of chicken do you like I use?
Speaker 1:the whole bird. Oh, now do you butcher it up first? Yeah, cut it up, yeah, your breasts, your thighs, your drumsticks.
Speaker 2:I usually get nine pieces out of a chicken. I divide up my breasts so I get 12. Yeah, but yeah, just let it cook. The flavor from the chicken cooks into the sauce. Then when it comes out, you test it for flavor, make sure it's salt pepper.
Speaker 1:That's when you add the olive oil gotcha, because how much I like I you, I typically, when I'm cooking, use the glug method. Is that one glug or is it a half a glug or just a drizzle around the top two?
Speaker 2:glugs. You know glugs? Okay, for real pasta, real traditional pasta. It's not. The most people look at it and say it's oily, it's supposed to be. Yeah, if you're eating your chin, doesn't get shiny, you don't have enough oil Nice.
Speaker 1:Those are the instructions that I do best with.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's how you know you have enough oil when your chin is shiny and you start sweating all over Nice, and yeah, you just toss it with some fresh cooked pasta Al dente, of course, of course.
Speaker 1:Of course, and you toss it. You don't put the pasta down and then put it on top. You toss it all together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, usually what I do is I'll get a little bit of sauce the same pasta pasta in and put it back on the stove when it's empty and throw some sauce into there. Yeah, throw the pasta back in and mix it around so the sauce cooks into the pasta. Yeah, oh, because all the starch is.
Speaker 1:Yes, it'll stick. So you boil the pasta al dente first, yeah, then you do you rinse it at all. No, no, no, you need that starch.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, that's where the sauce sticks. Okay, don't rinse your pasta. The mangi cakes Okay.
Speaker 1:Wow, I'm a mangi cake, see yeah yeah. So you don't rinse the pasta, Then you put some more sauce back into that same pot and then you throw the pasta in with that sauce.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mix it in, and you and you know, so you get the flavor right into your pasta. Then yeah, then you can dish it up, put the rest of the sauce and the chicken on top, and then you eat until you start getting sleepy.
Speaker 1:Oh buddy, I'm hungry. That was wonderful. That is an absolutely fantastic recipe.
Speaker 2:And it's just that simple. It's one pot Everybody can do it Not much cleaning, nope. That's right down my alley alley.
Speaker 1:That's the big one right there. Well, jared, thank you so much. Thank you for joining us all on diaries and I appreciate it and I know everybody else out there does, and I just want to remind everybody again. Thank you so much. If you've made it this far in the podcast and if you love us and you love the Fish in Canada tradition, please head over to fishincanadacom. We've got wonderful giveaways. That's how a lot of people have made it to places just like this.
Speaker 1:We gave a trip away. Will donated a trip from Nordic Point Lodge and it was a giveaway and Rick Payne won it. We met Rick up here. It just so happened that he lives in Kenora and he is a very interesting fellow and he's going to join me on an upcoming episode where we're going to talk about his position. And if you can imagine an army and the general on the top of that army, the guy that makes all of the calls to distribute forces, he is that man for all of the Ontario Forest Fire fighting and he's going to be. He's a wonderful man, very knowledgeable. It was a pleasure to meet him here and it's those experiences that we all have from the giveaways from guys like Will and go there. Check us out there and like, subscribe, write in comments. It's the only way we'll get better. If there's anything out there that you want me to bring to you, people, reach out and let me know. We're a family. And thus brings us to the conclusion of another episode of Diaries of a Lodge.
Speaker 6:Owner Bending my rock stretching my line Someday I might own a lodge and that'd be fine. I'll be making my way, the only way I know how.
Speaker 1:Working hard and sharing the North with all of my pals Working hard and sharing the North with all of my pals.
Speaker 6:Well, I'm a good old boy.
Speaker 1:I buy the large and live my dream.
Speaker 6:And now I'm here talking about how life can be as good as it seems.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Hi everybody. I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete Bowman.
Speaker 4:Now you might know us as the hosts of Canada's Favorite Fishing Show, but now we're hosting a podcast.
Speaker 6:That's right. Every Thursday, Ang and I will be right here in your ears bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio.
Speaker 4:Hmm, now what are we going to talk about, for?
Speaker 2:two hours every week.
Speaker 4:Well, you know there's going to be a lot of fishing.
Speaker 6:I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them, and they were easy to catch.
Speaker 4:Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show.
Speaker 6:We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors, from athletes, All the other guys would go golfing Me and Garth and Turk and all the Russians would go fishing To scientists. But Now that we're reforesting and letting things breathe, it's the perfect transmission environment for life To chefs. If any game isn't cooked properly, marinated, you will taste it.
Speaker 4:And whoever else will pick up the phone Wherever you are. Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoy being outside.
Speaker 6:Find us on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. What brings people together more than fishing and hunting? How about food? I'm Chef Antonio Maleca and I've spent years catering to the stars. Now, on Outdoor Journal Radio's Eat and Wild podcast, louise Hookset and I are bringing our expertise and Rolodex to our real passion the outdoors.
Speaker 4:Each week we're bringing you inside the boat tree stand or duck blind and giving you real advice that you can use to make the most out of your fish and game.
Speaker 6:You're going to flip that duck breast over. Once you get a nice hard sear on that breast, you don't want to sear the actual meat. It's not just us chatting here. If you can name a celebrity, we've probably worked with them and I think you might be surprised who likes to hunt and fish. When Kit Harington asks me to prepare him sashimi with his bass, I couldn't say no. Whatever Taylor Sheridan wanted, I made sure I had it. Burgers, steak, anything off the barbecue that's a true cowboy. All Jeremy Renner wanted to, or wherever else you get your podcasts.