Culinary Clinic: Level 2

By Andrew Merklinger, Corporate Executive Chef

I remember the day that I was given the opportunity to become the Corporate Executive Chef, which was a bag full of emotions. I have tried to channel all of those positive emotions ever since, teaching whoever and whatever I can. One of my many goals is to push each person to their full culinary potential and at the same time push myself to learn every day. Part of me channeling that energy is to continue to plan and teach Pinnacle’s Culinary Clinics.

I take great pride in the clinics and always try to promote these learning opportunities to new employees. This forum allows me to reach many different walks of life, and I am always so impressed with the passion and creativity displayed with the cooks from each of our facilities. We’ve gone through a full rotation of teaching our “level 1” Culinary Clinics, generously hosted at Linden Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and I’m now pleased to bring all of those employees back for a 2nd, more advanced 2-day training class.

The 2-day Level 2 Culinary Clinic refines some of the already established skills from the Level 1 Culinary Clinic and also teaches the cooks new techniques, expanding their horizons. During the Level 2 portion of the clinic, we began pushing the envelope by experimenting with new practices such as Molecular Gastronomy. We also expanded on basics that people take for granted, such as fresh pasta. Have you ever tasted homemade pasta in comparison to the dry one on sale at the supermarket? What a difference! Granted, our cooks are not making homemade pasta every day but they will when it comes to our Elegant Dining meals, and taking that extra step is part of what makes them Elegant Dining.

When I was putting the agenda together for the level-2 class, I had in mind to take old world recipes and practices and make them in a more modern way. An example from the last clinic was when the students made Seared Scallops with a Coconut Dashi. Dashi is a traditional Japanese style broth which doesn’t sound too riveting, so we made it fun and exciting for the students by using a new world technique, showing them how to infuse flavors in a way they never imagined. We continue to touch upon the basics because that is important no matter where you go, and we can’t build upon something that has a weak foundation.

The level 2 class is not all about playing with fun culinary gadgets and learning futuristic techniques that I teach them. During this 2 day class we put a big emphasis on trying to move up, taking on more responsibility, looking at the bigger picture and becoming a culinary leader. Chef Manager is a title that should be respected because it is earned, and often does not come easily. The students are taught how they can traverse the path to advancement, what it takes along the way to becoming a Chef Manager.

At the end of each clinic I hope I’ve made a positive impact on the students. I hope that they walk away energized and looking to improve their skills each day. The goal is create excitement and have that excitement rub off on others at each facility they cook in.

A happy cook creates a happy meal, which will lead to happy elders. That’s exactly why we are in this business, to create happiness through the power of food.