Evolution

I've been described as a bit of a Type A++++ kind of guy. I want everything and I want it yesterday. It has to be perfect NOW and there is no time to wait. Nature doesn't work that way. Here's how I know.



The pic to the left is of our herb and cutting gardens early this spring. You can see where my dad added brick and mulch and copper caps were soon to come. A great improvement over what we had last year and part of the evolution of the garden. As soon as green stuff started poking through the still cold earth this year, I wanted to have a fully grown, 'middle of summer' garden. Well, guess what....nature doesn't work that way. Nature says 'Wait a minute you impatient bastard, I've got some work to do warming up the soil and you're just going to have to wait until I'm ready. Suck it up and deal, big boy'.



The pic above is a shot we took today as Scott and Alan were picking herbs and garnish for service. As you can see, we've got a full grown 'middle of the summer' garden and what do you know....It's the middle of the summer. Finally, nature is cooperating with me......

What I've learned from this process is that cooking by the seasons and cooking in general is an evolutionary process. We move with the seasons and instead of looking ahead to 'what's next' we should step back and celebrate 'what's now'. I encourage all of you that might visit the restaurant in the next coming weeks and months to come early, go to the bar, grab a glass of champagne and stroll our grounds. Soak in 'what's now' and take a moment to really check out what's growing before your eyes. As for cooking in general being an evolutionary process, well, that one's easy. Every time we put our hand on a knife or a pot on the burner, we are trying to do it better than the last time we used the knife or stove. Same with writing menus, everytime a dish is brought on to the menu, I'm trying to respect the ingredient for what it is, understand what it wants and continue to refine my style. Every year there are some dishes or components of dishes that make it back on the menu, but every year we always look back to see what we have learned in the past year that can help us refine those same dishes, and the dish evolves. One thing that will always stay the same is that you have to start with the finest quality produce and even that is an evolution process. Once you taste one of Beau's chickens, you'll understand the evolution process....

Hope everyone is enjoying 'what's now'.....here's a little video of what we've got NOW...Also, you'll hear at the end of the video that the sexiest smell in the world is that just picked tomato smell. Well, the smell of bacon in the pan is pretty sexy, too. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm a big fan of a BLT with a fried egg and melted cheese on grilled country bread. Don't forget the Natty Boh. Now we're talking evolution.