I should confess something. I’m no longer a die-hard football fan. I’m not blown away by encountering an Eagles soccer participant in any component of my existence. I do not attend each recreation or occasion. However, as the primary cook for dinner at Flik Hospitality at the NovaCare Complex, I get to look at these men every day, up close and personal. I arrive at 4:15 in the morning to put together breakfast for the rush. It’s no longer just players and coaches for whom we prepare dinner. It’s the entire front-of-house body of workers. The sheer number of meals is astounding.
Over 250 eggs need to be hand-cracked, 15 kilos of bacon and sausages need to be cooked, up to 20 pounds of potatoes need to be home fries, and forty-five or more Avocados need to be split and sliced. And this is just to get breakfast commenced. Add inside the complete smoothie and fruit bar; the breakfast unfold in our cafeteria is the entirety you may want to start your morning right. I paint along with the alternative cooks in our kitchen, and we strive every day to tackle the daunting mission of feeding an entire soccer company.
This is just a small part of my day, of course. Lunch and dinner are a veritable smorgasbord of freshly reduced fillets of salmon, steaks, and chops – a multitude of specials made to reserve sparkling. Add to that each of the alternative delicious offerings from our salad bar, pizza oven, and highlight movement station, we cook and serve food and snacks all day for our team. Anything that is required to sustain these guys is available, and all of us are painting long hours to make certain that not only are all of their dietary wishes met, but that we’re presenting first-rate tasting meals each day at each meal. Over time, I’ve become desensitized to the superstar reputation of the bigger-than-life athletes and coaches we feed each day. Our mission is truly to feed and nourish hungry people.
On May 13, however, I found myself clearly amazed and overjoyed – a true fan second. Chef Robert Irvine, a die-hard Eagles fan, hosted the Beats ‘n Eats charity event at the Fillmore in Philadelphia. All of the finances raised visit guide the Robert Irvine Foundation, an enterprise that serves “the ladies and men defending our u. S. A ., first responders, and the various heroes in our lives (lively, retired, and veterans).”
Now, I’ve met Chef Irvine earlier than. I was able to sit down and interview his final season for our Feeding the Birds podcast. It becomes one of the first-rate interviews I’ve finished up to now, and I found out a lot approximately the everyday life of a world-class chef. Robert could be very committed to his art and uses those competencies to offer again to humans in need. He travels the sector 345 days 12 year, raising money with special occasions for his charity. He is worried about producing meals documentaries and series that show off his specific brand of tough, the impossible meal.
Despite being an imposing figure, TV superstar chef and all, he could be very on hand and friendly. When you communicate with him, Robert greets you with a company handshake and a pat on the lower back, seems you right in the eye, encourages communication, and invites questions and stories. He has a superb chortle, and he’s going to tell you whatever and everything approximately cooking, and his love of food and service in the military.
He shared stories of cooking in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy and instituting an Afternoon Tea, which exists to this day, and testimonies about his mom’s cooking and his love of sparkling and matching the food. I became capable of preparing dinner for Robert earlier than his interview, and he advised me later that the steak I had made for him turned out pro and cooked perfectly. I take into account this very high praise, as this came from a man whom I had watched rip other chefs to shreds because their meals changed into horrible ones on Restaurant Impossible.
Imagine that strain, Robert Irvine walks up to you and orders lunch, and he is going to be brutally honest about your cooking. I am confident in my skills as a chef. However, it still became a bit daunting for me. I learned that Robert Irvine isn’t simply the person I noticed on television, but a peer, some other chef within the food community committed to using his skill to nourish. I felt that I had stepped into a bigger global world the day I spoke with and cooked for him.
